My oh my, how Sunnyslope has matured. 

At this point last year, the Vikings were 8-7 after playing some tough in and out state opponents. Fast forward to Thursday, and the Vikings, who once again opened against some formidable opponents, are 15-1 after their 65-51 victory over Nevada Bishop Gorman in the heralded Hoophall West tournament.

Two days removed from a prestigious California tournament championship victory, the Vikings’ legs were a bit weary. But, like mature teams usually do, they weathered through the tiredness and still outpaced Bishop Gorman at Skyline High.

Bishop Gorman opened the game with a three, but that was its only lead of the game, as Sunnylope jumped ahead 9-3 and led by as much as 17 points in the game. 

“We weren’t at our best tonight,” Sunnyslope coach Ray Portela said.  
"Our legs were a little shaky today. We didn’t play the usual aggressive defense we wanted to play. But we got it done. We’ll be better (Friday).”

With the win, the Vikings advanced to Friday's Hoophall semifinals, where they'll face 9-2 Maryland DeMatha at 8 p.m.

Tuesday’s Classic at Damien championship win over California Redondo Union avenged a regular season loss and propelled Sunnyslope into maxpreps’ top-10 national rankings. The two players who led the way in the Classic at Damien final were at it again Thursday. 

Darius Wabbington (22 points, 12 rebounds in Damien final) recorded a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-10 junior also made back-to-back threes from the same spot on the floor with University of Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd in attendance.

After a Darius Wabbington (far left) dunk, his teammates made sure to applaud his efforts Thursday night. (Jose Garcia photo/AZPreps365)

Guard Delton Prescott followed his 22-point outing in the Damian final with a 20-point performance against Bishop Gorman.

Millennium also impresses

Former Scottsdale Christian player Elijah Williams (shooting) returned to the Valley with a Texas team that's coached by his dad, Monty (far left), the former coach of the Phoenix Suns. (Jose Garcia photo/AZPreps365) 

Another nationally ranked Arizona team, Millennium, also didn’t allow an out of state opponent to feel at home at Skyline. 

The Tigers shot 53 percent en route to a 76-66 win over Texas Military Institute Episcopal to set up a highly anticipated top-10 national match up in the Hoophall semifinals. Sixth ranked Millennium (12-1) will play No. 5 Wheeler out of Georgia at 6:30 p.m. at Skyline on Friday.

Four players for Millennium scored in double figures (Cameron Holmes 23 points, Adan Diggs 21, Trey McKinney 15, DJ Spencer 13). They did so in front of former Millennium coach Ty Amundsen, who is now an Arizona State assistant. 

TMI was led by former Scottsdale Christian High player Elijah Williams’ 32 points. NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan’s son, Draven, plays for TMI.

  

Mater Dei pulls away from Basha at the end

The Basha Bears went up 66-65 after a corner three by Desean Middlebrook (19 points) with 4:55 left, but California Mater Dei executed down the stretch to pull away and win 80-73 at Hoophall. 

"They are a great shooting team,” Basha coach Mike Grothaus said. "They imposed their will in the second half. We ran out of gas.”

Basha was playing its first game since Dec. 23 and gave its players a week off during the Christmas break.  

After Middlebrook's three, Mater Dei post Zain Majeed (25 points, 15 rebounds) scored during three consecutive possessions to put his team up 72-66, sending Basha to its bench after taking a timeout. Mater Dei’s Luke Barnett (23 points) went 6-11 from beyond the arc. 

For 9-5 Basha, Kingston Montague scored 26 points and Mason Magee added 20. Montague also put his body on the line while taking three charges. 

Former NBA player and current Inside the NBA host Kenny Smith attended the game to see his son, Malloy, play with Mater Dei. Former Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul also watched the game from the stands.