Early season tournaments are often tough to predict. It’s about this time of year when some football players turn in their cleats for sneakers, and good teams can begin to figure out what they’re going to be.

And even when it’s not enough to provide an upset, it sure can make a game fun.

Such was the case on Dec. 4, as Class 2A Northlake Christian hung tight with Class 5A Mandeville until the athleticism of the Skippers paid dividends in the end.

Will Blessey, Jermaine Brown and Nicolas Pearson helped turn a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter into a 60-49 victory at Northlake in the school’s annual tournament.

It looked more like early November than December for both teams, as they each had a tough time shooting the ball.

Mandeville (4-1), which defeated defending Division II

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