Gonzaga will look to continue its success this season at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon, which starts on Tuesday.
The Purple Eagles will be the only team from the DMV at the tournament. Last season Gonzaga’s rival DeMatha Catholic High School went to the Les Schwab Invitational, but fell to national powerhouse Oak Hill in the championship.
Gonzaga comes into Oregon winner’s of six straight after losing its first game of the season to Simeon at the Chicago Elite Classic.
The Purple Eagles are coming off of a 62-56 win over Bishop O’Connell last Friday. Miami commit Chris Lykes, who is averaging 20 points per game, led Gonzaga with 24 points. Junior guard Prentiss Hubb registered 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Hubb is second on the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game.
Gonzaga are favorite to win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship due to the team’s key returning players. Eddie Scott (Penn) and Myles Dread (Penn State) joins Lykes and Hubb as players, who helped the Purple Eagles reach the conference semifinals last season.
Dread and Scott are averaging 8.6 points per game each this season. Freshman Terrance Williams has made his presence felt on the team, averaging eight points and five rebounds per contest.
Gonzaga has put a hurting on its opponents as the Purple Eagles beat teams by 20 or more points in four games. The Purple Eagles scored a season-high 106 points against Archbishop Carroll on Dec. 3.
This year’s Les Schwab Invitational features some of the top players in the country. Nathan Hale forward and Washington commit Michael Porter Jr., who is averaging 35 points and 20 rebounds per game, is one of the top five players in the 2017 class.
Five-star Marvin Bagley III, who is the best player in the 2018 class, will lead a Sierra Canyon team that beat Oak Hill Academy a couple of weeks ago. Cody Riley (UCLA) and guard Remy Martin (Arizona State) are other players that helped Sierra Canyon become the fourth best team in the nation.
Gonzaga will kick off the tournament against South Salem. If the Purple Eagles win, they will face either Jefferson or Churchill High School.
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