The Lithia Springs boys’ basketball team recently placed third in the Carrollton Christmas Tournament with only one loss during the event, 72-60 to Greater Atlanta Christian.

Even in that loss, head coach J.W. Cantrell named Neil Phillips as the standout player for the tournament.

Phillips is a 6-foot-4 senior center for the Lions and made a great showing during the tournament last week.

In the game against Greater Atlanta Christian, Phillips had 27 points on the night. In the next game, a 78-40 victory against Chapel Hill, Phillips dropped 28 points.

For the season he is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds.

“He’s a hard worker. If I had 10 players like him, we’d have a chance,” said Cantrell.

Suiting up for varsity in his first year as a freshman, Phillips is in his fourth year on the varsity team.

“He was a little, shy freshman. A skinny kid, but he got in the weight room and now he looks like a man,” Cantrell said.

Aside from gained muscle mass, Cantrell said his basketball skills have developed as well and they are working on getting him a scholarship to play in college.

Cantrell said Phillips is slightly undersized despite his hard work, but he hopes to get him into a good Division I or Division II school.

Aside from basketball, Phillips is a good student, with a 3.5 grade point average, and is a mentor to his younger teammates.