LA VERNE, Ca. – The fourth annual The Classic at Damien wraps with what should be a spectacular Monday of high school basketball that has rarely been equaled anywhere.
The finale – tonight’s 8:30 Platinum Division championship clash between two-time defending California Open Division champion Sierra Canyon (14-0 and No. 6, nationally) and Evan Mobley-led Rancho Christian (13-2) – will be played in front of a Damien Athletic Center crowd that figures to reach SRO (2,500-plus) status by late in the afternoon.
Those planning to attend any of the on-campus games and staying thru the finale not already in possession of pre-sale tickets are advised to arrive as early as possible as the remaining pool of $15 general admission tickets figures to go quickly as the Sierra Canyon-Rancho Christian tip-off approaches.
Championship games in the Gold (L.A. Washington Prep vs. Santa Clarita Christian/5:30, Athletic Center), Silver (La Canada St. Francis vs. Honolulu Maryknoll/4 p.m., Athletic Center), Bronze (West Torrance vs. Indio Shadow Hills/8 p.m., Event Center) and Green (Moorpark vs. St. Pius X-St. Matthias/6:30 p.m., Event Center) will also be held on campus Monday.
Sierra Canyon (57-53) and Rancho Christian (70-58), had to knock off the L.A. Times’ No.’s 4 and 6 teams, Etiwanda and St. John Bosco, respectively, to earn the spot in the 8:30 p.m. Platinum clash.
Etiwanda (11-2) and St. John Bosco (10-3) play in the division’s third-place game at 7 o’clock in the Athletic Center.
Sierra Canyon (via 6-foot-8 senior Ziaire Williams, by way of Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks), Etiwanda (6-4 senior Jaylen Clark from Corona Centennial) and St. John Bosco (6-7 sophomore Randi Ovalle from San Gabriel Academy) gain significant additions Monday by way of transfers whose CIF-imposed “sit-out periods” (half the regular season) ended Sunday.
Williams, who is being recruited by the likes of USC, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon and North Carolina, is a consensus Top 10 prospect in the national Class of 2020.
Ten other members of the L.A. Times updated weekly Top 25 are also in action on in the tournament Monday, including during the Gold final between No. 8 Santa Clarita Christian (10-3) and No. 24 Washington Prep (9-8).
Others are:
No.’s 12 Fairfax (12-2) No. 13 Ribet Academy (10-1), which for the Platinum Consolation title (Athletic Center/1 p.m.);
No. 9 Heritage Christian (13-2), which plays Valencia in a Gold Division fifth-place game at near-by Ramona Middle School at 2 in the afternoon;
No. 10 Windward (12-3), which takes on Northern California power Richmond Salesian for fifth place in the Platinum at 5 o’clock in the Event Center;
No. 14 St. Bernard (12-2) faces other of the north’s best programs, Dublin, in the Athletic Center at 2:30 for 11th in the Platinum Division;
No.’s 19 Birmingham (9-3) and 23 Damien (11-4) hook up in the Platinum 7th-place clash at 11:30 a.m. in the Athletic Center;
And No. 20 Chaminade (13-3) and once-beaten (by Washington Prep Saturday) play for third in the Gold Division at 2 p.m. in the Event Center.
For the complete Monday schedule, go to www.theclassicatdamien.com
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