FORT MYERS, Fla. – Forget about the nation's top two college prospects playing in back-to-back games at the State Farm City of Palms Classic.
Saturday night at Bishop Verot High School belonged to Derrick Gordon of St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.).
The Western Kentucky signee and senior guard erupted for 37 points – including six 3-pointers – as St. Patrick hammered Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 92-68 in one of the day's most highly-anticipated games. The Celtics will face the winner of Monday's clash between Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Christ School (Arden, N.C.) in one semifinal.
Derrick Gordon, St. Patrick
File photo by Louis Lopez
"This is my senior year so I'm going to go out and do what I have to do to win," Gordon said. "Down here two years ago I played great so I just wanted to come back with that same mentality."
Whitney Young held Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.) to 37 points Friday night by using its incredible size and length in a zone defense. Gordon's barrage helped force the Dolphins to go man-to-man.
"He scored 27 points against John Wall's team in the opener here two years ago," St. Patrick head coach Kevin Boyle said. "He actually lost 15 pounds recently, had some acid reflux and hasn't practiced regularly. We know how good he is and how important it is for him to get back in the groove."
It wasn't just Gordon finding the range from outside. The Celtics – ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps.com – drilled 12 of 25 3-point attempts with help from Chris Martin (3 of 4) and Hakim Saintil (2 of 4).
The usual story for St. Patrick is Michael Gilchrist, a Kentucky signee pegged as the top senior prospect in America by MaxPreps.com. The 6-foot-7 forward contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a supporting role.
Ohio State signee Samuel Thompson, a 6-6 senior wing, led the way for Whitney Young with 17 points.
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) 72, No. 7 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 63
The day's biggest upset was due in large part to a player that was taking snaps in Florida's 5A state football playoffs eight days ago.
Despite just four days of practice with the basketball team, Jacoby Brissett scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Dwyer past defending Nevada 4A state champion Bishop Gorman.
"He's special," Dwyer head coach Fred Ross said. "He loves basketball but will probably go football. He was incredible tonight. I'm amazed he was able to play as well as he did tonight. I'm speechless."
Brissett, a 6-4, 225-pound senior, has football offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida State and Notre Dame.
Joell James, a 6-10, 280-pound junior, helped the Panthers neutralize Bishop Gorman's tall lineup, collecting 14 points and seven rebounds in the process. Senior guard Terrell Harris chipped in with 15 points.
Bishop Gorman received a big scoring performance from its own star, 6-6 junior guard Shabazz Muhammad, who finished with 31 points. Rosco Allen added 15 for the Gaels.
No. 22 Winter Park (Fla.) 75, Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.) 63
Winter Park senior guards Austin Rivers and Brett Comer combined for 48 points to lead the Wildcats past Riverside Academy.
The Duke-bound Rivers added seven rebounds and five assists to his statline and heated up in the second half as the Louisiana challenger refused to disappear. He is No. 2 in MaxPreps.com's 2011 Top 100.
Comer, a Florida International signee, added seven rebounds and five assists of his own.
Riverside received 21 points and 14 rebounds from 6-7, 240-pound manchild Ricardo Gathers.
No. 24 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 62, Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 58
Mater Dei nearly saw its hopes of becoming the second school to win the City of Palms Classic three times come to an end despite building a 16-point halftime lead.
Defending Florida 1A state champion Orlando Christian Prep cut the Monarchs' advantage to just three points at the 6:18 mark of the fourth quarter.
The outside shooting of junior Katin Reinhardt helped Mater Dei rattle off an 18-5 run to start the game. The 6-4 guard knocked down four 3-pointers in the first half, including three during the initial Monarch run. Reinhardt finished with 23 points.
"Every time I had an open shot, I shot it," Reinhardt said. "I do that well and anytime I can get an open shot and help my team by shooting threes I try and do that."
Isaac Cohen was a big reason why Orlando Christian Prep was able to battle back. The 6-4 junior pumped in 22 points to go along with seven rebounds.
A key stretch of the game came at the 5:00 mark of the final quarter with the lead still at three points. Mater Dei's Eli Stalzer faked a pass to free himself of a defender, then fired a 3-pointer that found the mark to give the California powerhouse a six-point lead. Xavier Johnson, who had 19 points and seven rebounds, followed with a dunk on the next possession to expand the margin to eight.
Christ School (Arden, N.C.) 77, Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 62
Christ School received double-figures scoring from all five starters to overcome New York City's top team in Christ the King.
Duke-bound senior center Marshall Plumlee (11 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks) and junior forward Will Weeks (16 points, 12 rebounds) both registered double-doubles. Point guard Rob Gray added 13 points and six assists.
