LONG BEACH – A significant percentage of the better high school teams and players for the upcoming season in Southern California – and beyond – were on hand during Saturday’s opening-day of the annual Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic at McBride High.
Four games in the eight-team “Challenge of Champions Bracket”, as well as 18 “showcase” contests made for quite the busy 13 and a half – give or take – hours of action spread over two courts.
Setting the stages for Sunday’s CCB championship semifinals were defending State Open Division champion Corona Centennial (71-64 over Santa Maria St. Joseph); Bellflower St. John Bosco (which knocked off Bishop Montgomery, 54-53), Mater Dei (edging Rancho Christian, 56-53) and Nevada power Bishop Gorman (which used a 24-2 run in the second half to defeat St. Bernard, 72-67).
In Sunday’s consolation semifinals, set to tip at 11 a.m., St. Joseph is scheduled to play Bishop Montgomery on Court 1 with St. Bernard facing Rancho Christian on Court 2.
The championship semis, both on Court 1, go at 12:10 p.m. (Centennial vs. St. John Bosco) and 1:20 (Mater Dei taking on Bishop Gorman).
I’ll get into my thoughts on the “showcase” games played (including involving Harvard-Westlake and Riverside Poly), but first a recap of the four “CCB” games played in honor of the late and great Ron Massey:
*The Centennial Huskies played at “full strength”, personnel-wise, Saturday, including returning starters from a 32-1 team in Jared McCain (committed to Duke), Aaron McBride (Loyola-Marymount0 and Devin Williams (UCLA).
But even with those three combining for 43 points (16 by McCain, including three 3s), the Huskies were fiercely challenged over 32 minutes in large part because of the offensive production (40 points, including seven 3s), by 6-foot-6 Tounde Yessoufou, last season’s California Freshman of the Year.
*The Huskies’ Sunday semifinal opponent, the SJB Braves, were locked into a wire-to-wire battle with a Bishop Montgomery team that returns four of its top six players from a team that lost only to Centennial (twice, once in sectional and the other in regional Open play).
But Coach Matt Dunn’s Braves got quality efforts from a multitude of returnees, including junior Jack Turner, sophomores Kade Bonham and Elzie Harrington and senior Mateo Duran.
After Harrington missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 5.1 seconds to go, the Knights had a chance to pull it out but senior guard Kelcy Phipps’ driving left-hander rolled off the iron at the buzzer.
*Bishop Gorman was missing three 2021-22 starters due to injury (guards Jase Richardson and Juni Mobley, and forward Keenan Bey) and trailed St. Bernard by as many 12 points five minutes into the second half.
But sophomore post Chris Nwuli, juniors Quentin Rhymes and Ryder Elisaldez and senior Eli Bradley (an elite long-range shooter) – and the Gael’s full-court pressure defense – sparked that 24-2 spurt and carried them forward in the championship bracket.
*Mater Dei also trailed much of the way against Rancho Christian, which was minus its projected starting backcourt up Rodney Brown – still not cleared from a summer-long wrist injury – and Colony transfer Kollen Murphy, who is playing football.
But the Monarchs’ strong freshmen class – forwards Che Brogan and Brannon Martinsen, and guard Luke Barnett, combined for 32 points – and University of Montana-bound senior Zack Davidson scored 15 points to help them pull away down the stretch.
In just some of the “Showcase” action:
*Harvard-Westlake 60, Corner Canyon 55: Playing one of the top teams in Utah (which beat a quality Crossroads team earlier in the day, 83-63), the Wolverines took control over the final five minutes while playing without starters Brady Dunlap (will not cleared because an ankle injury) and Robert Hinton (on recruiting visits to Princeton and Harvard with his family).
Senior post Jacob Huggins (who is bound for Princeton next fall) displayed much-improved offensive skill while scoring a team-high 21 points for HW.
Riverside Poly 71, Newport Pacifica Christian 57: The Bears demonstrated why they have the strongest sophomore class in California, as returning starters Brayden Burries (16 points and eight assists), Issac Williamson (28, including seven 3s) and the much-improved Kory Dodson (18 points and nine rebounds) combined for all but nine of their team’s points.
Burries’ power, skill and poise with the ball in his hands Saturday offered more substance to my believe that he’s the best 10th grader in Southern California.
And Williamson – IMO – is the most prolific deep jumper in this SoCal sophomore class.
Pacifica Christian was playing without senior guard Parker Strauss (on recruiting visits to Lehigh and Fordham).
There were also strong freshmen “debuts” from the likes of guards Jason Crowe Jr. of Lynwood (pictured with his father and coach) and Kaiden Bailey (Crean Lutheran), who scored 45 and 28 points, respectively, in their teams’ wins.
And junior guard Styles Phipps scored 55 and 31 points as St. Mary’s of Phoenix (playing as the club team “Phoenix Knights”) split a pair of games with Middlebrooks Academy and Mikey Williams-led San Diego San Ysidro.
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