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The Neosho Holiday Classic, only a day away, will have interesting match-ups and some up-and-coming Division I players this year.
The boys and girls tournaments will both have 16 teams this year, a first for the tournament, in large part due to the help of Branco.
This year’s field features teams from Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama on the boys side and Arkansas and Missouri on the girls side.
The boys side, entering its 55th year of having a tournament, will have only one game Monday that features two Missouri teams playing each other in the first round. And, that is the first game of the tournament, featuring Diamond vs. Kansas City Ruskin at 9 a.m. at the high school.
Below is a small preview or notes on each of the boys match-ups Monday.
Ruskin vs. Diamond
The Golden Eagles enter with a 4-1 mark after five games and will be led by Kenyan Borders, a first-team all-district and all-conference pick last year. Ruskin was only 10-16 last year, but sports a 100-42 mark in the last five years.
Diamond enters with only one win, but a young team will definitely be a handful against Ruskin.
Parkview vs. Van Buren
Korry Tillery leads Parkview into this match-up with a 6-1 mark, a big improvement as the team was only 7-18 last year. The Vikings have opened up scoring a lot of points this year, putting up 89 points on Sullivan in the season opener and then 110 points on Don Bosco Charter from Kansas City in the second game of the year.
Van Buren is the defending tournament champions and will be led by 6-foot-11 standout Hooper Vint. According to the Crawford County Press Argus-Courier, the Pointers are 7-1 on the season. Van Buren defeated Little Rock Christian in the championship of the Morrilton Tournament.
Farmington vs. Central
This game features a pair of playoff teams last year, but this year is different for both. The Farmington Cardinals return most of their players, while Central has only one starter back. Farmington returns five starters, including four who averaged double figures in scoring last year. Leading that group is 6-3 forward Blake Abrecht, who had 13 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Monett vs. Central Park Christian
The local team, the Cubs, drew one of the toughest teams in the tournament. Central Park Christian, from Birmingham, Ala., enters with a 3-0 record and are winners, of now, 96 games in a row. The Eagles are led by Van Green, a 6-3 guard, who has garnered Division I interest from the likes of Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Mercer, North Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn. Jeff Wherry, a senior, and juniors Bernard Morena, Willy Kousassi, Devin McNeil and Kevin McDaniels are all drawing interest from small to mid-majors schools.
The Neosho Holiday Classic, only a day away, will have interesting match-ups and some up-and-coming Division I players this year.
The boys and girls tournaments will both have 16 teams this year, a first for the tournament, in large part due to the help of Branco.
This year’s field features teams from Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama on the boys side and Arkansas and Missouri on the girls side.
The boys side, entering its 55th year of having a tournament, will have only one game Monday that features two Missouri teams playing each other in the first round. And, that is the first game of the tournament, featuring Diamond vs. Kansas City Ruskin at 9 a.m. at the high school.
Below is a small preview or notes on each of the boys match-ups Monday.
Ruskin vs. Diamond
The Golden Eagles enter with a 4-1 mark after five games and will be led by Kenyan Borders, a first-team all-district and all-conference pick last year. Ruskin was only 10-16 last year, but sports a 100-42 mark in the last five years.
Diamond enters with only one win, but a young team will definitely be a handful against Ruskin.
Parkview vs. Van Buren
Korry Tillery leads Parkview into this match-up with a 6-1 mark, a big improvement as the team was only 7-18 last year. The Vikings have opened up scoring a lot of points this year, putting up 89 points on Sullivan in the season opener and then 110 points on Don Bosco Charter from Kansas City in the second game of the year.
Van Buren is the defending tournament champions and will be led by 6-foot-11 standout Hooper Vint. According to the Crawford County Press Argus-Courier, the Pointers are 7-1 on the season. Van Buren defeated Little Rock Christian in the championship of the Morrilton Tournament.
