FIELDER’S VOICES: Manic Monday to bring tourney showdowns

Christmas might have come and gone, but some enticing presents still are under the tree in the form of five basketball tournaments that continue Monday.

Four of the tourneys are on the boys side — the Las Vegas Prep Championships at Las Vegas and Valley, the National Invitational at Durango, the Vegas Invitational at Mountain View and the Rock Holiday Classic at Henderson International.

The lone girls tourney is the Las Vegas Holiday Classic at Centennial.

Don’t forget the Moapa Valley boys tourney starting Monday.

My New Year’s resolution is to stop ditching class to soak in all this great roundball.

Wait, wasn’t that what teams were doing when they played in tournaments before winter break?

Here are some manic Monday matchups to enjoy before we all head back to campus Jan. 5:

National Invitational — Silverado vs. Canyon Springs, 3:15 p.m.

Coming off a huge win over Mojave, Silverado is 12-2 and possibly headed toward a historic season.

But in the National Invitational title game, the Skyhawks will run into a 9-4 Canyon Springs squad that already has wins over Cheyenne and Palo Verde.

This is the place to be Monday. See you courtside.

Las Vegas Prep Championships — Palo Verde vs. Western, 5:30 p.m.

They tell me Palo Verde beat Palos Verdes (Calif.) by 25 on Saturday.

I had to look, and no, both schools are not called the Panthers.

But a school called Palos Verdes Peninsula (Calif.) does go by the Panthers.

Scary.

What could be scarier is the backcourt for Western (5-2), comprised of lethal scorers Johnnie Diggs and De’Andre Nash.

But Moses Morgan and Palo Verde (7-1) might be the toughest team the Warriors have faced so far.

This is the more intriguing of two semifinals, the other pitting Centennial and Serra (Calif.).

Vegas Invitational — Tech vs. Brethren Christian (Calif.), 6:30 p.m.

The Roadrunners are 3-2 and already have two wins over Class 4A schools.

For real.

What’s more, they are one win from reaching the tourney title game against either Buckley (Calif.) or tourney favorite Bishop’s (Calif.).

And for fun:

Boys all-name team — Czar Robotham, Bishop Gorman; Brayden Quackenbush, Cimarron-Memorial; John Anger, Faith Lutheran; Andrew Hooper, Needles (Calif.); Budweiser Hawkins, Trinity.

Girls all-name team — Danika Sharp, West Wendover; Mercedes Starr, Foothill; Audrey Blockovich, Desert Oasis; Shilo Parashonts, Moapa Valley; Jamasha Marshall, Agassi Prep.