Curtis Winter Classic: Top Performers

The Curtis Winter Classic brought eight teams together over the weekend who gave us some competitive games from start to finish. Mt Spokane, Kentwood, West Valley (Yakima), Davis (UT), Doherty (CO), Timberline, O'Dea, and the host Curtis, all competed in the tournament with Mt Spokane taking home the hardware. Here are some of the top performers from the weekend.    Ghoreishi was a force this weekend, earning tournament MVP and averaging 26.3 ppg. His length was hard to combat inside, and when teams did get close to matching his size, his mobility, and ability to step further out and knock down jumpers was just too much to contain. He did a great job working to get deep position, working the glass, and making tough catches in traffic to finish around lots of bodies inside. He's a kid who can really shoot the three well but this weekend it was all about his work around the paint and ability to play through contact at the rim. He exploded for 33 points in their semi-final matchup including 15 of his team's 21 fourth-quarter points to help seal the win and their spot in the championship game.     Webb was almost unstoppable with his downhill game this weekend, beating his man consistently with a quick, long first step, and then showing some great control and strength to ride defenders, get shoulder to shoulder and create contact or use his length to outmaneuver defenders at the rim. Even when he wasn't able to directly beat his man to the rim, he played strong with gathers and power dribbles to bully defenders and get in good position to score. He had 23 points vs Timberline and 22 points vs Doherty.     The smooth shooting lefty was a pretty crafty scorer who got it going from 3-point range and showed some nifty handle to get to the rim. He did a great job getting back to his left side time and again and was able to knock in some contested shots around the paint, while showing some extended range from behind the arc. He had a tournament-high 45 points in their win over West Valley, going 16-for-24 from the field including seven 3PM.     Birley dealt with some tough defensive coverages throughout the tournament but his ability to sink deep shots helped him break through and created more opportunities for him to work closer in. He played some tough ball and showed some real shot-making ability from the midrange, and an impressive ability to weave through defenders to the rim. He scored 38 points in their opening game but also did his fair share of playmaking and was clearly the engine for the Rams throughout the weekend.     Webster seems to just get it done, no matter who he plays, and he's going to play his game, get to his spots, and scores equally well at the rim as he does from outside. He scored 25 points against Timberline using a mix of bumps, bursts, and hesitations to continually work to the hoop and earn trips to the foul line. He can work inside off the dribble but he also did a great job working off the ball, using screens to his advantage, and getting to good spots with the ball. The prolific scorer also had some high-level playmaking going on against Doherty.     The junior point guard was supremely impressive over the weekend, controlling the pace, controlling his defender, and making plays all over the court. He was efficient from long-range, scored in the paint with various finishes, and cashed in at the foul line. He made plays with his passing, made big steals on the defensive end, and even made some important plays on the offensive glass in the championship game where he finished with 23 points.     Mack is a pretty slick scorer who got banged up in their first game of the weekend but fought through and ended up scoring 26 points in their final game of the weekend against O'Dea. He was really crafty around the rim, splitting defenders, mixing up timing, and making some tough scooping finishes or going high off the glass to counter shot-blockers. He showed some great bursts with the ball and was effective from either side of the hoop.     St Louis had a solid weekend, putting together his rebounding ability and shot-making from outside. He scored 20 in their opening game and finished the weekend with 18 in the championship, averaging 16.3 ppg throughout the tournament. His 3-point shot looked on point and he made good decisions with when and how to attack. He made the most of some space outside but also was his usual tough self on the glass, and made some great plays at the rim attacking bigger guys.     Vargas came up big for the Wildcats in their run to the Curtis Winter Class Championship, cashing in from long-range and showing some toughness in the paint. He had 15 points and eight rebounds in their opening win over Doherty and then did a little playmaking finding teammates behind the defense to go with his four 3PM against West Valley.

The Curtis Winter Classic brought eight teams together over the weekend who gave us some competitive games from start to finish. Mt Spokane, Kentwood, West Valley (Yakima), Davis (UT), Doherty (CO), Timberline, O'Dea, and the host Curtis, all competed in the tournament with Mt Spokane taking home the hardware. Here are some of the top performers from the weekend.