The Greenies went on a 13-4 run at the start of the second quarter to pull away after being tied at 16 following the opening stanza.
The North Carolina private school also overcame the scoring of Christ the King junior guard Omar Calhoun, who poured in 26 points, including a 30-foot buzzer-beater to end the third quarter.
No. 23 Milton (Ga.) 68, Fort Myers (Fla.) 43
Now City of Palms Classic veterans, Milton overmatched Florida's defending Class 4A state champions to improve to 4-1 at the event going back to last season.
"We were used to the gym, used to a routine. All that was very beneficial," Milton head coach David Boyd said. "We were very comfortable in the gym and the atmosphere. We are also used to playing Florida teams where it always seems like we are kind of the villain."
The Eagles defeated Dunbar (Fort Myers, Fla.), St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) and Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) with a loss to Winter Park in the 2009 Classic.
Milton's senior trio of Dai-Jon Parker (Vanderbilt signee), Julian Royal (Georgia Tech) and Shannon Scott (Ohio State), along with 6-8 junior sharpshooter Evan Nolte did most of the damage Saturday against Fort Myers, combining for 42 points, 21 rebounds and 18 assists.
Jordan Loyd, a 6-2 senior headed to Furman, was also key to the Georgia program's early run, finishing with 13 points, and nine rebounds.
"He is a hard-nosed player, very aggressive and physical," Boyd said. "He played JV as a 10th-grader, so that shows how far he has come."
The Eagles put an exclamation point on their first-half dominance by executing a brilliant alley-oop finished by junior Shaquille Johnson as time expired to make the score 40-15 at intermission. Johnson added another of the put-back variety at the end of the third quarter.
Evin Graham led Fort Myers with 20 points.
No. 20 Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) 65, North Port (Fla.) 57
In a hotly-contested Saturday opener between two teams looking to make a run at Florida's Class 6A state title later this season, Kansas State signee Angel Rodriguez scored 24 points to lead Dr. Krop past North Port.
The Lightning bounced back from a first-round loss against Norfolk Christian to improve to 11-1.
North Port junior ballhandling whiz Larry Taylor poured in 27 points to keep the Bobcats close throughout. Central Florida signee Kasey Wilson, who scored 32 points Friday night, tacked up 17 points and eight rebounds.
Rodriguez drilled a 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining in the game to give Dr. Krop breathing room at 59-54. Six-foot-nine junior Tyrone Haughton blocked a shot on the other end, leading to a Cody Mann bucket that put things away for the Lightning.
Saturday's statistical leaders
Points
37 – Derrick Gordon, St. Patrick
31 – Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman
30 – Jacoby Brissett, Dwyer
28 – Austin Rivers, Winter Park
27 – Larry Taylor, North Port
26 – Omar Calhoun, Christ the King
24 – Angel Rodriguez, Dr. Krop
23 – Katin Reinhardt, Mater Dei
22 – Isaac Cohen, Orlando Christian Prep
21 – Ricardo Gathers, Riverside Academy
20 – Evin Graham, Fort Myers
20 – Brett Comer, Winter Park
Rebounds
14 – Ricardo Gathers, Riverside Academy
13 – Marshall Plumlee, Christ School
12 – Will Weeks, Christ School
12 – Christ Ortiz, Christ the King
11 – Jacoby Brissett, Dwyer
10 – Shannon Scott, Milton
9 – Jordan Loyd, Milton
9 – Louis Dabney, Riverside Academy
8 – Dauntae Johnson, North Port
8 – Eric Litvin, North Port
8 – Kasey Wilson, North Port
8 – Michael Gilchrist, St. Patrick
8 – BillyDee Williams, Winter Park
8 – Ronnie Stanley, Bishop Gorman
Assists
7 – Isaiah Lewis, Christ the King
7 – Eli Stalzer, Mater Dei
7 – Michael Gilchrist, St. Patrick
6 – Shannon Scott, Milton
6 – Dai-Jon Parker, Milton
6 – Rob Gray, Christ School
Monday's schedule (No games Sunday)
9 a.m. – Riverside vs. Bishop Gorman
10:45 a.m. – Christ the King vs. Orlando Christian Prep
12:30 p.m. – Melrose vs. Fort Myers
2: 15 p.m. – Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn, Pa.) vs. St. Mark's (Southborough, Mass.) (Signature Series)
4:15 p.m. – Milton vs. Norfolk Christian
6 p.m. – Urspringschule, Germany vs. Westchester Country Day (High Point, N.C.)
8:15 p.m. – Dwyer vs. Winter Park
10 p.m. – Mater Dei vs. Christ School
