NORWALK – Rancho Christian High has the only California-based boys’ basketball program to knock off two-time State Open Division-champion Sierra Canyon in nearly two years.
And the current edition of Coach Ray Barefield’s Eagles had one final tune-up Saturday night before starting on the road to dethrone Trailblazers when the Southern Section Open playoffs begin Friday night.
McDonald’s All-American Evan Mobley went for 19 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to help the Eagles (No. 3 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25) knock off No. 12 Ribet Academy, 75-56, in the last of the four games played at Cerritos College during the second SoCal Finale.
It was a bit tougher path to victory No. 21 (against five losses) for the Barefield crew, though, which led just 50-45 a minute into the fourth quarter.
Another college-bound senior, guard Dominick Harris (headed for Gonzaga), added 17 points for Rancho Christian.
Sophomore guard Barrington Hargress led the Frogs (21-3) – expected to be the top seed in the Southern Section 2A playoff field when the pairings are announced Sunday – with 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
A new classmate, Tre White, also scored 15 points in his Ribet Academy debut. He’s a recent move-in from the Dallas area (where he was rated one of the elite 2022 prospects in Texas) who wasn’t cleared for eligibility by the Southern Section administration until earlier Saturday.
In the other games played Saturday, Oakland Bishop O’Dowd pulled away in the fourth quarter to knock off No. 20 Renaissance Academy (61-48); Colony toppled illness-depleted Hesperia (61-45) and No. 10 Santa Clarita Christian spotted San Gabriel Academy an 8-zip advantage before prevailing, 63-52.
Six-foot-five junior Marsalis Roberson (pictured) was mostly un-guardable for Bishop O’Dowd (17-7 with a 12th win in a row) while en route to a 23-point, 5-assist and 4-steal performance and 6-8 sophomore Koat Keat had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Wildcats (19-9).
Colony (19-8), which has been moved to the Southern Section’s Division I for the playoffs after winning a 2A title last season, got 20 points, 11 rebounds and four steals from junior forward Denim Dawson and 12 points and seven assists from his classmate, guard Brenton Knapper (who has already committed to Santa Clara).
Santa Clarita Christian (18-5), expected to be the top seed in a loaded Southern Section 2AA playoff bracket Sunday, got at least seven points six players Saturday night to overcome the 22 points and eight rebounds from SGA’s 6-10 Boubacar Coulibaly.
A pair of 6-4 left-handers, Ty Harper and Josh O’Garro, combined for 29 points, seven rebounds and five steals for SCC.
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