The Shabazz Muhammad-led “Las Vegas Orangemen” overpowered the Grant Jerrett-fronted “La Verne Trojans” Saturday night, 80-68, in a battle of two of the top high school squads in the west during the Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at the HAX in Harbor City in Southern California.
The “Orangemen”, of course, is the team of players from Bishop Gorman while the “Trojans” are the squad that will represent one of Southern California’s best in 2011-12, La Verne Lutheran.
In other quarterfinals Saturday evening, the “Jackrabbits” (Long Beach Poly High) edged Branch West Elite, 63-61, on Jordan Bell’s 5-footer along the right baseline in “sudden death” after a couple of two-minute overtime; the Cali Rebels got a buzzer-beating bucket by Huntington Beach (CA) Ocean View freshman guard Kendall Small to stun Belmont Shore, 69-67; and California Supreme outlasted Cal Select, 82-73.
Senior point guard Chris Croom forced the first and second overtimes for the Jackrabbits with buzzer-beating 3-pointers.
Today’s championship semifinals have the Jackrabbits facing the Cali Rebels at 11:20 a.m. while the Orangemen play California Supreme at 12:30 p.m.
Barring upset, Muhammad and Company will face another one Southern California’s best teams for the coming season – the Jackrabbits (Poly), paced by juniors Bell and Roschon Prince – for the championship at 2:50 this afternoon. Consolation action is set to begin at 9 a.m.
The HAX is located at 1515 240th St., just a few miles southwest from the 110 (Harbor Freeway), off the Sepulveda exit.
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