The final Fall Classic of the year was played in San Antonio over the weekend, and the Great American Shoot-Out saved some of the best matchups for last. Big name prospects and powerhouse programs collided in the Alamo City. TexasHoops.com's Lyndon Cook has the scoop on some of the action from Saturday's games.
The GASO was capped off by a 70-64 Converse Wagner win in overtime against Austin Westlake. See below for the recap of this game and much more!
Cedar Park Vista Ridge 68 Converse Wagner 65
Vista Ridge held off an inspired comeback from Converse Wagner to move to 1-0 on the day with a 3 point victory. The Taylor twins, Brandon and Quinton, (ranked No.47 and No.72 in the c/o 2017 respectively) carried their team to the win on a pair of solid performances. The brothers play very well in tandem and can dominate the boards between the two of them. Class of 2019 Darius McBride and 2018 Bryant Burton also came up big for Vista Ridge, who led by as many as 13 in the game. Wagner was led by Baylor commit Tristan Clark (No. 5 in the c/o 2017) who owned the paint in Wagner's comeback charge.
Austin Westlake 73 Killeen Shoemaker 62
Having to face a pair of top 5 prospects in the class of 2018 proved to be too tall of a task for Killeen Shoemaker, who fell to Austin Westlake in their opening game of the GASO Fall Classic. The duo of Matthew Mayer (No.1 c/o 2018) and Brock Cunningham (No. 4 c/o 2018) both had stellar games as they propelled Westlake to an 11 point win. Mayer turned on the style early on, hitting a series of stepbacks and smooth layups at the rim. Cunningham's gritty work down low paid off as he found most of his points around the basket. Six-foot-10 2019 Will Baker has a ton of upside and managed the boards against a more experienced Shoemaker team. The No.18 prospect in the class of 2017, Javon Levi, kept Shoemaker in the game during the first half but was forced out of the game early in the 2nd half.
Cibolo Steele 68 Round Rock McNeil 66 F/OT
Cibolo Steele outlasted Round Rock McNeil in a tight affair, holding on for a 2 point overtime win. Kolbe Littlefield was feeling it from deep, hitting 4 treys on the way to a 19 point outing. The No.3 prospect in the class of 2018, Gerald Liddell, had 12 points in a limited amount of time for Steele. A Victor Bailey-less McNeil squad held their own without their star player. McNeil trailed by 4 at the break but fought back to force OT. The trio of Rey Stoddardt, DJ Kane, and James Curtis combined for 44 points in the loss.
Pflugerville 64 Laredo United 45
Lamar commit Avery Sullivan showcased his mastery of the post in a comfortable win over Laredo United. Sullivan used his body well to get in position and showed good instincts and vision while out running in transition. D'Andre Edmond also got out in transition well, finishing off several breaks with power dunks. United put up an admirable fight and cut the lead to within 10 with 5 minutes to go, but ultimately it wasn't enough to beat a spirited Pflugerville team. 2018's Gaby Gaitan and Angel Salinas both showed off their skill sets in the loss.
San Antonio Clark 63 Round Rock Cedar Ridge 60 F/OT
SA Clark managed to fend off an inspired challenge from Cedar Ridge, scoring 5 unanswered points after falling behind 2 in the extra period. Johnathan Reyes missed a potential game winner at the end of regulation, but ran the show for his team as they came away victorious. Ronald Stevens battled with UT-Arlington commit Tim Holland all game, as the two went back and forth on the block at times. Holland was a force down low on both ends, protecting the rim and scoring with efficiency. Chase Pinter also played well for Cedar Ridge, knocking down 2 clutch free throws to tie the game with 7 seconds remaining.
San Antonio Reagan 55 Killeen Harker Heights 45
Even though star player River Reed was out with a foot injury, SA Reagan came up with a hard fought 10 point win over Harker Heights. Six-foot-6 Lamont Simmons was about a bucket in this afternoon's game, and teammates Terrion Dupree and Dimitri Masters ran the offense well enough in Reed's absence. Harker Heights put up a good fight and had chances to get it to a single possession game late in the 2nd half, but were unable to capitalize and eventually fell to Reagan's free throw shooting late on.
Edinburg Vela 71 San Antonio Warren 63
Ryan Garza was doing it all for Edinburg Vela in an impressive win over SA Warren. The St. Edward's commit had it going from downtown all game and made enough plays for his team down the stretch to secure a win. The game was tied at 46 with 8 minutes remaining, but a stretch of exceptional play from Garza and Alec de la Cruz iced the game with Warren never getting closer than 6. Stanley Umude and 2018 Adrian Mcconnell led the charge for Warren but it just wasn't enough to close the deficit.
Converse Wagner 70 Austin Westlake 64 F/OT
One of the later games at the San Antonio GASO Fall Classic turned into the headliner for the entire day. In a matchup that pitted top 5 talent from the class of 2017 in Wagner's Tristan Clark against top 5 talent from the class of 2018 in Westlake's Brock Cunningham. With Westlake stud and No.1 2018 prospect Matthew Mayer sitting the game out with an injured hand, Wagner would jump out to an early 14-5 advantage behind strong play from Clark. But Westlake would counter with Cunningham and Keonte Kennedy (No.37 c/o 2018), who continued a stellar day shooting the ball to cut into the lead before halftime. A very back and forth second half went down to the wire, with Cunningham hitting a very difficult turnaround with 7 seconds left to knot things up at 60 and force OT. Wagner flew out of the gate in overtime however, and put the game to bed after back to back dunks for Tristan Clark to win by 6.
