High School Basketball Weekend Watch

Video: R.J. Barrett highlights
Canadian sophomore leads Montverde Academy into tournament play this weekend.

National championship contenders Nathan Hale (Seattle) and Chino Hills (Calif.) will both face serious challenges over the next three days, highlighting another big weekend of high school basketball.

Washington's long-anticipated regular season game of the year has arrived for Nathan Hale as head coach Brandon Roy returns to his alma mater for the first time.

Chino Hills has a two-part challenge with a league showdown Friday night followed by a national challenger on Saturday.

The newly-constituted New Jersey vs. D.C. Collision adds some additional flavor with Garden State powers taking on four teams from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Read on for a breakdown of the weekend's biggest games: No. 1 Nathan Hale (Seattle) at Garfield (Seattle)
7:30 p.m. (PST)

As dominant as Michael Porter Jr. and Nathan Hale have been this year, the Raiders won't win their own league title if they can't take care of business against Garfield. The teams met back on Dec. 29 in the semifinals of the Les Schwab Invitational and Nathan Hale absolutely dominated – leading by 45 points in the second half before cruising to an 87-64 win. Expect things to be much more competitive this time around as Garfield is healthy (Top 100 recruit Daejon Davis didn't play the first time around) and at home. Nathan Hale head coach Brandon Roy starred at Garfield before moving on to the University of Washington and NBA.

No. 10 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) at Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.)
5:30 p.m. (EST) Saturday @ New Jersey vs. D.C. Collision

The New Jersey vs. D.C. Collision is a new showcase event on the schedule and will be held at Roselle Catholic. Paul VI heads to the Garden State as one of the hottest teams in the country with 10 wins in a row and tied atop the powerhouse Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. Roselle Catholic enters with a 9-5 record but four of those five losses have come against teams that have appeared in the High School Top 25 this season.

No. 7 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) vs. No. 17 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.)
7:15 p.m. (EST) Saturday @ New Jersey vs. D.C. Collision

The nightcap at the New Jersey vs. D.C. Collision is a dandy. DeMatha took one on the chin earlier this week in WCAC play to rival Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), so expect the Stags to fight like crazy to avoid a second loss in the span of five days. Despite a lower national ranking, Patrick School is probably the favorite here playing close to home and survivors of a brutal schedule that has included six games against teams that have appeared in the rankings this season.

No. 12 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) vs. Fairfax (Los Angeles)
7 p.m. (PST) Saturday @ State Preview Classic

This is the sneaky-good game of the week. Bishop Montgomery is blowing teams off the map, winning its last 13 against in-state opponents by 20 points or more. Fairfax is 19-1 under first-year head coach Steve Baik, who went 35-0 last season en route to section, state and national titles at Chino Hills.

No. 3 Chino Hills (Calif.) vs. Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)
8:30 p.m. (PST) Saturday @ State Preview Classic

If Chino Hills can survive a league showdown Friday night with Damien (La Verne), Saturday's matchup with Wasatch Academy should be a very serious threat to its long winning streak – which currently stands at 56 games. Wasatch Academy (18-3) was a Dick's Nationals qualifier a year ago and has some big time talent with Santa Clara signee Josip Vrankic, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Top 100 junior prospect Emmanuel Akot, who has offers from Arizona, Louisville, Oregon and Utah among others.

More Games/Events to Watch

Kiwanis Hotbed Classic (New Albany, Miss.): Big Independent Top 10 showdown in New Albany as bubble teams Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) takes on Southwest Christian Academy (Little Rock, Ark.). Teams from Alabama and Tennessee dot the 11-game schedule that includes several of Mississippi's top programs.

Montverde Academy Invitational (Montverde, Fla.): Action begins Thursday and runs through Saturday evening. * No. 3 Montverde Academy hosts No. 11 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), Lehigh (Lehigh Acres, Fla.), Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.), Rainier Beach (Seattle), Windermere Prep (Windermere, Fla.) and Winter Park (Fla.). The Eagles have won 54 in a row at home.

SNY Invitational (New York, N.Y.): Four big names in NYC/Tri-State high school basketball will take the floor Friday and Saturday at the City College of New York. Bob Hurley and St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) open against St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) while Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) takes on Mount Vernon (N.Y.) on the opposite side of the bracket.

* Independent Top 10 ranking