Frank Burlison

NORWALK, Ca. – Consistently excellent back-court play – and exceptional depth – were trademarks of the Bishop Gorman squad during its three-game run at Cerritos College

And that’s why the Gaels players and coaches returned via chartered-bus to Las Vegas Sunday evening with the championship of the in the fifth Ron Massey Memorial Hoops Fall Classic.

Coach Grant Rice’s squad, which opened the run with a 20-point victory over its Harvard-Westlake counterpart Saturday night then pulled away for a 65-51 semifinal win against Mater Dei Sunday morning.

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NORWALK, Ca. – The Mater Dei, Rancho Christian, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman and Bishop Montgomery teams won their first-round games by an average margin of 13 points Saturday night to advance to Sunday morning’s championship semifinals of the fifth Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic at Cerritos College.

Game action on three courts (including Showcase games) begins at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The first Challenge of Champions winners’ bracket semifinal is scheduled at 10:10, when Mater Dei (an 81-73 winner Corona Centennial Saturday) faces Bishop Gorman on Court 2 (center).

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NORWALK, Ca. – The fifth annual Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic will provide a nifty preview of the best of what the 2018-19 has to offer on the boys’ scene in Southern California.

Thirty games are set to be played over Saturday and Sunday at Cerritos College, 12 of those via the eight-team Challenge of Champions Bracket and the others coming in showcase matchups.

Games (played on three courts in the school’s spacious gymnasium) are scheduled for 5, 6:10, 7:20 and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and resume at 9 o’clock Sunday morning and conclude with three 2:50 games.

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CARLSBAD, Ca. – Guard Patrick McLachlan’s 3-pointer from just beyond the top of the key with 21 seconds to go in overtime provided the final points of the fourth Crème of the County Classic Saturday even at the Army-Navy Academy.

And the shot gave McLachlan and his West teammates an 87-85 victory in the Class of 2019 Crème game – the ninth and final 50-minute contest played in the Aaron Burgin/Full Time Hoops-fronted event.

Many of the best hoopsters in San Diego County – from grades 7 thru 12 – were in attendance, as were some “non-San Diego” standouts, notably 6-foot-5 junior Austin Cook (La Verne Damien) and 6-3 sophomore Jahmai Mashack (Etiwanda).

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SANTA ANA, Ca. – Some of the west’s best prospects in the Class of 2021 were among the wealth of quality players on display Sunday during the West Coast Elite’s End of Summer High School Camp at Mater Dei High.

The two most touted “big” sophomores in the west, Nathan Bittle (Crater in Oregon) and Wilhelm Breidenbach (Mater Dei/PICTURED), matched up in the first game Sunday morning.

And, although Breidebach’s team (USC) prevailed over Bittle’s squad (UCLA), each had terrific moments at both ends of the floor.

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