Loyola, Compton impress at Fairfax High

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LOS ANGELES – The sixth James Samson State Preview Classic was an all-day, eight-game affair at Fairfax High Saturday.

And those that forked out the $10 admission for the whole shindig got a 20-fold return, in basketball entertainment and insight, on their investment.

The event was capped, appropriately enough, by another impressive performance from the most highly ranked club in the event.

Los Angeles Loyola led by just four points at intermission against the Woodland Hills El Camino Real team expected to provide, for the second year in a row, Westchester with his biggest roadblock to an L.A. City title in March.

But the Cubs, led by possible McDonald’s All-Americans in point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright and center Thomas Welsh (the selections will be unveiled on Wednesday), snapped things into overdrive in the final 16 minutes to improve to 18-1 via a 67-48 decision.

Jackson-Cartwright and Welsh scored 19 points apiece to keep the club well on the path to a likely very high seed in the first-ever CIF Southern Section Open Division playoff bracket in a few week.

Atop the list of their immediate priorities, however, are three Mission League tilts this week: at home to Mission Hills Alemany (Monday) and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (and Wednesday) and on the road to face the only team that has beaten them this season, West Hills Chaminade (Friday).

Alemany and Chaminade are also strong candidates to be placed in the Open Division.

Other Open candidates who turned in quite impressive efforts Saturday at the event included Chino Hills (77-62 over L.A. Windward), Gardena Serra (72-54 over the host Lions), Compton (73-55 over Bishop Montgomery in, arguably, the most impressive effort by a team during the event), Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (74-64 over Studio City Harvard-Westlake in the first-ever meeting between the San Fernando-based private schools’ programs) and L.A. Price (defeating one of San Diego County’s better teams, Torrey Pines, 69-53).

In the first two games of the day, Pasadena Maranatha held off San Pedro Rolling Hills Prep, 49-48, and L.A. Brentwood handled Santa Monica, 80-53.

Along with those turned in by Welsh and PJC, some other noteworthy performances were turned in by:

*Chinos Hills’ dynamic sophomore point guard Lonzo Ball, who controlled things from both the perimeter and in the low post – where he lined up frequently to take advantage of his approximate six-inch advantage whenever freshman Jalen Harris or junior Wonder Smith attempted to check him defensively.

The left-handed Harris kept things from getting too far out of hand down the stretch, sizzling in the fourth quarter from the perimeter to finish with 24 points;

*The Big West conference-bound Serra duo of Ron Freeman (Cal State Fullerton) and Tavrion Dawson (Cal State Northridge), who combined for 41 points;

*Just about everyone for Compton, including the high-rise duo of Isaiah Bailey and Iziahiah Sweeney, and quick, physical and forceful left-handed point guard Kyron Cartwright (22 points).

The “X factor” for the Tarbabes (17-4) remains, though, 6-2 left-hander junior Robert Lewis, who had three terrific blocks in the first half and then drilled three consecutive 3s in the third quarter to turn a tight game into a runaway;

*The freshman-sophomore, inside-outside pair of left-handed power forward-deluxe Cody Riley and point guard Devearl Ramsey, who went for 24 points apiece for Sierra Canyon (19-2);

*Juniors James Washington (5-11) and Roderick Williams (6-6), who combined for 32 points for Price in its one-sided decision over Torrey Pines. Sophomore Brandon Cyrus (24 points) did his best to keep things from getting too whacked out of proportion;

*Arizona State-bound guard Tra Holder and much-improved junior Maxwell Kupchak, who scored 24 points apiece for Brentwood;

*Nick Springer and Trey Williams, who scored 14 points each as Maranatha withstood a Rolling Hills prep charge led by the San Diego-based, Gamepoint club program duo of Jackie Davis (18 points) and Jimbo Lull (13).