Burlison on Basketball

Frank Burlison | High School Basketball | College Basketball

Week’s hoops finales = Superb Saturday in Corona

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CORONA – My 23-game, seven-high school gymnasium schedule for the first week of the boys’ high school hoops season wrapped with the eight-game, BattleZone Showcase over 13 hours Saturday at Centennial High.

And the initial six days of the 2024-25 season certainly wrapped up in nifty fashion.

The final two games Saturday night were superb in both quality of teams and their players, and with the tenacity of play that was on display.

*In Game No. 7, Eastvale Roosevelt (No. 3 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Preseason Top 70) trailed Phoenix Sunnyslope by 10 points late in the first half before Brayden Burries kicked things up a couple of notches after intermission to give the Mustangs a 68-51 victory.

With coaches from UCLA, USC, Oregon and SMU – some of the programs in pursuit one of the top player in the  national class of 2025 – in the building, Burries scored 22 of his game-high 29 points after intermission, grabbing six rebounds with four steals and three assists in the same stretch.

Roosevelt also got 14 points (including three 3s) from University of New Mexico-bound Issac Williamson and the usual terrific on-ball defense and dynamic offensive presence of point guard Myles Walker.

And Coach Steven Singleton’s squad got a huge contribution (at both ends of the floor) off the bench from freshman Cameron Anderson.

Coach Ray Portela’s Sunnyslope team – one of the best in Arizona despite starting five non-seniors – was led the 14 points of his junior son, Rider, and 12 from sophomore point guard Delton Prescott.

Another team without a senior in its lineup – the host Huskies – took an 11-point advantage into the fourth quarter against Long Beach Poly in the event’s final game.

Junior guard Isaiah Rogers 28 points over the first 24 minutes, including six 3s.

But the Jackrabbits (No. 24 in the Top 70) tightened its half-court and transition defenses over the fourth quarter, forcing Rogers out of his jump-shooting rhythm and doing a better job of forcing him to drive into traffic to try to score over their superior size – notably 6-9 junior Jonas Oware.

And Rogers missed all six of his field-goal attempts in the quarter.

Cal-bound Jovani Ruff scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter for Poly, including the ago-ahead, 17-footer with 37 seconds remaining that put his team up, 70-69.

After a steal by the Jackrabbits, senior forward Giovanni Ofoegbu (who scored 15 points) hit two free throws to put the edge at three points with 18 seconds remaining.

Rogers, fouled with 6.8 seconds to go, hit one of two free throws before Ofoegbu’s junior brother Nana (a tough point guard) hit one of two free throws to get the edge back to three points with 5.9 tics.

Rogers running, 30-footer at the buzzer was well off the mark.

Game 6: The L.A. City’s current “best team”, Chatsworth, capped its first week at 4-0 with its 60-54 victory over Etiwanda.

Junior Alijah Arenas – who else? – led the Chancellors with 29 points.

Game 5: Redondo Union (No. 7 in the Top 70) opened its season by knocking off Aaron Glass-led Rancho Cucamonga, 76-69, despite missing 20 of its 21 three-point attempts.

Glass kept his team close by scoring 18 of his game-high 27 points after intermission. Redondo, which lost two starters (Hudson Mayes, with 16 points, and junior Chace Holley, 20 points) to fouls in the fourth quarter, got 20 points and 13 rebounds from sophomore forward Chris Sanders.

Game 4: Rancho Verde trailed San Diego County power Mission Bay by seven points at intermission before getting terrific efforts from multiple players to prevail, 63-58.

Guards Trestyne Nguro (senior) and Semaj Carter (junior) combined for 29 points in the second half – 18 of those on a perfect performance from the free-throw line for the Mustangs. Freshman guard Ivan Don-Willies hit two 3s in the fourth quarter for Johnny Dukes’ club.

Game 3: Senior guard Jayden Smoot capped a sensational week for himself by score 33 points as Rancho Christian – after narrow losses to Crespi and Windward – held off Oak Hills, 79-71.

Sophomore forward Mar Landry scored 21 of his team-high 24 points over the final three quarters for Oak Hills.

Games 1&2: Reggie Caldwell led Grand Terrace past King/Drew, 68-46, while a balanced, attack (paced by senior Alex Nuno, junior Nolan Newman-Gomez and sophomore Jasiah Williams) overwhelmed San Bernardino in Hesperia’s 104-38 victory.

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