Oak Hill, Mount Zion among premier team remaining in winner’s bracket

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 | 9:31 a.m.

The cream rose to the top on day two of the Holiday Prep Classic, as the 54-team field was whittled down to just six in the winner's bracket.

As expected, nationally-ranked clubs Oak Hill (Va.) and Mount Zion (N.C.) kept their championship hopes alive Monday with victories.

Somewhat surprisingly, that duo will be joined by relatively unheralded programs Edison (Calif.), Washington College (Tenn.), St. Ignatius (Calif.) and Horizon (Colo.).

Edison advanced with a stunning 69-67 overtime win over perennial California power Mater Dei. Up next for the Fresno school: a 12:20 p.m. matchup today with Washington College, an 82-74 winner over Jordan (Calif.).

Horizon (Colo.) gained its berth into today's round of six with a 65-62 upset of defending California Division I state champion Westchester. Horizon now has the unenviable task of playing Oak Hill, ranked No. 2 nationally by USA Today, at 1:45 p.m.

Today's third winner's bracket matchup will pit No. 12 Mount Zion, the two-time defending Holiday Prep champion, against St. Ignatius tonight at 6:50 p.m. St. Ignatius earned a spot in that game with a shocking 53-48 win over No. 3 Dominguez (Calif.) in Monday's final contest.

Here are a few other highlights from day two action:

* Best game: Edison vs. Mater Dei. The Monarchs led 60-57 with time winding down when Edison's Willie Johnson hit the tournament's biggest shot to date -- a three-pointer with one second to play. In the overtime session, Johnson nailed the game-winning jumper with 20 seconds remaining to lift his club to the 69-67 victory. The senior finished with 39 points, including 19 over the final five-and-a-half minutes.

* Biggest upset: St. Ignatius vs. Dominguez. With a roster filled with talented Division I prospects, including highly-touted 7-0 sophomore center Tyson Chandler, the Dons were expected to square off with Mount Zion in a clash of titans today. Instead, St. Ignatius pulled off an improbable 53-48 win just hours after the Wildcats squeaked past local school Clark.

* Top individual performance: Galena's Lance Buoncristiani. The senior point guard scored 53 points to lift his club to a 74-65 victory over Rangeview (Colo.). Buoncristiani hit 17-of-18 free throws, 8-of-17 3-pointers and 14-of-25 overall from the field. His 53 points tied him with Western graduate Prince Fowler for fourth in the event's 22-year history.

* Best individual play: Mount Zion's Kenyon Booker. Not content to let California South Gate's Ronald Johnson hold the ball for a final shot to close the first half of the teams' matchup, Booker took matters into his own hands. As Johnson looked to his coach for instructions, Booker sneaked up behind him, ripped the ball away and threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk that sent the crowd to its feet.

Consolation for locals

Clark and Durango became the final Las Vegas schools to fall from the winner's bracket, and both can take satisfaction from the fact that their opponents are still alive.

The Chargers, who trailed by as many as 17 points, rallied mightily before going down 57-52 to St. Ignatius at Cimarron-Memorial in a midday contest. The host Trailblazers were bounced early in the day, 75-69, by Horizon.

Durango and Clark, along with local squads Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman, Green Valley and Cimarron-Memorial will participate in today's consolation round games. In an all-Southern Nevada matchup, the Gaels and Wildcats will play at 1:45 p.m. at Cimarron.

Tidbits

Former Mount Zion standout and current Toronto Raptor Tracy McGrady was in attendance for his club's 63-40 victory over South Gate ...

Mater Dei played without two of its top players, sophomore centers Cedric Bozeman and Jamal Sampson. Bozeman injured his shoulder in the Monarchs' opening game Saturday, while Sampson -- nephew of former NBA center Ralph Sampson -- is nursing a broken foot ...

Nationally-ranked Mountain View (Ariz.) suffered just its third loss since the start of the 1997-98 season, falling 43-42 to Westchester Monday morning. The Toros, the defending Arizona Class 5A champs, came into the contest with a 43-2 record during that span.