LAS VEGAS – The Platinum Championship trophy made have made the trip back to Corona in multiple shards of glass.
But that was the only example of slippage – courtesy the trophy presentation after knocking off host Bishop Gorman, 71-55, Saturday evening – for Coach Josh Giles’ Centennial squad after four days of nothing short of superb play during the eighth annual Tarkanian Classic.
The Huskies (10-2) handed three nationally ranked squads their first losses this week – Philadelphia Neumann Goretti Wednesday afternoon (followed Thursday afternoon by a 35-point victory against, Durango, which it beat in Pasadena on Dec. 14); Mater Dei Friday at the Orleans Hotel Arena and, finally, the defending champion Gaels.
No Southern California coach has gotten more out of his squad in the “pre-Christmas” portion of its schedule than has Giles, who lost three would-have-seniors to transfer in the summer.
And no Southern California senior has been better, pre-Christmas “break”, than was guard Paris Dawson, whose 27-point, championship-game performance all but engraved his division Most Outstanding Player plaque.
No chance that thing was breaking before it got home. He was clutching too tightly and, besides: it was made of wood.
With D.J. Davis (Riverside Poly), Jaylen Clark (Etiwanda) and Dennis Cash (Las Vegas Trinity) having moved on, it was Dawson (pictured) – as well as another “veteran”, 6-foot-6 Mason Machado – who was left to form the foundation what was suddenly a much younger 2019-20 squad than Giles had anticipated last spring.
So far, oh-so-very-good.
Another senior, 6-2 “forward” Freddie Dyballa, was outstanding all week (he was all-tourney) as were multiple members of the Huskies’ sophomore and freshman classes.
One would have thought, after opening the season with a win on the home court of JSerra (led by Utah-bound Ian Martinez) and then an even bigger stunner against Evan Mobley and Rancho Christian, there would be little this group could do to surprise Giles.
“But they even surprised me with what they were able to do here this week,” conceded Giles.
“We were able to ‘steal’ one, a little bit, against Goretti (when the Huskies trailed by five points late before prevailing, 68-64), and then the guys really played well the rest of the way.”
Joining Dawson and Dyballa on the all-tournament was one of Giles’ freshmen, the fearless and-oh-so-sharp-shooting Jared McCain, whose eight 3s on Wednesday were a significant reason the Huskies moved to the right (championship) side of the bracket.
In the third-place game, Sacramento Sheldon knocked off Mater Dei in double overtime, 70-62, despite losing Arizona State-bound forward Marcus Bagley (who had a game-high 23 points and rallied his team from a 13-point, first-half deficit) early in the second OT with an injured left ankle.
For complete tournament results, go to www.TarkanianClassic.com
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