Malden, MA: The Malden High School Boys' varsity coaching staff knew it was just a matter of time. Through the first two games, junior tri-captain and leading returning scorer Rodney Morton had been held to 15 total points and was just 5-24 from the field. In the first round of their seventh annual Holiday Basketball Classic, Morton exploded for 25 points, including 16 in the first half to lead the Tornadoes into the tournament final with a 55-51 victory over previously undefeated Winthrop.

"Rodney is the heart and soul of this team. He is our best defender, one of our better rebounders and shooters and a leader in the locker room." Coach Don Nally said following his team's 3rd straight win to start the season. "We knew he would get going soon and fortunately, it came tonight."

Malden built a 10 point lead at the break 31-21 thanks to Morton's 16 points including four 3pt field goals. Winthrop stayed in the game thanks to an aggressive attack on the offensive glass, with 10 offensive rebounds in the first half.

"We really needed to shore up the glass and focused on that at halftime." Nally said afterwards. "In the second half Anthony (Gilardi) and Witche (Exilhomme) did a much better job protecting the glass.

Despite their efforts on the glass, Malden watched Winthrop close the gap to two points in the second half with under 4 minutes to go. Senior point guard Hiago DeSena then stepped in to lift his squad, nailing a huge 3pt field goal from the top of the key followed by a jumper from the right baseline to seal the deal for the undefeated Tornadoes.

Malden will square off with Wakefield in the championship game of the tournament tonight at 7:30 pm. Wakefield defeated Bedford 58-40 to earn their way into the championship game.

"We haven't won our tournament since the 2008-09 season so it feels good to be back in the championship game with a chance to win it." added Nally.

The Tornadoes surely feel better about their chances now that their junior tri-captain has found his stroke.