RELATED: LiAngelo Ball Drops 41 Points | Leland Green Turnt Up vs. Bentonville | 14-year old LaMelo Ball Shows Off Deep Range   

Redondo Union head coach Reggie Morris Jr. is a state championship-winning coach and respected among his coaching peers and the media as one of California's best. But after seeing Chino Hills take apart a quality Jonesboro (Ga.) team in the semifinals, he walked out of the Rancho Mirage (Calif.) High School gym on Tuesday night not knowing exactly his plan of attack to slow down the RUN GMZ scoring machine.

Entering Wednesday night's game, he had a game plan to slow down the long touchdown passes of UCLA-bound Lonzo Ball and Redondo Union accomplished that goal. But after Chino Hills came away with a 96-80 victory over his team, Morris Jr. had an assessment of what the difference was in the outcome and what a team needs to do in order to beat the Huskies.

“The difference in the game was in the fourth quarter when we didn’t rebound the ball,” Morris Jr. said. “There was a couple of balls there we didn’t get to and we gave them too many chances. As far as what teams need to do in order to defeat Chino Hills? Pray. Playing in high school gyms, they shoot the ball so well.”

There were two other main differences in the game, one factor which is usually more prevalent in football games rather than a high school basketball game – Chino Hills won the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. The game was knotted up at 33-33 in the second quarter, then Chino Hills (13-0) outscored Redondo Union 9-3 to end the second period and took a 42-36 lead into intermission.

At the beginning of the third period, Ball recorded seven assists in a three-minute span, as the Huskies shot better from the field after poor shooting first half. RUN GMZ outscored Redondo Union, 26-17, in the final quarter, as the Sea Hawks shot well themselves, but just ran out of offensive answers for arguably the most potent offensive team in the country.

The second difference in the outcome was Ball himself, as the 6-foot-5 senior demonstrated how he impacts high level games from the lead guard position more than any player in recent high school lore. His vast arsenal was only full display on Wednesday night, as he finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, seven blocks and four steals. The entire grassroots basketball community has long known about the passing and rebounding ability, but what he’s doing better over the last six months is exploding by first defenders off the dribble and blocking shots. His shot blocking was key in Chino Hill’s COP title, and he’s now starting to intimidate defenders around the basket with his defensive ability.

Had his younger brothers LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball shot a better percentage in the first half, there is no telling how many assists Zo would have ended up with. His younger brothers were 3-of-23 from the field in the first half. Redondo Union (10-3) shot an excellent percentage from the field -- and still lost by 16 points. That should give one good perspective on what it’s going to take to beat Chino Hills this season.

Gelo Ball finished with 19 points while Melo Ball finished with 16 points. Zo Ball was named tournament MVP by the media in attendance, while Gelo joined him on the first five all-tourney team.

Ryse Williams, a 6-foot-2 junior, Morgan Means, a 6-foot-1 senior, and Leland Green, a 6-foot-2 senior, were all named to the second five all-tourney team for Morris Jr.’s club. Green, like Means an unsigned senior who colleges may be somewhat missing the boat on, finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Williams added 13 points and Means finished with seven points.

Redondo Union, which suffered two of its three losses at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, gave a game effort and its resume will have to be broken down to see if its FAB 50-worthy. It avenged one of its three losses versus Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) in the California desert, but the Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, Texas) team the Sea Hawks lost in Sin City to went 2-2 at the Maxpreps Holiday Classic.

Bishop Gorman fell to Jonesboro (Ga.) 65-64 in the open division third place game, as the Gaels were unable to slow down all-tourney pick M.J. Walker. The Jonesboro standout junior wing finished with 39 points, making five 3-pointers in the process. One of the nation’s best football-basketball combo athletes a year ago, Walker sat out the 2015 football season and his stock as a basketball player is beginning to soar. He looked like a legitimate 2017 McDonald’s All-American candidate in this tournament and will be one of the most interesting players to evaluate on the grassroots circuit this spring and summer.

Despite Walker’s heroics, Gorman had a golden opportunity to win the game. With less than 10 seconds remaining in the game, Bishop Gorman put the ball in the hands of junior guard Christian Popoola Jr., who drive the baseline, got in the lane and threw a short pass to Gonzaga-bound center Zach Collins. There was a lot of bodies and traffic, but Collins was able to gather and score with .2 seconds remaining, but he was called for a charging foul and the Cardinals were able to run out the clock.

It was a tough call against Collins, who finished with 29 points.

