LAS VEGAS – Sunday’s final day of The Border League competition had plenty of down-to-the-wire games, as well as the usual dose of high-octane individual talent.
The last two games of the event, coming in the “Showcase” category of contests at host Coronado High in Henderson, illustrated those points succinctly.
*Utah Prep, getting 28 points from the top scorer in high school or prep school hoops (6-foot-8 senior A.J. Dybansta), built a 16-point advantage in the second half before holding off Miami Columbus and the dynamic Boozer Twins, 72-68.
Dybansta put a on splendid demonstration as to why he’s the consensus No. 1prospect in the Class of 2025, during a stretch of his team’s 17 points in the first half – scoring 14 of them and assisting on the other three – to propel his team to a 11-point lead at intermission.
Columbus (playing as “The Explorers” here), behind Boozer Bros Cameron (who finished with a team-high 20 points) and Cayden (12), never let things get out of hand, however.
As sizzling as Dybansta was, junior forward Jackson Kiss (by way of New Zealand), made a couple of plays down the stretch that, ultimately, secured the victory for Utah Prep.
With his team’s lead cut to three points, he blocked a Columbus shot with the rebound leading to a bucket at the other.
And with the lead at two points , Columbus got the ball into the hands of Cameron Boozer – the consensus No. 2 prospect in the class – on the right wing, opposite the Columbus bench.
But, with Dybansta providing the initial coverage, Kiss raced into position for a trap on Boozer and forced a shot-clock violation with 2.6 seconds to go in regulation.
After the inbound pass, two free throws provided the final margin.
*With his team trailing by a point, “The Tribe’s” Brandon McCoy, Jr. missed on a drive with the game clock evaporating.
The ball bounced toward the left baseline and was snatched by McCoy’s senior teammate, Chris Komin.
He immediately rose for a 15-footer, and it banked off the glass and thru the rim as the buzzer sounded, giving The Tribe (better known as St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA) the 52-51 win over Arizona Compass.
Both teams, for the most part, struggled offensively throughout vs. a collection of quality on-ball defenders and shot blockers.
But McCoy and Komin (committed to Pt. Loma College in San Diego/pictured, courtesy Greg Stein) scored 14 points, hitting three 3s apiece.
*Hudson Greer (the son of former Anaheim, CA, Esperanza High and Saint Mary’s College standout Josh Greer), scored 19 of his game-high 22 points after intermission to help Montverde (FL) Academy overcome a 12-point halftime deficit and knock off Dynamic Prep of Dallas, 68-64.
*In another game in the Showcase Division that I watched in the Coronado auxiliary gym late Sunday afternoon, “The Blue Knights” (better known to those in SoCal as the Mission league program Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks) edged Overtime Elite (OTE) in overtime, 75-72.
Despite missing projected starters Caleb Ogbu, Mark Lewis and Tyran Stokes (on the bench with injuries), Coach Matt Sargeant’s team got crunch-time efforts from senior Lino Mark (22 points; he’s Rutgers-bound), junior Zachary White (16 points) and sophomore Josiah Nance (27 points, 25 of those after intermission) to bring its weekend record to 1-2 vs. upper-tier prep school competition.
*In two other “Showcase” games played earlier Sunday on the campus of Desert Pines High, The Los Angeles Basketball Club (aka, “Harvard-Westlake of Studio City”), and The Vale (aka, “Roosevelt of Eastvale”) dropped decisions to prep school teams with a lot of college coaches and NBA scouting personnel watching, too.
The LABC fell to Dream City of Arizona, 64-53, after trailing by nine points at intermission.
Dream City’s 6-9, University of San Diego-bound Alajandro Aviles was the most instrumental player in the outcome.
And in Desert Vista’s auxiliary gym, The Vale fell to DME Academy of Florida, 70-69, despite Brayden Burries’ 33-point effort for Coach Steve Singleton’s team (which was without University of New Mexico-bound guard Issac Williamson, who had back spasms).
California-based programs that won four of the seven division championship games played Sunday were:
*The Los Alamitos Basketball Club (Los Alamitos High) edged three-time, New Mexico State champion Volcano Vista of Albuquerque, 81-78 in overtime at the Las Vegas Basketball Center.
The Griffins got a 3-pointer from Wesley Trevino with 16 seconds to go to send things into OT, and another 3 from fellow senior Samori Guyness with 2.6 seconds remaining to bag the Diamond championship.
*The C (aka, Canyon of Anaheim) held off Phoenix St. Mary’s, 64-62, at Desert Pines in the Premier Division finale.
Seniors Brandon Benjamin and Staf Yilmazturk scored 20 points apiece for Coach Nate Harrison’s Comanches.
*Clovis North (called “Fresno Stampede” here) held off Tri-Valley (Dougherty Valley of San Ramon Valley), 85-74, in the Select title game played at Basic High.
Juniors McKae Amundsen (27) and Elias Gish (21) combined for 48 points for Coach Tony Amundsen’s crew.
*Hesperia’s Oak Hills got past Canyon View of Arizona, 84-82, in the Pacific Division championship affair, also played at Basic High.
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