LAS VEGAS – The Southern California-based programs were 5-zip during Wednesday’s first-round action in the Platinum Division of the Tarkanian Classic at Bishop Gorman High.
Two of those squads got stunning deep-range shooting efforts to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinal action:
*Corona Centennial (7-2) continued its string of “upsets”, knocking off the top-ranked team from Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Neumann Goretti, 68-64, as freshman guard Jared McCain (pictured) buried eight 3s – seven after intermission – while scoring 30 points.
*And San Diego State-bound guard Keith Dinwiddie knocked in seven shots from behind the arc while continuing the sizzling start to his senior season as L.A. Fairfax edged Brooklyn Thomas Jefferson, 88-86, in the last of the Platinum games late Wednesday night.
The Centennial Huskies’ victory means they’ll get a “rematch” with Henderson (NV) Coronado Thursday at 3:10 in the afternoon.
Coronado, which got 33 points, five assists, four blocked shots and four steals from junior Jaden Hardy in its 82-69 win against Bishop O’Dowd Wednesday afternoon, lost to the Huskies at Pasadena City College Saturday, 73-65, during the SoCal-Vegas Showdown.
The Fairfax Lions (8-0) took semester finals Wednesday morning and didn’t get into Las Vegas until about two hours before their tip-off against the team from New York.
They’ll face tournament host and defending Platinum champion Bishop Gorman (5-0) Thursday night at 7:10.
The Gaels got 23 points from junior guard Will McClendon in their 77-66 win against Lehi (UT) Skyridge Wednesday.
The other Platinum “Southern California” victories came Wednesday by way of San Diego St. Augustine, 48-45 over Aurora (CO) Overland; Santa Ana Mater Dei, 72-39 against Oklahoma City Putnam City West; and L.A. Westchester, which edged Marion (AR) in two overtimes, 66-65.
The Westchester Comets (4-3) will play Sacramento Sheldon (5-0) in the last of Thursday’s quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m.
Mater Dei (7-0) and St. Augustine (9-1) hook up at 5:50 Thursday evening.
Sheldon toppled Riverdale (MD) Baptist, 69-63, behind the play of Arizona State-bound forward Marcus Bagley.
In three other games of note played on the Bishop Gorman campus Wednesday:
*Chatsworth Sierra Canyon improved to 9-0 with its 76-55 “showcase” victory over a tough Orlando Oakridge squad.
Sierra Canyon got six points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots from rapidly improving, 7-foot-3 junior Harold Yu and double-figure scoring from players, including 13 by reserve freshman guard Bronny James.
*Sophomore guard Milos Uzan scored 17 of his game-high 24 points after intermission of Las Vegas Desert Pine’s 64-52 victory over Lakewood Mayfair in a first-round game of “The 8” division.
Mayfair got 18 points from senior Josh Christopher and 17 from sophomore Dior Johnson.
*And UCLA-bound point guard Daishen Nix led Las Vegas Trinity International past Compass Prep of Arizona, 73-65, in the title game of the eight-team bracket of the Pangos Prep School Division.
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