Hoops: Mini-March Madness for Canadians

It sounds like a made-for-TV event, but Toronto-area ballers Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson are part of a national championship U.S. high school basketball team.

Joseph and Thompson, each made some key baskets today to help the Findlay College Prep Pilots beat Oak Hill (Va.) Academy 74-66 to win the inaugural ESPN RISE National High School Invitational. It sounds weird and scary that there actually is a semi-recognized national tournament for high school basketball and that ESPN broadcasts the championship game on the off-day during the Final Four, but what the hey, that's America.

Thompson, as you know, is a 6-foot-9 lefty power forward who is destined for the Texas Longhorns. Joseph is one of the best point guards in his year (he still has another year of high school), but has not signed. The Las Vegas Sun reported last week that it was down to Louisville, Ohio State (meaning he would play against his brother Devoe, who's at Big Ten rival Minnesota), Texas Tech and Texas A & M.

Related:
Pilots beat Oak Hill, 74-66, for ESPN Inv’l title (Las Vegas Sun)