Frank Burlison

   LAGUNA NIGUEL – The Sierra Canyon and Rancho Christian boys’ teams ended the 2018 portion of the 2018-19 season the same way they began it – as the No.’s 1 and 2 teams in the BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California Top 25.

   The Trailblazers and Eagles captured championships Saturday night in the most prestigious post-Christmas tournaments in the West – and, maybe, beyond – with Sierra Canyon knocking off talented (if somewhat under-achieving) University of Ft. Lauderdale in Oregon’s Les Schwab Invitational, and Rancho Christian toppling now-No.

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  LA VERNE – The Rancho Christian High basketball team took care of the last pre-2019 business of its 2018-19 season Saturday night in impression fashion.

  The Eagles of Coach Ray Barefield, No. 2 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California Top 25, captured the Platinum championship of the third Classic at Damien using their Mobley Brothers-fueled approach to improve to 14-1 with a no-doubts-about-it, 77-69 decision over No. 5 Corona Centennial.

  Junior Evan Mobley turned in his own “no-doubts-about-it” performance in the final night of the top post-Christmas tournament in the West.

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  LA VERNE – Rancho Christian vs. Centennial, Part II: Twenty-eight days later . . .

   The much-hoped for – certainly on the part of the Corona Centennial High Huskies – rematch of the Dec. 1 BattleZone Tournament championship game is finally officially schedule, with the setting the Athletic Center of Damien High Saturday night at 8:30 in the title game of the Platinum Division of the third Classic at Damien.

   The first half of the “table” was set for matchup Friday night, when the No.

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LA VERNE – Being the oh-so-driven basketball player that Fairfax High senior Ethan Anderson is, he no doubt prefers to delay taking any figurative bows until what he hopes will be a victory by the Lions Saturday night in the championship game of the third Classic at Damien.

   But the UNLV-bound guard’s performance Thursday night against the host Spartans was worthy of any and all kudos rained upon him.

  Anderson’s first field goal of the night didn’t come until his buzzer-beating 3-point in the first half.

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LA VERNE, Ca. – The first day of the third version of The Classic at Damien had more than its share of spectacular efforts – and a few stunning conclusions, as well.

   The No.’s 6 (Etiwanda) and 9 (St. John Bosco) in the latest BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25 suffered first-round upsets – mild as they may be, in a bracket so tough – in the Platinum Division at Damien High.

  And the No. 10 and host Spartans came oh-so-close to being dispensed to the consolation side of the bracket as well, in the final game of Wednesday night.

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