LA VERNE, Ca. – A couple of programs from Riverside County that last hooked up three years ago, run into each again Thursday night for the championship in the Platinum Division of The Classic at Damien.
The Corona Centennial High Huskies, absorbing and deflecting a lot of metaphorical “punches” from a dialed in Etiwanda opponent, got four points from guard Donovan Dent in the final minute to secure a 67-61 victory Wednesday night.
And, in the second semifinal, Riverside Poly built a 12-point advantage in the second quarter and – after falling behind by three points mid-way through the next quarter – turned in a strong final eight minutes to hand the host Spartans their first loss, 64-56.
The Huskies (11-1) and Bears (16-1) – No.’s 1 and 6, respectively, in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal ratings – are scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in Damien’s Athletic Center for Platinum title hardware.
The programs – on campuses separated by 14 miles – last played on Dec. 27 of 2018 in this event, with Coach Josh Giles’ Centennial team handling Yancy Dodson’s Bears, 69-49, in the second round of the top division.
But the “connections” between the programs are of even more recent “vintage”:
*Senior forward Payden White, who scored 24 points as the Bears avenged their only loss (52-49 on Nov. 20), started for the Huskies two seasons ago before transferring to Riverside Poly late in the summer of 2020.
*And senior guard Chance Stephens, who buried five deep 3s en route to 23 points Wednesday night vs. the Spartans, was enrolled briefly as a freshman at Centennial.
In other Classic championship games set for Thursday:
*In the Athletic Center, Long Beach Poly and unbeaten (and No. 5 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 15) Irvine Crean Lutheran play for Gold at 7 while Santa Clarita Christian and Highland (UT) Lone Peak meet for the Diamond crown at 4.
*A minute walk away in the campus’ Event center, there will be three title games: Pomona vs. Western Christian (Green, 12:30); Bell Gardens vs. Ponderosa (Bronze, 6:30) and Rancho Cucamonga vs. San Gabriel Academy (Silver, 8).
For the Thursday’s complete schedule for the final day of the four-day event, go to www.classicatdamien.org.
In Wednesday’s Gold Division semifinals in the Athletic Center, Thursday finalists Long Beach Poly (64-63 vs. Fresno San Joaquin Memorial) and Crean Lutheran (54-52 over then-unbeaten Rolling Hills Prep) had to defend and hold collective breath as their opponents launched buzzer-beating shots than would have changed the makeup of the championship game.
Freshman Jovani Ruff (pictured) scored 21 points for LB Poly while Crean Lutheran – playing without sophomore guard and Tarkanian Classic Gold Bracket MVP Vyctorius Miller (sore knee and heel, according to the Saints’ Coach Nate Klitzing) – got a combined 30 points from Damien transfer Rui Han and UC Santa Barbara-bound Koat Keat.
For Centennial, University of New Mexico-bound guard Donovan Dent – continuing to build a strong resume for California Player of the Year – scored 23 points (perfect on seven free throws) while 6-foot-10 junior Devin Williams was the “x factor” for the Huskies against Etiwanda with 20 points, including three 3s, and multiple key blocks.
And 6-6 junior Curtis Williams (no relation), with coaches with a large number of major college programs looking on over the past three nights, was – like Dent – nearly impossible to defend Wednesday night with 23 points, 19 of those after intermission.
Centennial won the CIF Southern Section Open Division title last June (in the 2020-21 “pandemic-adjusted” season) while Etiwanda bagged the State Southern Regional crown a week later (bagging wins over Mater Dei and at Sierra Canyon and then-unbeaten Torrey Pines).
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