Blogging with Bryan C. Hanks

End of first quarter: Ravenscroft 16, Wesleyan 9

Halftime: Wesleyan 24, Ravenscroft 23; Wesleyan led by Jaquel Richmond’s 15; Ravenscroft paced by Marcus Bryan’s 10

End of third quarter: Ravenscroft 43, Wesleyan 36

Final: Ravenscroft 53, Wesleyan 44

For only the third time in HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational history, there’s a repeat champion of the event.

Raleigh Ravenscroft overcame a one-point halftime deficit and played stifling defense in its 53-44 defeat of High Point Wesleyan in the Summit Hospitality championship game of the HSOT Friday night. It marked the second straight year Ravenscroft has won the HSOT.

“We are certainly happy to be the champions of this tournament,” Ravens coach Kevin Billerman said. “This is a great tournament for our kids to win.”

Ravens junior guard Anton Gill earned MVP honors a 14-point, eight-rebound performance in the championship game.

Ravenscroft’s success came because it did not allow anyone outside of Wesleyan’s Big Three of Jaquel Richmond (23 points), Montay Brandon (12) and Theo Pinson (nine) to score.

“The key to the game, I thought, was the lockdown defense that we had on their three great perimeter players,” Billerman said. “For three days, Madison (Jones) has defended the other team’s point guards and that is one of the keys to our victories.”

Wesleyan coach Keith Gatlin said he was proud of his team’s effort in its first Holiday Invitational, but that his team needed more than just Richmond, Brandon and Pinson to have good games for the Trojans to be successful.

“Tonight, we came up short because we never got into a flow,” Gatlin said. “You have to credit Ravenscroft for that. They played us well again tonight.”

SUMMIT HOSPITALITY CHAMPIONSHIP

RALEIGH RAVENSCROFT 53, HIGH POINT WESLEYAN 44

Wesleyan      9   15   12   8  — 44

Ravenscroft 16   7   20   10  –  53

Wesleyan: Jaquel Richmond 23, Montay Brandon 12, Theo Pinson 9. Ravenscroft: Marcus Bryan 18, Anton Gill 14, Madison Jones 12, Andrew Franz 5, D.J. Langley 3, Quinn Billerman 1.

End of first quarter: Garner 22, St. Raymond 18

Halftime: Garner 39, St. Raymond 31; GHS led by Gavin Wilson’s 10 points; SR led by nine points each from Nkereuwem Okoro and Lawrence Graves

End of third quarter: Garner 50, St. Raymond 47

Final: Garner 75, St. Raymond 63

After 40 years and 17 attempts, Garner finally has its first HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational title.

The Trojans, one of the original eight teams to play in the first Holiday Invitational in 1972, defeated Bronx (N.Y.) St Raymond, 75-63, at Raleigh Broughton High School’s historic Holliday Gymnasium Friday night in the American Airlines bracket championship.

Trojans coach Eddie Gray said that with everything going so well for Garner overall, he didn’t want 2011 to end.

“It’s been a heck of a year at Garner Senior High School,” Gray said. “Starting with Scotty (McCreery) and American Idol, Mr. Drew Cook getting Principal of the Year, the football team and now this … I don’t want this year to end. It’s just a great tribute to the kids who have been in our program over the years and I’m so proud we were able to get a breakthrough on the 40th anniversary.”

Garner was led by tournament MVP Dominique Reed, who finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. All-tourney selection Gavin Wilson (17 points, three rebounds), Cameron Redd (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Larry Richardson (11 points) also finished in double-digit scoring.

St. Raymond, which won the HSOT in 2002, was led by the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player, Nkereuwem Okoro, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Lawrence Graves (18 points) and Myron Hickman (13) helped the Ravens stay close in a game in which their best player, Daniel Dingle, was unable to play because of a shoulder injury.

“I want to congratulate our team; they came out with a gutsy effort,” St. Raymond coach Oliver Antigua said. “We were missing our starting center who averages a double-double for us. … I’m proud of my guys — they battled the whole entire game.”

