LA VERNE – The No.’s 1- and 2-ranked teams from Northern California were among the among the Platinum Division’s eight first-round winners Wednesday during the second day of the 7th Classic at Damien.
Richmond Salesian and Concord De La Salle — each 11-0 — are joined in Thursday’s second round on the winners’ side of the bracket by 11-1 St. John Bosco (set to play American Fork of Utah at 8:30 p.m.); 10-6 Corona Centennial (facing Salesian, at 7, in a rematch of a game played in Idaho on Dec. 16); the 12-1 and host Spartans (vs. De La Salle at 5:30); and 13-1 Eastvale Roosevelt and 6-1 Meridian (ID) Owyhee (which hook up at 4 o’clock).
The four consolation quarters (also played in Damien’s Athletic Center) begin at 10 a.m. when L.A. Windward (10-3 after its 70-66 loss to Salesian) plays Chandler (AZ) Basha.
For up-to-date results and schedules for the eight divisions of the Classic at Damien, go to www.classicatdamien.org.
Also, on the Damien campus (but in the Event Center), unbeatens Etiwanda (57-56 to St. George, UT, Dixie) and University Place, WA, Curtis (73-65 to West Ranch) were knocked off in first-round, Gold Division action Wednesday.
In what could be the most compelling of the second-round games in the Gold bracket, St. Pius X/St. Matthias, and Redondo Union (No.’s 3 and 13, respectively, in the BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California Top 30) hook up at 6:30 Wednesday night.
SP/SM (9-1), which captured the Platinum Division of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas last week, toppled Lone Peak, 69-52, Wednesday after while Redondo Union (10-2) snapped the 10-game winning streak of Dublin of Northern California, 63-62.
Down the street (at Ramona Middle School), two of the most impressive of the eight Diamond Division first-round winners Wednesday were Gilbert, AZ, Ironwood (69-46 over Newport Pacifica Christian) and The Brentwood School (71-53 over once-beaten Rancho Verde).
They’ll play in a second-round clash Thursday afternoon at 3:30.
Junior guard Jaylen Petty of Auburn, WA, scored 41 points in his team’s 68-62 Gold win over Fresno San Joaquin Memorial.
At Mt. San Antonio College, Silver Division second-round winners were Lynwood (86-66, Hesperia), San Gabriel Academy (56-50, Gilbert, AZ, San Tan Charter), Seattle Roosevelt (68-63, Lehi, UT, Skyridge) and Pasadena (69-66, Tahoma, WA).
Those semifinals are set for Friday at Bonita High.
Among Wednesday highlights:
PLATINUM
*American Fork broke out to 20-point advantage and knocked off Heritage Christian, 56-44, behind the all-around play of seniors Tiger Cuff and Blake Rawson.
*Six-foot-six junior Alec Blair turned in one of the day’s most diversified performances, with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as De La Salle’s Spartans did their part in setting up the Thursday night’s “Spartans vs. the (Damien) Spartans” clash.
*Salesian needed every ounce of its stout half-court defense and late-shot clock, offensive execution to hold off 10-3 Windward, which led by as many as 10 points in the first half.
Coach Bill Mellis’ crew knocked of Centennial (62-51), on Dec. 16, in the championship game of the Owyhee Tournament in Meridian, ID.
Zander Jimenez sank four final-minute free throws and Alvin Loving had a go-ahead layup to help the Pride pull it out.
*Junior forward Jackson Rasmussen scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Owyhee withstood the 34-point effort of freshman Gene Roebuck to hold off La Mirada, 64-57.
*Brayden Burries scored 29 points (including a 15-of-20 free-throw performance) with nine rebounds, and Roosevelt also got 17 points from another junior, Isaac Williamson — whose three 3s helped the Mustangs get past Branson of NorCal, 68-64,
University of Illinois-bound Jase Butler scored 27 points before fouling out late for Branson.
*Seven-foot junior Nate Garcia scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and senior guard Xavier Clinton scored all 20 of his points after intermission as Damien toppled Phoenix Sunnyslope, 80-75, in overtime.
Sophomore guard John Mattingly scored 31 points for Sunnyslope before fouling out.
*UCLA-bound Eric Freeny hit back-to-back 3s in the final minute-plus as Centennial — which trailed by close to double figures much of the way — rallied to get past Basha, 48-45.
Six-eight Carter Bryant (who signed with the University of Arizona last month) had 17 points and six rebounds for the Huskies.
*And 6-5 sophomore Brandon McCoy Jr. had 21 points with 13 rebounds in St. John Bosco’s 80-60 win over Clovis North (in which the Braves led by as few as three points late in the third quarter).
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