AZ Compass Prep coach Pete Kaffey said that after his team shot poorly from the field in a tournament earlier this month, he told them to emphasize working on shooting during their Christmas break. 

If his team’s results at the Governor’s Challenge were any indication, the plan worked to perfection.

The Dragons continued their red-hot perimeter shooting in Salisbury, going a sizzling 12-of-21 from 3-point range in an 85-49 win over Mt. Zion Prep (Md.). For the game, AZ Compass shot 32-of-49 from the field (65 percent).

In two games at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Sunday and Monday, the Dragons went a combined 22-of-41 on 3-point attempts while posting victories against Westtown (Pa.) and Mt. Zion.

No AZ Compass player had a better time than 2026 guard Kalek House, who scored a game-high 20 points Monday on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting day, including 4-of-4 from the field. The only shot House missed was his lone free throw attempt.

“Not really,” House said when asked if he realized he didn’t miss from the field. “I was just in the game, taking the good shots and taking what they give me.”

In his two Governor’s Challenge games, House went a combined 14-of-16 from the field and 10-of-11 from 3-point range while averaging 19 points per game.

Monday’s matchup with Mt. Zion was one of the most anticipated of the week, as both teams came in nationally-ranked. Mt. Zion had previously knocked off ranked opponents Prolific Prep and Utah Prep, and was looking to add another name to that list.

The Dragons made sure that didn’t happen. AZ Compass jumped out to an 18-13 after one quarter but began to pull away in the second, outscoring Mt. Zion 19-6 to build a 37-19 halftime lead. They finished the first half 15-of-25 from the field. The Warriors kept battling but never truly recovered.

“Honestly, we just try to approach every game the same,” House said, “so our mindset was just, like, ‘They want to take our spot, we want to take their spot: who wants it more?’ And we just wanted it more at the end of the day, honesty. We just came out and executed the game plan and played for each other - we had 23 assists as a team, so we were just playing for each other.”

2026 forward Miikka Muurinen had 19 points for the Dragons, going 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3. Gonzaga commit Davis Fogle posted 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, and Jayden Vance added 12 points.

Overall, AZ Compass’ production was a far cry from its last tournament appearance in the Emirates NBA Cup in Las Vegas on December 15, Kaffey said.

“We played Sunrise [Christian] and we only had three points in a quarter - we shot the ball poorly,” he said. “When our guys were on break for Christmas, that was a point of emphasis - get in the gym, get a lot of reps, and since we’ve been here we’ve just been getting up shots and getting up shots. We’ve got guys who are capable shooters - you saw Kalek House went probably 12-for-13 and only missed one 3 this whole weekend. The thing is it's all about taking the right shots, and I felt like this week, we took the right shots. Guys got into the paint and naked the extra pass and our feet were set. Whenever our feet are set, good things happen.”

2025 guard Jerome WIlliams, Jr. had 17 points and 3 assists to lead the Warriors. 2025 forward and Siena commit Francis Folefac had 16, while 2025 forward Kam Wylie had 11 and 7 rebounds.

Since transferring to Southern California (Socal) Academy earlier this month, 2025 guard Tyler “Hype” Jackson has been trying to adjust to his new team in the midst of their hectic and competitive schedule.

On Monday against Riverdale Baptist (Md.), he looked quite comfortable.

Playing just over two hours from home, the Baltimore native tallied 29 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds for the Bears in an 89-49 win over the Crusaders.

With the win, SoCal closed its inaugural Governor’s Challenge trip 2-1; they opened with a win over Jackson-Reed (DC) on Saturday, and fell to DeMatha (Md.) on Sunday in a game in which they struggled to make shots from deep.

“It feels good after yesterday when we couldn’t do nothing,” Jackson said of Monday’s win, “and from having a bad game to coming back and doing my thing. It just feels good getting a team win going into the rest of the season. We’re getting ready to go play in the Hoophall Classic in Arizona, so we’re getting ready for that.”

2025 forward and West Virginia commit Trent Maclean had 22 points for the Bears, 2026 forward Trevon Carter-Givens had 12 points (on 6-of-7 shooting), 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks, and West Virginia-bound 2025 guard Kelvin Odih had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“That was a good win for us to beat a good team like that handily,” Socal assistant coach Nicky Green said. “Especially coming off that tough loss to DeMatha where we thought we played well, it's just that shots didn’t fall. So it's good to see them bounce back and handle business and we’re looking forward to the new year, for sure.”

Jackson - who started his high school career at St. Frances (Md.) - transferred to Socal from Overtime Elite on December 13.

“I'm just settling in and getting used to the team but they’re letting me go, you know?” Jackson said. “I’m just settling into the team and [Head] Coach Julius [Von Hanzlik] is just letting me go as a player, him knowing me from DMV Live and him watching me already, so we’re already building a relationship.”

Green said Jackson has been “awesome,” and done a nice job of buying in.

“He’s so new that we haven’t even been able to have a practice with him yet,” Green said, “but he’s doing everything he can to buy into what we’re doing and we’re trying to do the same with him and I think he’s just doing a phenomenal job. Not only him, but I give a lot of credit to our players embracing him. I think we’re going to become better with him as a group, and I think he’ll continue to get better with us as well.”

2025 guard Cannon Green and 2026 guard Ean McLaughlin had 12 points each to lead Riverdale, while 2027 wing Jacoby Briscoe had 10. The Crusaders finished their Governor's Challenge visit 2-1 after winning the Bracket #11 Championship with wins over Brooklyn Collegiate (NY) and Malvern Prep (Pa.).

Wasatch Academy (UT) found itself in an early battle with a tough and scrappy Friendship Tech Prep (DC), taking a 32-27 lead at halftime.

The Tigers changed that in the third quarter, outscoring Tech Prep 21-10 to open things up on the way to a 72-53 victory.

“At halftime we had a good team discussion about playing together as a team and communicating on the court,” Wasatch 2026 guard Manu Manciel said. “So once we came to the second half, it was more together,with more ball movement and unselfishness.”

Manciel had 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Isiah Harwell (Houston commit) and James Miller each also had 14, and Augustine Ekwe (New Mexico State)  finished with 12. Katrelle Harmon tallied 9 points and 9 assists with zero turnovers.

Friendship Tech was led by Hampton commit Aidan Haskins, who had 17 points. Mekhi Polk added 15 and Daniel Bumpass finished with 10.

“We actually watched a lot of film on them the other day,” Manciel said. “We were really prepared; we just had to play our brand of basketball and we were going to come out strong, and that’s what we did today.”

It took a while longer than anticipated, but Bishop McNamara (Md.) finally got in the win column this season, pulling away in the second half to down Archbishop Wood (Pa.), 77-57.

The Mustangs had dropped their first nine games coming into the Governor’s Challenge, albeit against an impressive gauntlet of non-conference foes that included the likes of IMG Academy (Fla.), Oak Ridge (Fla.), Oak Cliff (TX) and Dynamic Prep (TX).

“It feels real good,” 2027 guard Kirby Duran said of the win. “Of course, we’re not satisfied, but it feels real good. Like, after losing nine in a row, we needed this.”

2026 guard Qayden Samuels went for 28 points while Duran and 2026 guard Prince Moody had 14 apiece and 2027 forward Brandon Woodard 10 for the Mustangs.

Duran - who won the Governor’s Challenge 3-Point Shootout on Sunday - hit four 3’s and scored all of his points in the first half as McNamara built a 32-31 lead at the break. The Mustangs pushed that lead out to 52-44 after three quarters, and put the game completely out of reach by outscoring Archbishop Wood 25-13 in the fourth.

“We talked to the guys at the beginning of the game just about valuing possessions,” McNamara coach Jay Gavin said, “and making sure that we defend and finish with a rebound. And understanding in the fourth quarter it's not about who shoots it, it's about making sure that we’re really executing what we’re trying to do on the offensive end and the defensive end.”

Despite his team’s winless start, Gavin said he saw encouraging signs throughout the run, adding that the focus now is on moving forward.

“It was really important for us to finish the year out strong,” he said. “What’s behind us is behind us; we got the win today, all the kids are excited and of course I’m excited with it being the first one, but I mean, we’re right back to work. We’ve got another game on Friday that we need to prepare for, and that’s our biggest game because it's our next game.”

Not that they won’t take some time to enjoy this one, of course.

“It feels great, you know?” Samuels said of the victory. “Being 0-9, its just great having a win to end the year off. [The losses] didn’t feel that good, you know? Playing tough teams - IMG and them - but it's only getting us prepared for WCAC play.”

Brady MacAdams had 19 for the Vikings, who got 11 from Caleb Lundy and 10 from Rowan Phillips.

Penn Charter (Pa.) took care of business in its first Governor’s Challenge appearance and notched two impressive victories, the final of which was a 67-60 win over Orangeville Prep (CAN) in Elite Showcase action on Monday.

“It's very important,” Quakers 2025 forward Matt Gilhool said of  closing 2024 with two wins. ““It feels great as a team, you know, coming down to this big of a tournament and showing what we can do. Playing together and showing what we can do together, it's big and we’re just getting our toes in the water. There’s a big season ahead.”

The Quakers were led by their trio of senior Division I commits, as Gilhool (Louisiana State) had 17 points and 12 rebounds, guard Jake West (Northwestern) had 21 points and 7 assists, and guard Kai Shinholster (Minnesota) had 15 points.

The game was tight early as the two teams tried to feel each other out. Penn Charter led 16-14 after a quarter and 35-30 at the half. They began to pull away in the second half as led by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter before Orangeville rallied late.

2025 forward Darius McGlashen had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals to lead the Bears, while 2025 guard EJ Horton had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. 2025 guard Jack Mcmahan added 9 points and 2026 forward Aaron Gashaw 8.

