LAS VEGAS – Sixteen teams earned “trips” Thursday to the Orleans Hotel Arena for Friday semifinals in four divisions of the Tarkanian Classic.
And I use the term “trips” quite loosely, because the Orleans is where the players, coaches and family of the bulk of the teams in the Grant Rice/Dinos Trigonis-fronted event are staying this week, with Bishop Gorman serving as the “host school” and primary games’ site.
The Platinum (in this case, like most hoops’ tournaments, meaning best) Division provide the most compelling of the semifinals, with a Southern California Showdown of sorts in the Corona Centennial-Santa Ana Mater Dei clash at 4 o’clock and the host Gaels – the event’s defending champions – facing Northern California powerhouse Sacramento Sheldon at 5:30.
For those not in Las Vegas this week, all games of the Tarkanian Classic are live-streamed and archived on BallerTV.
Games tip in the Arena Friday morning at 10 o’clock, in the East Bay Division, with Provo (UT) Timpview taking on Honolulu Punahou, followed at 11:30 by Fort Lauderdale against Farmington (UT).
The Orleans Division semifinals, at 1 p.m. and 2:30, with Miramar (FL) vs. Aurora (CO) Grandview and Las Vegas Durango vs. Jacksonville North Florida Institute, respectively.
After the Platinum games, The Eight Division wraps up things at 7 and 8:30.
Sacramento Capital Christian takes on Las Vegas Desert Pines followed by Liberty (Patriots’ campus is in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson) and Orlando Oakridge at 8:30.
In Thursday’s Platinum quarterfinals:
*Coach Josh Giles’ Centennial Huskies (8-2) continued their “surprising” – relative to the program having lost three starters to transfer over the spring and summer – early-season success, toppling Jaden Hardy-led Henderson (NV) Coronado, 83-48.
The Huskies’ win over Coronado on Saturday at Pasadena City College was considered, at the time, an “upset”. That description can now be safely shelved.
The senior-freshman backcourt duo of Paris Dawson and Jared McCain scored 17 and 13 points, respectively, for the Huskies.
Their only losses have come to unbeatens Sheldon (in a seminal of the Battle Zone Tournament they host) and Studio City (CA) Harvard-Westlake.
Giles’ club’s CIF Southern Section Open Division “resume” is being built in impression fashion by way of the wins over Coronado; a season-opening road decision against Ian Martinez-led San Juan Capistrano JSerra as well as Wednesday’s Tarkanian Classic come-from-behind victory over Philadelphia Neumann Goretti and its’ Dec. 7 Battle Zone third-place decision over Evan Mobley-led Temecula Rancho Christian.
*Mater Dei zipped to a 25-point lead at intermission against San Diego St. Augustine but the Monarchs (8-0) got a bit wobbly over the final 16 minutes before Coach Gary McKnight’s crew hung on, 65-59.
FYI: Mater Dei knocked off Centennial last season in sectional and state Open Division meetings.
University of Kentucky-bound guard Devin Askew (pictured) scored 27 points for the Monarchs, who also got 14 from Aidan Prukop.
* L.A. Fairfax chopped its one-time 20-point deficit to five points about three minutes into the second half before the Bishop Gorman Gaels re-grouped and pulled away, 90-71, to take a 6-0 record into the Orleans Arena.
Coach Grant Rice’s starters scored all but two of the Gaels’ points, senior Braden Lamar and junior Will McClendon collecting 22 and 21 points, respectively.
But, as is pretty much the case over the past two seasons, junior point guard Zaon Collins was easily the most impactful player on the floor the Gaels.
Rice’s team beat Sheldon in the 2019 Platinum semifinal.
*And Sheldon improved to 6-0, falling behind midway through the second half (at 31-29, following a T.J. Wainwright 3) before overpowering L.A. Westchester down the stretch for the 48-37 decision.
And – this is not so much a spoiler alert after what he’s been doing so far this season – Arizona State-bound forward Marcus Bagley was the impetus for Joey Rollings’ team with a 35-point effort.
He was 12 of 15 from the floor (with six 3s) and hit all five of his free throws. No one that I’ve seen so far this season has played better than he has.
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