Take Flight Challenge: Best Scorers

REDONDO BEACH — With coach Reggie Morris, Jr. back at the helm of the Redondo Union basketball program, the annual Take Flight Challenge returned to the Redondo Beach campus. The full day of action featured matchups between many of Southern California’s top teams, including an epic triple overtime game between Harvard-Westlake and Bishop Montgomery. We were in attendance for each game and we take a closer look at the best scorers of the day.

Brady Dunlap Brady Dunlap 6'7" | SF Harvard-Westlake | 2023 State #100 Nation CA-S , Harvard-Westlake

Dunlap came out of the gates firing in the marquee matchup of the day between the Wolverines and fellow Top Five-ranked team Bishop Montgomery. The Notre Dame-signee knocked down his first seven shots and that was clearly and indication of things to come. Dunlap finished with a game (and event) high 38 points in leading Harvard-Westlake to a triple overtime win over the Knights. Dunlap knocked down three 3-pointers, but all of those came in the first quarter, while the rest of his damage was done on mid-range pull-up jumpers and from the free throw line. The 6-foot-7 wing went 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.

Jackson Mosley Jackson Mosley 5'10" | PG St. Francis | 2023 State CA-S , St. Francis

Mosely has been putting up great scoring numbers this season and Saturday’s performance at the Take Flight Challenge was no different. The 5-foot-10 point guard kept St. Francis afloat against Crean Lutheran as he finished with 24 points in a three-point loss. The senior knocked down a couple of triples but really did his damage off the bounce. Mosely worked his way into the lane and finished with mid-range jumpers and through contact around the basket.

JV Brown, Rolling Hills Prep

It might have been a long afternoon for Rolling Hills Prep if Brown wasn’t in the building. The 6-foot-4 senior scored 24 of the Huskies’ 45 points as RHP defeated Washington Prep. Brown, known for his left-handed three-point shooting prowess, knocked down three from behind the arc, but showed that his game continues to evolve inside the three-point line. JV took advantage of defenders overplaying him and hit lanes for mid-range jumpers and drew contact for fouls that saw him go 6-for-7 from the free throw line.

Kaiden Bailey, Crean Lutheran

Bailey continues to live up to the billing as one of the region’s best freshmen with another 20-plus point performance on a big stage. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is a three-level scoring threat who has great feel in ball-screen action, isolation situations and getting to his preferred scoring spots in transition. Bailey scored 22 points in a quality 66-63 win over St. Francis.

Marcus Adams, Jr. Marcus Adams, Jr. 6'8" | PF Narbonne | 2023 State CA-S , Jr., Narbonne

The final game of the night started about an hour or so after its scheduled time because of the 3OT game before it, but Marcus Adams, Jr. Marcus Adams, Jr. 6'8" | PF Narbonne | 2023 State CA-S , Jr. didn’t allow the wait time to cool him down. The 6-foot-8 swingman did everything he could to will Narbonne against Redondo Union but his 34-point, 13-rebound effort fell short by a point as the Gauchos fell, 62-61. Adams, Jr. has quickly become one of the more coveted prospects in the country and it is easy to see why. He does a little bit of everything on the floor from scoring to rebounding to distributing and defending.

Tae Simmons Tae Simmons 6'7" | PF Heritage Christian | 2025 State CA-S , Heritage Christian

Crossroads had no answer for Simmons’ combination of strength, athleticism and physicality inside as the 6-foot-7 sophomore forward went for 28 points and 12 rebounds in the Warriors’ 66-59 win over the Roadrunners. Simmons was unstoppable inside as he scored 24 of his 28 points in the painted area and the rest from the free throw line on fouls he drew on more paint touches.

Will Smith, Bishop Montgomery

Smith put together an efficient game in the three overtime thriller that saw him score a team-high 22 points while connecting on three shots from behind the arc. The 6-foot-4 senior also slashed his way to the basket and finished through contact and showed that he could knock down the stop and pop mid-range jumper.