Frantic endings highlight first Top Flight Challenge

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REDONDO BEACH, Ca.  – The 2015 edition of the Top Flight Challenge, hosted by Redondo Union High, is going to have to go a ways in order to surpass what took place in the inaugural event over the course of some 12 hours on Saturday.

Two of the final three games (of the seven played) weren’t decided until the final possessions, with Los Angeles Loyola remaining unbeaten in the finale by the collective hair on its chinny chin-chin while edging Compton, 64-63, after Tarbabes’ senior point guard Kyron Cartwright missed two free throws with a second remaining after Thomas Welsh’s follow with seven seconds to go proved to put the Cubs ahead to stay.

In game No. 5, Etiwanda fell to Lakewood Mayfair, 59-58, as the Monsoons’ Martae Coleman followed in a Kendall Small miss with eight seconds remaining.

The host Sea Hawks improved to 9-zip on their court – and 12-3 overall – by holding off Mission Hills Alemany, 69-58, in game No. 6 behind the 24 points and eight rebounds of 6-foot-8 senior Terrell Carter.

The crowd grew to just short of capacity by the time Loyola and Compton tipped off at about 8:30.

The gathering, which included a healthy percentage of Loyola faithful, saw the Cubs survive by far their toughest contest during a now 13-0 start that includes three tournament championships (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic).

The lead changed hands at least a half-dozen times in the second half, the last of those when Welsh (who finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, rebounded Max Hazzard’s miss and scored to put his team up a point (64-63).

The Loyola Marymount-bound Kyron Cartwright pushed the ball, rapid fire, toward the Loyola lane before future University of Arizona point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright was whistled for the hand check.

After a timeout (called by Compton), the left-handed Cartwright missed decisively on both free-throw attempts, with Loyola forward Stone Gettings grabbing the rebound on the second miss and squeezing the ball as the buzzer sounded, setting off a mad dash onto the floor by the Cubs’ players from their bench.

Hazzard (a junior) added 17 points while PJC chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, six steals and what seemed like a half-dozen steals (he was only credited with two).

Senior forward Isaiah Bailey paced Compton (11-3) with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Etiwanda (13-3) dropped its third game in the four outings since standout senior guard Jordan McLaughlin suffered an injured left shoulder in the early going of a Max Preps Invitational Division quarterfinal against Sacramento Capital Christian seven days earlier in Palm Desert.

The future USC Trojan said prior to the game that he hopes to be back in action for the Eagles when they play host to Los Osos in a Baseline League opener on Jan. 10.

Small, one of the better junior point guards in the West, led Mayfair with 25 points to go with five rebounds and four assists while senior backcourt mate Michael Nwabuzor added 15 points and four rebounds.

Junior forward Kameron Edwards led Etiwanda with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Leland Green added 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Redondo while 6-4 senior Gary Chivichyan, in the best jump-shooting display of the event, hit seven 3s – five in the first half – en route to a 27-point effort for Alemany.

 

  In the first four games played Saturday:

  *Montebello Cantwell-Sacred Heart 69, Lawndale 57: Six-three Joey Covarrubias scored 20 points (16 in the first half) as the Cardinals improved to 11-2.

Cantwell led 25-3 late in the first quarter before Lawndale (also nicknamed the Cardinals) cut the deficit to four in the third quarter before the winners pulled away with a 14-0 fourth-quarter run.

*Sacramento Sheldon 59, Santa Monica 56: The Huskies withstood a strong Jonah Mathews-led rush in the fourth quarter to improve to 4-7.

Freshman point guard Elishja Duplechan had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists for Sheldon while Mathews, a sophomore guard, had game-highs with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

*Riverside Martin Luther King 44, Long Beach Saint Anthony 34: MLK pulled away in the fourth quarter to improve to 12-2, senior guard Chris Lott leading the charge with 22 points and five rebounds.

Senior forward Maurice Jones added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Senior guard Justin Frazier was the only Saint in double-figure scoring (with 11 points).

*Anaheim Canyon 55, L.A. Brentwood 54: Tra Holder missed a runner from the left side at the buzzer and the Comanches held on to improve to 14-2 in the first game of the day.

The Arizona State-bound Holder scored 25 points for the Eagles (10-3) but committed six turnovers.

Four Canyon players scored in double figures, led by senior guard Anthony Ballasteros’ 14 points.

Junior guard Nick Anderson had 10 points and six assists for the Comanches.

Junior Maxwell Kupchak, son of Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak, had 11 points for Brentwood.