Classic at Damien: Monday’s Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Verne — The Classic at Damien has become one of the premier post-Christmas high school basketball tournament stops on the West Coast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's Damien field has expanded to seven divisions and 112 teams and seven champions will be named over the course of the five-day event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monday's opening day featured teams among the Silver, Bronze, Green and Iron Divisions, giving media, scouts and college coaches a chance to watch those programs at the Tournament's main site.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this piece we take a closer look at the top overall performers from Monday's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1502803' first='Aaron' last='Powell'], Campbell Hall</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Powell did a little bit of everything for the Vikings form scoring to distributing to providing a boost on the defensive end of the floor. The 6-foot junior point guard led all scorers with 17 points in Campbell Hall's 72-60 win over St. Bonaventure and operated with good pace and a high basketball IQ throughout the game. Some Division 1 programs have begun to monitor Powell's progress and that should continue to grow throughout the rest of this season and into his senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1502815' first='Aliaun' last='Iscandari'], Campbell Hall</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iscandari is a really nice complimentary piece for Powell and Campbell Hall's other talented guards. The 6-foot-2 lefty is a player who can impact the game without dominating the ball due to his ability to slash and finish in transition and half-court offensive settings and multi-positional defensive prowess. The junior is a strong, powerful and explosive athlete in the open court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='994954' first='Jackson' last='Mosely'], St. Francis</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mosely is known for his steadiness at the point guard position and ability to make good decisions in multiple time and score situations. The 5-foot-10 senior showed Monday that he can also lead a team in the scoring column as he put up a game-high 21 points, including a handful of three-point shots, in St. Francis' win over Hillcrest. Mosely has a true point guard feel with an improving scoring arsenal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1630683' first='Julien' last='Gomez'], La Mirada</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gomez has been torching opposing defenses with his shot-making abilities and Monday was no different. The 6-foot-3 sophomore dropped 26 points in just three quarters of action as La Mirada handily defeated Riverside Poly in Silver Division action. Gomez isn't the quickest or most athletic guys in any gym he walks into, but his understanding of angles, use of footwork to take advantage of those angles and his sheer confidence in his offensive abilities makes him one of the best scorers in SoCal. The Matadores' go-to guy has an effortless three-point shooting stroke and his off-the-bounce game and finishing ability is euro-like in the smoothness and craftiness he plays with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1434793' first='Malcolm' last='Bell'], Diamond Bar</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bell, as he has for the last three and a half seasons, paced Diamond Bar to a win over Maryknoll of Hawaii with his high motor and physical style of play. The 6-foot-5 wing/forward is a beast of a transition athlete and finisher as he uses his strong 210-pound frame and explosive leaping ability to take the physicality to the defense and score through contact. Bell finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in a highly-efficient effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1630635' first='Mazi' last='Mosely'], St. Francis</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mosely, unrelated to teammate [player_tooltip player_id='994954' first='Jackson' last='Mosely'] mentioned above, had an impressive first game for St. Francis after transferring from Heritage Christian in the fall. The wiry 6-foot-4 combo guard is smooth and crafty ball handler whose creativity and confidence off the bounce makes him a dangerous scorer and playmaker. The sophomore flashed his smooth pull-up jumper, ability to get paint touches off the dribble and dynamic passing ability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1630667' first='Nate' last='Garcia'], Damien</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was no one who could stop the 6-foot-11, 260-pound force that is sophomore center [player_tooltip player_id='1630667' first='Nate' last='Garcia'] of Damien as the Spartans dispatched Shadow Hills of Indio, 77-22, in the final game of Monday's slate. Garcia kept with his theme of double-double performances this season as he scored 24 points - all high percentage paint finishes - to go along with 12 rebounds in limited court time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->