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LAS VEGAS – The abbreviated “first day” of the second annual Tarkanian Classic tipped off in impressive – if relatively lopsided – fashion Wednesday at Bishop Gorman High.

The host Gaels and the Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei Monarchs– who played for the title in the Platinum Division finale a year ago – opened with 20- and 39-point victories, respectively – in Platinum games Wednesday evening.

Then, in a Prep School Division contest, Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep – after an hour or so delay while their opponents made their way to the gym after a late arrival at McCarran Airport from Atlanta – cruised with a litany of dunks and dazzling passes.

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PHOENIX – It’s not going to be very far into the future when foes are going to have to dread playing the Phoenix Shadow Mountain team.

With an all-sophomore starting lineup, the Matadors took their 6-0 record and boundless promise and enthusiasm into the Grand Canyon University Pavilion Saturday nigh.

And they made things extremely difficult for the four seniors and state’s best junior that the 5-0 Tempe Corona Del Sol Aztecs put on the floor for the tip-off in the final game of the two-day inaugural Hoophall West.

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PHOENIX – It took the last of the day’s four games to provide a contest whose outcome was in question to the end during Friday’s Hoophall West High School Invitational at Grand Canyon University.

The Scottsdale (AZ) Desert Mountain Wolves – behind the jump shooting of senior Will Goff – built a 15-point advantage after a quarter then had to hold their collective breath as Gilbert (AZ) Mesquite’s Nick Daley missed a 3-point attempt with a second to go for a 62-59 victory.

The Wildcats actually went up by four points early in the fourth quarter before Desert Mountain, led by senior guard Roland Rhymes (14 points and six assists) and senior posts Jordan Higgins (nine points and six rebounds) and Jordan Lossman (10 and six), regained possession of the lead.

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PHOENIX – The first Basketball Hall of Fame Hoophall West is set to tip off Friday afternoon at Grand Canyon University at 4 o’clock MST.

Teams representing 13 schools, eight of those from Arizona, will participate including traditional prep powerhouses Mater Dei (from Santa Ana, CA) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA).

Mater Dei, led University of Arizona-bound Stanley Johnson, faces Houston Yates Saturday afternoon at 4.

Oak Hill, led by North Carolina State-bound twins Cody and Caleb Martin, plays twice: vs.

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CHICAGO – The Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco team never found much of a way to defend center Jahlil Okafor and guard Miles Reynolds of its Chicago Whitney Young counterpart late Saturday night in the finale of the seven-game Chicago Elite Classic.

As it turned out, however, Whitney Young didn’t have a viable way of defending the deep shooting of Braves’ sophomore forward Vance Jackson.

And it didn’t have much of an answer for the last-second heroics of St. John Bosco senior guard Daniel Hamilton, either.

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