As The Holiday Classic in San Diego (Calif.), Fairfax of Los Angeles won the national division title for the second consecutive season. In this year’s title game, the Lions jumped out all over Centennial (Corona, Calif.) and rolled to a 68-53 victory. LMU-bound guard Donald Gipson was named tourney MVP.

2015 Maxpreps Holiday Classic All-Tourney Team:

First five
Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills - MVP
James Walker, Jr., Jonesboro (Ga.)
LiAngelo Ball, Chino Hills
Chuck O'Bannon Jr, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Jordan Ratinho, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)

Second five
Ryse Williams, Redondo Union (Redondo, Calif.)
Morgan Means, Redondo
Shacquille Dawkins, Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.)
Leland Green, Redondo
Zach Collins, Gorman
Elizjah Scott, Chino Hills

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

The post Another Triple-Double for Zo Ball, Leads Chino Hills to Maxpreps Title! (Game HLs) appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Related: Day One Raw Footage | Day Two Raw Footage | Trevon Duval's Reverse Dunk | City of Palms / Maxpreps Holiday Classic Preview | Westchester's Ed Azzam Offers Advice

Although Overland was down 25-16 to Bishop Gorman in the first half, coach Danny Fisher was confident his team was in the game. With a senior-laden group with talent and an improved backcourt, Fisher is confident his team can play with national-level opponents.

Overland trailed 30-26 at halftime despite star guard Jervae Robinson only netting four points. The Trailblazers played tough defense and it began to pay off in the second half. The game within the game was the battle between Gonzaga-bound Zach Collins of Bishop Gorman and Indiana-bound De'Ron Davis of Overland. The big men battled to a stand still, until Gorman decided to double team Davis down the stretch. Robinson and senior Reggie Gibson made the Gaels pay, as the duo hit outside shots to get Overland (7-0) within striking range.

With Bishop Gorman (7-2) leading 46-41 with approximately 10 minutes remaining, Robinson went to work. He nailed a straightaway 3-pointer then hit a 14-foot jumper to tie the game at 46-46 with 8:05 remaining. It was a dogfight the rest of the way, with Overland taking the lead on a Robinson free throw and Gorman rebounding from a 56-52 deficit with 1:17 remaining to tie the game. Gorman's Christian Popoola Jr. made two free throws with one minute remaining and Charles O'Bannon Jr. tied the game on an offensive rebound outback with 19 seconds remaining.

According to Davis, Overland's final play was designed to go inside to him. He got the ball on the block and converted a short turn around back shot with four seconds in what turned out to be the game-winner in a 58-56 game.

Gorman had one last chance, but Popoola's last-ditch pass to O'Bannon for a potential game-winning 3-pointer on the right wing in front of his won bench was too late, as the attempt came after the buzzer.

Robinson, who finished with 16 points and five steals, was named Platinum Division MVP after averaging 18.5 ppg in Overland's four victories. In addition to converting the game-winner, Davis finished with a team-high 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots. Gibson finished with nine points, four assists and five steals. Just as it did in its semifinal win over Bingham (Utah), Overland got more loose balls and won the 50/50 battles in the closing minutes.

O'Bannnon, who had his silky jumper going early, finished with a game-high 23 points and showed in this tournament he's a bonafide 2017 McDonald's All-American candidate. He added four steals.

Collins finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks and Popola added 11 points for the Gaels.

Bingham improved to 7-2 on the season by winning the third place contest, 60-48, over Sagemont (Fla.). Westchester of Los Angeles won the consolation championship after losing in the first round to Bingham.

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

The post Watch De'Ron Davis Score Winning Bucket as Overland Captures Tarkanian Title! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Related: Day One Raw Footage | Day Two Raw Footage | Trevon Duval's Reverse Dunk | City of Palms / Maxpreps Holiday Classic Preview | Overland Captures Tarkanian Classic Title

Tarkanian Platinum Semifinal Results:

Overland (Aurora, Col.) 64, Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 55
After a so-so performance at last year's Tarkanian Classic, Overland has used that experience to propel itself into Saturday's 6:20 pm championship final. Overland overcame a eight point deficit in the final eight minutes of the second half versus a game Bingham team that ran out of steam at the end. Overland improved to 6-0 behind the play of 6-foot-2 guard Jervae Robinson and Indiana-bound De'Ron Davis. Robinson netted 18 points and is averaging 19.3 ppg through three games. Davis, a 6-foot-9 senior, didn't score big in the first two Overland wins, but came up with 16 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and four steals as the Trailblazers handed Bingham its second loss of the season. Davis scoring wasn't needed in the first two games, but his presence created opportunities for teammates and the team's perimeter players are much improved from last season.

