Burlison on Basketball

Frank Burlison | High School Basketball | College Basketball

Saturday SoCal Hoop Highlights

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REDONDO BEACH – On a Saturday where there were multiple high-profile “showcase” boys basketball games played across Southern California, the region’s top two teams did their part to demonstrate did enough to show why they sit in those positions during the Take Flight Challenge at Redondo Union High.

In two of the 14 games played in the two Redondo gymnasiums, Harvard-Westlake (No. 1 in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30) held off No. 23 Heritage Christian, 74-62, while No. 2 Eastvale Roosevelt scored the final nine points in the closing two minutes to knock off Central California’s top squad, Santa Maria St. Joseph, 62-61.

Seniors Trent Perry (23) and Robert Hinton (13) combined for 36 points for Coach David Rebibo’s Harvard-Westlake Wolverines (17-1), while 6-foot-8 junior Nikolas Khamenia chipped in with 21 points.

In the next game, St. Joseph pushed its advantage to eight points (at 61-53) with a 3-pointer from the left wing by sophomore guard Julius Price with 2:15 remaining.

But junior Brayden Burries fueled the stunning comeback for the Mustangs (18-1).

Issac Williamson missed a deep jumper, but he batted the ball to teammate Myles Walker (via a long rebound) and the left-handed Walker sank a high-arching 3 to get their team to within five points.

Following a timeout, St. Joseph (13-2) ­– the State Open Division runner-up to Harvard-Westlake last March – missed a shot near the end of the shot clock and the 6-5 Burries scored on a nifty baseline drive with 1:07 to go.

The Knights missed another shot and, after consecutive fouls by 6-9 sophomore Abdoul Bare sent Burries to the free-throw line and his 23rd and 24th points with :39.5 seconds cut the Mustangs’ deficit to a point.

At the other end, Coach Steve Singleton’s team recovered another turnover with 26 seconds to go and, after a timeout, the ball ended up in Burries’ hands and his pull-up 15-footer from the right side of the lane swished, with St. Joseph getting a timeout nearly immediately after with 5 seconds remaining.

When play resumed, the ball was inbounded to an on-the-run Tounde Yessoufou, who was forced to turn on his dribble by the pressure of Burries.

And Williamson tag-teamed off his long-time buddy’s defense, ripping the ball from Yessoufou’s hands and clinching the win with a couple of dribbles.

A usual high-octane jump shooting club, the Mustangs were limited to three 3s Saturday night, two of those by Walker (10 points and six assists) and the other by Colorado State-bound Darnez Slater (16 points).

Williamson, one of the state’s top defenders, picking up three first-half fouls trying to check the powerful, 6-6 Yessoufou – the state’s Freshman and Sophomore of the Year the past two seasons.

Yessoufou scored 19 points in a first half that ended with his team up by eight points.

But Burries did a quality job in limiting Yessoufou’s effectiveness the rest of the way, especially in the second half when he missed six of his eight shots from the field.

Yessoufou scored 27 points – 24 hours after dropping 37 in a win over Pasadena during the Real Run Winter Classic at Long Beach Cabrillo High – but was just 10 of 26 shooting from the field (including three 3s).

Burries’ 26 points came by way of 10 of 16 from the field and six of seven free throws to go with eight rebounds and five assists.

The Mustangs open Big VIII League play with a biggie Tuesday night – a 7 o’clock showdown in Corona against No. 10 Centennial.

In the final game played at Redondo Saturday night, the host Seahawks built a 16-point advantage before holding off Crean Lutheran, 72-64.

Guard Kaiden Bailey kept the squad from Irvine within reach of the hosts until the final couple of minutes, scoring 26 of his 37 points in the second half.

Bailey has exceeded 1,000 points in his high school career with at least six months to go in his sophomore season.

The No. 15 Seahawks (who play host to a Bay League showdown against Culver City Monday night) got 22 points from senior Devin Ringer (pictured), along with 17 from junior Hudson Mayes, 13 from sophomore S.J. Madison and 16 from freshman Chris Sanders.

In some of the other games – potentially impacting the makeup of the CIF Southern Section’s eight-team Open Playoff bracket and Division I playoff seeding – played throughout Southern California Saturday:

*As part of the five-game field at the Catholic Coastal Classic at Crypto.com Arena, No. 6 Mater Dei stunned No. 3 St. John Bosco in a Trinity League showdown, 83-62, while No. 6 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame improved to 17-0 with its double-overtime, 74-70, win over one of Northern California’s top squads, Concord De La Salle.

