Inside Day 5 of the 37th Beach Ball Classic
▪ Scoring machine: Bishop Gorman (Nev.) 6-6 senior forward Jamal Bey, a University of Washington commitment, scored 25 points and hit nine of 20 shots, including 4 of 12 from three-point range, and hit all three of his free throws in a loss to Scott County. Bey finished the tournament with 84 points in four games on 29 of 70 shooting. Cox Mill (N.C.) 6-6 junior forward Wendell Moore Jr. led all scorers in the tournament with 97 points in four games on 33 of 67 shooting.
▪ Highlight reel: Imhotep Charter School (Pa.) 6-5 junior Dahmir Bishop hit his first buzzer-beating game-winner at the high school level with a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 47-44 win over Moeller (Ohio) in the fifth-place game. He took a pass from Donta Scott in rhythm and drained a trey from the left wing for the winner before being mobbed by teammates.
▪ Number crunching: Montverde Academy (Fla.) 6-6 Duke commitment R.J. Barrett came three assists shy of recording the fourth triple-double in the Beach Ball’s 37-year history. Barrett recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the Eagles’ 70-42 win over Long Island Lutheran in the championship game.
▪ Game of the day: With two late winners, it has to be shared on the final day. In addition to Bishop’s buzzer-beater in the Imhotep-Moeller game, DeMatha Catholic (Md.) 6-4 junior Justin Moore took a pass on the wing and drove into traffic in the lane to bank in a game-winner with 1.6 seconds remaining, as the Stags defeated Cox Mill (N.C.) 64-63 to take third place.
▪ On the horizon: The 2018 Beach Ball Classic is scheduled for Dec. 26-31, and Cox Mill (N.C.), Scott County (Ky.), Dominican (Wis.), Myrtle Beach and Socastee are among the schools already committed.
Wendell Moore had 24 points against DeMatha to finish with 97 points in his four games, Jamal Bey had 13, 17, 29 and 25
This story was originally published December 30, 2017 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Inside Day 5 of the 37th Beach Ball Classic."