2024 John Wall Holiday Classic Day 2 Recap
December 28, 2024 by Tex Greene
The John Wall Holiday Invitational is well underway, with top talent from all over America converging on Broughton High School. Below is a recap of all the matchups from the second day of play:
Ravenscroft Defeats Greenfield in Season Opener Rematch, 72-66
In the first game of the day, Ravenscroft defeated Greenfield by six points. Ravenscroft started the game out strong and jumped to an early lead, but Greenfield clawed their way back into the game. Ravenscroft led by five going into the 4th quarter, and both teams scored a lot; however, Ravenscroft would still emerge victorious. Chance Gladden once again starred, dropping 27 points to help put the game away for the Ravens. Preston Moore and Jacob Gilbert each contributed as well, with 14 and 13 points respectively. For the Knights, Kobe Edwards had 17 points on 50% shooting from the field (and three), while Braxton Dubose put up 16 points and 7 rebounds.
Davidson Day Takes Down Farmville Central, 68-61
Davidson Day narrowly defeated a Farmville Central team that had the quickest turnaround time of any team in this tournament. After losing a close game to Reidsville that ended at almost 10 PM, Farmville was back on the court 13 hours later to play this Davidson Day team.
Davidson Day only employed their top six players during this game, but they were still too much for Farmville to handle; big man Will Stevens had a field day, going for 27 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, and knocking down two threes. Lincoln Vinson also had a good game, scoring 21 points for the Patriots. MJ Williams led Farmville Central with 20 points, although it wasn’t his most efficient shooting performance. Farmville was up by six at the half, but their legs were too tired to keep it up in the second, as Davidson Day pulled off the comeback win.
Southern Durham Edges Sidwell Friends on Buzzer Beater, 52-49
Sidwell Friends kept this game close, but without Kentucky-commit Acaden Lewis at the helm, they weren’t able to muster the win. Southern Durham relied on the firepower of Butler commit Jackson Keith, who scored 26 points. However, with the game tied late in the fourth quarter, it was a three-point shot from Antoine Morman that sealed the game for Southern Durham. Morman had an all-around good game too; he dropped 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals while playing all but two minutes.
Westchester Beats Green Level, 49-41
Westchester proved why they’re worth the hype in their first game, an eight-point win over Green Level. They also showed why they’re good enough to have traveled all the way from California to play in this game: Tajh Ariza. The son of former NBA player Trevor Ariza had a solid 13 points and 13 rebounds in his John Wall debut, and his big performance in the 4th quarter was what ultimately lifted Westchester to the victory. For Green Level, Isaac Ericksen was the only player who could get anything going on offense, as he finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
We’ll see Westchester back in action later on Day Three against Highland School, and top ranked senior Nate Ament.
Christ School Destroys Knightdale, 77-40
Christ School continued to show why they’re the best team in North Carolina, as they defeated Knightdale by 37 points in their first game of the tournament. Zymicah Wilkins had a monster showing, as the NC State commit went for 21 points, 21 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
While Christ School led by six at the half, it was a 3rd quarter that saw the Greenies outscore Knightdale by 29 points, which sealed the deal. American University commit Madden Collins added in 17 points, and Dacen Petty chipped in with 14, while Koen Booker and Mason Collins also played important roles. Their next matchup will be against Michael Phillips and Grace Christian.
St. Anne’s Belfield Rolls Past Broughton, 72-51
In not a huge surprise, four-star Chance Mallory and St. Anne’s Belfield defeated Broughton by over 20 points. Mallory had himself a game, dropping 23 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals as Broughton’s guards were helpless to stop him. STAB held Broughton three points in the first quarter, and they never really recovered after that; a solid third quarter helped bring the game a little closer, but it was already out of reach. Dz Bullock-Coles also had himself a game for STAB, dropping 20 points and 11 rebounds while playing the entire game.
Grace Christian Narrowly Defeats Northern Nash, 72-67
In a game with a lot of star power, Michael Phillips and Grace Christian came out on top by five points. Phillips went for 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks on uber-efficient shooting while guiding his team to the win. Charleston Southern commit A.J. Gladeiux also chipped in with 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field.
On Northern Nash’s side, CJ Rosser showed everyone why he’s the number one player in the Class of 2027. Rosser was absolutely tremendous, dropping 30 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 6-for-11 from three. He impacted the game on both ends, but it was incredibly apparent on offense, as none of his other teammates scored 10 or more points. Fans will have another chance to watch Rosser in action against Knightdale on Day Three.
Cold Hearts Blow Out Word of God in Prime Time Matchup, 86-44
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the entire tournament, the Overtime Elite Cold Hearts absolutely smoked Word of God Christian Academy by 42 points. The Cold Hearts haven’t been having much luck in the OTE this year, but against the Holy Rams, they feasted. They brought a balanced attack, with Adam Oumiddoch dropping 19, Asher Elson with 18, and Kai Rogers with 18.
Arizona State commit Trevor Best didn’t have his best game for the Holy Rams (8p, 4r), and Jaevian Alston led the team with 12 points. They look overwhelmed by the Cold Hearts, but will have a chance to respond on Monday, the final day of the tournament.