*At Cerritos College in the Elite Invitational, No. 8 Sierra Canyon held off No. 7 St. Pius X/St. Matthias, 51-42.

*At Santiago Canyon College in Orange, results included No. 13 La Mirada needing two overtimes to topple No. 19 Rancho Cucamonga, 76-70; No. 18 West Ranch knocking off No. 11 Etiwanda, 74-60; No. 12 Windward getting past No. 24 Foothill, 63-45; No. 22 Anaheim Canyon upsetting No. 16 Crespi, 54-50; and No. 26 Rancho Verde beating Valencia, 71-52.

*At Lynwood during second day of the Real Run Winter Classic, the host Knights got 47 points from sophomore guard Jason Crowe Jr. to cruise past Chatsworth (which got 38 from sophomore Alijah Arenas), 90-76; and No. 30 St. Anthony beat King/Drew, 73-66.

In other games played at Redondo Saturday:

*San Gabriel Academy 49, St. Francis 46: The Eagles (8-4) hung on for their seventh win in eight games as freshman Mahamadou Diop and sophomore Mo Traore scored 13 points apiece. Junior Mazi Mosley led the Golden Knights (14-6) with 26 points.

*Crossroads 62, Bishop Montgomery 47: Forwards E.J. Vernon and Aidan Croshere scored 24 and 14 points, respectively, as the Roadrunners (14-5) turned in another strong effort less than 24 hours after knocking off Brentwood in Gold Coast League action. Junior guard Christian Hall led the Knights (9-8) with 20 points.

*South Pasadena 60, Trabuco Hills 59: Jack Madison, breaking to the basket and taking an inbound pass from Jacob Arias in front of his bench with 2.7 seconds to go, scored a layup at the buzzer for the 10-5 Tigers. Arshia Amini had put the 15-5 Mustangs up by a point after a back cut and layup with 10 seconds remaining.

*Riverside Poly 64 Bosco Tech 46: The 15-6 Bears (No. 21 in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30) got 22 points from sophomore guard JRob Croy to gradually pull away from the 11-7 Tigers, who got 16 points apiece from senior Ryan Osborne and junior Jaden Erami.

*Long Beach Poly 62, Serra 53: The Jackrabbits extended their winning streak to seven to improve to 11-7 as 6-5 junior Jovani Ruff scored 24 points to lead four players in double figures.

Sophomore point guard Kayleb Kearse scored 24 points for the Cavaliers (12-7), who knocked off Bishop Montgomery Friday night in a Del Rey League clash.

*San Diego Cathedral Catholic 67, Leuzinger 64: Sophomore guard Ty Ingram, taking an inbound pass from along the baseline from P.J. Jordain, hit a 3-pointer from the left corner as the buzzer sounded and the Dons improved to 13-5.

Ingram scored a team-high 20 points while 6-3 junior Joshua Garland led all scorers with 27 points for the Olympians (10-7).

*Newport Sage Hill 63, L.A. Price 48: Six-ten junior Jackson Cryst, a transfer from Long Beach Millikan playing in his just his fifth game since becoming eligible, scored 23 points with 16 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Lightning improved to 7-11.

Senior forward Johnny Mayhew added 14 points and 10 rebounds while senior guard  Sergio Maggette added 18 points. Sage Hill opens Pacific Coast League at home Monday night against Irvine. Sophomore Ace Simon scored 17 points for Price.

*Valley Christian 47, Santa Monica 37: The Defenders (coached by former Redondo and UCLA standout Dijon Thompson) got 19 points from senior guard Gavin Stahl to go to 11-9.

Six-five junior Jayden Xu had 19 for the Vikings (12-6).

*Maranatha 58, Oakwood 52: Juniors Nicholas Khatchikian (15) and Trevor Cohen (13) combined for 28 points as the Minutemen improved to 13-4. Oliver Ford scored 15 points for Oakwood (8-12).

*Long Beach Jordan 60, Fairfax 45: Jay’Mari Redmond, a 6-foot junior, scored 25 points as the Panthers improved to 9-6. Senior Romello McRae scored 17 points for the 3-13 Lions.

*Del Lago Academy 57, Firebaugh 56: Will Dunbar scored 18 points and Ogden Viktor added 15 for the 8-6 Firebirds.

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