With the 37th annual Holiday Classic in the books, here's some observations from William Jewell - and the 810 Varsity offices.

Entering the tourney, the two teams predicted with the most to prove themselves against the area schools were St. Joe Central and Center. Both certainly did that, especially St. Joe Central. The Indians escaped a first-round OT game vs Ray-Pec, then knocked off Grandview. Central finished off the Hornets for the Cardinal Division title, as Jaiden Bristol and Matt Austin continue to establish themselves as one of the top backcourt duos in the city. Bristol was named MVP after scoring 38 points and grabbing 19 boards in the tourney.

Meanwhile, Center's opening round romp of Liberty North raised a ton of eyebrows - okay, dropped some jaws. Then Center played toe-to-toe with No. 4 Park Hill before falling short in the semis. The Yellowjackets also fought with Blue Springs South, but definitely showed they are Top 20 caliber in the 810 Varsity rankings.

And speaking of North Kansas City, there weren't any bigger surprises to everyone (besides the Hornets) when NKC dealt Liberty its first loss of the year, and played for the Cardinal Division title. TJ Babikir capped a nice tourney with 17 points in the finale, while the trio of Dengs (Deng Bol, Deng Deng and Deng Ding) has to be mentioned.

Another team in the NKC district for those to take notice was Oak Park. The big name entering the tourney was Ochai Agbaji, who entered the tourney at 22 ppg. After a 30-point eruption in a 67-58 win over Rockhurst, Agbaji was held to a combined 26 points in losses to Lee's Summit West and Park Hill South, with just eight in the third-place tilt.

Now to the title game participants. Lee's Summit West showed why its arguably the No. 1 team in the city, and perhaps in Missouri. The Titans would constantly take the game to another level, as evidenced in late surges to put away Oak Park (66-47) and Blue Springs (71-48) for the Nelson Division title. Christian Bishop was named MVP of the division, but the balance with Bradley commit Elijah Childs, Bishop, CJ May and Mario Goodrich make it hard to key on any one player. Can't wait to see the Titan first-hand at the Best of the Midwest Showcase, Session II vs CBC on January 14!

Park Hill showed why its also a threat for greatness this year, as the Trojans won their third tight game in four games in the Patterson Division final. In wins vs Center and Raytown, the Trojans were down early, but made adjustments en route to wins. The Trojans have a talented, but veteran caste in Chester Graves, Ronnie Bell and Dru Smith, shoot well from the line, and talented 6-foot-10 sophomore Roman Wilson brings a wild-card element, whether three three-pointers in the Liberty North Invitational final, or eight blocks vs Center.

Raytown also will be a contender all year, with Bryan Blanks and Isiah Burton leading the way. The ability to crank up the full-court press, and some big bodies inside on the boards make for a nice team that also will be in Session II of the Best of the Midwest Showcase.

Other observations:

- It was good to see Park Hill South rebound from a semifinal loss to Blue Springs, and take care of business in the third-place game. The Panthers have been on the short end of tight games, in losses to Liberty, Park Hill and Blue Springs, but PHS is still very talented - but young - and could be comparable to rival Park Hill in taking some losses as juniors, then winning those close games as seniors. But I'd bet the timeline is faster for Dan Parra's crew, and PHS starts winning some of those close games by year's end - and (self-touting), maybe against Blue Valley North in the Best of the Midwest Showcase, Session I at MidAmerica Nazarene on January 7.

- Blue Springs certainly enjoyed a nice run to the title game, winning a great matchup of guards in the semis vs Park Hill South. Even minus the services of RJ Lawrence to injury, the Wildcats look ready for league play, though LS West will be tough to fend off.

- Blue Springs South's tank is never completely empty, as Jimmy Cain continues to keep the Jaguars a tough out. The Jags fought back numerous times against Raytown, then took third-place against a good Center team. Camron Roustic and Jared Ravencamp were the consistent scorers, while Ethan Swanegan scuffled vs Raytown, but should get things going starting next week, as evidenced by his 14 points against Center.

- Liberty turned out to be a head-scratcher. Perhaps they won the close games early, or entered the North Kansas City too confident and undefeated. When the Jays faced Grandview, well, playing the same talented team in a matter of nearly two weeks usually goes to the other team, as the Bulldogs lost at Liberty, but rebounded nicely in the third-place game. Certainly will be a learning moment as the Jays will face Lawrence in the Best of the Midwest Showcase, Session II, and make for a good league race too.

- Getting a red down arrow were Liberty North and Rockhurst. Both were ranked early on a solid cast, tradition and some nice early-season wins, but struggled in first-round losses. Yet both finished strong with two wins and emerged with 2-1 marks, and should be ready for 2017. And a can't miss! Liberty North faces KU and North Carolina offered talent in Zach Harvey and Hayden in Best of the Midwest, Session I !

That's a wrap from another great event, and speaking of great events, did I mention the upcoming Best ... more ahead!