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  SCOTTSDALE, Az. –During his freshman and sophomore seasons at Chino Hills High in Southern California,Melo Ball was accustomed to playing in front of crowds so large that, figuratively, they had to be shoe-horned into the gymnasiums and arenas.

   After spending what would have been his junior year in high school playing professionally in Europe, Ball has returned to “high school” – albeit a “prep school”, Spire Institute in Ohio – and the packed gyms have joined him.

    Friday night, infront of an estimated 3,000 in Chaparral High’s gym (which, according to theschool’s head coach, was built to seat 2,800), Ball and his gifted teammatestoppled another prep school team, Bella Vista of Phoenix, 85-69, during thefeatured game of the second day of the HoopHall West.

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  SCOTTSDALE, Az. – The “showcase” game of Thursday’s first day of the three-day HoopHall West at Chaparral High was undoubtedly the nationally televised clash between Phoenix Pinnacle and Fresno San Joaquin Memorial.

   And the two standouts for each team – yeah, the only reasons, in reality, the game was getting the ESPN treatment – delivered the goods, with Pinnacle’s Nico Mannion and SJM’s Jalen Green scoring 33 often-spectacular points apiece.

   But it was Mannion (PICTURED) – the University of Arizona-bound, best point guard in the Class of 2019 – and the rest of the Pioneers who cruised to an eased-up, 90-69, victory over the squad from the central portion of California.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – The three top teams in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25 all face hefty schedules this week.

*No. 1 Sierra Canyon is at home to No. 10 Camarillo (led by UCLA-bound Jaime Jaquez/PICTURED) Monday; No. 2 6 Corona Centennial Tuesday; No.  15 Riverside Notre Dame Thursday and defending State Division IV champion Santa Clarita Christian Saturday.

*No. 2 St. John Bosco travels to Carmichael (suburb of Sacramento) for a tournament that includes No. 14 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and host Jesuit.

*No. 3 Rancho Christian, fresh off an a come-from-behind (15 points) victory over host Centennial in the BattleZone final Saturday night, is in Scottsdale, AZ this week for the HoopHall West, where the Eagles will take on Chicago powerhouse Simeon Friday night and Nico Mannion-led Phoenix Pinnacle Saturday.

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CORONA, Ca. – A year ago, the Rancho Christian High squad shredded Etiwanda’s defense while on its way to a 78-54 victory in the championship game of the sixth BattleZone Tournament at Centennial High.

Things were a whole lot tougher for Coach Ray Barefield’s Eagles Saturday night, a year later, in the same location and with the same championship on the line.

But the Mobley Brothers and their teammates made sure the result was the same – no matter the margin.

Younger brother (he’s a junior) Evan Mobley tied the score with two free throws with 1:23 remaining and then his older brother, Isaiah, completed the remarkable comeback – from a first-half deficit of 15 points – with two more free throws with just 1.2 seconds to go for the 56-54 victory over the host Huskies.

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CORONA, Ca. – Here’s something to ponder following the scintillating Battle Zone showdown between the basketball teams from Rancho Christian and Chino Hills Friday night at Centennial:

It might have been just the first of five matchups between the Eagles and Huskies this season.

And if any of the potential rematches (which could happen in the semifinals of the Tarkanian Classic and The Classic at Damien, along with the CIF Southern Section and State Southern Regional playoffs) prove as competitive, dynamic and entertaining as Friday night’s clash was, well .

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