In last year's event, Putnam City's Tyson Jolly elevated his status from a mid-major recruit to one with high-major offers because of his play at this event and the same thing will happen for Robinson. The senior guard hit two late 3-pointers to propel Overland's comeback. Coach Danny Fisher of Overland felt his team wasn't prepared for the national competition of this tournament last season, but that experience has paid dividends this time around.

Bingham's Yoeli Childs, a BYU recruit, led his team with 21 points. Despite being saddled with foul trouble, his absence for an extended period in the first half and the beginning of the second didn't slow down Bingham. Over the final eight minutes, however, Bingham seemed to tire on its field goal attempts and Overland was quicker to loose balls.

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 60, Sagemont (Weston, Fla.) 44
Similar to Overland, Bishop Gorman learned a valuable lesson from last year's event. The Gaels let Putnam City (Okla.) hang around and that team snatched victory from Gorman at the end. In this year's semifinals, Gorman jumped out on Sagemont and never took its foot off the pedal, cruising to the finals for the second time in the event's history. In the event's first year in 2012, Gorman lost to Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the title game and lost in the semifinals the past two seasons.

After junior wing Charles O'Bannon Jr. caught a one-handed lob dunk to make the score 13-5, the outcome of the game was never in doubt. O'Bannon finished with a team-high 15 points, and is averaging 18.3 ppg through three games in the tournament. Gonzaga-bound center Zach Collins had another well-rounded game with eight points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. "Glue guy" Byron Frohnen came up with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists as Gorman improved to 7-1.

Tarkanian Classic Platinum Division Final
Bishop Gorman (7-1) vs. Overland (6-0)
Saturday, 6:20 pm pt

There will be another big-time battle in the post in the championship game between Overland's Davis and Gorman's Collins. According to coach Fisher, Overland's culture is built around Davis; and if the team's perimeter players continue to thrive off him, the Trailblazers will be a tough out for Gorman. Gorman's perimeter players are going to have to find a way to slow down Robinson and if he has a good start offensively, Overland will gain confidence. Gorman did a good job of slowing down Sagemont's Tyler Polley inside, but Davis is even more physical and Robinson finds ways to score around the basket so something will have to give.

With O'Bannon Jr. leading the way, Gorman has a variety of ways in which it can score and seems to come by points easier, so it probably can overcome foul trouble from Collins a bit better than Overland could if Davis were to pick up three in the first half. The refs have tight whistles so far in this tournament, so how they call physical play will be a factor in the outcome of this game. If Gorman plays loose and confident like it did in the semifinal versus Sagemont, you have to like it chances to pull out the win, whereas Overland will likely need a big run or a critical juncture of the game to go its way to remain unbeaten.

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

The post Tarkanian Classic: Bishop Gorman and Overland Reach Title Game! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Related: Day One Raw Footage | Frank Burlison Talks Tarkanian, Previews Holiday Tournaments | Gorman-Overland Preview | Trevon Duval's Reverse Dunk | City of Palms / Maxpreps Holiday Classic Preview | Overland Captures Tarkanian Classic Title

Thursday 12/17 Platinum Quarterfinal Results:

Bingham (Utah) 80,  Centennial (California) 69
Bingham was impressive for the second consecutive game, jumping all over the Huskies and holding on after BYU-bound Yoeli Childs (19 points) fouled with approximately five minutes remaining in the second half. Bingham had a great all-around team effort and was well-prepared to play. Schyler Shoemaker, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, added 17 points while Dason Youngblood, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, added 15 points.  Ike Anigobu, Centennial's UCLA-bound center, had some highlight blocks and finished with 24 points. On his 16th birthday, junior Jalen Hill added 14 points for Centennial, which rallied in the second half but just couldn't overcome the slow start.

Sagemont (Florida) 68, Prestonwood Christian Academy (Texas) 61
Six-foot-11 Schnider Herard of Prestonwood had a big game inside and kept pounding away to keep his team in striking range, but Sagemont was just so balanced and skilled. The Lions' Tomas Verbinskis, a 6-foot-6 junior, scored 17 points, as did 6-foot-8 Tyler Polley, who is proving to be one of the best underclass players in the South. He can face up and knock down the perimeter shot as power forward and has made quite the impression on national scouts so far at this tournament. Luis Hurtado, a 6-foot-6 junior, added 12 points for Sagemont.

