Classic at Damien: Monday’s Under the Radar Guards (Pt. 1)

<!-- 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 some under the radar guards who turned in good performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Bryce Mejia, Saugus</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mejia checked in off the bench for the Centurions and had an immediate impact with his ability to hit three-point shots consistently. The 5-foot-9 sophomore knocked down three quick 3-pointers from the corners and flashed his quick release and high level of confidence pulling from deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Dylan Gomez, Crean Lutheran</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gomez was playing his first game for Crean Lutheran after adhering to the CIF Southern Section transfer sit out period and his presence as a floor spreader and three-point shooting threat immediately opened the floor up for the Saints' playmakers. Gomez didn't have his best shooting game, but the 6-foot-2 sophomore will be sure to take some defensive pressure off of Crean's other offensive producers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Isaac Lopez, Central East</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lopez found himself open from behind the arc more than he has in a while and made the opponent pay by knocking down five of those looks from deep. The 5-foot-9 senior was especially consistent from the corners and, when defenders finally closed out to him, he sped up his release to continue to get good looks from three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1436325' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'], Campbell Hall</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings are loaded with talented guards, and while the more established and recognizable names produced in their win over St. Bonaventure, Johnson made sure to stand out as well. The 5-foot-11 sophomore is a crafty left handed playmaker whose pace with the ball in his hands allowed him to get by defenders and into the lane where he created shots for teammates with the pass but also found scoring opportunities for himself with a soft-touched floater. Johnson finished with 12 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1497976' first='Max' last='Tengan'], Saugus</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tengan had the shot of the day when he hit a half-court buzzer beater to help Saugus advance in the Silver Division with a 66-63 win over Crean Lutheran. That wasn't the only big play for the 5-foot-10 senior as his playmaking and shot-making off the bounce set the tone for Saugus in the second half. Tengan scored 12 of his 14 points in the fin al two quarters to help the Centurions secure the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Nico Macias, St. Bonaventure</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Macias was quietly effective for the Seraphs in their 12-point loss to Campbell Hall as he tied for team-high honors with 14 points. The 6-foot senior knocked down a handful of pull-up jump shots that were smooth and balanced off the dribble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->