| | Published January 25th, 2017
| Campolindo Girls Basketball Team Hosts Lamorinda Classic
| | | By Karl Buscheck |  | | Haley Van Dyke Photos Gint Federas |
For local high school hoops fans, the gym at Campolindo was the place to be on Saturday Jan. 21. That was the setting for the Lamorinda Classic - a one-day showcase of wall-to-wall action, featuring prestigious high school girls basketball programs from across Northern California.
"It's a really big event with a lot of people there and we try to get a good mix of teams," said Art Thoms, the head coach of the Campolindo girls squad. "Some (teams) from like up near Sacramento, like Antelope and Chico, (like) to kind of get some different matchups you normally wouldn't see in league play or when people play locally."
Campolindo had put on the tournament jointly with Bentley for the past six years before solo hosting this time around.
"This is the first year we're completely doing it on our own, so it does take a lot of work," said Thoms. "But it also gets our JV and varsity (teams to come together) - everybody works together to put it together. But we have done it in the past, so we do have some experience running it."
The 12-team lineup included local schools like Acalanes and Piedmont in addition to regional powerhouses like Heritage and Carondolet.
The Dons played Pleasant Valley from Chico, falling 59-58. The narrow defeat leaves Acalanes record at 12-6 overall and 1-1 in league play.
With six games tipping off in the same gym in the same day, the Classic presented the ideal recruiting opportunity for scouts. Thoms said he had been contacted by multiple schools, and expected five to 10 colleges to scout the tournament.
The Classic also provided a unique opportunity for more casual observers.
"For the young kids and local people, to be able to see some really good players and really good teams all stacked in one day is kind of a rare opportunity," Thoms said.
Playing in the penultimate game on the schedule, the Cougars took care of Antelope from Sacramento County 79-46.
"I feel like we're close to where we want to be." said Thoms, whose team sits at 13-5 overall (1-1 in league). "We've played a tough schedule. We're still working out some rotations and dealing with some injuries."
Thoms called junior Haley Van Dyke, who went for a team-high 28 points and 23 rebounds against Antelope, one of the Cougars' most integral players, along with juniors Ashley Thoms, Aubrey Wagner and Grace McGuire. In the Classic, Thoms chipped in 18 points and Wagner added in 13.
With the Classic now complete, the Cougars can shift their focus back to DAL play. The team has upcoming matchups at College Park on Jan. 27, at home against Las Lomas on Feb. 1 and at Miramonte on Feb. 3.
Campolindo will be facing a Mats team, which has run off a 15-2 record overall and a 2-0 mark in league play. Miramonte hasn't dropped a game in over a month since losing to Highlands Ranch in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Arizona, on Dec. 21.
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 | | Aubrey Wagner |  | | Clair Steele (C) |  | | Brooke Panfili | | | | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA