Franklin boys basketball team finishes 3-1 in McDonald's Basketball Classic

For the second straight year, the Franklin boys basketball team had a strong showing in the McDonald's Classic Basketball Tournament.

After going 3-0 in pool play on Thursday and Friday with wins against Canutillo, Arizona Compass and Cooper International Academy, the Cougars lost 54-35 to Balboa School from San Diego, California, on Saturday morning in the semifinals.

Franklin fought back from an early deficit and climbed within 34-32 in the third quarter, but Balboa finished the game strong. The Cougars won the 2021 championship.

"We got to play some really good teams," Cougars coach Adam Castillo said. "I feel like we grew as a team and we did some great things. In the last two years, we've had great success in the best tournament in the city against some great teams from El Paso and around the country. We'll use this as a learning experience to get better moving forward."

The Cougars received a solid weekend of play from forwards Ben De La O and Aaron Vargas and guards Adam Bohls and Ethan Martinez. Bohls and Vargas were named to the All-Tournament team.

Chapin boys wins consolation bracket

The Chapin boys basketball team finished the McDonald's Tournament strong with a win against Eastlake on Friday afternoon and a 50-38 win against Cooper International Academy on Saturday morning. The Huskies missed making the semifinals with a 41-35 loss to Balboa School on Friday.

"I believe we made progress this weekend," Chapin coach Rodney Lewis said. "We scheduled tough this season and our kids have made progress. We did a lot of good things, we played well on defense. It was a quality tournament against tough teams."

Canutillo wins final game

The Eagles, who lost competitive games to Franklin and Cooper International Academy on Thursday and Friday, ended the McDonald's Tournament with a 52-44 win against Eastlake on Saturday morning. Gio Gutierrez led the Eagles with 26 points and Joseph Martinez scored 19 to lead the Eagles.

Lubbock Monterey impressive

The Lady Plainsmen finished 4-0 over the three-day tournament to win the championship. The No. 1 team in Class 5A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches defeated Pebble Hills, Arizona Compass School, Shabach Christian Academy from Landover, Maryland and San Joaquin Memorial from Fresno, California.

Guard Aaliyah Chavez was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament and scored 30 points in Saturday's win against Shabach Christian Academy.

"We played well and to come out of this tournament with four wins is a testament to our team," Lubbock Monterey coach Jill Rankin Schneider said. "We got a great effort from our entire team and the tournament allowed us to grow as a team."

Rankin Schneider praised the play of senior Jaelyn Morrison, a talented guard who played her first three years of varsity basketball at Hanks.

"Jaelyn continues to grow as a player and she's been a great addition to our team," Rankin Schneider said. "She really had a good weekend for us and did some things on both ends of the court."

Shabach Christian Academy wins boys tourney

Shabach Christian Academy won its first McDonald's Tournament title with an 63-45 win against Balboa School.

Shabach Christian Academy finished 5-0 in the tournament with wins against Chapin, Eastlake, Balboa School (twice) and Arizona Compass School. Guard/forward Ibrhahim Robinson was named the Most Outstanding Player.

Balboa School was seeking its fourth McDonald's championship and had won previously in 2015, 2016 and 2019.

All-Tournament

Boys

Kennard Davis, Shabach Christian Academy; Farrell Crowell, Shabach Christian Academy; Abraham Oyeadler, Balboa School; Adam Bohls, Franklin; Aaron Vargas, Franklin; Ryan Jackson, Arizona Compass; Devin Miller, Arizona Compass; Peyton Parker, Chapin; Amar Kadic, Cooper International Academy; Mateo Lares, Eastlake; Gio Gutierrez, Canutillo; Tayne McCann, Balboa School

MVP: Ibrahim Robinson, Shabach Christian Academy

Girls

Kelly Mora, Lubbock Monterey; Ambrosia Cole, Lubbock Montereey, Jaelyn Morrison, Lubbock Monterey; Saniyah Craig, Arizona Compass; Amaya Lacy, Arizona Compass; Laila Reynolds, Shabach Christian Academy; Malaka Cobb, Shabach Christian Academy; Alexis Swillis, San Joaquin Memorial; Jailynn Clayton, San Joaquin Memorial; Krystal Talavera, Pebble Hills

MVP: Aaliyah Chavez, Lubbock Monterey

More: Leverett steps up for Chapin Chapin big man Jayden Leverett steps up in second year on varsity

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Franklin boys basketball team finishes 3-1 in McDonald's Classic