Frank Burlison

   Nine teams that played in the Dec. 26-29, 2018 Classic at Damien will be competing in boys’ basketball CIF sectional championships games Saturday.

  Six of those are playing in three of the Southern Sectional matchups:

  *Defending champion Chino Hills, led by 2018 State Player of the Year and USC-bound Onyeka Okongwu (PICTURED), takes on Santa Margarita at 3 o’clock at Cal Baptist for the Division I crown;

   *Rolling Hills Prep and Santa Clarita Christian (the 2018 champions in the 4A and 5AAA divisions, respectively, a year ago) hook up in the 3AA title game, at 4 o’clock, at Godinez High;

   *And, at 8:30, Colony and La Canada meet for the 2A championship.

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  MISSION VIEJO – A head coach in his second season heading the program, and a player in his third year in the United States, helped a school in its 45^th year of existence earn its first ever spot in a CIF Southern Section boys’ basketball championship game Saturday night.

   San Juan Capistrano’s Capistrano Valley Christian High Christian Eagles got a 10-point first-quarter effort from 6-foot-7 Festus Ndumanya for an early advantage that they were able to maintain throughout on their way to a 48-34 Division 3A semifinal victory over the Palos Verdes Sea Kings at Mission Viejo High.

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  ETIWANDA – A year ago the Bishop Montgomery High boys’ basketball team suffered gut-twisting losses to Sierra Canyon in the CIF Southern Section and State Southern Regional Open semifinals.

   Next Saturday night (Feb. 23), the Knights will get another pop at the program that blocked it from 2018 championship games – in a 2019 championship game.

   Coach Doug Mitchell’s team earned that trip to Riverside’s Cal Baptist University for the Southern Section Open title game against the Trailblazers by holding off host Etiwanda, 72-65, in a final-round, Pool A game.

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  LAGUNA NIGUEL – Fifteen teams that were part of the third Classic at Damien Tournament in December play in CIF sectional championship semifinal games Saturday night.

 *In the L.A. City Open semifinals at Venice High, top seed Fairfax faces another Damien team, Washington Prep, while Damien participant Birmingham takes on No. 2 seed Westchester.

   *In the Southern Section’s Division 1 semifinals, Classic at Damien Platinum Bracket teams Chino Hills (at Windward) and Santa Margarita (at Harvard-Westlake).

   *CAD Gold Division champion Valencia travels to another Damien Gold Bracket participant, Rancho Cucamonga in a 2AA contest.

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  LA VERNE – A Trinity League-ending loss at JSerra High eliminated the Santa Margarita High boys’ basketball team from any real hope of a fourth consecutive appearance in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoff bracket.

   But, a little more than two weeks later, the Eagles find themselves just one victory away from a slot in the Feb. 23 Southern Section Division I championship game at Cal Baptist University in Riverside.

   Coach Jeff Reinert’s team advanced to a Saturday night division semifinal at Harvard-Westlake with its 83-64 victory over host Damien Thursday night.

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