REWIND IN RED

One of the top holiday tournaments each year is the McClintock Holiday Shootout - held at McClintock High in Tempe.

This tournament is packed once again with some of the top teams in the state. Action begins Monday morning at 10:00am with games all day long. The champion will be crowned on Thursday.

This tournament is a single elimination format with the two remaining undefeated teams left standing playing for it all. All teams who lose in the first round automatically go to the consolation bracket.

Last year Mesa Mountain View held off McClintock down the stretch to claim the holiday prize, and they are the odds-on favorite to repeat again. The Toros are coming off an incredible double OT performance on a David Burrows three-point buzzer beater this past week in the 11th Annual Matador Shootout in Bullhead City against the Colorado ranked Green Mountain Rams. Toro sophomore Harper Kamp was named MVP. Can they continue to lay claim as one of the top, if not the top, team in Arizona?

We received an email today from a local reporter stating that two of the first round game matchups have changed - Game 5 and Game 8. Here is the most current first round game schedule (Doc's Gym, McClintock High School):

Monday - December 27th (ArizonaVarsity current rankings noted)

Game 1 - 10:00am Moon Valley (4A) vs. No. 3 St. Mary's (5A)

Game 2 - 11:30am Desert Vista (5A) vs. Carl Hayden (5A)

Game 3 - 1:00pm No. 2 Mountain View (5A) vs. Saguaro (4A)

Game 4 - 2:30pm Corona del Sol (5A) vs. No. 5 Paradise Valley (5A)

Game 5 - 4:00pm Brophy (5A) vs. Chandler (5A)

Game 6 - 5:30pm Horizon (5A) vs. No. 7 Marcos de Niza (5A)

Game 7 - 7:00pm Host No. 3 McClintock (4A) vs. Goldwater (5A)

Game 8 - 8:30pm No. 10 Hamilton (5A) vs. Desert Mountain (5A)

Here are the teams for this year's tournament. We'll break them down and provide coverage and the day's scores with notes and comments each night of the event. We'll throw in a few predictions along with our REWIND as well.

Coach John Boie always has the Rockets ready to play tough in this event. Moon Valley is coming off and incredible run to a state championship in 4A football, and this team could be a spoiler in this event. Football POY Chris McGaha is at full steam, and Moon is off to a great start on the season. This is a team you don't want to play; they have nothing to lose playing against 5A teams, and everything to gain.

This tournament could determine if St. Mary's is ready for prime time. They definitely have a prime time player in super soph Jerryd Bayless, along with newcomers Rodney Brown and Thaddeus Whyte. Brown creates new opportunities for Bayless with his incredible first step. Seniors TJ Topercer and Alex Farrer are tough working players on the boards and Farrer can hit it from anywhere on the court. Jon Means could make his return from a football injury - he had been cleared to train and workout the past few weeks. The Knights have a chance to show the entire state they belong at the top of the polls with this event. Assuming the brackets remain the same as currently posted, the top half of bracket play makes it extremely tough to get to the championship game - but these guys have the talent to do it.

These guys are young, with Johnny Pinto as their only senior contributor. The Thunder are led by a very talented PG in Julliaan Irvin, who gets the job done with his quickness and high basketball IQ. The rest of the starting lineup are sophomores. Garrett Lever (son of ASU and NBA great Fat Lever) is lightning quick on defense and can get to the rack in a hurry. Tye Abbott and Travis Miner are new to the varsity scene, but are already playing like experienced players. Currently off the bench is returning junior player Wilson Bibleheimer, who transferred a year ago from Mountain Pointe, along with Colorado transfer Chris Rizzo and BB Burtnyk. DV is off to a great 7-3 start, so they could also be a spoiler in this event.

Coach Argie Rhymes is knocking on the 600-win club door. Not many members in that group! With a fast start to the season, Carl Hayden put up some early good wins, including a solid effort and win against Brophy. Led by a back court of seniors Roy McLemore and Darnell Terry, along with junior Marquis Rhymes down low - these guys hit a big snag a few weeks back when Terry pulled a hamstring. Since then they have struggled. Terry might not be back until region play, so this tournament should give the other players on the team some good experience. With him they can hang with anyone, without him they need to play the tournament of their life to make it very far.

A loaded team behind senior Burrows, junior Stephen Rogers and one of the best big men in the state - Kamp. These guys are surrounded by solid players in Ethan Dick and Tim Coons. Coming off the bench is another up and coming sophomore Kendall Wallace. He has basketball in his blood - his father's uncle is the head coach at the University of Hawaii - Riley Wallace. This team is playing extremely tough. Everyone already has January 14 marked on their calendar for their home game against Mesa. Coach Gary Ernst is one of the best, and so is his team. They are the odds-on favorite to repeat as champions.

The Sabercats lost most of their 2003-2004 state championship team. That's the bad news. The good news is that senior PG C.J. Venezia is back in action after breaking his neck during an incredibly successful football season. C.J. led his team to a state championship over the highly favored McClintock Chargers last year. C.J. is one of the toughest kids to ever play varsity sports in Arizona. After a near-fatal accident his sophomore year, he has done some amazing things in multiple sports as a Sabercat. He is the "Ironman of the Year." C.J. is complimented with one of the top freshman players in the state - Nick Witherill. Chad Morin and Max Smith play extremely hard, and another freshman that can contribute is Dominik Ruth. These guys will scrap and make it difficult on anyone they play.

Off to a very difficult start to the season, Corona has the talent to play with any of the top 5A teams. Corona beat Mountain View this past summer for the Tempe City league title - both teams were at full strength - and they could be another spoiler in this event. Juniors Clayton Bates, Sean Imadiyi, Brett Miller and Demetrius Earl compliment returning senior Alex Wentis. This is a load of talent. Longtime junior Aztec Darryl Coates recently elected to transfer during the break to Seton Catholic so he can play his entire senior season for the Sentinels. This leaves another junior Matt Saba as the main guard off the bench. Sophomore Nick Ghiz could see some action as well after being pulled up from JV for the tournament. This event will set the table for the Aztecs for the upcoming region play in what is becoming a tough Central Region. They have had one of the toughest schedules to date, and this week it doesn't get any easier.

One of the top teams in our recent polls, this week will determine if they stay there. The Trojans are led by senior Justin Williams; whose father Brian Williams is a former NFL player. Athleticism runs deep in this family, and Justin is one of the best senior athletes in the state. Another senior who could have his coming out party this week is Steven Neese. Hampered by injuries over the past few years, Neese is as strong as they come. Danny Habetyes can flat out score, and junior guard Ricky Berry also adds some firepower to the line-up. Lots of talent on this team, and now they get to prove themselves against other top 5A teams. They easily handled the top 4A team Pinnacle in a preseason tournament, and most recently beat a strong North Canyon and Horizon team heading into the holidays.

The Broncos are fresh off a holiday tournament championship and are led by senior Michael Strittmatter and junior David Schneider. Brophy has struggled the past few weeks in regular season play, with losses to a healthy Carl Hayden, archrival St. Mary's and Mesquite. This tournament, and their recent run of victories over out-of-state teams, could put the Broncos back in the polls with a strong showing. Look for up-and-coming sophomore Justin Johnson to have a good week in Doc's gym.

Hamilton has recently entered our top ten with an impressive win over North in the Phoenix Union High School Basketball Tournament and a win over No. 7 Marcos. The Huskies are led by junior PG Innocent Wells, who made a statement as a freshman when he was teamed with his older brother Loren Wells. Now that football players Travis Dixon and Gerald Munn are back in the mix after repeating as state champions in football, the Huskies are another team you don't want to play.

Another Husky team that can get it done. The Huskies knocked off Trevor Browne in last year's playoffs, but have struggled to start the season this year. That is beginning to change behind senior guards Rishi Kakad and Desmond Jones. These guys can score! Jim Casey and super junior QB Dax Crum make this team very difficult to match up against. Junior transfer Phil Benson still needs to learn the system, and the coach is doing the right thing by not throwing him into a situation he is not familiar with, just because he is a big man. There is a lot of chemistry that was developed on this squad last year, and it should get only better during the second half of this season. This tournament could be the venue that gets Benson going, and if he does, then Horizon could also be a sleeper no one wants to play.

Did they play that well, or did Deer Valley play that poorly? A lot of both. Junior Kal Bay could have easily been named the Horizon Tournament MVP, and fellow junior southpaw Mychael Broom is unstoppable in the paint. Senior guard Justin Goolsby has arrived as a player to watch in 5A, and Marcos newcomer Alex Cooper can flat out play the game of high school basketball. Marcos almost knocked off our two previous No. 1 teams all in one weekend, and according to our front-page poll, many feel they can do it again this week. They are undersized, yet they are an overachieving team with a very gritty approach to things behind Bay's leadership. This week could tell how good they really are.

The host team is loaded with athletes. Juniors Mark Meadows and Dahir Nasser are a coach's dream come true. Along with Terrance Cobb, Xavier Lucas, LJ Jones and Wes Sells - this team could possibly be better than last year's team if they put a complete team effort together during their own tournament. A big loss to Apollo before the holidays, and losses to Mesa and a one-point loss to Horizon last week should have the Chargers hungry to beat everyone in their own house.

We get to learn something about the team we know the least about in this event. Goldwater recently hung tough in losses to top teams Cesar Chavez, Trevor Browne and Paradise Valley. This could be another tough week for the Bulldogs, but games like this could only make them better once they return to region play after the holidays.

