Tarkanian Classic Platinum Division Final (12/21, PST)
St. Pius-St. Matthias (Calif.) 7-1 vs. Desert Mountain (Ariz.) 9-1, 4:30 pm
Tarkanian Classic Ball Dawgs Division Final (12/21, PST)
Weston Ranch (Stockton, Calif.) 6-1 vs. Liberty Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.) 12-2, 1:30 pm
Tarkanian Classic Spalding Division Final (12/21, PST)
Poly (Riverside, Calif.) 10-3 vs. Carlsbad (Calif.) 9-1, 12 pm

St. Pius-St. Matthias (Downey, Calif.) doesn't always win pretty and tends to start slow, but if it wins and advances, the players don't care. That team-first philosophy had produced results at the 11th annual Tarkanian Classic and has put the Warriors in position to play for the Platinum Division championship.

The Warriors took on St. Augustine (9-2) and the CIF San Diego Section power led 36-32 at halftime in the semifinal contest. Saints was seemingly in control until St. Pius-St. Matthias (7-1) picked up the defense and started making timely buckets to post a 62-50 victory to advance to Thursday's 4:30 pm (PT) championship game.

St. Pius, which lone loss this season is to California No. 1 and FAB 50 No. 9 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) by one point in a road game, led 48-45 at the end of the third period, but Saint's first field goal of the final period came with just four minutes remaining in the eight minute stanza. St. Augustine finished with 14 points after intermission. Jaden Bailes, a sophomore guard and Saints' leading scorer in their first two tourney games, had 14 points, but only two after halftime.

St. Augustine had trouble slowing down Pius X big man Doug Langford, who forced double teams inside, created lanes for teammates and worked the offensive glass. The highly-recruited 2025 power forward finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.

San Francisco-bound wing Tyrone Riley of St. Pius-St. Matthias is similar to all-time great middleweight boxing champ Marvin Hager; he can be a slow starter but is a productive and championship player. Riley's mere presence is a threat to foes and he came up with timely shots and clutch rebounds in the second half vs. St. Augustine to finish with eight points.

"We came into the tournament with the mindset to win it (the title)," Riley said.

The Warriors are a scrappy bunch that never get too high or too low on themselves and received some timely second half shots from 6-foot-2 2024 (senior) Tylon Williams. Five-foot-8 2024 David Mack, the unsung hero of Tuesday's quarterfinal victory over FAB 50 No. 44 Alta (Sandy, Utah) with 20 points, came through again late vs. Saints for his team, which trailed by nine points in the second half in its first round win over Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) and by as much as 16 points in the second quarter in the big win over Alta. With 1:21 to go and St. Pius holding on to a 56-50 lead, Mack's slicing lay-up was a big moment and on the other end on Saints' next possession, he came up with a big rebound to put his team firmly in control.

"I just do whatever is needed for us to win," said Mack, a transfer from L.A. Fairfax. "We're just focused on winning."

The Warriors know how to come from behind to win and win in a variety of ways, but they probably can't afford too much of a slow start against their foe in the Platinum Division championship game. That's because Desert Mountain, a young outfit from Scottsdale, Ariz., that starts a pair of brothers who are sophomores and freshmen, have jumped all over teams and kept up the offensive pressure for 32 minutes in its first three victories.

The Wolves' 78-65 semifinal victory over Branson (Ross, Calif.) was no different, as they got it going early to move to 9-1 on the season and handed the Bulls their second loss (7-2 overall). All five of Desert Mountain's starters scored in the first period, as the Wolves led 17-10 after eight minutes.

All four of the Wolves' young perimeter players can burst by defenders, stop on a dime and pop the jumper or whip a pass, but their best player, 6-foot-3 sophomore Kaden House, simply does those things on another level than his peers in the national 2026 class. He is putting forth a show-stopping performance in Sin City and was already up to 20 points at halftime as his team led Branson, 40-30.

Junior guard Semetri Carr (24 points), a blur of a ball-handler himself, kept the Bulls in the game but they couldn't get over the hump dispite a 15-2 run that put Branson (which also got 23 points from Illinois-bound senior guard Jase Butler) within a point at 47-46 after trialing 45-31. The Branson run was stopped by a timely bucket by freshman (2027) guard Jabron Bardwell. From there Desert Mountain, which lost its only game of the season on a buzzer-beating shot by Pinnacle of Arizona, led 58-48 at the end of the third period with House up to 34 points.

In the end, the sophomore sensation was the difference in the game, as he once again nailed his free throws and sliced through the defense to the tune of 43 points and also had nine rebounds. Through three Platinum Division games, he's scored 104 points, good for a 34.7 ppg. One will be hard pressed to find a hotter player in the country or a better all-around guard in the West Region.

A star has been born in a city that has produced many of them over the years in scholastic and grassroots basketball, but the job is not done yet. St. Pius-St. Matthias may not have the same type of flash, but all it does is do its job and close out games.

The contrasting styles will make for quite the interesting Tarkanian Classic championship game.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

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Tarkanian Classic Platinum Division Semifinals (12/20, PST)
St. Augustine (Calif.) 9-1 vs. St. Pius-St. Matthias (Calif.) 6-1, 6 pm
Desert Mountain (Ariz.) 8-1 vs. The Branson School (Calif.) 7-1, 7:30 pm

Jaden Bailes, St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) 6-2 SG 2026
Has made a big splash so far in helping the Saints advance to the Platinum Division semifinals. He started it off by hitting five 3-pointers and netting 22 points in Saints' 52-41 first round victory over Mater Lakes (Miami, Fla.). In the quarterfinals, Bales made two big plays down the stretch to spark St. Augustine to a 55-52 comeback win over Arbor View (Las Vegas, Nev.). With 2:35 to go, the sophomore hit a big 3-pointer to give St. Augustine a 53-49 lead and on the next play Arbor View's Pharaoh Compton fouled out on an offensive foul. After Arbor View cut its deficit to one on a 3-pointer, Bailed hit a 8-foot baseline floater to make it 55-52 and account for the final margin. Bailes has good skill, deep range and a knack for being around the ball when it matters.

