LAGUNA NIGUEL – The top 15 spots in the BurlisonOnBasketball boys’ SoCal Top 40 (plus 10) changed as little as possible after the first week of the 2021-22 season.
The only change?
Riverside Poly and Hillcrest swapped the No.’s 12 and 13 slots, after the Bears went 4-1 during the “Rumble on Rosecrans” – losing only to No. 4 Damien in the final, 55-52 – while the Warriors went 2-1, losing a tight one with No. 7 Notre Dame by eight points at home before smacking a decent San Diego County team, San Marcos, by 21 points.
The top two teams in the ratings, Centennial and Sierra Canyon, face what could be difficult challenges in the Dallas area this weekend.
*Coach Josh Giles’ Huskies – who, led by senior guard Donovan Dent (pictured), handled Notre Dame Saturday night in Corona – play Texas powerhouse Duncanville Friday night and then another solid Dallas-area program, Kimball, Saturday evening;
*And Coach Andre Chevalier’s Sierra Canyon squad – still short-handed until at least Dec. 27 – get its Duncanville test Saturday.
The Trailblazers won three games in San Diego last week, including knocking off the San Diego Section’s top team, St. Augustine, 51-46.
And here’s the compelling aspect in that game with the Saints:
Sierra Canyon was playing without California’s best player, 6-foot-4 Amari Bailey (who may be out for a while because of a foot issue that has been bothered him for several months), as well as transfers Isaiah Elohim, Jeremiah Nyarko and Mike Price.
Elohim (who came from Heritage Christian) and Nyarko (St. John Bosco) won’t be eligible until Dec. 27) because they didn’t move their home residences as part of their transfers.
Price (Ribet; he was at Crespi as a freshman), one of the elite Class of 2023 guards anywhere, got some good news last Friday when it was revealed that his “hardship” appeal to the CIF was granted and was given immediate eligibility.
Despite being “eligible” to play Friday and Saturday in San Diego, Price was held out for health reasons.
He made his “official” debut for Chevalier’s club Tuesday night, scoring 18 points in a 97-41 win against visiting Chatsworth.
There are two significant “one-day events” in California Saturday:
*Ontario’s Colony High plays host to the “Titan Turkey Shootout” with a seven-game schedule tipping off with a 10 a.m. clash between L.A. City Open Championship favorite Taft (No. 18 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 40 plus 10) taking on No. 32 Riverside Hillcrest Christian.
Other games include No. 14 Rolling Hills Prep vs. Oak Hills (1 p.m.); Damien vs. Village Christian (5:30) and No. 16 Crean Lutheran vs. No. 31 Eastvale Roosevelt (7).
*And, at Dublin High in Northern California, the 14th Tip-Off Classic gets underway at 9:30 a.m. with the first of eight games featuring most of the best teams in NorCal.
I’ll be there and filing reports!
Post-Thanksgiving Top 15
- Corona Centennial
Big VIII/CIF Southern Section D-1
W-L: 3-0
Next up: Dallas Thanksgiving Hoopfest (Friday/Duncanville; Saturday/Kimball).
- Chatsworth Sierra Canyon
Gold Coast/SS D-1
W-L: 4-0
Next up: Dallas Thanksgiving Hoopfest (Saturday/Duncanville, TX).
- Studio City Harvard-Westlake
Mission/SS D-1
W-L: 4-0
Next up: Rose City Roundball Classic (Monday/Palisades at Maranatha).
- La Verne Damien
Baseline/SS D-1
W-L: 5-0
Next up: Colony Titan Turkey Shootout (Saturday/vs. Village Christian).
- Etiwanda
Baseline/SS D-1
W-L: 1-0
Next up: Inland Empire Classic (Monday vs. Redlands at Rancho Cucamonga).
- Valencia West Ranch
Foothill/SS D-1
W-L: 0-0
Next up: Nov. 30 (vs. Canyon).
- Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Mission/SS D-2AA
W-L: 5-1
Next up: Vs. Campbell Hall (Dec. 3).
- Playa del Rey St. Bernard
Del Rey/SS D-1
W-L: 4-0
Next up: Westchester Trevor Ariza Classic (Tuesday/vs. Dorsey).
- Torrance Bishop Montgomery
Del Rey/SS D-1
W-L: 4-0
Next up: Westchester Trevor Ariza Classic (Monday/vs. Wish Academy).
- Santa Ana Mater Dei
Trinity/SS D-1
W-L: 2-0
Next up: At Chicago Simeon (Dec. 4).
- Bellflower St. John Bosco
Trinity/SS D-1
W-L: 3-1
Next up: Opponent TBD (Kevin Brown Memorial TOC, Chicago; Friday)
- Riverside Poly
Ivy/SS D-1
W-L: 4-1
Up next: Vs. Vista Lago (Dec. 6).
- Northridge Heritage Christian
Olympic/SS D-1
W-L: 2-1
Up next: At Arleta (Tuesday).
- San Pedro Rolling Hills Prep
Coastal/SS D-1
W-L: 2-0
Up next: Colony Titan Turkey Shootout (Saturday/vs. Oak Hills).
- RSM Santa Margarita
Trinity/SS D-1
W-L: 4-0
Up next: At Santa Barbara (Saturday).
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