2026 guard and Indiana University commit Ashlinn James had 20 points as Assumption (KY) closed their first Governor’s Challenge trip with a win, downing McDonogh (Md.) 69-44 at the University of Maryland Eastern-Shore.

After dropping their first Girls Elite Showcase game against Catholic (Va.) on Saturday, the Rockets found themselves in an early hole Monday, trailing 12-10 after a quarter. That was as close as things would get, though, as Assumption outscored McDonogh 47-19 across the second and third quarters to seize control.

2025 forward Kyleigh Hall had 11 points for the Raiders.

2027 forward Kiri Faimanifo had 12 points and 5 rebounds to lead the Eagles, while 2027 forward Ifeoma Umeh had 11 points.

Prior to the season, Lanham Christian (Md.) lost three starters to transfer, including three of its top four scorers.

Among the players adjusting to a new role is 2025 wing Tre Ray. The top scorer back from last year (11 points per game as a junior) Ray is now tasked with setting the tone offensively for the Lions.

He was up to the task Monday, scoring 11 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as Lanham Christian pulled away in the second half to win the Governor’s Challenge Bracket #14 Championship 60-48 against Smyrna (DE).

“We had a lot of younger guys last year and they're having to put the ball in the basket more,” Ray said. “Our point guard Naz [Joy] obviously has to play a bigger role in keeping our offense intact. We had more versatile pieces last year than we do this year, and I have to play a bigger role putting more points on the board, rebounding the ball more and playing against bigger players than I had to last year. So I would just say it gives us more confidence knowing that we’ve been together. Even though this is all we’ve got, we can still win games, so I feel like it makes us more confident in each other and we all just jell together and come together and win games - it works.”

On Monday, the Lions found themselves in a battle with Smyrna early. The teams were knotted at 27-27 at halftime, as Smyrna guard Marice Kilgoe put up 13 points.

Lanham Christian coach Byron Mouton said he talked to his team at halftime about better utilizing their size advantage, and also made the decision to face guard Kilgoe, holding him to just two points on 0-for-5 shooting in the second half.

“He was hitting a lot of shots, and kept the game close,” Ray said of Kilgoe. “We were also hitting a lot of shots, but once we got him out the picture, their offense was pretty stagnant and it was harder for them to score. We played a lot more in transition without the ball in his hands, and it pushed our lead to a bigger lead and got us the win at the end.”

Jamar Payne had 15 points for the Lions, while Dominic Carr stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 4 steals.

The win was the ninth in a row for Lanham after an 0-4 start that saw the Lions struggling to replace Diego Joy (Jackson-Reed), Brandon Woodard (Bishop McNamara) and Jordan Houchins (Clinton Grace Christian).

“We had a lot of talent last year, and we lost three starters that can really play,” Mouton said. “I wish them all the best, and if they have bigger opportunities, y’all go ahead and do that. But our guys, they’re itching. They’ve seen our success, they’ve seen our schedule, and they just wanted to get an opportunity to play and those guys are filling the roles perfectly. They like each other and they play hard for each other.”

Logan Shaw finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds to lead Smyrna, while Kilgoe had 15 points and Aaron Johnson 10.

Milford’s Elijah Farrington put together a monster 35-point, 19-rebound, 5-block performance in his team’s 55-50 overtime win over Crisfield at Wicomico High School. … Snow Hill (Md.) closed out this year’s event with a 67-49 win over Caesar Rodney (DE) at the WYCC. Keandre Nixon had 26 to lead the Eagles while Kameron Lucas added 21 and 16 rebounds. Karon Bacon had 11 for CRHS. … Seaford guards Jordan Smith (22 points and 6 steals) and Vincent Evans III (20) and forward Az’Juan Matthews (15 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks) powered the Blue Jays to a 71-61 win over Cambridge-South Dorchester (Md.). Semaj Pinder had 21 points, 10 boards and 5 steals for the Vikings. … Elizabeth (NJ) claimed the Boys Bracket #16 championship with a dominant 66-37 win over St. John’s Catholic Prep (Md.). Cameron McRae led three Minutemen players in double figures with 17 points. … Easton (Md.) edged Winston Churchilll (Md.) 56-50 behind 25 points and 15 rebounds from 2026 forward Zymier Ramirez. … Samuel Fels (Pa.) clinched the Boys Bracket #15 crown with a 59-57 win over Odessa (DE). Odessa’s Jaylen Bernikow led all scorers with 23 points. … Sussex Central’s Brandon Spencer posted 23 points and 14 rebounds in a loss to Parkside. … Holy Ghost Prep (PA) 2025 guard Adrien Varella had 24 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals in a win over Gilman. … Washington (Md.) 2026 guard Elijah Thomas went for 34 points of his team’s 50 points and had a team-high 11 rebounds in a loss to Woodbridge (DE). Marquel Clark (15 and 14) and Isiaiah Giles (14 and 11) each had double-doubles for the Raiders.