Superstars doing their thing. Ranked teams colliding. Down-to-the wire battles. Epic upsets.
Do you know what time it is?
The Nike Tournament of Champions, one of the most prestigious events on the high school girls' basketball calendar, got under way Monday in Phoenix.
Here's a Day 1 recap and a look ahead to Day 2.
Game of the day
We didn't have to wait long Monday for the winner in this category. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, California), which was ranked third in last week's espnW 25 Power Rankings, fell to Grandview (Aurora, Colorado) 54-53 in the first game of the Joe Smith bracket.
UCLA signee Michaela Onyenwere and junior Leilah Vigil each had 17 points for Grandview, which entered the game unranked.
The game was tight from the tip, with the score tied at the end of the first quarter and Grandview up by two points at halftime.
A layup by St. Mary's-bound Madeline Holland gave Mitty a one-point lead heading into the final quarter.
After some flipping and flopping on the scoreboard, Onyenwere gave Grandview a three-point lead with 1:06 remaining. Holland closed the gap to one with a short jumper with 28 seconds left, but a last-second shot by Karisma Ortiz fell off the rim as the buzzer sounded, giving Grandview a national-level win over a team that was considered the favorite by many.
Grandview coach Josh Ulitzky was thrilled with his team.
"The referees let both teams play, and my team battled on defense, rebounded and limited Mitty to one shot most of the time," he said. "Simply a great effort on their part."
Grandview improved to 5-0 on the season, and Mitty fell to 4-1.
Stars of the day
Sydni Harvey, Bentwood Academy (Tennessee): The 5-foot-7 junior point guard was spectacular in leading Brentwood Academy to a 64-57 win over Carondelet (Concord, California) in the John Anderson bracket. Harvey scored 30 points, including 5 3-pointers, scoring at pivotal moments of the game. Next up for Brentwood is a battle against Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland) and super sophomore Chloe Chapman on Tuesday.
Kelsey Marshall, Miami Country Day (Florida): The 5-9 shooting guard and Miami signee helped keep Miami Country Day on the winners' side of the Joe Smith bracket with four crucial points down the stretch in a 54-49 win over Elizabeth Seton (Bladensburg, Maryland). The No. 81 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 finished with 20 points.
Ariel Johnson, St. Mary's (Stockton, California): The 5-7 sophomore point guard had 20 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to help St. Mary's hold off Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, Pennsylvania) 65-55 in the Joe Smith bracket. Johnson was simply smooth, taking control of the tempo, knocking down crucial jumpers and disrupting Cardinal O'Hara. Next up for St. Mary's is Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), which got a first-round bye after Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tennessee), was unable to make it to the tournament due to travel complications.
Statement of the day
OK, so the game was listed as an exhibition, but Centennial (Las Vegas), the No. 2 team in the espnW 25 Power Rankings, still took the opportunity to send a message. Centennial jumped all over Riverdale Baptist, which had been scheduled to open against Riverdale (Tennessee), and put together a 20-0 run in the first quarter. Centennial never looked back in the 73-37 win. Next up for Centennial is Clovis West (Fresno, California), ranked seventh in the first espnW 25 Power Rankings.
Day 2 outlook
We've got a few games circled on our Tuesday schedule, but one is circled, highlighted, underlined and starred. Long Beach Poly, led by seniors Ayanna Clark (USC), Danae Miller (UC Santa Barbara) and Jasmine Jones (Loyola Marymount), takes on Miami Country Day, led by Marshall and Channise Lewis (Illinois). Poly is coming off a 77-59 win over Rock Creek Christian Academy (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) in the first round.