The Wolves are coming off a very difficult off-season with transfers they lost to others schools in senior Tanner Peyton (who left for Paradise Valley), and junior Dan Thomas (who left for Fountain Hills). This team is young, but could make some noise if a few players step up and play the games of their lives. DM is led by junior sharpshooter Zach Greenberg, along with brothers Kelly and Cory Bardet. Up and coming post player Kevin Hassett will be tested in this event as they go up against some of the toughest competition in the state.

Lawrence Westbrook. He is top billing for this event, and everyone wants to see if he can stay on his incredible scoring pace. Junior Shawn Deadwiler and sophomore Jordan Brown are making some noise on this team, but for the most part it's a one-man band. Expect to see a lot of scouts and recruiters making a holiday visit to the valley for any game Chandler is playing in.

A closer game than most expect, the Rockets will be ready, but the firepower will be coming from St. Mary's.

SCORE: Moon Valley 79 - St. Mary's 81

This game was closer than anticipated. Moon Valley is extremely tough, and had a chance with 1:25 to play and only down by one point - they got two technicals. One from a player, and one from their coach - Farrer hit five free throws and the Knights hung on at the end. Bayless led all scorers with 37.

If Terry is still out then Desert Vista's running game should prevail.

SCORE: Desert Vista 76 - Carl Hayden 51

Carl Hayden played an injured Terry, and the Thunder played without an injured Irvin. But, sophomores galore took care of business in this one. Three sophs started, and two more contributed off the bench to send a message that DV is loaded for a few years to come.

Saguaro will hang tough for a while, but the Toros are just too big and strong for a younger Sabercats team.

SCORE: Mesa Mountain View 71 - Saguaro 35

OUCH! The game was close at 8-8, then the Toros went on a 17-point run and never looked back. Too much size and talent for the Sabercats to overcome. Burrows and the gang are the real deal.

Corona will make this close down to the wire, but PV pulls out a tough first round win.

SCORE: Corona del Sol 54 - Paradise Valley 55

Close as expected, but the Aztecs turned the ball over too many times or they coulda, woulda, shoulda. Hang in there Aztecs, you have the talent.

This game is the toughest one of the day to determine what could happen. Brophy controls the boards, but Westbrook controls the free throw line.

SCORE: Brophy 90 - Chandler 94 OT

Westbrook goes off for 47, and Strittmatter counters with 46 (23 from the line). A great game with some great play by both teams. Some other Chandler players can score also, including Deadwiler, Brown, Smith and big man freshman Jordan. Schneider had a good look at a three at the buzzer in regulation to win it, but rimmed it off. Westbrook missed some shots, but his effort to create was incredible. He could have scored over 60 had he been completely on. Not a single, double, or triple team could stop him from getting to the rim. Amazing.

Another shootout with Bay winning the battle again.

SCORE: Horizon 72 - Marcos de Niza 78

We're on a roll! Down by as many as 12 in the first half, Bay and company come back and take care of business. Tomorrow's game against Chandler should be a dandy.

Goldwater has played tough teams well this month, so they keep this closer than expected.

SCORE: McClintock 65 - Goldwater 51

Charger junior guard Nasser shines.

Too much strength and quickness for DM to keep up with.

SCORE: Hamilton 70 - Desert Mountain 60

Husky sophomore JT Dixon runs off 12 straight to help put Hamilton in the championship bracket. We went 8-0 in the first round, but we'll leave the rest of the tournament up to everyone else to predict!

Brophy vs. Horizon @ 10:00am

SCORE: Brophy 74 - Horizon 68

Desert Mountain vs. Goldwater @ 11:30am

SCORE: Desert Mountain 55 - Goldwater 52

Moon Valley vs. Carl Hayden @ 1:00pm

SCORE: Moon Valley 69 - Carl Hayden 52

Saguaro vs. Corona del Sol @ 2:30pm

SCORE: Saguaro 59 - Corona del Sol 81

Chandler vs. Marcos de Niza @ 4:00pm

SCORE: Chandler 66 - Marcos de Niza 107

This game was marred by the end of the first half altercation between several players on both teams. In the wake of the NBA debacle it is very unfortunate that this type of behavior exists in high school sports. Chandler has a very talented player in Westbrook, and they have other quality players as well. The coaching staff has their work cut out to make it all work for the rest of the season. Marcos keeps getting it done no matter who is on the court. Westbrook led Chandler with 32 points; Alex Cooper led Marcos with 22 points. Bay had 16 points in the first half.

