Carmel Christian hosted the annual Tip-Off Classic on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11. This was one of the biggest high school events of the year as some of the best schools and players throughout the region and the country kicked off their season. The atmosphere during both days was electrifying, and the tournament did not disappoint.

Day 1

Day one of the tournament was filled with many thrilling plays, big-time performances and a dramatic game-winning shot.

Game 1: Northside Christian vs Combine Regional

The first game of the tournament was between Northside Christian and Combine Regional. Despite Combine scoring early with the first two buckets, Northside Christian dominated the game and led 24-8 at the end of the first quarter. Senior Kyrell Shaw led the way for Northside Christian by being aggressive on offense and finding numerous ways to score. Despite Combine’s best efforts at a comeback, Northside Christian held on to their lead to earn an impressive victory.

Final Score: Northside Christian 67 – Combine Regional 45
Top Performers: Kyrell Shaw (Northside Christian) 22 pts

Game 2: The Burlington School (TBS) vs Moravian Prep

The second game of the tournament featured some of the best players in the country, as Burlington’s Zion Walker and Moravian’s Eli and Issac Ellis all faced off. The game was very aggressive and was tied at 16 at the end of the first quarter. Despite Ellis not having a great first-half, Moravian Prep went into the locker room with a 37-33 lead at halftime. Moravian Prep were able to keep their lead midway through the second half, and they led 48-45 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, star players from both teams turned the game into an enthralling back-and-forth matchup. Late in the game, Ellis made a three to put Moravian up one, but Burlington’s Walker responded with a bucket of his own to put the score back in Burlington’s favor. With under a minute left, Ellis hit another three to tie the game at 64, but then Burlington’s Kaden Hammond made a clutch shot with five seconds remaining to take the lead 66-64. On the last play of the game, Ellis received the ball, dribbled down the court, and hit a game-winning three at the buzzer to win the game 67-66.

Final Score: The Burlington School 66 – Moravian Prep 67
Top Performers: Zion Walker (TBS) 19 pts, Eli Ellis (Moravian Prep) 15 pts.

Game 3: Carmel Christian vs Forsyth Country Day

In the last game of the night, the hosts Carmel Christian took on Forsyth Country Day. Forsyth Country Day started the game strong with seniors Iverson King and Bobby Cannon leading the way in scoring. However, senior, Kam Taylor, and junior, Bryce Slay, also proved to be an important duo for Carmel Christian, as both players hit pivotal shots to keep their team in the game early on. The match was very close throughout the first two quarters, and Forsyth Country Day led at halftime 35-32. Forsyth Country Day’s offense exploded in the second half as they jumped out to a quick double digit lead. Despite Taylor’s and Slay’s impressive performances on offense and defense, Forsyth Country Day was able to maintain its lead for the remainder of the game to win comfortably.

Final Score: Carmel Christian 56 – Forsyth Country Day 76
Top Performers: Bobby Cannon (Forsyth Country Day) 24pts, Iverson King (Forsyth Country Day) 22 pts, Kam Taylor (Carmel Christian) 22 pts, Bryce Slay (Carmel Christian) 20 pts.

Day 2

Day two of the tournament had many close, entertaining games and some big bounce-back performances.

Game 1: Asheville School vs Grace Christian
Asheville School and Grace Christian kicked off day two of the tournament. The game was very competitive and was tied at 13 after the first quarter. Grace Christian Senior Steven McLeod led the way for Grace Christian while junior Miki Gacic started off hot for Asheville School. The game stayed close through half-time too, and both teams were tied at 22. Grace Christian jumped out in front early in the fourth quarter, and were able to hold onto the lead to earn a 49-44 win.

Final score: Asheville School 44 – Grace Christian 49
Top Performers: Steven McLeod (Grace Christian) 17 pts, Cedric Kean (Asheville School) 13 pts.

Game 2: Berean Baptist vs Caldwell Academy

The game between Berean Baptist and Caldwell Academy also turned out to be a very close game. Junior Jaylen Cross for Caldwell Academy and Antrell Gilmore for Berean Baptist performed well early on, and Caldwell Academy ended the first half with a tight 23-20 lead at halftime. Despite having only a small lead throughout the second half, Cross and sophomore Ayden Johnson were able to propel Caldwell Academy forward into a 46-43 victory.

