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Two months after its conclusion, the 2018 Classic at Damien continues to demonstrate – by many of its entrants – why it was easily the best post-Christmas basketball tournament in the west.

  Fourteen of its participants are in Thursday night’s second round of the State Southern Regional playoffs, with 13 of among the 16 teams still in action in Divisions I&II.

   Three of the Division I quarterfinals feature “all-Classic matchups”:

   No. 8 seed Birmingham (which was winless in four CAD Platinum games but advanced to the semifinals of the L.A.

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TORRANCE – The Mater Dei High boys’ basketball team didn’t venture to Cal Baptist University in Riverside as a participant in either of the CIF Southern Section’s Open or Division I title games contested there last Saturday.

   But it’s doubtful that – with, of course, the exception of Open champion Sierra Canyon, which prevailed over Gary McKnight’s crew in the Feb. 8 playoff opener – it’s doubtful that anyone is any hotter right now in the State Southern Regional playoffs than are the Monarchs.

  That certainly appeared the case Wednesday night in the El Camino Community College gym, where the Monarchs got a collective five 3s from three players in the first quarter to spark a surprisingly one-sided victory over No.

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  CHINO HILLS – When the brackets were unveiled on Sunday afternoon, it was touted as the most compelling matchup of Tuesday night’s first round of the State Southern Regional boys’ basketball playoffs – and by more than just yours truly.

   And the Mayfair-Chino Hills, Division I clash proved to be just that.

   The visiting Monsoons trailed by 16 points with a little less than four minutes to go, but, behind the superb performance of junior Josh Christopher, came oh-so-close to putting things into overtime before falling, 72-69.

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RIVERSIDE – The Sierra Canyon High boys’ basketball team took a big step Saturday night on its road to a second consecutive CIF State Open Division championship.

  And the Trailblazers of Coach Andre Chevalier did it by win their first-ever Southern Section Open title.

  Led by the scoring of senior guards Cassius Stanley (a game-high 29 points on 10 of 15 from the field, including three 3s, while perfect on six free throws) and Scotty Pippen Jr. (12 points, eight in the fourth quarter), they led wire-to-wire while knocking off Bishop Montgomery, 64-57, at Cal Baptist University.

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