LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Drum roll, please . . .
The BurlisonOnBasketball “21 for 2021” Team of the Week goes to . . . Coach Josh Giles’ Corona Centennial High Crew.
The Huskies beat down four foes, including 21 for 2021-ranked Long Beach Poly and Roosevelt, by an average margin of 44 points to improve to 10-1.
Their only loss came on the home court of San Diego’s top team, 16 and Zip Torrey Pines, on April 9.
Junior guard Donovan Dent (pictured/he missed much of the game at Torrey Pines with an injury) scored a game-high 25 points in the fourth of those wins last week, Saturday against Poly in Corona.
There are two whopper league showdowns this week and both will be televised by KDOC.
Wednesday night in Santa Ana, unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Mater Dei plays host to a Trinity League foe in once-beaten and No. 6 St. John Bosco.
And, in somewhat the same scenario Friday night in the Inland Empire, No. 4 and unbeaten Etiwanda is the host to No. 5 and once-beaten Damien in the Baseline League.
Reasonable expectation can be held that those four teams could make up half of the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division field that is expected to be announced on May 21.
The updated ratings . . .
21 for 2021
- Sierra Canyon (5-0/Southern Section D1)
Comment: The Amari Bailey-led Trailblazers reacted quite well Saturday afternoon against then-unbeaten St. Joseph in their first truly competitive challenge of the season. They visit No. 10 Windward Tuesday night but the hosts could be without junior standouts Kijani Wright and Dylan Andrews (health reasons).
- Ribet Academy (1-0/SS D1)
Comment: Finally opened season with 81-56 home victory Saturday night, despite suiting up just six healthy players. According to Coach Pookey Wigington, sophomore guard Mike Price (a transfer from Crespi) is expected to be cleared, eligibility-wise, to play this week. The Fighting Frogs are in Gardena to play a quality Serra team Saturday.
- Mater Dei (15-0/SS D1)
Comment: Half-court defense and the “Big Three” carried Monarchs nicely in home win against Santa Margarita Friday night. Trinity Test II is also at home Wednesday night.
- Etiwanda (4-0)/SS D1)
Comment: Eagles Coach Dave Kleckner used the second half of last week’s Baseline League games (vs. Chino Hills and Rancho Cucamonga) to give his “depth” at lot of on-court action.
- Damien (19-1/SS D1)
Comment: The Spartans have allowed an average of just 40.3 points in the four Baseline League wins since suffering their solo defeat to Etiwanda (64-60 on April 20.
- Saint John Bosco (12-1/SS D1)
Comment: The Braves’ offense will have to be much more efficient than was Santa Margarita’s in the same building Friday to leave Santa Ana with a win Wednesday night.
- Corona Centennial (10-1/SS D1)
Comment: The next “big test” (in theory) for Huskies is in the trip to Ribet Academy on May 10.
- Westchester (0-0/L.A. City D1)
Comment: The Comets finally get underway with a scheduled Friday night home game against Venice. As a reminder, City teams are only allowed to play other City-affiliated teams before the State Southern Regional action.
- Harvard-Westlake (10-2/SS D1)
Comment: The Wolverines’ collection of post players has been hobbled of late. Mission League road games with Loyola and Alemany are on tap, with a non-league tilt with Crean Lutheran at Colony to close the week. It’s back home on May 12 and a Mission rematch with No. 12 Chaminade.
- Windward (7-2/SS D1)
Comment: If the Wildcats could put a 100 percent-healthy squad on the floor Tuesday night it would indeed make for a compelling challenge for SoCal No.’s 1 team.
- Heritage Christian (12-3/SS D1)
Comment: I’ll be at Valley Christian High in Cerritos Tuesday night to see how healthy Paul Tait’s Heritage Christian squad is. That April 3 win against Harvard-Westlake demonstrated how potent Tait’s crew is when intact.
- Chaminade (10-1/SS D1)
Comment: Mission League games with Alemany and St. Francis, and a trek to Ontario No. 19 Colony on Saturday, dot the schedule this week.
- Santa Margarita (8-1/SS D1)
Comment: The Eagles are at home Wednesday night to Servite before taking to Bellflower Friday to try to beat the St. John Bosco Braves for the second time.
- Long Beach Poly (5-1/SS 2AA)
Comment: The Jackrabbits ventured outside of the Moore League and, with one of Southern California’s most gifted players (UCLA-bound Peyton Watson) not in action, it wasn’t pretty Saturday afternoon by way of a 81-41 loss at now-No. 7 Centennial and its bevy of quality sophomores and juniors.
- Fairfax (0-0/L.A. City D1)
Comment: The Lions are scheduled to open their season on May 12 at home against vs. L.A. CES.
- Capistrano Valley (8-0/D1)
Comment: The Langston Redfield-driven Cougars are set to play their entire regular-season schedule within the 949 Area Code.
- West Ranch (4-0/SS 2A)
Comment: COVID-19 guidelines have limited the Wildcats to strictly Santa Clarita County-based Foothill League action for now.
- Eastvale Roosevelt 6-1/SS D1)
Comment: As three other teams found out last week, taking on Centennial (84-47) can be quite harsh.
- Colony (11-1/SS 2AA)
Comment: It will be Brenton Knapper & Co. taking on the terrific, KJ Simpson- and Keith Higgins Jr.-driven Chaminade perimeter Saturday in Ontario.
- Saint Anthony (7-1/SS D1)
Comment: The Del Rey League rematch with St. Bernard is set for May 14 in Playa del Rey.
- Saint Bernard (2-1/SS D1)
Comment: The Vikings’ 55-50 victory on Darrick Martin Court last week made Coach Jason Porter’s team a 21 for 2021 newcomer this week.
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