BELLFLOWER, Calif. – For those amongst us who just can’t wait the month or so before the start of the real season gets underway, events like the St. John Bosco Catholic School Showcase will have to do.
And, Sunday, it did quite nicely, thank-you very much!
The host St. John Bosco Braves wrapped up the six-game schedule (one of which junior varsity squads) by cruising past Montebello’s Cantwell-Sacred Heart, 86-64, as senior Isaac Hamilton and sophomore Tyler Dorsey led the way with 26 points apiece.
Full disclosure: I had left the building before that final game.
But I did see the following game, and it was a dandy . . .
Senior Jose Estrada scored 25 points for Cantwell-Sacred Heart, which, earlier in the afternoon, edged Mission Hills Alemany, 75-74, via a 3-pointer from junior Joey Covarrubias at the buzzer.
I doubt any of will see many games, December-March, to top the determination, as well as skills and thrills demonstrated in that one.
Alemany trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half before rallying behind the likes of underclassmen in 6-foot-7 sophomore Bennie Boatwright (oh, my . . . he is a jumper-shooter deluxe), 6-5 junior Bear Henderson and freshmen Daron Henson (6-7) and Shacquille Dawkins (5-11).
But the 6-4 Estrada – who demonstrates succinctly that he’s possible to be an exceptional offensive player without necessarily being an exceptional jump shooter – kept his team within striking distance and Covarrubias, who attend St. John Bosco as a freshman, delivered the stunning knockout blow.
Two other potentially solid-to-very-good teams on display Sunday were Santa Margarita (in the Orange Rancho Santa Margarita) and La Verne Damien.
Santa Margarita trailed most of the way before rallying behind 6-8 junior Joe Furstinger. Damien has one of the better sophomore guards in California in 6-2 Jeremy Hemsley.
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