Yates needs comeback to survive first round at Les Schwab Invitational

Thoughts of an Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)-Yates (Houston, Texas) semifinal at the Les Schwab Invitational in Hillsboro, Ore., were nearly dashed Tuesday when nearby Wilsonville took a 52-49 lead into the final quarter of a first-round matchup with the Texas school.

But Yates responded in Lion-like fashion, overcoming the local school 22-5 in the fourth quarter to win 71-57. Junior guard Darrion Martin led head coach Greg Wise's squad with 25 points. Senior forward Clyde Santee added 20 points and seven rebounds.

Kevin Marshall kept Wilsonville in the game with 23 points, but 28 turnovers forced by Yates' end-to-end pressure defense ultimately undid the Wildcats.

Yates – the No. 1 team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A rankings – faces 6-foot-9 future Kansas Jayhawk Landen Lucas and Westview (Portland, Ore.) on Wednesday night. Lucas posted 18 points and 18 rebounds in a first-round win over Jefferson (Portland, Ore.).

Oak Hill Academy (22-0) cruised past David Douglas 93-53 behind 19 points apiece from senior guards D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Tyler Lewis.

Ricardo Gathers of Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.) – fresh off an appearance at the City of Palms Classic – posted 26 points and nine rebounds in an 84-61 win over Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.).

Calvin Hermanson, one of Oregon's top juniors, piled up 27 points and 11 boards as Lake Oswego (Ore.) got past Benson Tech (Portland, Ore.) 68-53.

Peak goes for 40 at Beach Ball

Although his team lost, L.J. Peak of Gaffney (S.C.) highlighted Tuesday play at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The 6-4 sophomore erupted for 40 points in a 91-76 loss to Ballard (Louisville, Ky.), connecting on 6 of 9 3-point attempts and 13 of 24 overall from the field.

In other action at the Beach Ball Classic, Shabazz Muhammad continued to shine over the holidays with 24 points and eight rebounds as Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) won its first-round encounter easily over Rye (N.Y.).

City of Palms Classic champion Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) opens in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday afternoon.

Leesburg over Basha at Kingdom of the Sun

The No. 2-ranked team in the Arizona Freeman Rankings took a fall in the opening round of the Kingdom of the Sun tournament in Ocala, Fla. Leesburg (Fla.) held off Basha (Chandler) 73-69 after leading by 19 points at halftime.

Leesburg, who went 28-4 a year ago en route to Florida's Class 4A state title, received 22 points from 6-3 senior guard Joe Toolie in the victory. The Yellowjackets will face another defending state champ in Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

It was also a big opening day in Ocala for a couple of in-state big men.

North Carolina-bound Joell James of Dwyer ripped down a tournament-record 24 rebounds in a 71-61 win over Williston, according to Richard Burton of Ocala.com.

Junior star Chris Walker of Holmes County (Bonifay, Fla.) posted 30 points and 12 rebounds as his team also reached the quarterfinals.

Fort Bend Travis dominates in Neosho

Folks in Neosho, Mo., are in for a fun four days as the Harrison twins of Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas) have hit town for the Neosho Holiday Classic.

The Tigers blew past Central (Springfield, Mo.) 78-30 in the first round, getting game-high 17 points from Aaron Harrison. Travis meets Ruskin (Kansas City, Mo.) on Wednesday.

St. Bernard shocks St. Thomas Catholic
 
After a rough start this season, 2011 California Division V runner-up St. Bernard (Playa del Rey) pulled off a surprising upset of defending Texas private school champion St. Thomas Catholic (Houston) on Tuesday at The Holiday Classic Torrey Pines, Calif.

The Vikings, who are 6-5 after Tuesday's win, got 22 points from senior forward Jalen Walker. Lance Booker added 16 points while junior Brandon Randolph – who leads the team in scoring at over 21 points per game – chipped in with 13.

St. Bernard also gets contributions from two of the most highly-regarded freshmen in California – 6-9 Brodericks Jones and 6-7 Chance Comanche.

Nationally-ranked DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) both moved on to quarterfinal play in Torrey Pines.