REDONDO BEACH – The capper of Friday’s play in the Take Flight Challenge at Redondo Union High featured a dazzling individual performance to help get the 2020 portion of the season off to a rousing start.
With the announcement of the McDonald’s All-American team a little less than three weeks away, Josh Christopher’s on-court effort in Mayfair’s 73-65 win over Bishop Montgomery was compelling evidence as to why he should be one of the 24 players on the squad.
The 6-foot-4 Christopher spent nearly every moment with the ball in his hands going downhill – and, in modern hoops vernacular, that’s a heck of a good thing – at any and all Knights’ defenders who dared tried to cut off his path to the lane and rim while going for 44 points.
Sixteen of those (including eight of nine free throws) came in a fourth quarter that began with his Monsoons trailing by a point.
Among his 14 field goals (in 26 attempts; he was 12 of 14 on free throws) were four 3s and as many spectacular dunks.
He also tossed 14 rebounds, a couple of blocked shots and six steals – five of those in the final quarter – into the shopping cart before his team (8-8) checked out with the victory.
Christopher (pictured) had just two assists – in large part because only one teammate, sophomore guard Dior Johnson (normally a starter and easily the team’s second-best player, he didn’t check into the game until the start of the second quarter), scored until there were only 38 seconds to go.
The 6-1 Johnson missed nine of his final 12 shots (after making six of his first seven in the second quarter) but still went for 27 points.
The only points not from the firm of Christopher & Johnson came via a dunk from sophomore Manny Duany by way of a pass from Johnson for the game’s final bucket.
The numbers:
Christopher & Johnson, a collective 71 points on 23 of 45 from the field and 19 of 23 free throws;
Everyone else in a Mayfair uniform, a collective two points on one of six from the field.
Not something you encounter often, is it?
Of course, neither is the Friday night production of Christopher – who won’t have to travel far (near-by Bishop Montgomery High) for a 6 o’clock, Saturday night meeting with Long Beach Poly in the Real Run Winter Classic.
Oregon State-bound forward Isaiah Johnson led Bishop Montgomery (13-5) with 28 points.
The Knights face No. 13-ranked (in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25) Heritage Christian in the RRWC at 7:30 Saturday.
The Take Flight Challenge’s eight-game Saturday schedule begins with the 10 a.m. clash between Los Altos and the host Sea Hawks and wraps with the 9 p.m. Culver City-Washington Prep game.
In the other three TFC games Friday:
*No. 15 St. Bernard (13-3) lost all but three points off a double-figure lead that existed for much of the game but first junior Peyton Watson (from the top of the key) and then his sophomore sibling Christian Watson (from the right corner) couldn’t knock down potential overtime-inducing 3-point attempts for Long Beach Poly before time expired and the Vikings bagged the 53-50 victory.
Juniors Reese Dixon-Waters (all-tournament during the Classic at Damien) and Damion McDowell – transfers from Dorsey – scored 13 points apiece for St. Bernard with McDowell also grabbing 10 rebounds.
Peyton Watson went for 19 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and five steals for the Jackrabbits (6-8, which includes a win over Jordan in their only Moore League game).
*Phoenix Shadow Mountain (9-2) got 24 points from senior Shemar Morrow (who attended, and played for, La Mirada as a freshman) and 16 more from teammate Davon Cobbs as it held off host Redondo, 66-62. Senior Xan Wesley led the Sea Hawks (8-7) with 28 points.
*Brentwood School (10-7) got 19 points from sophomore Christian Moore and 13 from junior Thomas Oosterbrock in an eased-up, 80-51 toppling of Maranatha (8-10).
Six-eleven Christian Oliver led the Minutemen with 16 points.
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