The Bass Pro Tournament of Champions is one of the biggest events in high school hoops, and night one was covered, as always, by The Basketball Movement.

Unsurprisingly, night one of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions did not disappoint. High flying dunks, local talent measuring up, and some of the nation’s most prominent names in prep hoops drew a bigger crowd than ever before.

Night one saw Whitney Young dismantle New Madrid Country Central 57-32. Matt Sommerville and A.J. Casey scored 13 apiece for the Whitney Young Dolphins. Casey is committed to playing for Miami next season.

The next game had JQH buzzing with anticipation. Bronny James was in the building with Sierra Canyon to face Parkview. Crowds were ready to rally behind Parkview, but seeing Bronny and hoping his Dad, LeBron James, might be in attendance kept them on the edge of their seats.

LeBron was a no-show, but the game was thrilling regardless. Parkview jumped out to a 16-8 lead and held a one-point advantage at halftime over the number four team in the country. However, Sierra Canyon eventually shook loose, winning 63-46. The Trailblazers got 16 apiece from 6 foot 9 Kijani Wright and Amari Bailey, one of the top players in the nation.

“(Bailey) showed everyone here what hoop-heads already know,” Yanders says. “He can ball. He has a great looking shot, but his ability to get to the rim, finish with either hand and absorb contact was the difference in the game tonight.”

Next, Nixa kept locals excited once more, hanging tough against Milton until the last shot. Bruce Thorton (Ohio State commit) crushed Nixa’s spirit with a buzzer-beater to bring his total up to 21 and advance his team to the semi-finals.

As usual, Nixa’s offense came from Kael Combs and Colin Ruffin. Ruffin had 21, and Combs had 12, but it was Combs’ defense that stood out to Yanders.

“I thought the way Kael competed on both sides of the ball is what kept Nixa in it,” Yanders says. “I know people around here wanted Nixa to get the win, but that was a hell of a performance either way.”

Paul VI is back again this year and opened up their first night with a bang. DeShawn Harris scored 18 for the Panthers, but he did not have the performance most fans will remember. In the loss, Zach Howell went off for 30, with the Yanders Law product draining multiple deep threes and getting his shot no-matter the opposition.

Howell is popping up on more radars all the time. Why it has taken this long is a mystery but count on more offers pouring in for Howell soon.

Check out The Basketball Movement exclusive recap of night two next!