The Holiday Classic Tip-Off Classic Recap
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The Torrey Pines Holiday Classic is Back, as is its companion kick-off event, the Holiday Classic Tip-Off Classic. Over the past four years, the one-off showcase gives six local teams an opportunity to play in front of local fans in…
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Continue ReadingThe Torrey Pines Holiday Classic is Back, as is its companion kick-off event, the Holiday Classic Tip-Off Classic.
Over the past four years, the one-off showcase gives six local teams an opportunity to play in front of local fans in advance of the tournament.
San Ysidro, Carlsbad and La Costa Canyon got wins over Torrey Pines, Mater Dei Catholic and Francis Parker, respectively. Here are some observations from the showcase.
Team of the Night: San Ysidro
The Cougars, seeking a signature win after several close losses to top-ranked teams, got one in the marquee matchup of the night with a tremendous second half performance from it’s talented back court of 2022s Miguel Figueroa and Sebastian Medina.
San Ysidro topped Torrey Pines 67-62, getting a combined 50 points from their guards, and a very solid defensive effort from its interior duo of 6-8 F Fran Valenzuela and 6-7 2024 F Andrei Tovar, who made Boston U-bound C Otto Landrum Otto Landrum 6'8" | PF Torrey Pines | 2022 State CA-S work for all of his points.
Trailing by 7 just before halftime, Miguel Figueroa hit a three that gave the Cougars some tailwind heading into the break. They came out on fire, with Medina hitting consecutive triples and Figueroa scoring on a leak-out layup.
Torrey Pines, which got a breakout game from 6-5 2024 F Zach Jackson (a season-high 23 points), fought back to take a 3-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars hit timely buckets down the stretch to retake the lead and seal the win.
Medina finished with a game-high 27 points and Figueroa added 23.
Performance of the Night: Jake Hall, 6-2 2025 G, Carlsbad
Hall has had an extremely productive freshman year, being selected to two all-tournament teams and averaging close to 20 points per game. The gifted scorer was at it again Thursday night, scoring a showcase-high 28 points (5-8 from three), helping the Lancers turn a relatively close first half game with Mater Dei into a 72-49 blowout.
Hall is an automatic three-point shooter when left open, but he’s more than a shooter. He attacks close outs to set up runners and floaters, which he makes consistently, and in transition or off sharp drives off the wing can finish through contact at the basket. His shot has a really low release point, which makes it tougher for him to get his shot off against defenders with length, but at this stage, there are few freshmen who can get a bucket as prolifically as Hall.
Game of the Night: La Costa Canyon vs Francis Parker
The Lancers and Mavericks played an entertaining, hard played game that saw the Mavericks shake off some early-game shooting woes to surge past Parker in the second half.
6-3 junior guard Ty Hendler Ty Hendler 6'3" | CG La Costa Canyon | 2023 State CA-S proved the catalyst, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half. A big guard who plays with great pace, Hendler changed speed and pace in ball screen action to knife through LCC’s defense to score around the rim. He also hit a critical three that continued the Mavs third-quarter momentum.
6-4 senior guard Brayden Hendricks also had a strong night. The physical shooting guard is one of the region’s better perimeter shooters, but his ball skills and rebounding also played a big role in the comeback.
Francis Parker got an excellent game from 6-4 senior guard Camden McCormick Camden McCormick 6'2" | SG Francis Parker | 2022 State CA-S , who scored a game-high 26 points and kept the Lancers within striking distance attacking the basket.
Stat Line of the Night: Otto Landrum Otto Landrum 6'8" | PF Torrey Pines | 2022 State CA-S , 6-9 2022 F, Torrey Pines: 17 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists
The Boston-University bound senior gets “the treatment” each game from teams, often getting doubled or tripled teamed. In this game, San Ysidro used their big front court pair to force him into tough looks, and even got a handful of blocks against him. But Landrum was still very productive, finding cutting teammates along the baseline for buckets, and passing out of doubles to open shooters. In the end, he netted the first triple double that Torrey Pines could find in its record books going back at least 15 years.
Moment of the night: