Some of SoCal’s best on hand at 4th Tarkanian Classic

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The end of the third week of the high school hoops season found only the most negligible of alteration to the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 15 Southern California team ratings.

A loss to L.A. Washington at the buzzer of a Beverly Hills Tournament semifinal by Orange Lutheran cleared a path for a newcomer into this week’s Top 15.

And Woodland Hills Taft – playing without four “30-day sit-outs” – took full advantage by going 4-0 at Beverly Hills (toppling Washington in the Saturday night finale, 65-45, behind the play of sophomore point guard Kihei Clark, the event’s Most Outstanding Player).

There figures to be some major over-hauling of these ratings next week, though, based upon the results of some tough tournaments, both regionally (the fourth Tarkanian Memorial Classic, which tips Wednesday at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High) and nationally (the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL, Friday-Dec. 23).

The No.’s 6 (Corona Centennial), 7 (Redondo Beach Redondo Union), 8 (Long Beach Poly) and 14 (L.A. Westchester) are part of the 16-team “Platinum” Division at the Tark Classic, which wraps up Saturday night at Bishop Gorman. That division’s championship semifinals will be played Friday evening in the Orleans Hotel.

Programs from Northern California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Florida, Virginia and Texas are also in the 16-team bracket

Chino Hills is part of an 18-team field in Florida that includes multiple “national powers”, most notably Montverde Academy of Florida (which has finished atop back-to-back USA Today Top 25 national rankings).

If both teams win their openers, Lonzo Ball-led Chino Hills would take on Montverde in the second round.

The most notable Southern California-based tournament running this week is the La Habra Sonora-hosted North Orange County Championships.

Games will also be played on the Anaheim Servite and Brea-Olinda high school campuses, with all of Saturday’s final day of action at Sonora.

The Santa Ana Mater Dei Monarchs – who open against the host program Monday night (7:30) – are overwhelming favorites to win the event (from my perspective and many others’, no doubt).

I’m tentatively planning to be at Servite on Monday for Chino Hills Ayala vs. Paramount (3 p.m.), Cerritos Gahr vs. Lakewood (4:30), Brea vs. San Juan Capistrano JSerra (6) and Servite vs. Cerritos Valley Christian (7:30).

Updated Southern California Top 15 teams (Southern, L.A. City and San Diego sections)
(Record plus previous rating)

1. Chino Hills (5-0/#1)

Comment: The Huskies, who haven’t played since knocking off El Cajon Foothills Christian in the “Battle Zone” finale in Corona on Dec. 5, will take their 108.4 points per game average into their game Brooklyn Jefferson (7-0) Friday night in Florida. Jefferson, led by St. John’s-bound guard Shamorie Ponds, is the best team in the greater New York City area. The “over-under” on this tilt should come in at about 200.

2. Torrance Bishop Montgomery (5-0/#2)

Comment: The Knight make their annual trek to San Luis Obispo this week, where they will take on San Ramon Valley Saturday afternoon at 3 o’clock in a first-round game of the 17^th Mission Prep Christmas Classic.

3. Santa Ana Mater Dei (6-0/#3)

Comment: Especially considering that they played without one of only two returning starters (senior guard Brady Stout, out with a not-too-serious leg injury) the Monarchs impressed, especially in the second half, during their Beach Bash championship-game victory over Compton (63-50) Saturday night at Corona del Mar High in Newport Beach.

4. Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (5-1/#4)

Comment: The host Trailblazers handed a potential CIF Southern Section Open team (Mission Hills Alemany) its first loss Saturday in Sierra Canyon’s tournament finale, 76-55. Coach Ty Nichols’ team is in Honolulu for the Iolani tournament that tips Thursday. They could face Lone Peak of Utah and Duke-bound guard Frank Jackson in a Monday night semifinal.

5. El Cajon Foothills Christian (4-1/#5)

Comment: T.J. Leaf & Co. will take on one of best teams in Texas (Katy Cypress Lakes) Friday at 4:30 p.m. (PT) in a game televised by ESPN2.

6. Corona Centennial (4-1/#6)

Comment: The Huskies will play Las Vegas Desert Pines Wednesday evening (5:20) at Bishop Gorman.

7. Redondo Beach Redondo Union (5-0/#7)

Comment: The Seahawks (who won at La Mirada Friday evening) open Tarkanian Classic play Wednesday at 2:40 in the afternoon against one of Northern California’s strongest teams in Sacramento Sheldon.

8. Long Beach Poly (3-1/#8)

Comment: The Jackrabbits, still minus two significant players (guard Drew Buggs and center Myles Johnson, with knee injuries) face defending Colorado state champion Aurora Overland and its 6-9 Indiana-bound center, De’Ron Davis, at Bishop Gorman Wednesday at noon. The Jackrabbits got good news Monday morning when 6-foot-9 Venice High transfer John Duff was cleared for action by the CIF Southern Section office.

9. Fairfax (5-0/#9)

Comment: The Lions join Sierra Canyon in the Iolani Prep Classic and could take on La Porte, IN-based prep school team La Lumiere Academy in a Monday night semifinal – and Sierra Canyon in a potential all-SoCal finale.

10. Encino Crespi (5-1/#10)

Comment: Via a collective 71 points from guards De’Anthony Melton, Brandon Williams and Taj Regans, the Celts beat one of Arizona’s better teams (Gilbert Christian) Saturday, 85-69.

11. San Diego St. Augustine (4-0/#12)

Comment: The Saints are next Orange County for the Santa Margarita Tournament and seem bound to hook up with the host Eagles in the 3 p.m. championship game on Dec. 21.

12. La Verne Damien (6-0/#13)

Comment: The Spartans could face the host program in the championship game of the La Canada Tournament that gets underway on Tuesday. Coach Mike LeDuc’s club opens with Arcadia at 4:30 in the early evening.

13. Rancho Santa Margarita Santa Margarita (4-1/#14)

Comment: A win over St. Augustine in the Dec. 21 Santa Margarita finale would give the Eagles a nice shot of “seedings’ juice” if in the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division Playoffs field in February.

14. Westchester (4-3/#10)

Comment: The Comets, out of action last week after playing in the Pac Shores and Trevor Ariza tournaments the first two weeks, take on one of Utah’s best teams (Bingham) at Bishop Gorman Wednesday night at 6:40.

15. Woodland Hills Taft (7-1/ur)

Comment: The Toreadors have a tough non-league/non-tournament game at Inglewood Tuesday night.

Tapping at the window (alphabetical): Compton 6-2, L.A. Cathedral 3-2, Mission Hills Alemany 7-1, Montebello Cantwell-Sacred Heart 6-2 and Orange Lutheran 7-1.