Frank Burlison

LA VERNE, Ca. – As was the case in its first three years, the fourth version of The Classic at Damien has proven to be an ideal “preview” of the CIF sectional Open playoff fields.

As a pristine example, Saturday night’s Platinum Division championship semifinals is made of four teams that will – barring surprise – be in the eight-club field when the Southern Section playoff field is unveiled in early February.

At 7:30 in Damien High’s Athletic Center, 13-0 Sierra Canyon (the two-time defending State Open champion and ranked No.

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LA VERNE, Ca. – If the Sierra Canyon and Windward squads hook up in a final-day (Dec. 30) game in the fourth The Classic at Damien tournament that gets underway on Thursday, it will serve as a preview of sorts to their Gold Coast League game at Cal State Northridge on Jan. 23.

They’re on opposite sides of the 16-team Platinum Division bracket at Damien High (the division’s games will be played in the school’s Athletic Center) and an “all-Gold Coast League” platinum championship final on the evening of Dec.

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LA VERNE, Ca. – So, do you want to get an up-close-and-personal look at some of the best backicourt prospects in the western high school Class of 2021?

Take a day, or two, or three or – if you really want a close-to-definitive perspective on the top – four and check out the fourth The Classic at Damien, set for Dec. 26, 27, 28&30.

There are bundles of them in the top two divisions (Platinum and Gold) of the five-division, 80-team event.

Because of NCAA rules, coaches can’t attend high school or community college tournaments on Dec.

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LAS VEGAS – The Platinum Championship trophy made have made the trip back to Corona in multiple shards of glass.

But that was the only example of slippage – courtesy the trophy presentation after knocking off host Bishop Gorman, 71-55, Saturday evening – for Coach Josh Giles’ Centennial squad after four days of nothing short of superb play during the eighth annual Tarkanian Classic.

The Huskies (10-2) handed three nationally ranked squads their first losses this week – Philadelphia Neumann Goretti Wednesday afternoon (followed Thursday afternoon by a 35-point victory against, Durango, which it beat in Pasadena on Dec.

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LAS VEGAS – The Corona (CA) Centennial and Bishop Gorman programs used different approaches Friday in the Orleans Hotel Arena in an attempt to get to Saturday’s Platinum Division championship game in the Tarkanian Classic.

Both succeeded.

The Centennial Huskies (9-2), under Coach Josh Giles, continued to make a mockery of the tag “undergo” while holding off Santa Ana Mater Dei, 63-53, in the first of those Friday semifinals.

And Coach Grant Rice’s Bishop Gorman team put itself into position to complete the program’s defense of the division championship while rallying (from five points down with a bit more than 2 1/2 minutes to play) to knock off two-time, California Open Division runner-up Sacramento Sheldon, 75-66.

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