Overland (Colorad) 49, Dillard (Florida) 45
Dillard gave Indiana-bound Deron Davis plenty of attention, but the perimeter players surrounding him have proven to be much improved from last season. The best of the lot is 6-foot-2 Jervae Robinson, who followed up a 19-point performance in a first round win over Long Beach Poly with a 21-point outing. Robinson is has plenty of offensive moves and is a quality finisher around the basket. Sophomore Stanley Garner, a 6-foot-1 guard, led Dillard with 17 points.

Bishop Gorman (Nevada) 63, Redondo Union (California) 58
The host school held off a scrappy club that refused to go away, as the Seahawks dropped their first game of the season after winning their own Pac Shores Tournament before Thanksgiving. Zach Collins, a Gonzaga recruit, had a big game with seven points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots before fouling out. As predicted, Collins' size and aggressiveness proved to be too much to handle for the shorter team. Gorman also got a stellar performance from junior wing Charles O'Bannon Jr. He finished with 24 points, making 3-of-5 3-pointers in the process, and five assists. Junior guard Christian Popoola Jr. added 13 points. Seniors Morgan Means and Leland Green combined for 30 points for Redondo, which means netting 20.

Friday 12/18 Platinum Semifinal Matchups @ Orleans Arena:

Overland (Aurora, Col.) vs. Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 4 pm pt
It will be Overland's steady and solid guard play versus Bingham's spectacular execution in the open court. Yoeli Childs is getting up the court and in position faster than the bigs guarding him, so DeRon Davis will have to keep pace. On the bigger Orleans Arena floor and the different depth perception, the team that executes down the stretch and limits the crucial turnover will pull it out. 

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) vs. Sagemont (Weston, Fla.), 5:30 pm pt
Tyler Polley versus Charles O'Bannon Jr. will be worth the price of admission. Polley is proving to be one of the better forwards in the tournament. Gorman has just as many scoring options as Sagemont, but it struggles at times with its ball-handling when Christian Popoola Jr. is not in the game. If he doesn't have a steady game, Sagemont will have an excellent chance to steal the game from the Gaels.       

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

The post Tarkanian Classic: Day Two Raw Footage appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Related: Day Two Raw Footage | Frank Burlison Talks Tarkanian, Previews Holiday Tournaments | Gorman-Overland Preview | Trevon Duval's Reverse Dunk | City of Palms / Maxpreps Holiday Classic Preview | Overland Captures Tarkanian Classic Title 

Platinum Upper Bracket 1st Round Scores
Overland (Aurora, Col.) 62, Poly (Long Beach) 43
Senior Jervae Robinson, a 6-foot-1 combo guard drawing D1 interest, scored 19 points in the win over injury-depleted Poly. The Jackrabbits also had trouble slowing down Indiana-bound power forward Deron Davis, who finished with 10 points.
Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 46, Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) 43
Raiquan Gray, a 6-goot-8 junior wing, scored 15 points to lead Dillard in a low-scoring affair.
Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 61, Westchester (Los Angeles) 56
The Comets of Westchester trailed by 20 points early in the second half, but their rally fell just short. Yoeli Childs, a 6-foot-8 forward bound for BYU, led Bingham with 20 points.
Centennial (Corona) 63, Desert Pines (Las Vegas, Nev.) 59
This was a tight game throughout, but Centennial took control down the stretch behind some great on-ball defense from junior guard Isom Butler. Offensively, UCLA-bound forward Ike Anigobu and Long Beach State-bound Jordan Griffin led Centennial with 15 points and 17 points, respectively. Cap Uzan, a 5-foot-11 junior guard, netted 31 points for Desert Pines in a losing effort.

Platinum Lower Bracket 1st Round Scores
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 73, Timpview (Provo, Utah) 62
The host club, one of four FAB 50 bubble clubs participating in this bracket, easily got by Timpview with junior forward Charles O'Bannon Jr. (16 points) and Gonzaga-bound center Zach Collins (13 points) leading the way.

Thursday 12/17 Platinum Quarterfinal Matchups:

Centennial vs. Bingham, 1:20 pm
Bingham was impressive in its opening round victory and a matchup between Yoeli Childs and Ike Anigobu will be worth the price of admission.

Overland vs. Dillard, 12 pm
Dillard has some length, but does it have the muscle inside to deal with Deron Davis?
Redondo vs. Bishop Gorman, 5:20 pm
Both of these teams have FAB 50 ability, but does Redondo have the size the slow down the Gaels inside? If Zach Collins has a big game, Gorman will be in business.

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

The post Tarkanian Classic: Day One Raw Footage appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.