On the first night of the John Wall Holiday Invitational boys tournament, Colt Langdon from Millbrook made a three-point shot from the corner just as time ran out, causing the home crowd to go wild.

Langdon’s impressive actions secured the Wildcats a spot in the semi-finals against the top-ranked Myers Park on Thursday. However, it was the NCISAA teams participating in the event that truly stood out.

In the Coby White Bracket, the Burlington School began the tournament by extending their lead to ten points in the second quarter and ultimately securing a 65-53 win over Southern Durham. Zion Walker of the Spartans had an impressive performance with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Jackson Rein led the Ravenscroft team in scoring, but unfortunately, they were defeated by St. Anne’s-Belfield with a score of 84-60 in their first round game. The Ravens will compete against Southern Durham on Thursday at 1:30pm at William Peace University for third place. On Friday at 3:30pm, The Burlington School will play against STAB for the title in the four-team bracket.

Moravian Prep found its groove in the second half of a 65-48 win over Enloe to move to the winners bracket of the Day’ron Sharpe Bracket. The Lions will face No. 10 Christ School who held on to knock off Word of God 60-55 thanks to 21 points from Zymicah Wilkins.

The Greenies started strong, taking an 18-10 lead in the first quarter. Jamari Briggs had a strong performance and Bryson Cokley made two three-point shots, giving them a 32-27 lead at halftime.

During the third quarter, Christ School lost their advantage after only scoring four points. In the last 90 seconds of the quarter, the Holy Rams took a 10-point lead after scoring 18 points and going on a 4-point run.

However, Wilkins’ strong performance in the key, along with well-timed shots from TJ Hamilton, prevented Word of God’s Jayden Quaintance, a Kentucky recruit, from scoring 21 points.

Myers Park, which holds the top rank, made their first appearance in the Holiday Invitational and secured a 66-38 victory against Garner. The Mustangs’ solid defense held the Trojans to only 15 points in the second half, allowing four players to score in double digits on offense. Sadiq White led the team with 21 points and 9 rebounds while Bishop Boswell contributed 15 points in the win.

In the quarterfinals of the Day’ron Sharpe Bracket, Millbrook emerged victorious in the second and fourth quarters of a close match. At halftime, the Wildcats held a four-point lead over Highland (VA) and quickly extended it to eight points within the first 90 seconds of the third quarter. Despite top prospect Nate Ament scoring 20 points and Chance Perkins adding 19 points for Highland, they were able to stay within reach. In the final minute of the game, Highland managed to tie the score at 59-59.

Langdon scored the last three points of the game, bringing his total to a game-high of 26, and securing the 62-59 win. Senior forward Alex Olander also contributed with 20 points.

The final match between Broughton and Cannon, the 16th ranked team, was closely contested. However, Cannon proved to be too strong in the second half as they broke away from a tied score of 30-30 at halftime and secured a 78-53 victory. Isaiah Henry led the team with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Cannon has progressed to the semi-finals of the Devonte Graham Bracket and will go against the victor of the highly anticipated Thursday game between No. 3 Farmville Central and No. 7 Reidsville. This will be a rematch of last year’s 2A state championship game.

The schedule for Thursday starts at 11:00am with a game between Garner and Highland (VA) in the Day’ron Sharpe consolation bracket. Enloe and Word of God will then play each other in an all-Raleigh matchup at 12:30pm. The Graham Bracket play will kick into high gear with Jordan facing off against No. 6 ranked Richmond at 2:00pm, followed by a match between No. 5 ranked Northwood and Orange at 3:30pm, and Farmville Central taking on Reidsville at 5:00pm.

Millbrook and Myers Park will face off in a competition for a spot in the championship game at 6:30pm, while Moravian and Christ School will also compete for a spot in the final game at 8:00pm.

To view all holiday tournament games and events happening in the state, click HERE.

Source: highschoolot.com