Best performers from Day 1 of The Lighthouse Classic

Corinth, Mississippi – Day one of The Lighthouse Classic was filled with some of the biggest names at the high school basketball level. College coaches and fans filled the gym at Corinth High School on Friday to watch high school basketball. I was in attendance to watch the best talent from the state of Tennessee. Here are the top performers from day one of the event: Samson, Ruzhentsev, Hamilton Heights: The 6-foot-7 wing had 31 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal in the Hawks’ 77-59 win over Orangeville Prep.  The Hawks had solid contributions from their backcourt. Junior point guard Dominiq Penn had 13 points, five assists and one steal. Sophomore point guard Reggie Bass added six points, five assists and one steal. Hamilton Heights will play West Oaks Academy in the Lighthouse Challenge Championship game at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Ruzhentsev was named MVP of the game. Felix Okpara, Hamilton Heights: The 6-11 big man finished with 14 points and seven rebounds against the Bears. Kennedy Chandler, Briarcrest: The junior point guard had 35 points, four rebounds, three steals and one block in the Saints’ 74-64 win over Callaway. Chandler was named MVP of the game. Marcellus Brigham Jr., Briarcrest: The Jacksonville State commit had 13 points, 14 rebounds and five assists against the Chargers. Daeshun Ruffin, Callaway: The junior scoring guard led the Chargers with 24 points, scoring 21 of those points in the first half when his team went into halftime up 46-40. Ruffin went 8 for 20 from the field in the game. Mason Miller, Houston: The junior wing had 23 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one block in the Mustangs’ 57-29 win over Grace Baptist Academy. Miller was named MVP of the game. Keon Johnson, Webb School: The Tennessee commit had 37 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in the 67-66 win over Center Hill. Johnson scored 12 of his 37 points in the third quarter and helped the Feet build a 10-point lead before the Mustangs started roaring back. Johnson was named MVP of the game. Amos Howard, Webb School: The senior guard had 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block against Center Hill. Decorian Payton, Center Hill: The senior had 20 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the loss to Webb School. Kaeden Laws, Center Hill: The junior wing finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists against the Feet. Braxton Morris, Center Hill: The senior point guard had 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block against Webb School.