Oak Hill is dominant in victory over Houston Yates on Friday night and came from behind to defeat Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 60-54, on Saturday. Check below for Saturday results and analysis. Check back on Sunday afternoon for our exclusive player rankings of the two-day event.
Saturday Spalding Hoophall West Results
(All games @ Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix)
Related: Hoophall West Friday Analysis | Hoophall West Player Rankings
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 60, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 54
After Oak Hill made easy work of Yates of Houston on Friday night, some along press row were predicting a double digit Warriors’ win over Gorman — and some even a bit more. National recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer of 247Sports.com went with Gorman while our prediction — Oak Hill by 12 points — turned out to be a solid guess of the game’s outcome.
Early it looked like Meyer’s prediction may come to fruition, as Bishop Gorman jumped out to a 15-9 lead after one quarter. Oak Hill didn’t shoot as well from the field as it did against Yates, as Gorman’s length neutralized Oak Hill’s athleticism for much of the game. The rebounding between the teams was a virtual deadlock (30-30), but the difference turned out to be free throws.
Oak Hill made 28-of-33 free throws, while Gorman converted 16-of-23. Gorman led 26-23 at halftime, but eventually the Warriors’ foul shots and foul trouble for Gaels’ big man Stephen Zimmerman began to catch up. One of the top juniors in the nation, Zimmerman finished with seven points and 10 rebounds.
Oak Hill took a 34-33 lead it wouldn’t relinquish with 4:15 remaining in the third period on a conventional 3-point play by Caleb Martin. When junior guard Terrence Phillips, the younger brother of former Oak Hill standout Brandon Jennings, made a layup at the end of the third quarter, it completed a 18-4 run for the Warriors. They led 41-35 entering the final period.
Martin led Oak Hill with 20 points. He made 11-of-13 free throws. Oak Hill also got a monster game from 6-foot-9 junior Trevor Manual, who scored 13 points, made 9-of-10 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals. Phillips chipped in 11 points.
“We came out playing the same way, but they have some of the best players in the nation,” said Manual. “Our game plan wasn’t to stop anyone in particular.”
Gorman does have two of the top juniors in the nation in Zimmerman and 6-foot-10 junior Chase Jeter, but only one player netted double figures. Senior guard Noah Robotham continues to play well for the Gaels, as he scored a game-high 23 points. He led the team with four assists, but Gorman is still looking for the balanced inside-outside combination that will make them one of the nation’s best teams.
“Of course it’s a concern that no one else is hitting double figures,” said Bishop Gorman coach Grant Rice. “We’re trying to get more scoring inside and on the wings and our goal is to work inside-out and that’s not going to change.
“Yesterday meant little from an assessment standpoint of Oak Hill. We were hoping we could slow them down, and we did, but we couldn’t catch a break in the end.”
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 100, Yates (Houston) 57
In front of some of his future fans and media affiliates, Arizona signee Stanley Johnson put on a show and helped Mater Dei stay unbeaten with an easy victory over Yates.
Johnson, the nation’s No. 1 ranked prospect by the Hoop Scoop who committed to the University of Arizona in November, scored 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished off eight assists, and had three steals. His future college about 90 miles away is currently No. 1 in the country and on Saturday afternoon recorded a tough road win over the University of Michigan.
“I didn’t get a chance to watch the game,” Johnson said to a flock of local reporters. “We had practice but I got to see a couple of minutes. It wasn’t an accident that I wore my Arizona shirt. I think the best go to the best.”
While Johnson does have the confidence of the top player in the country, he also got plenty of help against a Yates team that was overmatched and couldn’t get its transition defense going. Yates led early 10-9, but even on missed field goals, not just out of bounds plays, Mater Dei scored on an abundance of run out lay-ups.
Sophomore center M.J. Cage, the son of former NBA forward Michael Cage, had a breakout performance with 22 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. Cage was a big recipient of transition buckets and unselfish play from his teammates. All five of Mater Dei’s starters scored in double figures, as junior guard La’Vette Parker also had 21 points, senior Isaiah Juarez made 5-of-6 shots for 10 points and junior shooting guard Rex Plfueger chipped in 11 points, seven assists, and four steals.
Yates matched Mater Dei in the third period 17-17, but was outscored in the second quarter 24-13 and in the final period, 35-13. Houston University commit J.C. Washington led Yates with 25 points (on 11-of-27 shooting) and 12 rebounds.
Mater Dei upped its record to 5-0, but with the recent defection of senior forward Mario Soto means the road to an unprecedented fourth straight CIF state title will be tougher than originally anticipated for the Monarchs. It’s a situation Johnson has no choice to embrace with a position attitude.
“I told (the other players) the ship doesn’t sink,” Johnson said. “I told them they can trust in me. We need to play tough, play smart, and play together. I love him (Soto) as a brother, but the show must go on.”
Championship game (Arizona Division) – Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) 84, Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 75
Arizona’s top-ranked team won the local tournament portion of the Hoophall West with a solid victory over a Shadow Mountain team that has a great future.
Corona del Sol, which opened up No. 47 in the FAB 50, had all five starters in double figures. Junior Dane Kuiper led the way with 17 points. Returning state player of the year Casey Benson added 15 points. Senior Jarrett Givins impressed media and scouts in attendance and finished with 16 points, as did senior Russ Davis. Transfer center Connor MacDougall chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds.
Shadow Mountain was led by two sophomores. Carlos Johnson has 23 points and Michael Bibby Jr., the son of the former NBA guard who is on the Shadow Mountain coaching staff, led his team with 24 points. He made 3-of-6 3-pointers.
Shadow Mountain also has two other sophomores who caught the eye of scouts — 6-foot-6 Harrison Hilliard and 6-foot-4 J.J. Rhymes.
3rd place game (Arizona Division) – Gilbert (Gilbert, Ariz.) 56, Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 41
Gilbert turned it up in the second half after leading 22-19 at halftime.
Junior 6-foot-8 post Truman Moore led the way with 16 points. He added three assists, two blocks and made all six of his free throws. Senor guard Anthony Bryant was Gilbert’s other double digit scorer with 12 points.
Chaparral never scored more than 11 point in a single quarter. No player scored in double figures for the Firebirds.
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