Hamilton Heights can do a little bit of everything.
Sinking 21 total 3-pointers and sending the crowd into an uproar with big-time dunks, the Hawks were the best team at the fifth annual McCallie Dr Pepper Classic.
Junior point guard Dominiq Penn scored eight points in the third quarter in back-to-back wins for the Chattanooga team over Memphis East and McCallie, and he had 15 points and six assists in Saturday's 67-52 defeat of the Classic host.
"I am not from here, but when I got here I kept hearing about the Dr Pepper Classic," said Penn, whose sweet stroke and vision have attracted nine collegiate offers. "This weekend meant a lot to us, and we played hard."
Hamilton Heights' Reggie Bass hit a trio of long-range shots in the second quarter, and 6-foot-11 sophomore teammate Felix Okpara blocked three shots in the first half. Florida signee Samson Ruzhentsev tied Penn with 15 points.
While the Hawks (23-2) designed a game plan to take away space for Eric Rivers, who was a pivotal force at wide receiver this past fall for the Blue Tornado's second ever state championship football team, others stepped up.
McCallie's Trey Hamilton produced on both ends, and his 3 from the left corner provided a 7-2 lead. Joryam Saizonou was strong to the rim, scoring a team-high 13 points, and Rivers buried a long-range shot to get the hosts within a point, 42-41, with 2:30 left in the third quarter.
The Blue Tornado (11-13) showed toughness against two teams ranked in the country's top 12 by MaxPreps.
"I was very proud of how we played," McCallie coach David Conrady said. "Our effort was great. Everybody was competitive, and our guys can learn from these lessons this weekend to push us the rest of the season."
Webb School 66, Howard 50
While the state's top 247Sports.com senior basketball prospect, Keon Johnson, could not showcase his abilities at the Dr Pepper Classic, JJ Platt continues to dominate.
Carrying the weight for the injured Johnson, Platt - the 22nd-ranked player in the nation and a signature signee for the Tennessee Volunteers' sixth-ranked recruiting class - has been a lightning rod for Bell Buckle's Webb School.
Platt scored 35 points against Howard, with the electric 6-foot-1 guard accounting for all of his points in the paint and making all nine free throws he took.
"Since Keon got hurt, I knew it was time to step up as a leader, to be a scorer and play defense," said Platt, who has scored 108 points in his past three games. "I have to be a vocal leader on the court, and I want to lift my teammates' spirits. The points don't matter to me. What matters is the wins. It's a team effort."
Howard's Hustlin' Tigers struck first as big man Kerrick Thorne went to work, scoring 11 points to build a 17-9 lead. Thorne scored a team-high 18 a day after impressing in the event's dunk contest.
Howard (19-6) trailed 29-28 at halftime - identical to Friday's rivalry road loss to Tyner - and could not keep up with Class A's second-ranked Webb after that.
Webb (22-2) put on a defensive clinic by turning deflections into turnovers, one of which sprang Platt loose to sky for a two-handed slam and a 43-30 lead halfway through the third quarter.
Platt's body control and speed enabled him to drive past multiple Tigers and finish through them to make difficult shots from close in.
His penetrating ability also opened Weston Coop to drain three 3-pointers in an 11-point performance.
Memphis East 58, Sunrise Christian 55
Memphis East knocked down four 3-pointers in the third quarter to help turn a one-point halftime lead into a 40-25 cushion entering the final period.
Class AAA's Mustangs (17-5) were led by Duane Posey, who scored seven of his game-high 18 points in the third quarter.
Sunrise Christian (16-3) of Bel Aire, Kansas, ranked third in the nation by MaxPreps, was led by Kansas Jayhawks target Kendall Brown with 15. Northwestern signee Ty Berry won the Classic's 3-point contest.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.