Ross poised to finish tops in total points at this year's GSK

We're down to the last day of competition at the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational, and Panther Creek's Earnest Ross is in third right now in total points scored with a chance for his team to finish third in the Summit Hospitality bracket. That's the good news.

Want even more good news? There's no seventh-place game this year, which means scoring leaders Nolan Dennis (Richland, Tx.) and Akeem Richmond (Southern Lee) are done, which means Ross is No. 1 in total points among active players.

Now, some guys may play for better teams (like John Wall, Mason Plumlee, etc.) and therefore not have to score as much. Others are the only threat on their team to do much of anything (Reggie Bullock, Tashawn Mabry). 

Ross is somewhere in between, and that's why he and his team have been able to succeed so far in the tourney.

He's one of five three-year starters for the Catamounts, which means other guys have the confidence to step up their games should opponents begin to focus on just Ross. He doesn't have Matt Wilson as a sidekick as does Ryan Kelly, or a Lakeem Jackson-type like Christ School. 

He is, however surrounded by good players who know how to get him the ball, and pick up the slack whenever his shot isn't going down.

Ross will get his chance to go for this year's scoring title, and possibly a MOP award, when the Catamounts take the floor tomorrow at 2:40 p.m. against Knightdale.

Below is a listing of those players with 30 or more points after two games. The total points is on the right, while those players who have committed are also listed with their college choice. If a player has a "0" in a column, that means he is out of the tournament.

In parentheses is what bracket that player is in, whether it's the Summit Hospitality Group (SHG) or the Shavlik Randolph Foundation (Shav)