Final score: Caldwell Academy 46 – Berean Baptist 43
Top performers: Jaylen Cross (Caldwell Academy) 20 pts, Antrell Gilmore (Berean Baptist) 14 pts.

Game 3: The Burlington School (TBS) vs Concord Academy

In the third game of the day, The Burlington School returned to action after a tough, last-second defeat to Moravian Prep the night before. Burlington took on Concord Academy, which featured Ian Howard, who played at Carmel Christian last year. Concord Academy also had Indiana State commit Sean Birmingham, who played a key role in the game. Zion Walker’s explosiveness on offense carried over from day one to the second day as he proved to be the standout player again in his game. Burlington’s aggressive defense allowed them to go into the locker room with a 28-20 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Birmingham started heating up and making big shots to help his team. Despite Birmingham’s best efforts, Burlington was able to maintain its lead and erase its painful loss from the night before.

Final score: The Burlington School 55 – Concord Academy 49
Top Performers: Zion Walker (TBS) 22 pts, Sean Birmingham (Concord Academy) 14 pts.

Game 4: Moravian Prep vs Northside Christian

Game four of Saturday’s action was Moravian Prep against Northside Christian. Moravian came off a thrilling win on Friday when Eli Ellis hit a buzzer beater to defeat TBS (The Burlington School). Despite his success the previous night, Ellis struggled in this game and was not able to replicate his prior performance. Moravian got off to an early lead but Northside came storming back in the second half. Early in the game, it was Isaac Ellis and Abu Yarmah who were making timely threes to give Moravian the lead. Early in the third quarter, the momentum shifted in favor of Northside. Even when Northside was losing, you could feel the game was not over because of how well they were playing. The crowd was filled with Northside fans and the energy in the gym was rising as Northside got closer and closer. Northside came all the way back, and with 20 seconds left, they attempted a three pointer to take the lead, but the shot was missed and Moravian came out on top.

Final score: Moravian Prep 65 – Northside Christian 61
Top performers: Abu Yarmah (Moravian Prep) 21 pts, Josh Bullock (Northside Christian) 18 pts, Josiah Johnson-Freeman (Northside Christian) 18 pts.

Game 5: Cannon School vs Forsyth Country Day

The second to last game of the tournament may have been the most exciting game of the entire weekend. Forsyth Country Day played Cannon School and Forsyth was already 1-0 in the tournament and Cannon was looking to bounce back after a loss on Friday night. Cannon got off to a very quick start and controlled the majority of the first half gaining the lead at 40-23. This all started after a 14-0 run to start the game. Cannon was led by Miami commit Austin Swartz and Isaiah Henry. In the second half, Forsyth began to storm back, guard Iverson King was nearly unstoppable in the second half and mounted the Cannon comeback.

Final score: Cannon School 79 – Forsyth Country 77
Top Performers: Austin Swartz (Cannon) 23 pts, Isaiah Henry (Cannon) 22 pts, Iverson King (Forsyth) 22 pts, Bobby Cannon (Forsyth) 18 pts.

Game 6: Carmel Christian vs Gaston Christian

In the final game of the tournament the hosts Carmel Christian faced off against Gaston Christian. This game was very anticipated from the Carmel student section. Gaston Christian starting point guard, Brett Freeman, was the starting point guard for Carmel last season, so the tension was high as the student section’s energy was high. Carmel got off to an early lead but throughout the first half the game was increasingly close. Makoi Mabor and Gabby Mabor for Gaston Christian were getting their points in the paint. Carmel was up at the half 28-24 in this close battle. Gaston began battling back as Freeman hit a 3 pointer early in the third quarter and they gained the lead.

After this, Carmel senior Kam Taylor began to take over the game. He had a vicious dunk midway through the third quarter that seemingly gave Carmel all of the momentum. This dunk made the Carmel students erupt and the team never looked back. Led by Taylor’s dominance when attacking the paint and Bryce Slay’s elite shooting from beyond the ark, Carmel finished on top with a comfortable win.

Final Score: Carmel Christian 61 – Gaston Christian 43
Top Performers: Kam Taylor (Carmel Christian) 29 pts/10 rebs, Bryce Slay (Carmel Christian) 14 pts, Makoi Mabor (Gaston Christian) 21pts.