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.

RELATED: Tark Classic Running Blog

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.

For Notre Dame coach Matt Sargeant, there is a simple explanation for Roosevelt's turnaround and he made no excuse for the absence of Mark, one of the state's best point guards. Mark ended up playing just a shade under four minutes total.

"It's really simple...in the first quarter we didn’t give up one offensive rebound," Sargeant. "In the second quarter, we gave up nine. You can’t win if you don’t rebound. In the second half we rebounded, but didn’t take care of the ball."

Near the end of the first half, senior 6-foot-5 reserve Orie Benjamin IV came up with a big rebound, was fouled, and hit a free throw to tie the game at 31-31. In the second half, his younger brother Christian Benjamin came up with some big-time rebounds and finishes to spark Roosevelt's big comeback. Roosevelt even continued to build its lead when Burries, still undecided and one of the nation's best players, had an injury scare after a hard spill and was out of the game for a few minutes in the third period.

Christian Benjamin, whose father Orie III played at Oregon State and whose uncle Corey Benjamin played in the NBA, was a big spark at the most opportune time for the Mustangs. The late blooming 6-foot-6 junior made all four of his field goals and finished with nine points. When Burries was out, senior Dominic Copenhagen also stepped up and scored two key buckets. He finished with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Six-foot-3 freshman (2028) Cam Anderson contributed four points and three rebounds along with his usual fearless ball pressure on defense.

"The coaches tell me to stay ready so you don't have to get ready," said Christian Benjamin, who was mobbed by his teammates and assistant coaches at the end of the third period because of his inspired play. "My dad and uncle tell me to keep working hard and to make sure to have energy out on the floor."

When Notre Dame began turning the ball over after the first quarter in Mark's absence, Williamson made the Golden Knights pay with timely wing 3-pointers. He finished with 19 points and made five of Roosevelt's seven 3-pointers. Notre Dame made five 3-pointers in the contest.

Point guard Myles Walker and Williamson joined Most Valuable Player Burries on the all-tournament team. For Burries, he overcame a poor shooting night from 3-point range (1-of-8) by punishing Notre Dame in the mid-range and near the rim. His presence put plenty of pressure on Notre Dame's defense and he finished with a game-high 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists. For the tournament, Burries averaged 26.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 4.0 apg, but just as important he creates opportunities for teammates and helps instill confidence in them.

For Roosevelt, capturing this tournament was a key milestone in its season quest to win both CIF Southern Section and CIF state open division titles, but for Burries he knows he has a few days to rest up before gearing up for another big tournament opportunity at The Classic at Damien closer to home in La Verne Calif, Dec. 26-30. There the Mustangs open with San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) and could potentially meet FAB 50 No. 10 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) in a state No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown on Dec. 30 in that tourney's Platinum Division championship game.

"We don't win tonight's game without Christian and Cam (Anderson)," Burries said. "We have to be ready for the moment no matter what is in front of us. The mindset for me is I'm trying to play in the NBA, so I have to get up for 82 games. If we play a game, we have to play the hardest we can each time."

For Notre Dame, it will have a bit more time to regroup and get Mark ready for game action because it is not playing in a bracket style tournament after the Christmas holiday. Stokes, who was a cinch pick for the all tournament team, led Notre Dame with 20 points and 10 rebounds. His hard charging style carried the Knights at times in this tournament, but he was also credited with eight turnovers in the title game. Fast-rising junior Zach White had 18 points and eight rebounds for Notre Dame, which had 21 turnovers to Roosevelt's eight.

Mark and White joined Stokes on the all-tournament team.

In the Platinum Division third place game, Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) took a 39-38 lead with 6:50 in the third period and posted a 79-66 victory over Layton Christian (Layton, Utah) after trialing by as many as 14 points in the first half. With 2:54 remaining and Redondo Union clinging to a 65-64 lead, Central Michigan-bound Hudson Mayes nailed a 3-pointer to keep Layton Christian at bay.

Mayes finished with 24 points and three steals and was named to the all-tourney team. He was joined by teammate S.J. Madison, a junior guard, who had 18 points and six steals.

Nike Division Championship:
Montgomery (San Diego, Calif.) 62, Boulder Creek (Anthem, Ariz.) 51

Boulder Creek got off to a good start, but the Aztecs eventually stamped their trademark style on the game and the result was a title in the Tark Classic's second most competitive division. Montgomery plays a deliberate, physical style and looks to pound players around the basket with its backs to the basket.

The catalysts for the 10-0 Aztecs are twin brothers J.J. and Alek "Flacko" Sanchez, a pair of seniors who know angles and use ball and head fakes to keep defenders at bay. Doing a majority of the damage versus Boulder Creek and during the event was J.J. Sanchez, the taller at 6-foot-5 and more physical of the two brothers.

J.J. hit back to back 3-pointers right before the second period ended and the Aztecs led 30-25 at halftime. Montgomery went up 37-27 with 3:25 in third quarter with timely shots, good passing and by forcing turnovers and led comfortably the rest of the way. J.J. Sanchez made 5-of-6 3-pointers and finished with 22 points while being named divisional MVP. Flacko Sanchez added 10 points and made 2-of-5 3-pointers and was named all-tourney.

Devin Hamilton, Montgomery's unsung hero and resident leaper, also made a strong case for all-tourney. He made 8-of-9 field goals and finished with 18 points and four steals.

In the 49-41 semifinal victory over Sierra Vista (Las Vegas, Nev.), J.J. Sanchez ripped the nets for 19 points and had four steals. As a team, Montgomery came up with 11 steals. J.J. Sanchez hopes his recruitment picks up as he continues his standout senior season, as his team enters the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic (Dec. 26-30) unbeaten.

"It's always great to win and that will help me," J.J. Sanchez said. "Our coaches do an amazing job in preparing us. I think I can help a college because I don't care what I have to do to help the team win. If I have to handle, shoot, play defense, I just want to win; I'll do anything."

Spalding Division Championship:
Bingham (Utah) 73, Eaglecrest (Centennial, Col.) 66
Luke West, one of the best snipers in the West Region, netted 29 points and hit some timely jumpers down the stretch to help Bingham hold off the Raptors. West hit 6-of-10 3-pointers for a team that made 10-of-18.

West went for 18 points in Bingham's big 74-69 semifinal victory over a North Tampa Christian (Florida) team with at least four D1-bound players, including national Top 15 junior (2026) Toni Bryant.

Speaking of juniors, West is one and he boasts offers from schools such as Weber State and Cal-St. Northridge. He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate and fellow junior Lucas Neidig, a 6-foot-7 post presence. He scored 16 points in the win over North Tampa Christian and had 15 points in the championship game.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores