RANCHO MIRAGE, Ca. – A couple of Southern California-based programs that could be on the path toward a meeting in late February or March will accelerate the process Wednesday night.
The Chino Hills Huskies and Redondo Union Seahawks have been in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section’s 16-team Open Division playoff field the past two years and will no doubt make it 3-for-3 in mid-February.
But they’ll get and up-close-and-personal look at one another Wednesday night, when they hook up at Rancho Mirage High for the championship game of the Open Division in the 13th MaxPreps Holiday Classic.
The Huskies, at No. 1 in MaxPreps National Top 25, improved to 12-0 Tuesday night with their 124-93 victory over a two-time Georgia state championship program from Jonesboro.
And, in Tuesday’s second semifinal, Redondo Union went to 10-2 after beating one of the teams that has knocked them off this season, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, 77-69.
In the other two championship games played at Rancho Mirage (in its main gym; it also has an auxiliary gym) on Wednesday, La Verne (CA) Damien faces Villa Park (CA) at 4:10 for the Ford Dealers’ title while Santa Monica plays Mercer Island of Washington at 5:50.
Games in both gyms are scheduled from 9:30 on Wednesday morning and will be capped with the Redondo-Chino Hills clash.
Chino Hills figured to be facing its toughest test yet of the event Tuesday night after swamping Seattle Prep (97-58) on Saturday night and Milwaukee Rufus King (125-99) Monday.
And that was definitely the case early Tuesday night, as Jonesboro, with senior guard Eric Lovett hitting five 3s and 6-foot-5 M.J. Walker – one of very best juniors in the country – making spectacular finishes and passes, led by as many as five points in the first quarter.
But the Huskies, with junior LiAngelo Ball powering his way to 11 points and junior Elizjah Scott and freshman Onyeka Okongwu crashing the glass at both ends of the floor, was in front, 28-26, at the end of a quarter in front of the standing-room-only crowd.
It was in the second quarter – even with it ending with Chino Hills on top, 59-49 – in which things got more than a tad precarious for the Huskies of Coach Steve Baik.
Point guard Lonzo Ball was whistled for two offensive fouls in the first quarter – and didn’t go to the bench, as is usually the “traditional” strategy of basketball coaches everywhere.
But one thing that everyone familiar with the program and the Ball Brothers (including freshman LaMelo) is that there is nothing “traditional” about their approach to basketball.
So Lonzo was still on the floor in the second quarter, which he was he was able to be called for third (with about five minutes to go) and, yes, fourth offensive fouls (with about two minutes remaining) in the quarter.
Baik did bring Lonzo to the bench for those final two minutes of the half.
But he was back on the floor to start the third quarter – and didn’t go to the bench again until Baik pulled all of his starters for good with 1:48 remaining.
Lonzo – the Most Outstanding Player in the Corona “Battle Zone” and Ft. Myers (FL) City of Palms tournaments – finished with 23 points, 17 assists, 11 rebounds and three steals despite all of that time in “foul trouble” (or what passes for it in this program).
LiAngelo scored 41 points on a mixture of post-up layups or turn-around jumpers and oh-so-deep jumpers (four 3s).
LaMelo, the 14-year-old, added 13 points while Scott had 18 points and 10 rebounds with Okongwu (10) and the only reserve who plays when it counts – sophomore Cameron Shelton (13) also scoring in double figures.
Lovett cooled off in the second half to finish with 21 points while the always spectacular-and-efficient Walker had 30.
Redondo seemed well on the way to using its overall quickness advantage and some terrific jump shooting to run away from the Bishop Gorman Gaels in the second semifinal.
Junior Ryse Williams (who finished with 25 points, including six 3s) and senior Morgan Means (24) split six 3-pointers for the Seahawks in a first half that ended with them in front, 43-30.
And, with its defensive pressure leading to multiple Bishop Gorman turnovers (it finished with 19), Redondo built its advantage to 22 points late in the third quarter.
But junior Christian Popoola Jr. hit consecutive 3s and the Gaels closed the quarter on an 8-zip run.
And that’s when another junior, Charles O’Bannon Jr., went from “hot” to “sizzling” with his jump shot and the Seahawks missed multiple ill-advised jumpers and started turning it over against the Gaels, who extended their defensive pressure to full court.
O’Bannon, who finished with 34 points, hit his third 3-pointer of the quarter with two minutes to go to get the Gaels to within 70-67.
One of the ill-advised jumpers by Redondo gave O’Bannon the ball again with the opportunity to tie the score.
But when O’Bannon attempted a spin dribble to launch a 3 from the right wing, Means ripped the ball from his hands and was almost immediately fouled.
Means – along with teammate Leland Green, one of the two best unsigned 2016 guards in the west – hit just one of two free throws with 1:28 to pad the advantage to four points.
The 6-3 Means then knocked a pass off O’Bannon’s hands in front of the Gorman bench and reserve center Wesley Gilbert, after being fouled, hit one of two free throws.
Gilbert then had a spectacular block on Popoola and later hit three of four more free-throw attempts and Means clicked on both of his.
And with that, the Open Division championship matchup was officially set.
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