Beach Ball has major upset

Myrtle Beach, S.C.- Herndon (Va.) High School gave the Beach Ball Classic crowd a classic upset in quarterfinal action with a convincing 76-58 thrashing of the No. 8 team in the nation Mater Dei (Calif.). With the game tied 30-30 at the half, Herndon broke the game open at the start of the second half and then held on to the big lead with their great guard play. Leading the charge for the Hornets was future Oklahoma guard Scottie Reynolds.

Herndon (Va.) 76, Mater Dei (Calif.) 58

Scottie Reynolds (2006, Herndon)- Although Reynolds was hounded by the defense of Kamyron Brown throughout the game, he was the glue that held together a very solid and well coached Herndon attack while also finding a way to score 27 points. Despite making a number of turnovers, Reynolds caused a number of turnovers himself with his savvy defense. With an outstanding basketball IQ and a highly competitive nature, Herndon is a winner in a winning program. Finished with 27 points on 9 of 16 shooting including 3 of 7 from three and 6 of 7 from the line, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 turnovers and 5 steals in 30 minutes of play.

Kamyron Brown (2007, Mater Dei)- A long, athletic point guard, Brown is a terrific 94-foot on the ball defender. A strong ball handler with either hand, he can get to the rim to score and serve as a set up man as well. An outstanding prospect. Finished with 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting and 3 of 4 from the line, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, 1 block and 3 steals in 25 minutes of play.

Taylor King (2007, Mater Dei)- The left handed long range shooter did his best work on the glass, recording an impressive 10 rebounds in the first half. Taking advantage of passing lanes because of his threat to shoot, King had some very nice assist passes. His shot was not there for King, however. He struggled behind the arc and in the paint against the pesky Herndon defense. He also struggled to guard the quicker Herndon players. Finished with 21 points on 7 of 22 shooting including 2 of 9 from three and 5 of 6 from the line, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 1 block in 27 minutes of play.

Alex Jacobson (2007, Mater Dei)- The Arizona commitment was a non-factor, due largely to the quickness of the Herndon inside players. He picked up two quick fouls and spent most of the game on the bench. Finished with 0 points on 0 of 1 shooting and 0 rebounds in 14 minutes of play.

Mater Dei does have three promising freshman prospects in 6-foot-8 twins Travis Wear and David Wear and 6-foot-6 Andy Brown

Memphis Ridgeway 52, St. Edwards (Ohio) 49

Delvon Roe (2008, St. Edwards)- With a still developing and live body, Roe runs the floor well and is quick off the floor. An active player, Roe affects the game in a variey of ways even with his passing. He has some nice moves in the post but is often unable to finish because of a lack of strength. Very left hand dominant, Roe will be very difficult to guard inside once he improves his strength and develops the ability to finish with his right hand. Also needs more arc on his free throw. Finished with 8 points on 2 of 5 shooting and 4 of 12 shooting from the line, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 5 blocks and 2 steals in 31 minutes of play.

Ernest Fields (2006, Ridgeway)- An undersized but very athletic power forward who is headed to Austin Peay, Fields finishes with authority, comes up with a number of hustle plays and is an active defensive force in the lane. Fields led Ridgeway with 18 points on 8 of 9 shooting and 2 of 2 shooting from the field, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 4 blocks and 1 steal in 32 minutes of play.

Memphis Mitchell 65, Rufus King (Wis.) 54

Brandon Powell (2006, Mitchell)- Powell started out hot hitting 5 of 6 three-pointers in the first half. At 6-foot-4 and with his high, quick release, he is able to shoot over defenders. He also defended and rebounded well although his ball handling was shaky at times. Finished with 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting including 5 of 8 from three and 3 of 4 from the line, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers and 3 steals in 29 minutes of play.

Thaddeus Young (2006, Mitchell)- Missed about half of the first half with foul trouble, but then played a very solid second half. Once again, he shot the ball well from the outside and did a little bit of everything for a very good and balanced Mitchell team. Also blocked some key shots down the stretch. Finished with 19 points on 5 of 8 shooting including 2 of 2 from three and 7 of 7 from the line, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, 3 blocks and 2 steals in 25 minutes of play.

Andre Thornton (2006, Mitchell)- Central Florida got a good one in Thornton. He is a competitive, blue collar player who can score with his back to the basket and consistently hit the 17-footer. Although he is not an explosive athlete, Thornton uses his thick body extremely well, can finish with either hand and has a very high release on his shot. Finished with14 points on 7 of 12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers in 32 minutes of play.

Troy Cotton (2006, Rufus King)- A solid combo guard, Cotton kept Rufus King in the game with his hustle, three-point shooting and passing. A competitor with a good feel for the game, Cotton plays with strength and will be a welcomed addition to Wisconsin-Green Bay. Finished with 16 points on 5 of 14 shooting including 4 of 9 from three and 2 of 3 from the line, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 turnover and 2 steals.

Mitchell Carter (2006, Rufus King)- Carter had another solid outing. He is moving his feet to get rebounds and had some nice scores around the basket. Still has a ways to go to play in the SEC, especially in terms of his explosiveness, but he is making positive strides. Finished with 9 points on 3 of 4 shooting and 3 of 6 from the line, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 steal in 22 minutes of play.

Korie Lucious (2008, Rufus King)- Did not have a strong game, but displayed flashes of why he is considered one of the better point guards in his class. Passed the ball up the court very well on the break and against Mitchell's press. Demonstrated very good lateral quickness on defense, but he must get stronger to keep physical guards out of the lane. Finished with 5 points on 5 of 14 shooting including 1 of 6 from three, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 turnovers and 2 steals.

DeMatha (Md.) 81, Lakota East (Ohio) 60

Austin Freeman (2007, DeMatha)- One of the most versatile scorers in the 2007 class, Freeman scored points posting up, pulling up from the midrange and shooting the long range jumper. He was quick with the ball and springy around the basket. He's already playing like he is ready for the Big East. Finished with a team high 25 points.

Nigel Munson (2006, DeMatha)- Munson shot the ball well and did a very good job running the offense. A solid point guard, but he does have the tendency to force the ball into traffic with his right hand and take the quick contested jumper. Finished with 17 points.

Chris Braswell (2008, DeMatha)- Braswell is a name to remember in the 2008 class. He has very good instincts for the game, is good with the basketball, and is very long. He has a chance to be a small forward although he plays primarily on the interior for DeMatha. Will be very hard to handle once he puts on some weight and gets stronger. Finished with 15 points.

James Dews (2006, Lakota East)- A good looking athlete who can really score on the wing, Dews gets very good lift on his quick release jumper. He shoots a very nice pull up jumper along with his catch and shoot. Finished with a game high 28 points.