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   LAGUNA NIGUEL – The third annual Classic at Damien (presented by Mark Christopher Auto Center) highlights the post-Christmas high school basketball tournament action in Southern California, with 64 teams playing in four brackets over four days at four sites.

   The top 32 teams will play on the Damien campus in the school’s Athletic Center and Event Center, with all of the Platinum in Athletic Center (largest gymnasium).

  Other sites are Ramona Middle School and Bonita High (located very near the Damien campus in La Verne) and San Dimas High and Life Pacific College (also located in San Dimas).

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  LAS VEGAS – Even though it represented the host school, Bishop Gorman High’s basketball program found itself as – so to speak — a collection of “envious onlookers” in the top (Platinum) bracket of competition in the first five years of the Tarkanian Classic.

  Based upon the results of Year 6 of the event and what took place over the past four days, however, it’s apparent that Coach Grant Rice’s Gaels have become quite comfortable – on and off the court – in playing hosts for one of the elite prep events in the sport.

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  LAS VEGAS – The defending Tarkanian Classic Platinum champions and host Bishop Gorman High Gaels will attempt to do something Saturday night that teams have tried – and failed – to do 10 other times so far this season:

  Coach Grant Rice and his squad are going to try to come up with a way to keep the Mobley Brothers of Temecula (CA) Rancho Christian from dominating things at both ends of the floor.

   The Gaels and Coach Ray Barefield’s Eagles hook up at 5:20 in the Platinum finale of the seventh annual event, named in honor of the late and oh-so-great Jerry Tarkanian, who guided four UNLV teams to Final Fours, which included the 1990 NCAA championship.

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  LAS VEGAS – The Federal Way High Eagles basketball team ran its record to 9-0 Thursday evening.

  And it can go to 10-0 with a third consecutive victory over one of California’s best squads Friday night at Bishop Gorman High.

  The Eagles held off Chino Hills (49-45) in a Thursday quarterfinal to earn a Friday night (6:40) hook-up with Temecula Rancho Christian.

  Rancho Christian – also nicknamed the Eagles, by the way – rallied from a nine-point deficit in the first half to knock off Aurora (CO) Grandview, 63-55.

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  LAS VEGAS –Southern California-based high school boys basketball programs were 4-0 in the seven Tarkanian Classic games played Wednesday in the Orleans Hotel Arena.

   Six of those games were in the Platinum (top) Division, with Orange Lutheran (59-50 over Little Rock Hall), Rancho Christian (73-56 against Philadelphia Constitution) and Chino Hills (knocking off Ft. Lauderdale Dillard, 72-55) the SoCal squads advancing to the quarterfinals in that division Thursday at Bishop Gorman.

   The one Nike Division game played in the building featured enough smoke from the offensive fireworks ignited by two players to choke the small crowd in the Orleans Arena.

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