FAB 50 No. 9 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) gets big contributions from its role players to race past No. 32 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 76-58, in the Platinum Division championship game of the 12th Annual Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. Roosevelt’s Brayden Burries is named tournament Most Valuable Player.
It was a highly anticipated championship game for the 12th edition of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. The crowd and coaches anticipated a showdown between star guard Brayden Burries of FAB 50 No. 9 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) and star wing Tyran Stokes of FAB 50 No. 32 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.). Many observers felt the difference-maker, however, could be Rutgers-bound point guard Lino Mark of Notre Dame, but he didn’t end up being much of a factor because of a bothersome hamstring injury. What turned out to be the difference was the production of Roosevelt’s role players, who helped turn a 27-12 deficit into a 76-58 victory as the top seed knocked out the No. 2 seed in an uptempo game.
Roosevelt (11-1), whose only loss came to FAB 50 No. 18 Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) in Texas when its own guard, New Mexico-bound Issac Williamson, went down with an injury, got off to a rough start in Saturday’s title game. Poor shoot selection and stagnant offensive sets played a role in Notre Dame (12-1) jumping out to a 27-12 first quarter lead. Roosevelt then outscored Notre Dame, 23-7, in the second quarter to take a 35-34 halftime lead…