High School

Holiday Classic basketball tournament: Live scores, updates, highlights from Day 1 (12/27/2023)

Three locals, two other California powers, two Texas teams and Arizona squad with "Styles' make up the National Division's quarterfinalists

SI Editorial

SAN DIEGO — The longstanding Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines presented by SBLive Sports is here. 

Wednesday is the first day of the five-division, 76-team boys basketball tournament that celebrates its 33rd year and concludes on Saturday. More than 20 current NBA players have played in The Holiday Classic, led by K]ay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan and Jrue Holiday.

Holiday Classic Top 30 Players to Watch for 33rd event at Torrey Pines High School

Most eyes will be on the 16-team National Division that features three teams from Texas, including defending state 4A UIL champion Faith Family Academy of Oak Cliff in Dallas. 

Scroll down for the latest live updates, recaps, matchups and game times. Five sites throughout San Diego will host divisions, with Torrey Pines housing almost entirely National Division games. See links to each divisions and game schedules below: 

SBLive Sports releases brackets for 2023 Holiday Classic basketball tournament

THURSDAY'S QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE

(All at Torrey Pines High School)

Consolations

9:30 a.m. — St. Francis (Texas) vs. St. Edward (Ohio)

11:05 a.m. — O'Dea (Wash.) vs. Torrey Pines

12:40 p.m. — Good Counsel (Md.) vs. Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland

2:15 p.m. — Santa Margarita vs. Waxahachie (Texas)

Championship round

3:30 p.m. — Faith Family (Texas) vs. JSerra Catholic 

5:25 p.m. — St. Augustine vs. St. Francis (N.Y.)

7 p.m. — St. Mary's (Phoenix) vs. Carlsbad

8:35 p.m. — Archbishop Mitty vs. Montgomery 

WEDNESDAY'S FIRST ROUND GAMES

(At Torrey Pines HS)

Montgomery 49, Waxahachie (Texas) 37 (Final)

In the last game of an eight-game, the home team from San Diego — Montgomery —  puts an 11-0 record on the line against the 8-6 Indians. 

The Aztecs remained perfect with an impressive 12-point victory behind 14 points by JJ Sanchez and 11 each from Devin Hamilton and Xair Mendez. Parker Jefferson paced the Indians with 12 points. 

Montgomery jumped to a startling 16-4 lead after one quarter, before the Indians climbed back behind eight points apiece by Parker Jefferson and Isayah Pankey. Montgomery also had two main scorers in Xair Mendez and JJ Sanchez, who combined for 17. 

Montgomery taking control in the fourth with a 10-2 run to go up 47-33.  The Aztecs play at their own pace, they're smart and super cohesive. Not particularly deep or athletic but seem to know their roles. 

  •  Box score
  • Play-by-play

O'Dea kept hanging around and closed to 56-54 on a Brian Webster fastbreak layup with 2:45 remaining. 

But Faith Family (7-8), struggling of late, found a way to close on a follow shot, appropriately enough, by Isaac Williams, and a jumper and dunk from Doryan Onwuchekwa to win going away. 

Williams was the standout all night with 28 points. The 6-1 senior guard, who has signed with Texas A&M Corpus Christi, has been on a tear of late, said Faith Family coach Brandon Thomas, scoring more than 20 points six straight games. 

"He had a heck of a night," Thomas said. "We needed it. We've been struggling lately. We finished strong." 

Said Williams: "I would say that's our 'C' game. We can do way better. But happy to get the win." 

Onwuchekwa, a 6-10, 245-pound post headed to Colorado, was quiet all night until the last two buckets of the game, helping to offset a spirited effort from O'Dea (6-3), which got 14 points apiece from Webster and Breylan Webb. 

A 3-pointer by Webb cut Faith Family's lead to 39-36 with 3:30 left in third quarter. 

Williams hit a tough fadeaway at buzzer to finish off the third quarter. He had 13 in the frame to give give Faith Family a 51-43 lead heading into the fourth. 

Any team coached by Jason Kerr is not going away. A tough Webster fastbreak layup over two defender closed O'Dea to 56-54 with 2:45 left. But that's when the the Eagles responded and win going away.

  • St. Mary's (Phoenix) 69, Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 65 (OT)

Styles Phipps, a 6-1 point guard committed to Grand Canyon, lived up to his lofty billing and his name, scoring 43 points including two free throws to clinch it with 8.8 seconds left, lifting the Knights (6-3) to the hard-earned win over a Good Counsel squad that would not go away. 

Down 17 twice in the third quarter, the Falcons (3-9) twice took the lead in the fourth quarter but Phipps, the only player on his team in double figures, wouldn't let the Knights lose. 

He made a variety of shots, both from the midrange and long-range (he made four 3-points), and was 7-of-9 from the free throw line. 

"I always want to contribute to the game however I can, but today I got it going scoring so I just let it loose," Phipps said. 

Tied early in the second quarter at 19-19, the out-of-state foes were competitive and evenly matched. 

Phipps, one of several to earn a spot on the All-Name squad, had 10 points for St. Mary's in the first quarter. He has 14 by halftime including a nifty around the back fastbreak hoop to close the half. 

St. Mary's opened up 17-point lead in the third, but Good Counsel has stormed back and trails by just five at the end of 3. 

