Holiday Classic Tip-Off Night: Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Holiday Classic Tip-Off Night has rapidly become an institution in San Diego, giving some of the region's top teams a stage of their own before the main event after the Christmas break. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday night's installation was one of the most memorable, as the three games yielded two Top-5 upsets and a near third that was decided by a single basket. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This report will go over the top 5 performances from the night that was. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1069091' first='Mikey' last='Williams'], San Ysidro </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams earlier in the season had settled into a playmaker role, but the Memphis signee in recent games has been once again been asserting himself on the offensive end. On Friday night, the 6-3 senior hit shots with an increasing degree of difficulty en route to a showcase-high 35 points in the Cougars 81-79 win over La Costa Canyon. He also showed some defensive chops when his team needed him the post, shooting the passing gap for a big steal and score to seal the win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Gavin Girouard, Mission Bay</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The surprise of the night, the 6-1 combo guard caught fire early and didn't let up, scoring 33 of his team's 55 points in the Buccaneers 55-49 win over Carlsbad. Girouard doesn't need much space at all to get his shot off, and quickly gets his feet placed in transition to knock down open looks. Girouard attacks close outs as well and is proving to be an acrobatic finisher in the halfcourt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='994935' first='Ty' last='Hendler'], La Costa Canyon</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hendler nearly willed his team to an upset win over San Ysidro by scoring from all three levels and playing with an extreme level of confidence in the process. The 6-3 combo guard hit deep shots in the halfcourt off the catch, an array of pull-up, fadeaway and wrong-legged shots in the midrange and strong driving layups beating the defense to his left of right hand. His 27-point effort was a team high. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Brycen Mackenzie, Santa Fe Christian </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-1 point guard was the catalyst of the night's biggest upset, as the Eagles knocked off No. 3 Torrey Pines. He got hot early, scoring from all three levels in the first quarter where he scored 12 points. When he cooled off from the field, he became a floor general and created open shots for his teammates, who obliged by hitting big shots from the perimeter. He scored a game-high 25 points and 5 assists in the win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>JJ Taylor, San Ysidro </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Donda Academy transfer makes scoring look so easy at times, and presents a matchup nightmare in SD due to his combination of size and guard skills. The 6-8 Memphis commit has an effortless jump shot off the catch and can attack off the wing efficiently to score through or around contact. There was a stretch of the game where he and Williams took turns overpowering the Mavs for score after score. Taylor takes plays off at times (motor can be inconsistent), but when he's dialed in, there's not a player in SD with more long-term potential. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->