Farmington vs. Central
This game features a pair of playoff teams last year, but this year is different for both. The Farmington Cardinals return most of their players, while Central has only one starter back. Farmington returns five starters, including four who averaged double figures in scoring last year. Leading that group is 6-3 forward Blake Abrecht, who had 13 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Monett vs. Central Park Christian
The local team, the Cubs, drew one of the toughest teams in the tournament. Central Park Christian, from Birmingham, Ala., enters with a 3-0 record and are winners, of now, 96 games in a row. The Eagles are led by Van Green, a 6-3 guard, who has garnered Division I interest from the likes of Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Mercer, North Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn. Jeff Wherry, a senior, and juniors Bernard Morena, Willy Kousassi, Devin McNeil and Kevin McDaniels are all drawing interest from small to mid-majors schools.
The Eagles were the National Christian Educational Champion last year. In recent years, the school has traveled to the Netherlands and Germany to compete in games. From last year’s national title team, three went on to college. Tony Mitchell signed with Alabama and Will Neighbour inked with Arkansas-Little Rock. Robert Hatcher signed with Fort Scott, Kan., Community College.
Central Park is 5-0 after a 104-46 win over Restoration Academy, which was 11-0 going into the game. Green scored 26 points, while McNeil and Morena both had 20 points.
Carthage vs. South Atlanta
The local Tigers are 5-3 and have one tournament championship under their belt this year. Carthage draws one of the best teams in the tournament in South Atlanta. The Hornets enter with an 8-0 record and have won 23 games in a row, dating back to last year. The team won the Class AAA State Championship, going 29-3 and finished No. 12 in the country.
The team’s top player last year was Derrick Favors, one of the top recruits in the country, now starting for Georgia Tech. Another player, Andrew Malone, signed with Auburn.
This year’s team is led by Nick Jacobs, a 6-8 center. He has drawn interest from Cincinnati, Miami, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Alabama among others.
Dominique McKoy has drawn interest from Western Kentucky, Auburn and Florida State. Rashaud Bell, a football and basketball prospect, has garnered interest from Jacksonville, Georgia State and Tennessee Tech.
“I spoke to a coach who had his team in Neosho before. He (Marietta’s Charlie Hood) told me this was a first class tournament with strong competition,” South Atlanta coach Michael Reddick said. “I need to take my young team away from the distraction here in Atlanta. We need a place to go where they can get a chance to bond and become a team, instead good individuals.”
South Atlanta just won the Atlanta Public Schools Holiday Tournament title with a 63-43 win over Mays. On the year, the Hornets have topped the 90-point plateau four times, including a season-high 96 against Grady High School.
Webb City vs. Morrilton
The Devil Dogs of Morrilton, a long-time participant in the tournament, is still seeking its first tournament title. Last year, the team advanced to the championship game for the first time. Last year’s team went 22-7 on the season, before falling in the final four. This year, two starters are back for Trent Tipton’s team in center Adam Rasheed and guard Trevor Payne.
Webb City, likewise, has only two starters back from last year’s team. The Cardinals return Patrick Drake and Austin Daniel, both guards. Webb City coach David Sherer is coaching in his first Neosho Holiday Classic, but played for Neosho in the tournament in high school.
McDonald County vs. Rogers Heritage
The Mustangs enter this tournament after getting a victory against Monett, its first of the season. The team has been led by the Bridenstine brothers, Michael and Charlie. Michael is a senior, while Charlie is a junior. The duo, both about 6-5, has provided a bulk of the scoring punch early on.
Rogers Heritage, only in its second year of existence, went 2-1 in the recent Arvest Hoopfest. That is already more wins then the War Eagles had last year.
Neosho vs. Bentonville
Neosho enters the break with a winning record, a first for the program in quite some time. The Wildcats look to continue that momentum against Bentonville.
The Tigers don’t return any starters from last year’s team. However, head coach Jason McMahan, in his first year at Bentonville, had a good deal of success in this tournament while at Siloam Springs, Ark.