Despite only playing in two games, Dingle — who was among the leaders in points, rebounds and assists — was named to the all-tournament team. He was joined by Garner’s Wilson and Demarcus Sandford, Houston Strake Jesuit’s Rasheed Sulaimon and John Gillon, Raleigh Millbrook’s Karon Blount, Kinston’s Josh Dawson and Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler’s Kejuan Johnson.

AMERICAN AIRLINES CHAMPIONSHIP

GARNER 75, BRONX (N.Y.) ST. RAYMOND 63

St. Raymond  18   13   16   16  — 63

Garner            22   17   11   25  –  75

St. Raymond: Nkereuwem Okoro 20, Lawrence Graves 18, Myron Hickman 13, Shane Rector 4, Marques Underwood 4, Donnell Young 2, Ray Pender 2. Garner: Dominique Reed 20, Gavin Wilson 17, Cameron Redd 13, Larry Richardson 11, Josh McClain 7, Dashwan Stabler 5, Julius Barnes 1, Demarcus Sandford 1.

End of first quarter: Broughton 14, Chapel Hill 8

Halftime: Broughton 25, Chapel Hill 24; Broughton led by James Hemphill’s 10 points; CH led by 10 from Denzel Ingram

End of third quarter: Broughton 45, Chapel Hill 40

End of fourth quarter: Chapel Hill 63, Broughton 63

Final: Chapel Hill 75, Broughton 71, OT

Behind a spectacular 43-point performance from Chapel Hill’s Denzel Ingram, the Tigers won their first HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational title, defeating host Raleigh Broughton, 75-71, in overtime Friday night.

Chapel Hill trailed by nine points early in the fourth quarter before charging back to force overtime.

“What a great game,” Chapel Hill coach Tod Morgan said. “We’re excited, proud and honored to be a part of this tournament. … We certainly faced a great team in Broughton today.”

Ingram’s 43 points tied for fifth-most in Holiday Invitational history with Hoke County’s Harold Thompson, who performed the feat in 1978 against Raleigh Enloe. Ingram’s production were the most in a Holiday Invitational since Denham Springs (La.) Tasmin Mitchell’s 52 points against Raleigh Wakefield in 2004.

Ingram finished with 62 points in two games in the tournament. Elliot Orenstein added 16 points for the Tigers Friday night.

Broughton was led by James Hemphill’s 22 points, Devonte’ Graham’s 12 and 11 from Chris Corchiani. The Capitals were going for their first Holiday Invitational title since 1986.

“We were really wanting to win this for our seniors and our school,” Broughton coach Jeff Ferrell said. “It’s been a long, long time, well before they were born, since we won a championship in this tournament, so we’re definitely disappointed, but we’re not down.”

Ingram was the natural choice for the Randolph MVP award. Chapel Hill’s Anthony Vanhook, Broughton’s James Hemphill, Clayton’s Gary Clark and Rocky Mount’s Terrill Hilliard were named to the all-tournament team.

SHAVLIK RANDOLPH CHAMPIONSHIP

CHAPEL HILL 75, RALEIGH BROUGHTON 71

Broughton    13   12   20   18   8  — 71

Chapel Hill   10   14   16   23   12  –  75

Broughton: James Hemphill 22, Devonte’ Graham 12, Chris Corchiani 11, Chase Johnston 6, Cameron Gottfried 5, Parish Crowder 5, Justin Coleman 4, Andrew Ocampo 4, Zach Palmer 2. Chapel Hill: Denzel Ingram 43, Elliot Orenstein 16, Anthony Vanhook 7, Ryan Hegedus 4, Dillon Winters 3, Andrew Grant 2.

End of first quarter: Kinston 9, Millbrook 9

Halftime: Kinston 16, Millbrook 13; KHS led by four points from Nakeil Williams; MHS led by seven points from Karon Blount

End of third quarter: Kinston 30, Millbrook 20

Final: Kinston 44, Millbrook 31

In a game that threatened the tournament record of fewest points in a game, Kinston battled past Raleigh Millbrook 44-31 to finish in third place in the American Airlines bracket of the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational.

No Viking scored in double figures, but the team was led by Josh Dawson and Andrew Lopez, who had eight points each.

