OAKLAND – The top-ranked team from Northern California hooked up against one of the four best teams from the Las Vegas area Friday night during the debut of Bishop O’Dowd High’s spiffy new Knauss Gymnasium and Steve Phelps Court.
Ring up another testimony to just how good high school basketball is in Las Vegas and near-by Henderson these days.
Coronado (from Henderson and one of those four quality programs) High had the best player on the floor during any of the four games played Friday during the first of the two-day Thanksgiving Challenge.
And the offensive skills of UCLA-bound guard Sebastian Mack are why the Cougars were able to knock off the Modesto Christian Crusaders, 78-70, in the day’s finale.
The 6-foot-2 Mack, who played at Durango in Las Vegas during his first three years, scored a game-high 26 points (18 in the first half) in a variety of often-spectacular fashions and the Cougars were able to fend off a late, B.J. Davis-led flurry.
The 6-1 Davis, who signed with San Diego State two weeks ago, scored buckets on back-to-back steals to get his team to within 67-66 with 4:41 remaining.
But Davis, fouled while converting the second of those layups, missed the ensuing free throw that would have tied the score.
And Mack and junior Josiah Cunningham (who added 16 points) answered with all-too-easy back-to-back layups to push Coronado’s advantage back to five points a bit more than a minute later.
Davis (10 points, six assists and five rebounds) fouled with 2:51 while being called for hand-checking Mack on a drive.
Guard Rashod Cotton came off the bench for help the Crusaders close on a night with heavily touted junior guard Jamari Phillips (eight points, three of 13 shooting and five turnovers) struggled to get into any rhythm.
The 6-foot Cotton, selected the Most Outstanding Player in the Top 30 Crème of the Crop all-star game at the Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp in Long Beach in late September, scored 10 points on four of six shooting (including two 3s).
Mack (pictured) hit seven of 13 shots from the field (including two 3s) and 10 of 13 free throws to go with five assists and five rebounds.
Modesto Christian returned three starters (Phillips, Davis and 6-10 Prince Oseya) from the squad that lost to Corona Centennial, 59-50, in Sacramento on March 12 in the State Open Division championship game.
The Crusaders face another tough opponent Saturday night (8:30), Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, at near-by Dublin High during the last of the eight games played during the 15th NorCal Tip-Off Classic.
Coronado faces Richmond Salesian (one of the programs that could challenge Modesto Christian for NorCal supremacy this season) on Saturday’s Day II of the Thanksgiving Challenge at 3:30.
In the 5 o’clock (and last) of the four-game schedule at Bishop O’Dowd Saturday, the host Dragons face another of those quality teams from Las Vegas – Bishop Gorman.
They held a 10-point advantage against Fairfield Vanden at intermission Friday before having to overcome some turnovers – and the shot-making of juniors Tyler Thompson and Jayden Robinson – to hang on, 51-47, for the decision.
Senior guard Amos Hodgson scored six of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter for the hosts.
Beverly Hills 68, Oakland Tech 61: The Normans, who traveled the greatest distance to get to O’Dowd, got all but 11 points from the trio of senior Jameson Caruso (26) and juniors Jon Mani (16) and Lior Baradarian (15) to hold off the Bulldogs.
Caruso scored 18 points in a first half that ended deadlocked at 28.
But Mani, who played just three minutes in the first half after picking up his second person foul early in the second quarter, scored all his points after intermission – 13 of those in the fourth quarter, including six of six from the free-throw line.
The 3-0 Normans of Coach Jarvis Turner played another game at O’Dowd Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against Oakwood (not the one in North Hollywood but in near-by Morgan Hill).
Hayward Moreau Catholic 69, Sacramento Grant 43: Sophomore forward Kellen Hampton scored 26 points, with nine rebounds, to help the Mariners of Coach Frank Knight cruise in their season-opener in the first game played Friday afternoon.
Seniors LeBrie Goudy-Lee (14), Robert Morgan (10) and Joseph Cid (nine, all on 3s) added 33 points for the winners, who take on Benicia is the same building Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock.
Touted freshman Andre Gomez (15 points, seven rebounds and three steals) had a nice high school debut for the Pacers, who playa Moraga Campolindo at Dublin Saturday at 12:30 in the afternoon.
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