Good Counsel took the lead twice in the fourth, but two free throws by Phipps tied things up at 58. A Phipps steal and layup gave SM a 60-58 lead, but Jamaal Mansaray made tough runner to send game into overtime. 

Mansaray led the Falcons with 16 points and DaMarion Fowlkes added 13. Les Johnson and Kyle Logan combined for 17. 

Nobody other than Phipps scored in double figures for St. Mary's (7-4) but Cameron Williams, a 6-9 sophomore, made the block of the game, swatting a possible game-tying runner by Mansaray with less than five seconds remaining. Williams and Caspian Jones had nine points each for the Knights.  

  • St. Francis Prep (NY) 73, St. Edward (Ohio) 55 (final)

Oesoemana Sacko, a big, rugged 6-8, 225-pound sophomore, showed uncanny 3-point range with five of them. He has 21 at halftime as the Terriers are in utter command against a strong St. Edward team that came in 4-1 with an 86-65 win over perennial state power St. Vincent St. Mary. 

St. Edward has shown much more spunk and skill, but St. Francis Prep still in control behind big effort from really talented senior guard Vere Anthony, who is up to 14 points. St. Edward has cut the lead to 15 with 2:12 remaining. 

Sacko finished with 25 points and was voted Player of the Game. Anthony finished with 15 and Troy Fason 10 for SFP, which improved to 6-1. Joey Scarpetti and Wendell Henry combined for 20 points for St. Edward (4-2), which outscored SFP by 10 in the second half. 

  • Archbishop Mitty 43, Santa Margarita 38 (Final)

Great matchup here of two big physical teams, though Santa Margarita is quite a bit bigger. In fact, Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said before the game team's biggest focus is simply boxing out and rebounding. 

Gavin Ripp scores nine of Mitty's 10 to take a 10-9 lead after first. Defensive, rugged, physical battle. First one to 40 likey to win. Nathan d'Abreu Noronha with beautiful drive and left-handed layup to give Mitty 20-17 lead late in first half. Jonathan Moxie with 3-pointer, ties game at 20-20. 

Ripp makes free throws with 1.4 seconds left to take take 21-20 halftime lead.  Ripp has 12 points and Brayden Kyman leads Eagles with eight. 

Ripp having fun. Two nifty moves and buckets with his impeccable footwork, then drills a 3-pointer. Mitty leads 31-25, 3:01 3Q. 

Cameron McNamee with 3-pointer ties game for SM at 33-33 with 5:34 remaining. Johnson follows with 3 and Santa Margarita now up 36-33 with 4:26 left. Ripp responds with 3-point old-fashion play. Tied at 36-36 with 3:35 left. 

Ripp with uncontested layup and then feeds Grayson Jalal for 3-pointer. Mitty back up 41-36, 2:10 4Q. Breakaway by Jalal finishes it off. Ripp finishes with 24 - no one else with more than seven. Kyman has 10 for Santa Margarita but only two after halftime. Johnson finished with nine. 

  • JSerra Catholic 72, Torrey Pines 45 (final)

Third game at Torrey Pines. National Division tilt between the state's No. 3 team JSerra and the home team, a scrappy, impeccably coached home team Torrey Pines. 

First half, Torrey Pines near perfect in execution, out-scrapping JSerra for loose balls, yet JSerra still leads 34-30 behind 10 second-quarter points by Aidan Fowler. 

Torrey Pines goes cold in third quarter, perhaps worn down by JSerra's relentless pressure. JSerra opens up 15-point lead. The Lions really share the ball. End of 3: JSerra 53, Toreey Pines 38. 

Fowler led the Lions (13-0) with 18 points and was picked as Game MVP. Ben Rabara added 16 and Godschoice Eboigbodin added nine and seven rebounds. Colorado bound Sebastian Rancik had just five points, but contributed seven rebounds. The Lions have plenty of shooters and scorers. 

"We came out a little slow and coaches got on us at halftime," Fowler said (see entire interview at top of page). "We had to pick up our defensive intensity. We were late and delayed and not talking much. We did that the second half." 

Dylan Kail led Torrey Pines (10-3) with 11 points. Zach Jackson and Tevaris Green combined for 15. 

Second game at Torrey Pines

  • Lincoln-San Diego 60, Lanier 59

D.J. Walker had 24 points and Derrion Manson 16 as Lincoln (4-7) pulled out a thriller over Georgia entrant Lanier (3-6), which got a combined 38 points from DeAndre Cowan and Amari Morgan. This was an American Division first-round game. A putback with 2.5 seconds left by Jamarion Sykes was the game winner. 

  • Flintridge Prep 62, Coronado 56 (OT)

*  First game of The Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines, Henry Morrison scored 20 points, including an 8-for-8 performance at the line giving Flintridge Prep a 62-56 overtime win over Coronado (1-10). Flintridge Prep improved to 11-2.  This was a Major's non-bracketed contest. 

Here's Wednesday's schedule at Torrey Pines

Remaining games all National Divisions: 

Two other National games will be played at other sites: St. Francis Episopal School (Texas) vs. St. Augustine at St. Augustine at 5:25 p.m.; Carlsbad hosts Bishop O'Dowd at 7 p.m. 

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