LAS VEGAS – The host Bishop Gorman High Gaels were oh-so-close to bagging their first-ever Tarkanian Classic Platinum Division title Saturday night in the fourth edition of the event.
A squad from Colorado had other designs, however.
Danny Fisher-coached Aurora Overland, which captured the program’s first-ever state championship last spring, trailed by nine points late in the first half.
But the staples of the Trailblazers’ first three wins during the week – determined and relentless half-court defense, the post play of De’Ron Davis and the overall excellence at both ends of the floor from guard Jervae Robinson – made up the ideal formula again in the championship game by way of a 58-56 victory over a big, gifted and experienced opponent.
In the second half the 6-3 Robinson (who didn’t sign a national letter of intent in November and figures to be one of the more heavily recruited Class of 2016 guards in the West in the winter and spring) was the most dynamic player on the floor with 12 points – including three 3s – to go with four steals as his team built a six-point advantage with a bit less than three minutes to go.
But Charles O’Bannon Jr. (who finished with 20 points) came up with one of his four steals by ripping freshman Stephen Hayes in the backcourt and scoring to get the Gaels to within 56-52 with 2:40 remaining.
And things continued to get wobbly for the Trailblazers.
Robinson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 2:10 to go but the Overland cleared a defensive rebound following a miss by the Gaels.
But Davis missed a highly contested shot attempt inside that wasn’t necessary at that point of the game – there is no shot clock in Nevada, after all – and junior point guard Christian Popoola Jr. was fouled for the Gaels and got his team to within two points with 1:12 to go with both ends of a 1-and-1.
At the other end Robinson missed yet another shaky shot attempt (“time and score”, and no shot clock, guys!) but, after both squads couldn’t convert on the front ends of 1-and-1s, O’Bannon followed in his miss on a drive to deadlock things at 56 with 19 seconds to go.
After inbounding following a Bishop Gorman timeout immediately after O’Bannon’s bucket, Fisher’s squad executed its half-court offense to perfection.
The result was a nifty post feed from Robinson to Davis, who cut to the right low block and caught the pass and converted before Zach Collins could come up what would have been his sixth blocked shot.
Bishop Gorman Coach Grant Rice immediately signaled for a timeout and, after discussion, the officiating crew put four seconds on the game clock.
When the ball was put back into play, Chase Nomaaea inbounded to Popoola who took a dribble and fired a pass to O’Bannon some 30 or so feet from the basket and just in front of his bench.
But the buzzer sounded a tic before he released what would have been a game-winning shot – which became moot when the shot was short, anyway.
In the Gold and Select division finals Saturday, juniors Christopher Duarte (of New York’s Redemption Christian Academy, 61-49 over Lynwood of Southern California) and Brandon McCoy (of San Diego Cathedral Catholic, 55-43 over Colorado’s Rock Canyon) led their respective squads to championship hardware.
My 15-member “All-Tournament team” (regardless of division):
Ike Anigbogu (6-9/2016/Corona (CA) Centennial): If I had a dollar for every dunk and blocked shot this future UCLA Bruin had while helping the Huskies finish fifth in the Platinum Division, I would have left Las Vegas with more money than most folks do.
Evan Battey (6-8/2017/Villa Park (CA) Villa Park): He may look more like a major college offensive left tackle but his skill as a passer and low-post scorer leave no doubt as to why he is a terrific hoops prospect despite his girth. He scored 30 points with 14 rebounds in a Thursday second-round loss to eventual Gold Division winner Redemption Academy.
Braxton Bertolette (6-3/2017/Fort Collins (CO) Fossil Ridge): He scored an event-record 48 points (via 16 buckets behind the arc) in the Premier Division consolation championship final Saturday. His team’s only loss was to eventual champion Cheyenne of Wyoming by three points in the first round. Mr. Obvious: He’s about as good a jump shooter as can be found anywhere.
Yoeli Childs (6-7/2016/South Jordan (UT) Bingham): If I wanted to make a case for the “best player” in the event not being on one of the championship squads, this is the best place to start. His team led eventual champion Overland by eight points midway through the second half of a Platinum Division semifinal Friday night in the Orleans Arena.
Zach Collins (6-11/2016/Las Vegas Bishop Gorman): The future Gonzaga Bulldog and teammate Charles O’Bannon would have likely shared division MVP honors if the Gaels had pulled out the win in that terrific Platinum finale Saturday night.
De’Ron Davis (6-10/2016/Aurora (CO) Overland): The Indiana University signee’s low-post battle with Zach Collins Saturday night was of the event highlights for me.
Christopher Duarte (6-6/2017/Troy (NY) Redemption Christian Academy): He’s only been in the United States (via the Dominican Republic) a bit more than two months. But it didn’t take long in Las Vegas for him to show why he is one of the better college prospects among “big point guards” in the national junior class. Note to college recruiters: He’s set to play for the New York Lightning on the Nike/EYBL circuit this spring and summer.
Keith Fisher (6-7/2016/L.A. Westchester): The Comets nearly pulled off a stunning rally (after being down 20 points) in an eventual first-round loss to Bingham before winning their next three games for the Platinum consolation championship. He was a big reason.
Schnider Herard (6-11/2016/Plano (TX) Prestonwood Christian Academy): He’ll give Coach Ben Howland a legitimate low-post presence – at both ends of the floor – in order to improve Mississippi State’s chances for Southeastern Conference success a year from now.
Sam Masten (6-3/2018/Highlands Ranch (CO) Rock Canyon): The left-handed point guard played quite well in both games I watched – in the seminal win over Oakland Bishop O’Dowd Friday night in the Orleans Arena and in the Select Division championship final loss to San Diego Cathedral Catholic Saturday afternoon at Bishop Gorman
Brandon McCoy (7-0/2017/San Diego Cathedral Catholic): There are four very good senior “center” prospects among these 15 names. But McCoy – as he so aptly demonstrated during his squad’s four-game run through the Select Division – may be a better long-term prospect than any of them.
Morgan Means (6-3/2016/Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo Union): He averaged something close to 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the 2014 event champion Seahawks split four Platinum Division games this time around.
Charles O’Bannon Jr. (6-5/2017/Las Vegas Bishop Gorman): He and Brandon McCoy fit quite comfortably on a very short list of the best 2017 prospects in the West – and beyond.
Tyler Polley (6-8/2017/Weston (FL) Sagemont): He’s a bit “wiry” right now to be a “power forward” on the major college level a couple of years hence. But his skills and feel for how the game is supposed to be correctly played will give him dozens of college options as his bulk and muscles inevitably come along.
Jervae Robinson (6-3/2016/Aurora (CO) Overland): He was an easy choice as the Platinum Division’s Most Outstanding Player and just-as-easy selection as my “MOP” across all divisions. And his defense may have been getter than his offense, too.
As for the collection of “prep school” games that were played in the event (there was no “prep school bracket”, per se – just individual contests), the “usual suspects” among the highly touted of the players impressed.
The most notably of those – when I watched, at least – were 2017 prospects DeAndre Ayton (Hillcrest in Phoenix), P.J. Washington (Findlay Prep in Henderson, NV), Trevon Duval (Advanced Prep International in Dallas) and Jaylen Hands (Balboa School in San Diego).
