Frank Burlison

  RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – The Mater Dei High boys’ basketball team took a significant step to the program’s 31^st consecutive league championship Wednesday night.

   The Monarchs held a three-point advantage early in the third quarter before going on to dominate the Trinity League contest at both ends of the floor the rest of the way to leave the Santa Margarita gymnasium with a 76-57 victory.

  Coach Gary McKnight’s squad, No. 6 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25, improved to 21-1 overall and 3-zip in league with another Trinity contest on tap in Bellflower Friday night against No.

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  LOS ANGELES – The Sierra Canyon High boys’ basketball team may not have been quite as sharp Tuesday night as it will need to be to repeat as the state’s Open Division champion.

   But the top-ranked Trail Blazers (in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25) had more than enough pep in their tank to toppled Southern California’s No. 22 squad – host Windward – by 20 points.

   Coach Andre Chevalier’s crew improved to 20-1 with its 77-57 victory.

   It visits Santa Monica to take on Crossroads on Friday night then boards a jetliner for Springfield, MA and a Monday afternoon game against Montverde Academy of Florida, which saddled Sierra Canyon with its only defeat (57-49 on Dec.

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   LAGUNA NIGUEL – The strike by the L.A. Unified School District’s teachers’ guild means that the next chapter in the biggest rivalry in Southern California high school hoops is going to be postponed for a while.

   Westchester and Fairfax, No.’s 2 and 5, respectively, in the latest BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 25, were slated to play in a Western League game at Fairfax Friday night.

   But, while the first strike of the LAUSD’s teachers’ guild in 30 years is on-going, L.A. City athletic teams are not permitted to play or practice (under the direction of their coaches).

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  RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Ca. – Three days after a double-overtime loss at St. John Bosco High to open Trinity League action, the Santa Margarita Eagles bounced back in a big way Friday night at home against Orange Lutheran.

   And providing much of that bounce in the 71-65 victory was the senior combination of Pacific 12 Conference-bound Jake Kyman and Max Agbonkpolo.

   Agbonkpolo (who signed with USC in November) scored 17 of his eventual 28 points in a first half that ended with the Eagles down just a point at intermission after trailing by as many 12 early in the second quarter.

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   LAGUNA NIGUEL – League play comes to the forefront in Southern California high school basketball this week.

   And, relative to the CIF Southern Section’s prospect eight-team Open Division playoff field, that’s most notable relative to the four strongest leagues in the section: The Baseline, Ivy, Mission and Trinity.

    In key matchups this week:

   *Baseline: Damien (No. 9 in the BurlisonOnBasketball updated Southern California Top 25) plays at No. 10 Chino Hills Friday night;

  *Ivy: No. 15 Riverside Notre Dame plays host to No.

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