LA VERNE – Coach Steve Singleton is going to put Friday’s celebration near the top of the most memorable birthdays he’s experienced – and not entirely because he turned the big five-oh, either.
It’s because the happy birthday song he was serenaded with late that night came almost immediately following his Eastvale Roosevelt High basketball team’s third consecutive gut-crunching Platinum Division victory in the 7th Classic at Damien Tournament.
In the second semifinal that need an overtime to wrap up, Singleton’s Mustangs outlasted the host Damien Spartans, 76-71, with senior guard Darnez Slater giving his team its final push into Saturday night’s title game by way of an 11-point burst in the four-minute extra stanza.
The 8:30 opponent for the 15-1 Mustangs will be California’s No. 2-ranked St. John Bosco Braves (13-1), who needed every dynamic moment sophomore Brandon McCoy Jr. and junior Elzie Harrington could muster to edge Northern California’s top-ranked Richmond Salesian Pride, 68-66, in the first semi.
It was the first loss in 13 games for Coach Bill Mellis’ crew, which rallied from a 10-point deficit Thursday night to knock off Corona Centennial for the second time this season.
The Saturday night Platinum final in Damien’s Athletic Center pits two of California’s top squads and could prove to be a forerunner at some point of a rematch during the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs in late February.
But the same could also be said of Friday night’s Roosevelt-Damien clash.
The host Spartans (13-2) fell behind by 10 points in the second quarter, mostly due to the long-range marksmanship of one of the country’s top players in the Class of 2025, 6-foot-5 Brayden Burries.
Burries missed his first two shot attempts of the night – a layup and dunk try – before hitting his final five attempts of the first quarter, including four jump shots from well behind the 3-point arc.
Burries finished with a game-high 31 points while grabbing nine rebounds with three steals and a couple of blocks.
But the Spartans used their own jump-shooting prowess – and the post presence of 7-foot junior Nate Garcia – to go up by a point at intermission as Xavier Clinton and Jacob Allen split four 3s, while Garcia scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Mustangs, though, were able to keep Garcia from being as productive in the post as he was in the opening two rounds, mostly because of a strong effort by 6-10 senior Tochi Anigbogu (who made his debut Wednesday following his off-season transfer from Centennial) and the tenacious perimeter defense of juniors Myles Walker and Isaac Williamson.
Garcia finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds but picked up his third foul late in the third quarter and fourth early in the next quarter and was forced to the bench as the Spartans were trying to extend a lead that had been at four points a couple of times.
With the Mustangs’ pressure forcing four turnovers, and Burries scoring nine points, Roosevelt was oh-so-close to overcoming all its challenges and securing its spot in the Saturday final.
But sophomore guard Elijah Smith’s 3-point jump shot, off a pass from Garcia following an inbound toss to the 7-footer from in front of the Damien bench with 2.8 seconds remaining, swished at the buzzer, tying the score at 63 and sending things into OT.
A couple of replay angles seemed to show at least some of Smith’s toes on the 3-point line, but high school officials don’t have the option, via national rules, or technology to review and ruled on those situations.
But it proved moot, though, as Walker forced a turnover on Damien’s first possession in OT leading to a Slater layup.
And the Colorado State-bound Slater (pictured) took care of the rest, hitting his other four shots – including a 3 – in the OT for 11 of his team’s extra—period points while Williamson took care of the rest with two sealing free throws.
The first semi was played at every bit as high a level of competitiveness – and even higher if you want to factor the stunning vertical explosiveness of McCoy.
He had his usual well-above-the-rim dunks (and a couple of blocks/goal-tends) but, more importantly, hit 10 of 13 shots from the floor en route to a 26-point effort.
His 3-pointer put his team up by two points with a bit more than a minute to go in OT before terrific senior point guard Aaron Claytor (10 points and eight assists) tied the score with a left-handed layup after a cut on the next possession.
It was up to Harrington, though, to put the Braves up to stay on a driving layup from the right side with 13 seconds to go and the Pride couldn’t connect on a couple of attempts to tie.
Setting the stage for some of the other Saturday night divisional title games were . . .
*Defending champion San Ramon Valley (12-3) held off St. Pius X/St. Matthias (10-2), 67-62, Friday evening to earn a return spot to the Gold championship game in the Athletic Center at 7 o’clock.
SRV got 19 points from junior guard Luke Isaak (the division’s Most Outstanding Player a year ago and 13 more – and 10 rebounds and five assists – from senior post Seamus Deely while 6-8 junior Douglas Langford led the Warriors with 19 points.
The Wolves’ title-game opponent is St. George (UT) Dixie, which held off West Ranch, 74-69, in the first semifinal Friday afternoon as senior guard Jordan Roberts scored 20 points and Breckton Robinson added 16.
*Last season’s Gold runner-up, Glendale (AZ) Ironwood, will try to wrap up a Diamond championship Saturday afternoon when Coach Jordan Augustine’s Eagles (13-2) face Lehi of Utah (9-1) at 4 o’clock Diamond championship game in the Athletic Center.
The Eagles continued to make an overwhelming on-court argument as to why they should have remained in the Gold, handling previously unbeaten Auburn of Washington, 72-42, Friday in the Damien Event center after beating Newport Pacifica Christian and L.A. Brentwood by 23 and 15 points, respectively.
Lehi, behind senior guard Cooper Lewis and in its Classic debut, has knocked off Santa Ana Foothill, Riverside Poly and Rolling Hills Prep to get to the final.
*Six-ten freshman Mahamadou Diop scored 30 points with 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as San Gabriel Academy beat Lynwood, 81-62, Friday afternoon in a Silver Division semifinal.
Jason Crowe Jr. led the Knights with 39 points.
SGA (7-3) plays 14-1 Pasadena in the 8 p.m. championship game in Damien’s Event Center.
*In Saturday’s other championship games:
Iron – Diamond Ranch vs. Western Christian (2/Event Center).
Copper – Reseda Cleveland vs. Huntington Beach (3:30/Event Center).
Green – Culver City vs. Diamond Bar (5/Event Center).
Bronze – Bosco Tech vs. Vista Murrieta (6:30/Event Center).
For complete Classic scores and schedules, go to www.classicatdamien.org
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