“It was a fun game, although it wasn’t the prettiest game in the world,” Kinston coach Wells Gulledge said. “You have to find some juice when you’re in your third game of a tournament, you have to make your own energy. … The kids really stepped up.”

Millbrook, which was held to 12-of-47 shooting (including 2-of-18 — 11.1 percent — from behind the 3-point line) was led by Karon Blount’s 14 points.

“This was a very tough game today, offensively,” Millbrook coach Scott McInnes said. “The stats speak for themselves.”

The tournament record of 69 points, set in 1996 by Wake Forest-Rolesville and Greensboro Day, was passed with only a couple minutes remaining.

AMERICAN AIRLINES SEMIFINAL

KINSTON 44, RALEIGH MILLBROOK 31

Millbrook 9   4   7   11  — 31

Kinston    9   7   14   14  –  44

Millbrook: Karon Blount 14, Cameron Sykes 4, Shi’Chee Moore 3, Brandon Goldsmith 3, Andrew Ezebuiro 2, Robert Brown 2, Carlee Clemons 2, Adrian Atkinson 1. Kinston: Josh Dawson 8, Andrew Lopez 8, Nakeil Williams 7, Denzel Keyes 5, Chris Hall 4, Angelo Keyes 4, Brandon Ingram 4, C.J. Bradshaw 2, Travon Jones 2.

End of first quarter: Upper Room 22, United Faith 11

Halftime: Upper Room 40, United Faith 29; UR led by Rodney Purvis with 7 points; UF led by Peter Jurkin’s 10 points and six rebounds

End third quarter: Upper Room 51, United Faith 44

Final: Upper Room 66, United Faith 61

Rodney Purvis made his final HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational game a memorable one, leading Raleigh Upper Room to a 66-61 victory over Charlotte United Faith for third place in the Summit Hospitality bracket at Raleigh Broughton’s historic Holliday Gymnasium.

Purvis finished with 17 points and five rebounds to lead the Christian Eagles to the victory. Tyrek Coger added 12 points while the trio of Keysheen Hinton, Faquan Dunn and Waymond Wright had nine points each.

“It was hard; I don’t know who put the bracket together, but … we were blessed to come out 2-1 in this tournament,” Upper Room coach Avie Lester said. “The guys came out with a lot of intensity and I was real proud of that.”

United Faith was led by Braxton Obgueze’s 20 points while Peter Jurkin turned in an impressive double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds.

“It was a tough game today although I felt my guys competed really hard,” United Faith coach Muggsy Bogues said. “We had a sluggish start but got ourselves back in the basketball game. I’m really proud of the guys for how they competed.”

SUMMIT HOSPITALITY THIRD-PLACE

RALEIGH UPPER ROOM 66, CHARLOTTE UNITED FAITH 61

Upper Room  22   18   11   15  –  66

United Faith  11   18   15   17  –  61

Upper Room: Rodney Purvis 17, Tyrek Coger 12, Keysheen Hinton 9, Faquan Dunn 9, Waymond Wright 9, Sharwyn McGee 6, Raphael Love 5. United Faith: Braxton Obgueze 20, Peter Jurkin 15, Zach Davis 7, Nehemiah Mabson 7, V.J. King 6, Tahmir Gadsen 4.

End of first quarter: Strake Jesuit 12, Middle Creek 6

Halftime: Strake Jesuit 27, Middle Creek 14; SJ led by 11 points from Rasheed Sulaimon and eight from John Gillon; MC led by five points from Rashawn King

End of third quarter: Strake Jesuit 45, Middle Creek 26

Final: Strake Jesuit 54, Middle Creek 39

Evidently, when Houston Strake Jesuit is healthy, they’re a heck of a team.

The Crusaders, who lost in the first round of the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational after a rash of food sickness infected the team, rolled to a victory in the fifth-place game of the American Airlines bracket against Apex Middle Creek, 54-39, Thursday afternoon.

“This was a great way to finish off a really quality tournament, one of the very best tournaments we’ve ever been invited to,” Strake Jesuit coach Wayne Jones said. “We executed really well on the defensive end tonight and were able to open up the floor. We were able to get some shots and make some baskets. It was just a great way to finish.”

