RANCHO MIRAGE, Ca. – An Open Division championship semifinal of the 13thMaxPreps Holiday Classic will be the setting for a rematch between two of the better teams in the west.
On Dec. 17, in the championship quarterfinals of the Tarkanian Classic, the host Las Vegas Bishop Gorman Gaels trimmed defending champion Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo, 63-58, behind a combined 36 points from juniors Charles O’Bannon Jr. (22) and Christian Popoola Jr. (14).
The teams’ respective second-round MaxPreps victories over Concord (CA) De La Salle and Bentonville (AK) Monday night created the setting for a Tuesday night (8:30) “re-do” of that clash, 12 nights later, in the Rancho Mirage High main gymnasium.
In the first MaxPreps Open championship semifinal, scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m., Chino Hills (CA) will attempt to use its pressing, trapping and quick – very quick and very deep – shooting attack to improve to 12-0 when the Huskies face two-time Georgia state-champion and 9-2 Jonesboro.
In “Nike Division” championship semifinals at Rancho Mirage Tuesday, Southern California programs from Santa Monica and Etiwanda play at 4 o’clock while Desert Pines of Las Vegas and Mercer Island of Washington follow at 5:30, also in the main (big) gym.
Earlier on the same floor in the “Ford Dealers’ Division” championship semifinals, La Verne (CA) Damien takes on Tucson Catalina Foothill at 1 in the afternoon, followed by a 2:30 clash between teams based in Orange County (CA) in Huntington Beach Edison and Villa Park.
A rundown on what transpired during the Open Division quarterfinals on Monday:
*Chino Hills (CA) 125, Milwaukee Rufus King 99: The question of whether the Generals were going to suffer their first loss of the season in eight games didn’t last nearly as long as did the speculation on whether both teams would puncture the century mark in scoring in what was a figurative orgy of long jumpers and transition layups.
And that wasn’t settled until 7.3 seconds remained when a Rufus King reserve missed both ends of a two-shot free-throw opportunity. A one-game combined scoring record for the event had long been established, though.
There were some rumbling and murmuring, in the packed-to-the brim bleachers and on media row Saturday night when Chino Hills Coach Steve Baik kept brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball on the floor until the final buzzer of an eventual 97-58 shellacking of Seattle Prep (the third Ball Brother, 14-year-old freshman LaMelo, had gone to the bench several minutes earlier).
But all of the Huskies’ starters were on the bench with 3:37 remaining Monday night. The Generals won that “mini-game”, 8-zip.
Some 28 minutes-plus was more than enough window of opportunity for the Huskies to surpass 100 points for the fifth time this season. They’ve clipped at least 91 points four other times.
The oldest Ball Brother (Lonzo) threatened a “quadruple double” – as he seemingly does every game – with 26 points (on 11 of 16 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line), 15 assists, eight rebounds and seven steals. There were also six turnovers and three blocked shots – and a whistle signaling his third personal foul with about two minutes to go in the second quarter yet he never went to bench nor got foul No. 4 before being subbed at the 3:37 mark of the final quarter.
The youngest Ball Brother had 18 of his 30 points in the third quarter – nailing his first five attempts from well beyond the arc in the quarter and adding a sixth in the final minute.
And the “middle” Ball Brother muscled his way to 28 points and 12 rebounds.
The other starters, junior Elizjah Scott (16 points on 7-of-7 from the field) and 6-9 freshman Onyeka Okongwu (13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks), also contributed their fair share of “wow” plays, while the only sub to play until the very end, sophomore Cameron Shelton, added eight points on high-degree-of-difficulty layups.
Junior guard Jordan Poole (who is committed to sign with the University of Michigan next November) led the Generals with 30 points while hitting seven 3s from pretty much “Ball Brothers” range.
*Jonesboro 59, Mission Hills (CA) Alemany 56: The Cardinals (9-2 after losing their first two games) trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half and were up 16 at intermission.
But the M.J. Walker-led squad had to withstand quite the sustained and furious comeback of the Warriors before hanging out to earn its shot at Chino Hills.
And the primary reason they will be playing at 7 o’clock Tuesday night was the play of the 6-5, 220-pound Walker, who seemingly answered every big bucket (including a lot of 3s) by Alemany with baskets of his own, including a spectacular drive and finish with 2:41 to go and a pull-up jumper from 18 feet with 1:21 remaining to get his team’s lead back to six points.
He added a couple of insurance free throws with 23 seconds (that his’ uniform number; kind of cool) remaining while finishing with 26 points and nine rebounds.
Senior guard Eric Lovett added 15 points (including a critical reverse layup with 1:39 remaining after Alemany had cut its deficit to two points) for the Cardinals.
Both of those players will have to come through in huge fashion if their team is going to knock off Chino Hills.
And, based upon what I saw of Coach Daniel Maehlman’s team over the first two days, the Cardinals seem likely to attack Chino Hills’ gambling defense with more patience – and, perhaps, execution – than did a Rufus King team Monday night that seemingly welcomed trading quick shots with a team that feasts in that tempo.
Senior guard Shacquille Dawkins (21 points, including five 3s) and junior wing Earnie Sears III (12 points and seemingly as many “spectacular plays” at both ends of the floor as points) played well again for the Warriors.
*Las Vegas Bishop Gorman 71, Concord (CA) De La Salle 59: The Spartans took a 7-0 record into the game as possibly the best team from Northern California.
And De La Salle looked every bit of that while building a five-point advantage in the third quarter behind the jump shooting of senior guards Jordan Ratinho and Nikhil Peters and the bruising post play off junior Emeka Udenyi, listed at 6-6 (seems about right) and 230 (seems about 20 pounds short).
But center Zach Collins (14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots) did much to negate the Spartans’ back-cutting offensive action.
And three juniors – O’Bannon, Popoola and Ryan Kiley – all hit big buckets to spark the comeback and fourth-quarter that saw the Gaels outscore De La Salle, 23-10.
Popoola had a team-high 19 points and made solid ball-handling, shooting and passing decisions down the stretch.
Kiley’s role was expanded significantly due to the injuries of forwards Byron Frohnen and Chase Nomaaea and he made the most of it, hitting a couple of huge 3-pointers in the third quarter.
*Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo Union 83, Bentonville (AR) 56: The Tigers, led by Kentucky-bound Malik Monk, were the No. 2 seed going into the event behind Chino Hills.
But it didn’t take the Seahawks (9-2) long to make a mockery of that projection while immediately swamping Monk and his teammates with their all-court defensive pressure and ability to drive or jump shoot effectively from every position.
And while Monk came into the contest hyped as, perhaps, one of the five-best players in the national Class of 2016, it was a Redondo senior with as of yet no significant scholarship “offer” that dominated the first half.
Six-two Leland Green drew the primary defensive responsibility against Monk (although the Seahawks trapped him at every opportunity with doubles) and the soon-to-be McDonald’s All-American hit just two of six shots from the floor in the first half with three turnovers.
But Green slashed and jump-shot his way to 28 points (hitting 10 of 14 shots, including a couple of 3s) as Redondo was in front, 38-25, at intermission.
And, once the third quarter began, it was another unsigned and vastly underrated (regionally and nationally) senior guard, 6-3 Morgan Means, who took over for Coach Reggie Morris Jr.’s squad with 13 points as any and all doubt about the outcome had been decided as the fourth quarter began with Redondo up, 68-42.
Junior Ryse Williams (with five jumpers, two of those 3s) and senior Cameron Williams added 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the Seahawks with Green finishing with a career-high 32 points (and four steals) and Means with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Monk scored 10 points in the third quarter and finished with 18 points on six of 16 shooting from the field and five of his team’s 23 turnovers.
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