Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
While state championships remain the ultimate prize for most high school basketball teams, later December has become a proving ground of another kind for some of the country’s top teams.
From Hawaii to California to Florida, tournament organizers assemble star-studded fields that separate the contenders from the pretenders when it comes to sorting out the nation’s elite.
Prior to Christmas, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) scored a major tournament victory when it captured the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The team the Monarchs beat in the finals, St. Patrick of Elizabeth, N.J., will also have to consider the past 10 days a major success.
Head coach Kevin Boyle’s Celtics not only reached the finals in Fort Myers, but will also play Wheeler of Georgia tonight in the championship game of the Bojangles Shootout in North Carolina – a very impressive double.
Another California team that will head into 2009 feeling good is Dominguez of Compton. The Dons, a perennial SoCal powerhouse, were written off nationally after losing star wing Jordan Hamilton due to an eligibility snafu. Then the program was rocked once again with the news that Russell Otis would be removed as head coach following allegations of criminal misconduct.
With that as the backdrop, Dominguez swept four games at the Les Schwab Invitational in Hillsboro, Ore., including a 58-56 win over Renardo Sidney and Fairfax of Los Angeles in the final.
Here is a quick glance at the finals and tournament MVP in 11 of the top holiday tournaments;
Bishop Gorman Holiday Classic – Las Vegas, Nev. (Dec. 17-20) [Recap]
Finals: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 64, Denver East (Denver, Colo.) 59
MVP: Johnathan Lloyd, Bishop Gorman
Iolani Classic – Honolulu, Hawaii (Dec. 17-22) [Recap]
Finals: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 74, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 62
MVP: Lamont Jones, Oak Hill Academy
City of Palms Classic – Fort Myers, Fla. (Dec. 18-23) [Recap]
Finals: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 52, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 45
MVP: Austin Rivers, Winter Park (Fla.)
Mission Prep Christmas Classic – San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Dec. 18-23) [Recap]
Finals: Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 65, O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 58
MVP: Justin Cobbs, Bishop Montgomery
Chic-fil-A Classic – Columbia, S.C. (Dec. 19-23) [Recap]
Finals: Christ School (Asheville, N.C.) 73, Pinewood Prep (Summerville, S.C.) 63
MVP: Lakeem Jackson, Christ School
Great Florida Shootout – Kissimmee, Fla. (Dec. 26-30) [Recap]
Finals: Metairie Park Country Day (Metairie, La.) 76, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 66
MVP: Matt Derenbecker, Metairie Park Country Day
Les Schwab Invitational – Hillsboro, Ore. (Dec. 26-30) [Recap]
Finals: Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) 58, Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 56
MVP: Renardo Sidney, Fairfax
MaxPreps Holiday Classic – San Diego, Calif. (Dec. 26-30) [Recap]
Finals: Bellevue (Wash.) 58, Eisenhower (Rialto, Calif.) 55
MVP: Aaron Bright, Bellevue
Beach Ball Classic – Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Dec. 26-31) [Recap]
Finals: St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 72, Wheeler (Ga.) 53
MVP: Michael Gilchrist, St. Patrick
Bojangles Shootout – Charlotte, N.C. (Dec. 26-31)
Finals: Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 74, Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) 68
MVP: Marion Smith, Christ the King
T-Mobile Invitational – Muncie, Ind. (Dec. 29-30) [Recap]
Finals: Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 58, South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 44
