Greater Lowell Holiday Tournament - Team Profiles

The 47th annual Greater Lowell Holiday Tournament wrapped up last night in Westford.   An eight team event featuring programs from the MIAA and NHIAA, it was a bracket style tournament that was played out over three days. Participating schools in the event included Groton-Dunstable, Haverhill, Lowell, Pelham, Pinkerton Academy, Leominster, Westford Academy, and Merrimack.   We were able to catch the 3rd Place game, as well as the championship. In the third place game, Westford Academy took down Leominster; while the championship game came down to the wire, with Lowell eventually outlasting Haverhill.   Leominster   Sigfrido Carrillo: A junior guard, Carrillo is a physical lefty that does a great job of getting to his spots off the bounce. He plays at his own pace, knows how to get into the paint, and can knock down the occasional catch and shoot three. He's a tough cover for other guards due to his strength, he's a terrific scorer around the rim, and he does a nice job of rebounding in space on the defensive end of the floor.   Osiris Lopez: A junior forward, Lopez filled the role of a physical post presence. While he doesn't have elite positional size, he makes up for it with physicality and toughness. He's a high IQ defender that can cover any position on the floor, did a nice job of making an impact on the glass, and proved to be a versatile offensive player that could make decisions on the perimeter or score around the rim.   [player_tooltip player_id='2532462' first='Jayden' last='Johnson']: A senior guard, Johnson is a quick twitch athlete that shows nice burst with the basketball in his hands. He's long, lanky, and athletic and has the ability to shake defenders off the bounce, allowing him to get to his spots as a scorer. He's tough in the open floor, can make shots with deep range, and does a good job of guarding on the perimeter.   Westford Academy   Teddy Hirbour: A junior forward, Hirbour plays with boundless energy, allowing him to make an impact in the paint on both ends of the floor. The lefty does a nice job of carving out space in the paint and with his athleticism, can quickly manuever around bigger defenders. He's long and active, proving to be a switchable defender that can make a big impact on the defensive glass before getting out and running the floor in transition.   Nate Pitts: A senior wing, Pitts sparked a second half comeback with his ability to score the ball. He has good positional size, great length, and the ability to score in isolation situations. He made a couple shots in the mid-range, but did a really good job of getting to the rim off the bounce and finishing with either hand. Defensively, he applied great pressure on the ball, forcing a handful of turnovers.   Vishal Rampur: A senior wing, Rampur was a steadying presence that just seemed to make the right play when it mattered most. He could make decisions with the basketball in his hands, rarely turned it over, and was a willing ball mover. He did a nice job as a cutter, was effective attacking the offensive glass, and showed the ability to guard both in space and in the paint on the other end of the floor.   Haverhill   Saul Cruz Matias: A junior guard, Cruz Matias is a physical perimeter scorer that was at his best in attack mode. He showed that he was capable of scoring at all three levels, but did most of his damage within 10' of the rim. He has a sturdy frame and the ability to quickly change speeds and direction with the ball in his hands. Defensively, he used his physical gifts to guard in space and rebound by the rim.   Alejandro Iraheta: A junior wing, Iraheta proved to be a versatile defender with the ability to lockdown opposing scorers on the perimeter. He has a nice combination of positional size, mobility, length, and wiry strength, all of which he utilizes to his advantage as a multipositional defender. He has some nice burst when attacking the rim and made a couple impressive finishes in traffic late in the game.   Jonathan Matombo: A senior forward, Matombo had a huge impact in the paint during the second half of their game. His activity level on the defensive end of the floor stood out, as he was able to make an impact with his length and athleticism. He did a great job of running the floor in transition, could attack the paint off the bounce from the perimeter, and did a nice job of cleaning up and finishing possessions around the rim.   Lowell   Jason Kamai: A senior guard, Kamai was a sparkplug on both ends of the floor. An energetic defender, he does a great job of moving laterally, defending the ball without fouling, and picking his spots to generate steals. He did a great job of pushing the ball in transition, gets into the paint off the bounce whenever he wants, and even knocked down a few timely three pointers.   [player_tooltip player_id='2633107' first='Tzar' last='Powell-Aparicio']: A senior guard, Powell-Aparicio walked away with tournament MVP honors. He's a capable perimeter shooter that knocked down multiple threes in this game, but was at his best as a downhill driver. When he got into the paint he was an impressive distributor that had a ton of creativity as an athletic rim finisher. He was probably the most athletic guard we saw at the event.   Collin Christiansen: A sophomore forward, Christiansen is a high motor forward that pops with his combination of athleticism and skill. At 6'3", he has the size to make an impact in the paint, but he also has the mobility, athleticism, and ball skills needed to play on the perimeter. He can make shots from behind the arc, attacks closeouts to finish physically at the rim, and does a nice job of controlling the glass on the defensive end of the floor.   This event wrapped up our holiday tournament coverage as the six state associations resume regular season play this week!

The 47th annual Greater Lowell Holiday Tournament wrapped up last night in Westford.