St. Mary's vs. Desert Vista @ 5:30pm

SCORE: St. Mary's 65 - Desert Vista 75

St. Mary's trailed when six minutes into the contest Jerryd Bayless broke his left wrist and cut open his chin while going up for a block on a lay-up from Thunder senior Johnny Pinto. The injury is severe, and how long the recovery time will be, and whether or not surgery is required, is still uncertain. Desert Vista was led by Pinto's 23 points, while Rodney Brown from St. Mary's countered with 20. St. Mary's will need to regroup to overcome this loss, but they still have the talent to make it happen. The Thunder continue to impress with a very young team.

McClintock vs. Hamilton @ 7:00pm

SCORE: McClintock 72 - Hamilton 63

McClintock controlled most of the game behind a balanced attack. LJ Jones led with 16 points, followed by 15 from Mark Meadows, 13 from Xavier Lucas, and 12 from Dahir Nasser. Hamilton was led by junior Innocent Wells, who hit five threes and scored 29. McClintock put together one of their best team efforts in this game.

Mesa Mountain View vs. Paradise Valley @ 8:30pm

SCORE: Mesa Mountain View 77 - Paradise Valley 44

A close first half with the score 35-27 at the break, the Toros blew it wide open behind some great post play from Kamp and Rogers. A complete team effort. Kamp led the Toros with 19, Rogers followed with 16. Paradise Valley leaders were Williams with 14 and Berry with 12. The Toros play Desert Vista tonight and beat them soundly two weeks ago at DV. The Thunder have come on strong and will try and stop the Toro size and strength with their quickness and speed.

Wednesday Round Three Schedule (RESULTS):

Brophy vs. Desert Mountain @ 4:00pm

SCORE: Brophy 72 - Desert Mountain 43

Broncos coast to the consolation championship behind 29 points from Strittmatter and 28 from Schneider.

Moon Valley vs. Corona del Sol @ 5:30pm

SCORE: Corona del Sol 68 - Moon Valley 59

A tough battle by both teams, Corona's Imadiyi leads all scorers with 31 (16 in the first half). The Rockets made a statement they are a tough team in 4A. Corona moves on to play Brophy. This should be an excellent match up - a game both need to win heading into the second half of the season.

Marcos de Niza vs. McClintock @ 7:00pm

SCORE: Marcos de Niza 54 - McClintock 49

The Chargers misses too many free throws down the stretch and some solid efforts from Goolsby and Broom down the stretch sends the Padres to their second major tournament championship. McClintock's Lucas fouled out with 2:57 remaining; Jones was in foul trouble the entire second half. Broom led all scorers with 24, Jones countered with 14 and Nasser led all Chargers with 19.

Desert Vista vs. Mesa Mountain View @ 8:30pm

SCORE: Desert Vista 55 - Mesa Mountain View 66

Not a repeat of their last encounter, DV held their own opening up a 8-2 lead only to see the Toros go on a 24-4 run. The Thunder didn't fold and kept it respectable at half down 41-32. Add Bryant St. Cyr to the list of sophs contributing in a major way for the Thunder. In the second half MV opened up a 15-point lead but DV pulled within 7 behind some clutch shots from Pinto and Bibleheimer with under two-minutes to play. The Toros took control and closed it out sending them to their second major championship also.

Other scores from Wednesday:

Saguaro over Carl Hayden 46-41. Horizon handles Goldwater 91-57. Hamilton puts it to Chandler 95-56, and Paradise Valley downs St. Mary's 69-66.

7th - 8th place Paradise Valley vs. Hamilton @ 3:30pm

SCORE: Paradise Valley 69 (7th) - Hamilton 59 (8th)

Justin Williams leads all scorers for the Trojans with 23 points.

5th - 6th place Consolation Championship Corona vs. Brophy @ 5:00pm

SCORE: Brophy 68 (Consolation Champ 5th) - Corona 57

Too much Strittmatter on the boards and in in the score book - 32 points. Congratulations to the Broncos for a great two weeks of tournament play.

3rd - 4th place Desert Vista vs. McClintock @ 6:30pm

SCORE: Desert Vista 49 (3rd) - McClintock 45 (4th)

The young guns get it done, and Pinto played the senior role to perfection. Congratulations to the Thunder for an impressive tournament showing.

CHAMPIONSHP GAME Marcos de Niza vs. Mountain View @ 8:00pm

SCORE: Mountain View (CHAMPIONS) 73 - Marcos de Niza 53 (2nd)

Too much Burrows in this one - 25 points. Mountain View was the pre-tournament favorite and showed why they were. A complete team machine behind Coons, Dick, Burrows, Camp, Rogers and Wallace. Hello January 14!

Harper Kamp - Mountain View

Tim Coons - Mountain View

Johnny Pinto - Desert Vista

Alex Cooper - Marcos de Niza

Dahir Nasser - McClintock

Michael Strittmatter - Brophy

Justin Williams - Paradise Valley

Congratulations to everyone. Happy New Year and best of luck to all the teams as we head into region play after the break.