The Crusaders were led by Duke recruit Rasheed Sulaimon’s 21 points and seven rebounds. John Gillon added 13 points, four rebounds and three steals in the victory.

Middle Creek was paced by Khamari Bobbitt’s 11 points. The Mustangs missed all 15 3-pointers they attempted, including 11 misses from Nate Otto and Marvin Wilson.

“We’re not a great shooting team, but we’re a heck of a lot better than we were today,” Middle Creek coach David Kushner said. “Our best two shooters had a lot of open looks, but it wasn’t our day.”

Senior Rashawn King, a two-sport star for the Mustangs, was recognized before the game for his valiant battle against leukemia. He finished with five points and two rebounds.

AMERICAN AIRLINES FIFTH-PLACE

HOUSTON STRAKE JESUIT 54, APEX MIDDLE CREEK 39

Middle Creek   6   8   12   13  — 39

Strake Jesuit  12 15  18   9   –  54

Middle Creek: Khamari Bobbitt 11, Marvin Wilson 9, Quinton Ray 8, Rashawn King 5, Nate Otto 2, Keith Fitzgerald 2, Brandon Hooks 2. Strake Jesuit: Rasheed Sulaimon 21, John Gillon 13, Reveal Chukwujekwu 7, Ben Martins 6, Peter Winter 3, Ivory Young 2, Pace Murphy 1.

Yesterday lived up to the hype — practically all seven games were competitive, the crowds were huge and the basketball was spirited. Expecting a lot more of the same today at historic Holliday Gymnasium.

By the by, I was 6-1 in picks yesterday, only missing the Miller School/Body of Christ game…

Today’s schedule:

11 a.m.: Summit Hospitality fifth-place game — Charlottesville (Va.) Miller School vs. Southborough (Mass.) St. Mark’s … Two of the most disciplined squads face off in a game where we’re expecting about 20 fans. St. Mark’s by 3

12:40 p.m.: American Airlines fifth-place game — Apex Middle Creek vs. Houston Strake Jesuit … Crowd should pick up a bit, especially with a Duke recruit in the house. He is the difference in this game as Strake Jesuit wins by 10

2:20 p.m.: Summit Hospitality third-place game — Charlotte United Faith vs. Raleigh Upper Room … Honestly, this could’ve been a championship game with about four D-1 players among the rosters. Gotta admit, too, it’s been a blast interviewing one of my heroes (United Faith coach Muggsy Bogues) all week, too. UF by 12

4 p.m.: American Airlines third-place game — Raleigh Millbrook vs. Kinston … A matchup between two very good friends in Millbrook’s Scott McInnes and Kinston’s Wells Gulledge — coaches HSOT’s Nick Stevens considers two of the best in North Carolina. However, it is a 4A program taking on a 2A program and that’s where the edge lies as Millbrook wins by 8

And now for the three championship games:

5:40 p.m.: Shavlik Randolph Foundation championship — Raleigh Broughton vs. Chapel Hill … Capitals going for their first Holiday Invitational title since 1986 against undefeated Chapel Hill. Tigers by 5

7:20 p.m.: American Airlines championship — Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond vs. Garner … St. Raymond is a well-oiled machine and the best team in NYC. Garner is arguably the best 4A team in North Carolina. Yankees or Southerners? Going to take Ravens in a squeaker

9 p.m.: Summit Hospitality championship — High Point Wesleyan vs. Raleigh Ravenscroft … I’ve said it several times and I’ll stick by it here: Wesleyan has the best backcourt in North Carolina and this tournament. I simply love Ravenscroft coach Kevin Billerman and his ability to adapt to ANY style of play … but I’m not sure he has the talent to compete with Wesleyan tonight. I’m saying all this knowing Ravenscroft beat Wesleyan in the second game of the season but my prediction is: Wesleyan by 3 in an awesome game

Scoring leaders (14 ppg or more):

