LONG BEACH – Four boys’ basketball programs likely to be on a short list of candidates with the best opportunity to play in state championship games next March advanced to the Sunday’s semifinals of the Elite 8 Bracket in the Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic at McBride High.
Corona Centennial (67-40 over Crean Lutheran) and Santa Maria St. Joseph (80-69 against Mater Dei) captured first-round games Saturday to move into Sunday’s first championship semifinal at 10:10 a.m.
Earning the slots in the second semifinal (at 11:20) were St. John Bosco and Eastvale Roosevelt following their wins against Windward and St. Bernard, 66-44 and 54-51, respectively.
The championship game is scheduled for 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
Five other Elite 8 games (two consolation semifinals, 7th and 5th place and third place) are also set for Sunday, as are six other “showcase” games involving non-Elite 8 participants.
Forward Tounde Yessoufou — California’s freshman and sophomore of the year over the past two seasons — scored 27 points and sophomore guard Julius Price added 19 as 2023 State Open runner-up St. Joseph knocked off a short-handed Mater Dei squad in the first of the Elite 8 quarterfinals.
Twenty-one of Yessoufou’s points (including four 3s) came in the first half.
Junior forward Brandon Benjamin (a transfer from Anaheim Canyon) and senior guard Scotty Belnap scored 26 and 19 points, respectively, for the Monarchs who were minus their best player, sophomore Brannon Martinsen (sore Achilles), as well as starting point guard Brady Karich (tender ankle) and key reserve sophomore guard Luke Barnett (family trip).
Centennial broke out to a 10-2 advantage and coasted in its game as Arizona-bound forward Carter Bryant (a Sage Hill transfer) scored nine of his 13 points in the first half while sophomore guard Slim Rogers chipped in with nine of his team-high 16 in the second half.
St. John Bosco used it stout half-court defense and the double figure scoring of Jack Turner and Kade Bonam (13 points apiece) and Elzie Harrington and Brandon McCoy (12 apiece) to earn its semifinal slot.
And, in the most competitive of the opening-round games, Roosevelt rallied from 11 points down at intermission to edge St. Bernard.
Senior Darnez Slater led the second-half surge with 17 of his team-high 21 points (including three 3s) while junior Brayden Burries chipped with 16 points despite missing eight of 14 free throws.
Sophomore Tajh Ariza, with long-time NBA forward and his father, Trevor Ariza, sitting courtside, scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the first half for St. Bernard.
The 6-7 Ariza (pictured), while often being checked by Burries, hit four 3s in the first half.
In some of the showcase games played Saturday:
*Campbell Hall 76, Santa Margarita 61: Senior Aaron Powell (who is committed to Cal Poly/San Luis Obispo) scored a game-high 22 points with 18 of those coming from behind the 3-point arc.
Also scoring in double figures for the winning Vikings were seniors Aliaun Iscandari (16) and Tanner Jones (11) while 6-7 sophomore Drew Anderson came off the bench to hit five 3s and score 29 points for the Eagles.
The Eagles played without starting guard Cam McNamee (on a recruiting visit to Brown University).
*Los Alamitos 80, St. Francis 45: In a snazzy display of ball movement and cutting, jump shooting and pressure defense, the Griffins smacked the Golden Knights behind 29 points out of junior guard Wesley Trevino.
*St. Pius X/St. Matthias 76, Pacifica Christian 59: Six-five senior Tyrone Riley and 6-7 junior Douglas Langford, two of the key elements in the Vikings’ run to a CIF SS 3AA crown last spring, scored 20 and 18 points, respectively, for the winners.
Pacifica Christian (which beat Brentwood 56-51, just prior to its hookup with the Warriors) got 15 points out of sophomore guard Anthony Johnson.
*Redondo 78, Rancho Christian 61: Six-five senior Devin Ringer (20) and 6-4 sophomore S.J. Madison (15) combined for 35 points as the Sea Hawks pulled away from the Eagles after intermission.
*Foothill 66, Bishop Montgomery 52: The guys from Santa Ana looked every bit the part of one of the best teams in Orange County this season while cruising past a team that lost six of its top seven players from its CIF SS Open Division season.
The Knights got scoring out of 11 players, with junior guard Rocco Gaffoglio leading the way with 16 points split between the halves.
Another junior guard, Dennis Woods of Bishop Montgomery, led all scorers with 21 points.
*Riverside Poly 53, Fairfax 45: Sophomore Jrob Croy (18, including four 3s) and Christian Holland (13) combined for 31 points as the Bears knocked off the L.A. City power.
*St. Anthony 66, Lynwood 62: The Saints, trailing by as many as 20 points early in the second half, rallied by senior point guard Quincy Phillips. He scored 23 of his 26 points after intermission.
Sophomore Jason Crowe Jr. scored 25 points for the Knights despite seeing limiting time in the second half as his father substituted liberally.
*St. Bonaventure 65, Pasadena 63: Senior forward Dylan Benner hit a pull-up, mid-range jumper at the buzzer for the victory and finished with a game-high 25 points.
*Valencia 61, Loyola 54: Senior forward Bryce Bedgood led the winner with a game-high 18 points while the Cubs got all their team-high 16 points from another senior forward, Hugh Vandeweghe, in the second half (including four 3s).
*Birmingham 56, Cypress 46: Six-five forward Alex Dupre scored 11 second-half points (and a team-high 17) to help pull out the victory over an Orange County-based opponent.
Senior forward Mike Wright paced the Centurions with 17 points.
*Los Altos 53, Valley Christian 47: The winners overcame a game-high 26 points (18 in the second half) from Jacob Bayla.
*St. Paul 59, Oak Hills 47: Junior forward Tong Mawein scored 18 of his 26 points after intermission to keep a reasonable cushion throughout.
*St. Monica 63, Arcadia 61: Senior guard Jaedyn Patterson, a transfer from Loyola, scored 23 points in the second half. Those including the 3-pointer that put the game into OT and the mid-range jumper in for the only points and the win in the extra period to wrap up Saturday competition at 10:35 p.m.
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