NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Sunday was the final day of action in the Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic, annually one of the best high school basketball tournaments in New England. The eight-team tournament is a staple of basketball in the Merrimack Valley, which has been on a roll in recent years in terms of team success and college prospects, and the field always has some of the best teams from the region.
Although this is just the sixth annual event under the current name, it’s the 44th annual event that previously was known as the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament. They paid homage this year to two special people who have passed in recent times: Frank Benjamin, the long-time voice of the tournament, and Bert Hammel, who was known for his long career as the head coach at Merrimack College (a home to this event for some time as well) but meant so much more to youth in the region.
The four games on tap included two blowouts, another that wasn’t competitive late, and one that came down to the buzzer. We look at each game and some team/prospect notes as well, as well as the All-Tournament team and award winners.
All-Tournament Team
Will Batcheldor, St. John’s Prep
Jaden Castillo, Lawrence High School
Kevin Constant, Central Catholic
Jake McElroy, North Andover
MVP: Luis Reynoso, Lawrence High School
Frank Benjamin Award: Noah Tejada, Lawrence High School
Ted Boudreau Sixth Man Award: Cam Homsey, Central Catholic
Methuen (MA) High 76, Londonderry (NH) 46 (Seventh Place)
The day began with Londonderry getting off to a good start, but from late in the second quarter on it was all Methuen. They broke the game pen in the second half en route to a 30-point win.
The game featured two teams that each have six sophomores, and Londonderry started three of them. Jackson Cox (5’10” PG) will catch your eye first as a point guard, and as the game wore on he looked better. He’s a baby physically, and it shows as he lost the ball at times aided by a lack of strength while other times due to carelessness. He was able to get to the basket and score more later, and has the potential to be a good defender. The more productive sophomore right now is Dean Haggett (6’1″ SG-SF), a lanky wing who was active and showed a little touch from mid-range.
Methuen also started a freshman to keep an eye on, Isaac Allen (5’8″ PG). A diminutive floor leader, he has some quickness and seems to have a good feel for the game. He was able to drive a good deal but also was out of control a couple of times, and he showed some real potential as an on-ball defender. He looked better and more confident as the game went on. Backcourt mate Michael Palmer (5’10” Jr. SG) drove often and aggressively, and while he won’t pass the “look” test he was very effective and seems to find a way to make things happen. Andrew Lussier (6’2″ So. SG-SF) isn’t the most athletic and doesn’t have the best body, but he hit a few shots from long range that helped make a difference.
Andover (MA) High 64, Nashua (NH) Bishop Guertin HS 48 (Fifth Place)
When Andover hit two quick three-pointers in 54 seconds to open the game with a 6-0 lead, Bishop Guertin head coach Matt Regan called a timeout to make a wholesale substitution. They would regroup slowly after that, even getting within one a couple of times in the first half, but Andover responded each time and pulled away in the second half for a 64-48 win.
Bishop Guertin often comes to tournaments in Massachusetts, so it’s no surprise that they were in this one. They are very young, sporting six sophomores as well as five juniors, and a number of them play significant minutes, so this was a growth opportunity as much as anything else, especially since the games don’t count for their New Hampshire state tournament eligibility. When they moved the ball well, they got better shots and saw some of them go, and did so with a balanced attack led in the scoring column by 12 points from Austin Hiscoe (5’8″ Jr. PG-SG).
Andover head coach Dave Fazio describes his team as not having any home run hitters, but a lot of single and double hitters. In terms of college prospects, that seems accurate, although he has a nice one in Kyle Rocker (6’2″ Jr. SG). The lanky wing is a little baby-faced, but he didn’t have that kind of game as he scored a game-high 22 points that included several three-pointers off the catch. He’s not lacking a game off the bounce, as he showed one time when he hit just such a jumper around the foul line, but that doesn’t seem to be his forte.
Aidan Cammann (6’5″ Fr. PF) will leap out at you with his size and youth, and while he has a good frame, his body and game have a ways to go. Michael Slayton (6’2″ Jr. SF-PF) doesn’t have the upside of Rocker or Cammann, but the well-built forward isn’t a bad athlete and was around the ball a lot in Sunday’s win. Seniors Emmett Kim (6’1″ SG) and Stephen Shaw (6’2″ Sr. SF) were also instrumental in the win with 14 and 11 points, respectively, and Shaw seemed to be around the ball a lot just like Slayton.
North Andover (MA) High 56, Danvers (MA) St. John’s Prep 53 (Third Place)
Before the tournament, many probably thought these two teams would meet on Sunday, only one game later than they did. They were the top two seeds, though seeding is an imperfect science, but St. John’s Prep has nice young talent and North Andover has a veteran team that got to the Garden last year before losing to the eventual state champion. The game was in their gym as well. While it was not for the championship, it made for quite a ballgame, and an entertaining one that came right down to the buzzer.
