Frank Burlison

NEWPORT BEACH – Mission Bay High boys’ basketball coach Marshawn Cherry and his team made the 76-mile jaunt up the 5 Freeway Tuesday afternoon for its State Southern Regional Division II game at Corona del Mar High.

And the Buccaneers played just well enough to earn a near-double-the-distance drive Thursday for their second-round game.

Senior forward Charlie Hutchison scored half of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter and the visitors overcome some final-minute chaos to prevail, 57-55.

The win means another long bus ride for Cherry and his players – 140 miles or so, via the 5 and 405, to Northridge where they will take on top seed Heritage Christian Thursday night.

[Click to continue reading]

LAGUNA NIGUEL – The State Regional playoffs get underway Tuesday evening, with games spread across five divisions – No.’s 1-V.

Open play tips off Wednesday night in Southern California, with quarterfinal games at CIF Southern Section Open semifinalist Sierra Canyon (vs. Central Section runner-up St. Joseph) and San Diego Open champion Carlsbad at home to CIF SS Open semifinalist St. Pius X/St. Matthias Academy.

With 39 boys’ games set for Tuesday in the Southern portion of the regionals, there are a multitude of viewing options, based upon your location and interest – “rooting” or otherwise.

[Click to continue reading]

ONTARIO – Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks fell behind briefly late in the game before Mercy Miller did what he does best:

He took over the closing moments to give the Knights a 69-65 victory over Windward – and a CIF Southern Section Division 1 boys basketball championship – Saturday night at the Toyota Center.

The 6-foot-3 University of Houston-bound Miller scored 16  of his game-high 22 points in the second half via his usual terrific offensive display.

It was the third Southern Section boys’ title won by a Mission League program in 24 hours, joining Harvard-Westlake (Friday night over Roosevelt in the Open final) and Alemany (in three overtimes against Bosco Tech early Saturday in the 3A final).

[Click to continue reading]

RIVERSIDE – This Harvard-Westlake boys’ basketball team has already accomplished something that last season’s, 33-2, State Open Division-winning squad couldn’t:

It has rung up a CIF Southern Section championship.

And, after the results of the boys and girls Open title games at Cal Baptist University Friday night, the same can be said of the Wolverines’ Etiwanda girls’ counterpart.

Coach David Rebibo’s Harvard-Westlake team trailed just three times ­– at 2-0, 5-3 and 7-5 ­– and used its stout half-court defense  with just enough offensive efficiency to grind out a 54-47 win over No.

[Click to continue reading]

LAGUNA NIGUEL – Eight o’clock games Friday and Saturday nights, at Cal Baptist University in Riverside and Toyota Arena in Ontario, respectively, highlight the weekend’s ten CIF Southern Section boys’ basketball championship games.

Defending State Open Division champion Harvard-Westlake (29-3) and Eastvale Roosevelt (30-2) are each in pursuit of their initial sectional title when they hook up Friday at Cal Baptist.

And Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (28-3) and Windward (28-3), which came into the playoffs as the No.’s 1 and 2 seeds, face off Saturday night in Ontario with the CIF SS D-1 title at stake.

[Click to continue reading]