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LBC Classic: Day One Recap

By T.J. Peatross, 12/18/16, 12:45AM EST

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Elyjah Williams and Jayvon Graves Earn MVP Honors in Evanston's 72-66 Win Over the Host St. Vincent-St. Mary

The 3rd Annual LeBron James Classic tipped off Saturday afternoon with a loaded five game slate. A pair of top 5 teams were handed their first losses of the season from out-of-town foes, while others were able to pick up momentum changing wins. Here's the Day One rundown for Saturday's action at the LeBron James Classic!

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Benedictine Cranks Up the Pressure

The Bengals outscored Youngstown Ursuline 17-5 in the second quarter en route to a 18-point victory. Benedictine would be without Marlon Moore who suffered an ankle injury on Thursday, but Coach Stircula and company picked up a quality win behind their athleticism and effort on the defensive end. Senior Landon Robinson made some key plays down the stretch, as the wing found teammates early on and finished with a solid all around performance. Anthony Howell nearly recorded a double-double for Ursuline in the loss. 

Brush Wins A Tight One

Brush didn't play their best game Saturday afternoon against Middletown, but a late turnover by the Middies led to a go-ahead putback by junior Tyler Williams with less than 15 seconds to remaining in the game. Tahji Benton earned MVP honors for the Arcs as he knocked down three triples in the 43-42 victory, giving his squad a record of 4-1. Middletown senior Clifton Snow poured in a game-high 17 points to go along with 8 rebounds.   

Gahanna Hands Cleveland Heights Their First Loss

Both Cleveland Heights and Gahanna were in action on Friday night and appeared to show no signs of fatigue as the two teams exhibited a track meet Saturday afternoon. The tempo did not play into the hands of Heights as their first quarter lead was diminished  in the second quarter as a result of unforced turnovers, Heights would go on to commit 17 turnovers in the contest. Junior Yahel Hill continued his tear that began opening weekend but the young Lions squad led by sohomores Josh Corbin and Jordan Mitchell would walk away with a 70-61 victory.

Canton McKinley Trumps the Titans 

Led by senior Darryl Straughter, Canton McKinley was able to secure a win over one of the state's top division one programs. Toledo St. John, a team picked by many as a favorite to get through the Akron/Toledo regional, was caught off-guard by the speed and toughness of Straughter and the Bulldogs backcourt and was unable to find any groove offensively. A three by St. John sophomore Payton Moyer knotted things up with 3:30 remaining, but McKinley would hit a handful of late free throws to keep the Titans at a safe distance and the Bulldogs walked away with a 54-47 upset win.

Evanston Knocks Off the Home Team

It took the Wildkits from Evanston Township in Illinois to hand the Fighting Irish their first loss of the season. The Irish were missing senior Jon Williams and three other rotations guys who were serving the second half of their two game suspension as a result of the scuffle two weeks ago against Cleveland Central Catholic. Despite a 38 point effort from Jayvon Graves, Evanston maintained control throughout the entirety of the game and was able to survive a late push from the Irish in the final minutes. Evanston featured a number of athletic frontcourt pieces, led by Nojel Eastern and Elyjah Williams, and while Eastern was hindered by foul trouble, Williams and sophomore Ryan Bost combined to score 32 points. Both teams will be back in action tomorrow at St. Vincent St. Mary. 

Top 5 Performers

Josh Corbin (Gahanna Lincoln) 6'2 So., G - The Class of 2019 features a plethora of talented athletes in the backcourt and Josh Corbin is a name that should near the top of that list. Our guys over at 270Hoops, have Corbin as the 6th best sophomore in the Columbus area and he looked every bit of it on Saturday against a physical and undefeated Cleveland Heights group. Corbin showcased a calm composure with the rock in his hands and the ability to shoot it from deep or finish at the rim with either hand. While the attention is deservedly directed towards his teammate Jordan Mitchell, Corbin is going to play his way onto the radars of several division one programs. 

Jayvon Graves (St. Vincent-St. Mary) 6'2 Sr., G - Graves knew coming into Saturday that he would have to perform without his backcourt running mate in Jon Williams, as well as senior DeAmonte King and Scott Walter. Taking matters into his hands early on, Graves tallied up a quick ten points  in the opening quarter, and knocked down two of his seven triples in the final minute of the game to bring SVSM within striking distance. He finished the night with a season-high 38 points.

Yahel Hill (Cleveland Heights) 6'0 Jr., G - Hill has always been among the area's best in terms of scoring the ball, but even Coach Holmes has been a bit surprised by the hot start of his junior guard. Hill, a three-year starter for Cleveland Heights, has yet to take his foot off the pedal in this early season. On Saturday, Hill poured in 27 points and put on a clinic against a young but talented Gahanna squad that features some of central Ohio's top underclassmen. With a smooth stroke and elite pull-up jumper package, Hill has been a benefactor in Heights' uptempo offense. 

Darryl Straughter (Canton McKinley) 5'9 Sr., G - McKinley picked up their biggest win of the season behind Straughter's 29-point outing. The senior guard scored 25 through three quarters and combined his deep range with a few slippery finishes out in transition. Connecting on all four of his free throws in the game's final minutes, Straughter was able to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.

Elyjah Williams (Evanston) 6'6 Sr., F - One of several imposing athletes on the Evanston roster, Williams was able to take advantage of the smaller Irish group. When he wasn't on or around the rim, Williams was making plays. In the second quarter, he delivered a pair of beautiful outlet passes that resulted in easy, runout opportunities for the Wildkits. He finished with five dimes on the night and two monster throwdowns to complement his 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Other Notables:

  • Tjah Benton (Brush) 5'10 Jr., G
  • Jaylen Harris (Cleveland Heights) 6'5 Sr., F
  • Anthony Howell (Youngstown Ursuline) 6'5 Sr., F
  • Lunden McDay (St. Vincent-St. Mary) 6'3 So., G
  • Jordan Mitchell (Gahanna Lincoln) 6'7 So., F
  • Landon Robinson (Benedictine) 6'3 Sr., G/F
  • Clifton Snow (Middletown) 6'5 Sr., G

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