North Andover got a buzzer-beater to take the lead after one, but St. John’s Prep carried the play in the second to lead at the half. They went up 37-32 with under three minutes left in the third when North Andover head coach Paul Tanglis called timeout, and boy, did the Scarlet Knights respond. They scored the next 14 points as part of an 18-2 run to turn this deficit into an 11-point lead a couple of minutes into the fourth quarter.
St. John’s Prep would hang in there and get it to 56-53, and they had a chance in the final seconds. They couldn’t get a shot off in time, so North Andover had a chance to seal it by inbounding the ball and running out the final seconds. They got it in, but lost it towards the end line. They lucked out as time expired before the ball went out of bounds as they held on for the win.
North Andover had a well-balanced attack, which looks to be the ideal for them offensively. Gabe DeSouza (5’11” Sr. SG) looks like the best prospect, and he also has a toughness about him in that he’ll drive and take contact despite a slight frame and a thin upper body. On the down side, his body language looked a little questionable a couple of times and he also clearly gave up on a play another time. He was one of two Scarlet Knights with 14 points, joined by classmate Jake McElroy (5’10” Sr. SG), who is perhaps their most talented scorer and has had quite a career, though he won’t jump out at you as a college prospect. They got nice help from complementary pieces like Kyle Moore (5’11” Jr. SG), who showed a touch out to long range, and Darren Watson (5’10” Sr. PG-SG), who was all over the court and seemed to be in a lot of big plays. DeSouza, McElroy and Watson have all starred on the gridiron as well in their careers.
St. John’s Prep has four seniors, but they look like a team that will go as far as their underclassmen will take them. Will Batcheldor (So. PG) looks like the best of them, and he led them with 14 points. His body has a ways to go, so there’s upside there, and while he’s not overly quick or athletic, he found his way into gaps to make plays happen. He also looks like a solid ball handler and is a threat shooting the ball. Noah Thomas (So. SF) will jump out at you right away as he has a good frame and isn’t a baby physically, but he also wasn’t as big a factor as you might have hoped on Sunday. He made a few plays including a big basket, and he’ll be worth watching to see how he develops. Aidan Callahan (So. PG-SG) added nine points and showed promise, especially since his body has a ways to go. Jack Wirtanen (So. PF) has a good frame and isn’t a baby physically, and he’s another to watch.
Lawrence (MA) High 80, Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic 51 (Championship)
Although Central Catholic got a little momentum early in the second half, they couldn’t sustain it for long, and before the third quarter was over the rout was on as cross-town rival Lawrence cruised to the championship in front of a packed house.
It’s the first championship in the tournament for Lawrence in over a decade, and it comes after the team had to deal with a sudden coaching change in the off-season after a big year last year. The players don’t seem overly affected, though, as the Lancers look like a very together group and even players who are good but come off the bench came in and played well on Sunday. New head coach Jesus Moore, an alum of the school, has clearly made an impression on them right away as they have bought in.
Lawrence looked ready to run the Raiders off the floor, then the Raiders did well to try to get back into the game. Anytime the Raiders missed a shot or gave the ball away, the Lancers made them pay with a run-out, which often translated into an easy basket.
The Lancers had a well-balanced attack led by MVP Luis Reynoso (6’4″ Sr. SF), who scored 20 points and changed the game almost as soon as he came in early on. They were already looking to run, but not to the same degree, and Reynoso got baskets in transition and posted up to score as well. He’s a matchup nightmare in the MIAA, as he’s too athletic for most post players but too big for most guards. He’s a borderline Division I/II prospect. Gabriel Zorilla (6’3″ So. SG-SF) has some length and was able to finish close, and he also got a stickback. Brandon Goris (5’11” Jr. PG-SG) is a lanky guard with a thin upper body who played stronger than he looks, getting some key baskets in close including a stickback.
Central Catholic will be dangerous first because of their guards, especially as Xavier McKenzie (Fr. PG) gets some seasoning. He’s a baby physically and clearly has some limitations from his lack of strength, but you can see the potential he has given his elusiveness and ability to create. At the other end of the scale, Kevin Constant (6’1″ Sr. SG) is very athletic and capable, but in the first half he couldn’t buy a field goal and didn’t make the best decisions with the ball. He was much better in the second half, perhaps getting more confidence once he got a basket. At first glance, he appears to be a player who can be really good when he’s dialed in. Anthony Traficante (Jr. PF-C) has a good body in the post and boxed out very well, and following from that was solid on the glass. His offensive game needs work, but rebounding translates, so he can find a place at the next level if he keeps working.