65 — Kaleb Tarczewski, Southborough (Mass.) St. Mark’s

64 — Andrew White, Charlottesville (Va.) Miller School

61 — John Gillon, Houston Strake Jesuit

58 — Rasheed Sulaimon, Houston Strake Jesuit

57 — Nik Stauskas, Southborough (Mass.) St. Mark’s

54 — Braxton Obgueze, Charlotte United Faith

51 — Rodney Purvis, Raleigh Upper Room

48 — Karon Blount, Raleigh Millbrook

48 — Chase Cannon, Charlottesville (Va.) Miller School

45 — Montay Brandon, High Point Wesleyan*

39 — Anton Gill, Raleigh Ravenscroft*

36 — Dominique Reed, Garner*

32 — Daniel Dingle, Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond*

32 — Madison Jones, Raleigh Ravenscroft*

31 — Jaquel Richmond, High Point Wesleyan*

29 — Theo Pinson, High Point Wesleyan*

Rebound leaders (8 rpg or more):

36 — Peter Jurkin, Charlotte United Faith

27 — Sharwyn McGee, Raleigh Upper Room

24 — Denzel Keyes, Kinston

22 — Daniel Dingle, Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond*

20 — Dominique Reed, Garner*

19 — Montay Brandon, High Point Wesleyan*

17 — Theo Pinson, High Point Wesleyan*

Assist leaders (4 apg or more):

13 — Josh Dawson, Kinston

13 — Eric Green, Southborough (Mass.) St. Mark’s

13 — Jaymie Spears, Southborough (Mass.) St. Mark’s

13 — Gavin Wilson, Garner*

10 — DeMarcus Sandford, Garner*

9 — Jaquel Richmond, High Point Wesleyan*

8 — Daniel Dingle, Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond*

Steal leaders (3 spg or more):

11 — Rasheed Sulaimon, Houston Strake Jesuit

8 — Theo Pinson, High Point Wesleyan*

Block leaders (3 bpg or more):

15 — Peter Jurkin, Charlotte United Faith

6 — Gavin Wilson, Garner*

End of first quarter: Wesleyan 15, Upper Room 14

Halftime: Wesleyan 24, Upper Room 20; Wesleyan led by Montay Brandon’s 14 points; UR led by Sharwyn McGee’s 8 points and 6 rebounds

End of third quarter: Wesleyan 44, Upper Room 36

Final: Wesleyan 56, Upper Room 50

In its first appearance in the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational, High Point Wesleyan will be playing for the Summit Hospitality championship.

Wesleyan defeated Raleigh Upper Room and its star forward, Rodney Purvis, 56-50 in the Summit semifinals Thursday night.

“These kids have worked so hard in the offseason, lifting and conditioning,” Wesleyan coach Keith Gatlin said. “This is a great accomplishment for us, being a little Christian school.”

The victory was a result of the play of Wesleyan’s big three of Montay Brandon (21 points, seven rebounds), Theo Pinson (14 points, eight rebounds) and Jaquel Richmond (12 points, three assists).

Wesleyan shut down Purvis, holding the N.C. State recruit to 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

“The kids did an outstanding job staying on Rodney’s right hand, making him go to his left,” Gatlin said. “We have the utmost respect for him, but we were determined not to let him beat us tonight — someone else was going to have to beat us.”

Upper Room waas led by Purvis’ 13 points — he was the only Christian Eagle in double figures in scoring.

“It’s disappointing for us tonight,” Christian Eagle coach Avie Lester said. “Our kids have real high expectations; I was real prayerful for them that we’d be able to come out on top.”

SUMMIT HOSPITALITY SEMIFINAL

HIGH POINT WESLEYAN 56, RALEIGH UPPER ROOM 50

Upper Room   14   6   16   14  –  50

Wesleyan        15   9   20   12  — 56

Upper Room: Rodney Purvis 13, Tyrek Coger 9, Sharwyn McGee 8, Keysheen Hinton 7, Raphael Dove 7, Faquan Dunn 4, Waymond Wright 2. Wesleyan: Montay Brandon 21, Theo Pinson 14, Jaquel Richmond 12, Trey Chapman 6, Joshua Woodward 3.