SPRINGFIELD, MA – After nearly four days and 27 boys and girls games in Springfield College’s Blake Arena, the HoopHall Classic finally got itself something bordering on an instant classic Sunday night.
The Napa (CA) Prolific Prep and Warrenton (VA) Highland boys’ team took the floor just short of 9 p.m. and the near-capacity crowd – who had just watched the consensus No. 1 player in the country, A.J. Dybansta of Utah Prep – stuck around until the final buzzer sounded.
And not just because the folks wanted to delay going outside and clearing a lot of snow off their cars, either . . .
Six-foot-five Darryn Peterson of Prolific Prep and his 6-10 Highland counterpart, Nate Ament, looked every bit the part of soon-to-be McDonald’s All-Americans throughout.
But the Ament-led team, whose campus sits on a border of Virginia and Maryland, finally pulled it out, 61-57, after trailing by seven points going into the fourth quarter.
The event wraps with five games set for Monday, beginning with a 9 a.m., ET, clash between the girls programs from Etiwanda (in the “Inland empire” area of Southern California ) and Incarnate Word School (St. Louis).
Long Island Lutheran (with a roster that includes Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan) and prep school La Lumiere (LaPorte, IN) are set to tip at 5 in the evening in the finale.
The Brayden Burries-led, Eastvale Roosevelt Mustangs – at 23-1, top-ranked in California and the nation, via MaxPreps.com – takes on MaxPreps’ No. 4 squad, Washington, DC’s, 16-2 Gonzaga College Prep, at 11 a.m.
Peterson (who is from Canton, OH, and bound for the University of Kansas) gave a nifty demonstration as to why he’s as good as it gets in this class as a prototypical “shooting guard” scoring 31 points via 11 of 23 from the field (he missed six of his eight 3s) while perfect in seven free-throw attempts and team highs with nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
But one could firmly suggest that there is little “prototypical” about Ament in high school basketball.
His handle and passing are top notch, especially at his size.
His shooting (he hit both 3s and all 10 free throws) is as good as it gets on this level for anyone in his height-range.
He is comfortable defending players nearly a foot shorter on the perimeter and soars well above the crowd – no matter the collective size of that crowd – in and around the lane.
And, oh yea: He might weigh 180 pounds.
As the case with Peterson, he called on every element of his skill set Sunday night, especially down the stretch.
Ament (pictured, courtesy Dinos Trigonis), who hasn’t committed to a college, finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
His two free throws put his team up by a point with 31 seconds to go and, 11 seconds later, slid his feet laterally deftly enough to stay in front of Peterson, who was called for a charge after appearing to lower his shoulder just enough to break the imaginary vertical plane between he and Ament.
Ament teammates Jeremiah Gorham and Josh Hamilton combined to hit two of three free throws to close it out for the Hawks (20-5), while Peterson & Co. fell to 18-4.
In the preceding contest, preeminent prep school powerhouse Montverde (FL) Academy, thoroughly outplayed Utah Prep to race to a 27-point advantage at intermission.
Via the thing many in the SRO had come to witness – a lot of offensive dazzle from the consensus No. 1 player in the class of 2025, A.J. Dybansta – Utah Prep got to within 10 points two in the last five minutes before Coach Kevin Boyle’s crew secured things, 74-60.
The 6-8, Brigham Young University-bound Dybansta spent the bulk of the first half trying to initiate his team’s offense – aka, “his shots” – from well onto the perimeter.
But University of Florida-bound, two-sport standout C.J. Ingram (he’s a quarterback), defended him, 1 on 1, as well as anyone on this level is capable.
Dybansta missed seven of his 10 shots from the field in the first half and committed two turnovers without an assist and just two rebounds.
With Utah Prep running more “offense” – triggered by action other than Dybansta pounding dribbles into the floor – the game finally got competitive and Dybansta got productive, scoring 17 of his team’s 45 post-intermission points.
Ingram (with 16 points) led four Eagles in double-figure scoring in a game in which Villanova-bound Dante Allen (just eight points but 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals with only one turnover in 27 minutes ) was Boyle’s best player.
And, prior to that game Anthony (who is set to attend Syracuse, which his dad – watching from a baseline seat Sunday – led to the 2005 NCAA title) scored 17 points while junior teammate Dylan Mingo had 15 points and eight rebounds to help Long Island Lutheran knock off Chandler (AZ) Compass Prep, 63-57.
In other games:
*Washington, DC, Sidwell Friends 58, Meridian (ID) Owyhee 52: Two programs, separated by nearly 2,400 miles, made their event debuts. Kentucky-bound guard Acaden Lewis (15 points, six rebounds and five assists) was the ultimate “difference maker” for the winners.
*White Plains (NY) Stepinac 66, Richmond Heights (OH) 56: Senior point guard Danny Carbuccia (10 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals) was supported by the efforts of juniors Josiah Jervis (17 points, six rebounds and three assists) and Adonis and Darius Ratliff. The 6-11 twin sons of former NBA power forward Theo Ratliff combined for 19 points and 18 rebounds.
*New Hampton (NH) Brewster Academy 67, Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill Academy 60: Junior forward Sebastian Wilkins went for 22 points and eight rebounds a day after his team edge, Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy, 55-51.
*Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha 63, Chicago Whitney Young 40: The Staggs (13-3, with one of those Ls coming by way of Sidwell Friends) got a solid all-effort from a very good junior point guard, Ace Meeks (20 points, including four 3s).
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