Javon Bardwell, Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 6-3 W 2027
The Wolves start four underclassmen and all of them are some of the best players in their class in the West Region. In fact, Bardwell just might be the best 2027 high school player in the region and one of its better long-term prospects. Bardwell has length, athleticism, but most importantly, can handle the ball and finish going both ways. He's also an elite rebounding guard. After a terrific performance at the HoopHall West in Scottsdale, Ariz at the end of November, Bardwell has turned in terrific performances at the Tark Classic. He went for 26 points in the second half of the Wolves' 74-69 first round victory over Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.). He took a secondary scoring performance in the big 81-65 quarterfinal victory over host Bishop Gorman, but still handled the defensive pressure well and made some big defensive plays. Sophomore Kaden House is already well-known nationally and any credible ranking service that doesn't have the Desert Mountain star in its national 2026 Top 20 can't be taken too seriously. He's proving to be one of the best guards in the country, regardless of class. He went for 36 points in the Wolves' victory over Bishop Gorman and his brother Kalek House, a 6-foot-2 sophomore who is a bit more stockier and more scoring oriented, had 27 points as the House brothers accounted for 63 of their team's 81 points. Kalek can hit the 3-ball and has a nice mid-range game and all of Desert Mountain's ball-handlers can change direction and play with a nice pace.

Semetri Carr, The Branson School (Ross, Calif.) 6-1 CG 2025
Illinois-bound power point guard Jase Butler had it going in the Bulls' 71-57 first round win over St. Bernard (Playa del Rey, Calif.), finishing with 25 points, including four 3-pointers after halftime. He's physically dominant, so it's easy to see why Calvary Christian (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) was hell-bent on slowing him down. Fortunately for Branson, it has another D1-bound guard that can hurt teams in a variety of ways. Carr is a slick guard with burst and good feel who is wired to score, but can handle it like a true lead guard. He also rebounds the ball well for his size and is not afraid to mix it up and draw fouls. When Calvary focused on Butler, Carr went to work in the first half, scoring 20 points. With the quarterfinal game in the balance entering the fourth quarter, the junior knocked down his foul shots while Butler got the hot hand from the field to help Branson outscore Calvary, 26-19, in the final eight minutes. Carr finished with 31 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Butler hit four 3-pointers down the stretch in the fourth period and five for the game to finish with 20 points.

Cayden Daughtry, Calvary Christian (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 5-11 PG 2027
The Eagles have a big frontline and some balance, but the spark plug is a mercurial freshman who will turn 15 right after the high school season. Daugherty is under control with the dribble and has an elite separation game with the jump shot. He also has good instincts to roll to the open area when he doesn't have the rock. In the Eagles' 55-46 first round victory over Centennial (Corona, Calif.), Daughtery hit three 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. In the quarterfinals, he had three second half 3-pointers to keep his team in range in a tough game with Branson (Ross, Calif.). The Eagles were down by one point entering the fourth quarter, but the wheels came off in the final eight minutes.

Nick Jefferson, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 6-1 CG 2025
Quick scoring lead guard is a fiery competitor for a Gaels team that is improving and hopes to make a run at the NIAA Class 5A state crown. Jefferson should see his recruitment uptick during the winter after going for 25 points, seven assists and four steals in Gorman's 67-63 first round victory over Sagemont (Weston, Fla.) and 24 points, five rebounds and four assists in the 81-65 loss to Desert Mountain.

Ace Reiser, Alta (Sandy, Utah) 5-11 PG 2024
D2s and lower level schools should take a deep look at this cerebral point guard that sees the court well and has a knack for not only the big play, but the right play. Also a pin-point passer, Resier had 20 points in Alta's 74-63 first round victory over tough Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.). Although Alta was upset in the quarterfinals by St. Pius-St. Matthias (Downey, Calif.), he continued to make a positive impression, including a 35-foot, 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer that gave his team a 60-52 lead it would eventually give up. Reiser finished with 10 points. St. Pius-St. Matthias got a huge second half from San Francisco-bound Tyrone Riley to propel his team to a 81-69 quarterfinal victory. He's not under the radar per se, but is an absolute terrific get for the Dons. The smooth and versatile lefty with a college-ready frame netted 18 second-half points and finished with 24.

Michael Simcoe, Sandra Day O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz.) 6-8 PF 2025
This is the most talked about prospect in the entire event, as he was a relatively unknown nationally at the beginning of the high school season. Many national scouts and college coaches were interest in seeing Sierra Vista (Las Vegas, Nev.) junior 7-footer Xavier Stanton vs. Simcoe in a first round Spalding Division matchup, and came away raving about O'Connor's big man. He's no longer a sleeper after scoring 26 points in the head-to-head matchup. Simcoe has a big frame that he knows how to use, good hands and the lefty can step outside and keep defenses honest with a well-timed 3-pointer. Simcoe had heavyweight colleges over at Sierra Vista High School looking at him on the second day of the tournament, but is probably more suited for the mid-major/mid-major plus level. His team fell to a solid Poly (Riverside, Calif.) club in the quarterfinals.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

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