LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – Five high-profile “showcase” events were held this past weekend, and each included at least a couple of the teams in the top 15ish range in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal team rankings.
The most notable of those, of course, was the eight-game Take Flight Challenge at Redondo Union.
It played host to the remarkable – and exhausting; even for those just watching game – game pitting No. 2 Harvard-Westlake and No. 3 Bishop Montgomery, pulled off by the former in three overtimes, 74-66.
It’s most league games – with a few exceptions – that will showcase the upper-tier teams in head-to-head matchups this week.
The notable exceptions related to top-ranked Centennial and No. 5 Sierra Canyon.
Those teams will be in Springfield, MA (so will I, FYI) for the Saturday-thru-Monday HoopHall.
The Huskies (who face their toughest league foe, Roosevelt, Thursday in Eastvale) will take on Camden (New Jersey) – led by University of Kentucky-bound Aaron Bradshaw and D.J. Wagner – Saturday at 3 p.m. (PT).
And Sierra Canyon, led by 6-foot-5 junior Isaiah Elohim and Memphis-bound Ashton Hardaway, take on Columbus of Miami (FL) Monday at 10 a.m. (PT).
Columbus is led by sophomores Cameron and Cayden Boozer – the sons of former Duke and NBA forward Carlos Boozer.
Here are some key matchups that will be played much closer to home (if your “home” is in SoCal, naturally):
*No. 3 Bishop Montgomery plays host to No. 9 St. Bernard in Friday night Del Rey League game.
*No. 6 St. John Bosco is at home Wednesday night in Mission League action with No. 14 JSerra. The Braves had biggest “road win” of the season among CIF Southern Section Open playoff contenders, with sophomore guard Elzie Harrington (pictured) among those who helped hand Mater Dei its first home loss to a league opponent Friday night.
*In another Trinity League showdown, No. 7 Mater Dei travels to No. 13 Santa Margarita Friday night.
*In a Baseline League game, No. 10 Etiwanda is at home to No. 16 Rancho Cucamonga Wednesday night.
*Tuesday, in a matchup of the two-best teams in the Olympic League, No. 13 Village Christian is at No. 19 Heritage Christian.
SoCal Top 25
(Records thru games of Jan. 7)
- Corona Centennial (CIF SS D-1) 14-3
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Norco, 7 p.m.
- Studio City Harvard-Westlake (D-1) 18-1
Next up: Wednesday, vs. Crespi, 7 p.m.
- Torrance Bishop Montgomery (D-1) 18-1
Next up: Wednesday, at St. Anthony, 7 p.m.
- Valencia West Ranch (D-1) 18-1
Next up: Wednesday, at Castaic, 6:30 p.m.
- Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (D-1) 13-3
Next up: Wednesday, vs. Loyola, 7:30 p.m.
- Bellflower St. John Bosco (D-1) 16-3
Next up: Wednesday, at JSerra, 7:30 p.m.
- Santa Ana Mater Dei (D-1) 14-3
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Orange Lutheran, 6:30 p.m.
- Temecula Rancho Christian (D-2A) 9-8
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Riverside Poly, 6:15 p.m.
- Playa del Rey St. Bernard (D-1) 15-4
Next up: Wednesday, vs. Serra, 7 p.m.
- Etiwanda (D-1) 12-4
Next up: Wednesday, vs. Rancho Cucamonga, 6:30 p.m.
- Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (D-1) 11-7
Next up: Wednesday, vs. St. Francis, 7 p.m.
- RSM Santa Margarita (D-1) 18-3
Next up: Wednesday, vs. Servite, 7 p.m.
- Sun Valley Village Christian (D-1) 15-3
Next up: Tuesday, at Heritage Christian, 7 p.m.
- SJC JSerra (D-1) 13-5
Next up: Wednesday, at St. John Bosco, 7 p.m.
- Windward (D-2AA) 14-5
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Brentwood, 7 p.m.
- Rancho Cucamonga (D-2AA) 16-3
Next up: Wednesday, at Etiwanda, 6:30 p.m.
- Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (D-1) 16-1
Next up: Tuesday, at Palos Verdes, 7 p.m.
- Eastvale Roosevelt (D-1) 15-4
Next up: Tuesday, at Corona Santiago, 7:15 p.m.
- Heritage Christian (D-1) 12-4
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Village Christian, 7 p.m.
- La Mirada (D-2A) 14-6
Next up: Wednesday, vs. Downey, 7 p.m.
- Irvine Crean Lutheran (D-1) 11-5
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Tustin, 6:15 p.m.
- Santa Ana Foothill (D-1) 17-1
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Villa Park, 7 p.m.
- Brentwood School (D-1) 16-2
Next up: Tuesday, at Windward, 7 p.m.
- Santa Monica Crossroads (D-1) 11-7
Next up: Tuesday, at Windward, 7 p.m.
- Campbell Hall (D-2AA) 11-6
Next up: Tuesday, vs. Brentwood, 7 p.m.
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