Holiday Hoopsgiving is always one of the best holiday events in Atlanta and nationally, and the tenth anniversary this year was no different. Here are some notes from day one:
Cameron Boozer was the alpha dog in a performance on Friday night. His Columbus (FL) team took on McEachern in one of the best player matchups that you'll see all year between he and McEachern five-star forward Ace Bailey. Boozer finished with an extremely efficient 40 points and 10 rebounds. He's never rattled, never intimidated, and always brings a ton of toughness and production. His status as of one the top guys in the country in 2025 is warranted.
McEachern forward & Rutgers commit Ace Bailey more than held up his end of that great player matchup, finishing with 31 points and making some very high level plays, shooting the ball very well from the perimeter and in the midrange. His ability to score combined with his size and athleticism continues to shine and show why he's such a high level prospect.
After a great showing earlier in the week, Berkmar continued to show why they are one of the state's better teams with a win over Hiram. Junior big man Mekhi Ragland owned the paint, going for 26 points and 17 boards with Eddie Cooke III also going over the 20-point mark again. They have great balance and a lot of talented guys that can make plays.
Wheeler isn't going anywhere and they proved it with a win over Holy Innocents in a physical, intense game. How do you replace two of the state's best players? The Wildcats have done it with depth. They had three players in double figures and 6 guy with 7 or more points. Kennesaw State commit Ricky McKenzie showed he can get buckets when called upon and with the other guys in the Wildcats backcourt like Kota Suttle, La Lewis, Jacob Taylor, and Kevin Savage that can make plays consistently, they will be a factor in 7A. Josh Hill and David Clark were also very good in the frontcourt.
Grayson again looked like one of the top dogs in the state with a win over Kell. With a number of guys that can beat you on any given night, it was junior big man Amir Taylor on Friday. He was tremendous finishing off plays around the rim and owning the paint.
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