2023 Holiday Classic Tip Off Night recap: Montgomery, Torrey Pines, Santa Fe Christian earn victories
The 33rd annual Holiday Classic presented by SBLive Sports hosted their tip off night on Saturday, featuring three showcase games made up of six San Diego Section schools. Here's a game-by-game recap that included a matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 in the San Diego Section as well as the top scorers from the three games.
GAME 1—
Santa Fe Christian 60, El Camino 44
Both teams came out slow, needing nearly two minutes to get the first points on the board in a quarter that finished in favor of Santa Fe Christian, 8-5. The Eagles began to take control in the second quarter, leading by nine points at the break and continued their play into the second half, increasing their lead to 17 points after three quarters.
Santa Fe Christian held their double digit lead throughout the fourth quarter, cruising to their sixth win of the season. Northwest Nazarene commit Brycen Mackenzie led all scorers with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore guard Dax Hall caught fire in the second half, scoring all 15 of his points in the final two quarters.
El Camino junior guard Devin McGee fought foul trouble throughout the night but was able to lead the Wildcats with 16 points off the bench.
GAME 2—
Torrey Pines 64, Mission Bay 46
The host Falcons could not have scripted a better start, racing out to an 11-0 lead and held a 21-9 advantage after the opening quarter. A back and forth second quarter gave the Falcons a 36-27 lead at the break.
The Falcons were able to withstand several mini runs by the Buccaneers in the third quarter, never letting them cut the lead to one possession. Armed with a nine-point lead after three quarters, Torrey Pines controlled the fourth quarter to win by 18.
Torrey Pines knocked down six three-pointers in the first half and added four more in the second half, finishing the game 10 for 20 from beyond the arc. Senior Matin Madadkar led Torrey Pines with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Fellow senior Dylan Kail had 14 points, three assists and three steals, knocking down four of his six attempts from three-point range. He's now shooting 57 percent from long range over the first 12 games of the season.
Sophomore Caleb Newton (13 points) and senior Gavin Girouard (12 points) were the two Buccaneers to reach double digits.
GAME 3—
The featured game of the night went in favor of Montgomery for the second straight time. The Aztecs led by five points after a quarter and used a last second shot by Alek Sanchez to take a six-point lead into the halftime break.
Montgomery continued to dictate tempo in the third quarter, and got quality shots to hold off any extended Carlsbad runs. The Aztecs were able to stretch their lead to double digits several times in the final quarter, settling for an eight-point win.
Montgomery junior guard Xair Mendez took advantage of Carlsbad's fourth quarter foul trouble, knocking down six free throws to finish with a team-leading 21 points. Junior JJ Sanchez had 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while David Soto and Devin Hamilton each finished with 10 points to give the Aztecs four players in double digits.
Senior guard Tony Duckett had a game-high 24 points for Carlsbad while junior Jake Hall was the only other Lancer in double digits, finishing with 15 points.
(All photos by Justin Fine)
Photo by Justin Fine
Photo by Justin Fine
Photo by Justin Fine
Photo by JJ Sanchez
Photo by Justin Fine
-- Bodie De Silva | bodie@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveca
