LAS VEGAS –The fifth Tarkanian Classic almost produced a “first” on Friday’s first day of the event’s high school play:
Southern California’s Chino Hills High Huskies were oh-so-close to suffering their first loss since March 27 of 2015 – nearly 21 months – before pulling off a furious rally to knock off Las Vegas Clark, 91-87, in a Platinum (top) Division game at Bishop Gorman High.
How close was “oh-so-close”?
The Huskies, who last lost (in double overtime) when they fell to Danville San Ramon Valley in the 2015 State Division I championship contest in Berkeley, trailed by nine points late in the first half and by 10 a few times deep into the second half.
That 42-game winning streak – which began with a Lonzo Ball-led 131-42 beat down of San Bernardino during the BattleZone Tournament at Centennial High in Corona on Nov. 27 of 2015, extended to 35 with the State Open Division decision against Concord De La Salle last March in Sacramento and included a 7-zip start to this season – couldn’t have been more precarious with 5:42 remaining.
The Huskies trailed by 10 points, the Chargers were dropping in layups and jump shots – many uncontested after slicing through the Chino Hills defense – and senior Eli Scott and sophomores Melo Ball and Onyeka Okongwu were saddled with four personal fouls apiece.
But then the Huskies stunned the Chargers – and the crowd – with a 16-0 run over the next three minutes and 10 seconds.
The points (sandwiched around three Clark turnovers and a couple of blocked shots) came via a Gelo Ball layup, two Okongwu free throws, a Scott layup, consecutive Gelo Ball 3s, a Scott layup and a Okongwu dunk with 2:32 remaining.
Melo Ball, the Huskies’ point guard, was whistled for his fifth and disqualifying foul on a rebounding tussle with 3:34 to go.
What could have spelled calamity worked out OK, though, as 5-foot-10 sophomore Phaquan Davis, gave the team a huge lift via – of all things – his offensive rebounding.
He grabbed at least four of them down the stretch and the Huskies were able to capitalize on those extra opportunities, often after Davis passes, as well.
After Scott hit two free throws to push the Huskies’ advantage to six points (90-84), the Huskies took another big hit when Okongwu – after what appeared to be a clean swat – joined his fellow sophomore on the bench with his disqualifying foul with 1:54 remaining.
Down three points with 1:16 remaining, the Chargers had a chance to get to within a point but sophomore center Antwon Jackson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity.
But the Huskies answered in kind with Davis couldn’t click on the top of his 1-and-1 try with 56 seconds to go.
Then – if you can envision it – things got even more chaotic.
Sophomore Sedric Hammond missed on a contested attempt for Clark with 50 seconds remaining but the Huskies turned it over and another sophomore for the Chargers, Ian Alexander, had another 1-and-1 scenario 16 seconds later but he, too, missed the first attempt.
Trey Woodbury charged a rebound away from the Huskies and missed a couple of in-tight attempts before Gelo Ball came up with a loose ball and was fouled with 11 seconds remaining.
He converted on the back end of his two-shot opportunity – giving him what proved to be a day-high 40 points – and that, finally, was that.
The Huskies of first-head Head Coach Stephan Gilling figure to face an even tougher obstacle in pursuit of win No. 44 in a row on Saturday when they play Northern California powerhouse Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland in a quarterfinal at 3:40 p.m.
In other Platinum quarterfinals on Saturday, Eastvale (CA) Roosevelt takes on Santa Monica (CA) Crossroads – led by 6-8 junior Sharrief O’Neal, son of the former NBA great center – at 2 o’clock, with Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei faces Richmond (CA) Salesian at 5 and the host Bishop Gorman Gaels hooking up with L.A. Westchester at 9:20.
In a “showcase” game (neither team is playing in any of the five divisions being contested in the event, which wraps up Tuesday night), Chatsworth Sierra Canyon and Las Vegas Centennial hook up at 7:40 in another hook up between teams from Southern California and Las Vegas.
Sierra Canyon, which lost to Chino Hills in last March’s CIF Southern Section Open Division championship game in Anaheim’s Honda Center, beat top-ranked Oak Hill Academy of Virginia Thursday night in New Castle, IN.
In the seven other Platinum games played Friday:
*Roosevelt 66, Highlands Ranch (CO) Valor Christian 55: University of California (the Berkeley chapter)-bound guard Jemarl Baker scored 24 points (half of those via four shots from behind the arc) and Cal State Fullerton signee Matt Mitchell chipped in with 14 as the Mustangs were never seriously challenged.
*Bishop O’Dowd 62, Putnam City (OK) West 57: The Dragons led by 16 points at intermission before the team from Oklahoma – via six 3s from sophomore Shelby Sampleton – tied the score in the late going.
But Dragons the went on a 7-zip run – via two Elijah Hardy free throws, a B.J. Shaw 3 and a dunk by sophomore Raymond Hawkins set up by a nifty lob pass from Nassem Gaskin 1:55 to go – to secure the game.
*Mater Dei 84, Las Vegas Desert Pines 61: Junior point guard Spencer Freedman was about as impressive as any player in the event Friday as he scored 26 points (with eight 3s) and eight assists to help the Monarchs improve to 9-0.
*Richmond Salesian 36, South Jordan (UT) Bingham 32: Call this the “anti-Chino Hills-kind-of-game as the team from Northern California earned its shot at Mater Dei. Junior point guard James Akinjo led the way with nine points.
*Bishop Gorman 76, Denver East 40: In a game every bit as one-sided as the score tells us it was, senior Charles O’Bannon Jr. and junior Jamal Bey scored 14 points for the Gaels.
*Westchester 65, Windermere (FL) 43: Seniors Luis Rodriguez and Chris Simmons scored 18 and 14 points, respectively, for the Comets.
*Crossroads 42, San Diego Cathedral Catholic 29: Sharrief O’Neal had 15 points for Crossroads as did 7-foot senior Brandon McCoy for the losers.
In the Orleans Division:
*Studio City (CA) Harvard-Westlake 69, Plano (TX) Prestonwood Christian 60: In a game that showcased the talents of two of the best sophomores in the country and one of the elite ninth-graders in the west, the Wolverines pulled away in the closing minutes to advance to a Saturday night second-round game vs. Sacramento Sheldon (an 82-73 winner over defending division champion New York Redemption Christian), 9 o’clock at Gorman.
Six-five Cassius Stanley made multiple significant plays down the stretch (scoring, rebounding and playmaking) en route to a 25-point performance to help his team overcame the sizzling jump shooting of Prestonwood Christian’s Justin Webster, whose six 3-pointers – his release is so quick and tight – propelled a 31-point effort.
The aforementioned freshman, 6-6 Johnny Juzang, added 15 points for the Wolverines.
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