Frank Burlison

LAS VEGAS – The Chino Hills Huskies pretty much controlled things from the opening tip Tuesday night to extend their two-year winning streak to 46 and bag Platinum Division championship hardware in the process during the finale of the fifth Jerry Tarkanian Classic at Bishop Gorman.

The Huskies never trailed while knocking off previously unbeaten Mater Dei, 84-73, as seniors Gelo Ball (25 points, seven rebounds and four assists) and Eli Scott (eight points and 16 rebounds) shared division co-Most Outstanding Player honors.

The Monarchs (11-1) committed 11 turnovers in the first half but were able to stay within 36-31 at intermission, largely because of the 14-point effort over the first 16 minutes by senior forward Justice Sueing.

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LAS VEGAS – The Chino Hills and Mater Dei high school basketball teams will play a rematch Tuesday night 6:20 in the Platinum Division championship game of the fifth Jerry Tarkanian Memorial Classic at Bishop Gorman High – some 250 miles from where the teams played on Feb. 26 of last season.

And the Monarchs are void of any found memories of that CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinal played at Ayala High in Chino Hills – and won by the Chino Hills Huskies, 102-54, en route to Southern Section and State Open Division titles.

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LAS VEGAS – Three of the very best teams in California and the perennial Nevada power Bishop Gorman make up the championship semifinals field for the Platinum Division Monday as the fifth Tarkanian Classic continues after taking Sunday off.

Each semifinal game in the event’s top bracket will be played in the Orleans Hotel Arena, with championships in all divisions to be played Tuesday at tournament host Bishop Gorman.

Eastvale Roosevelt, led by a couple of NCAA Division I program signees in guard Jemarl Baker (Cal) and forward Matt Mitchell (Cal State Fullerton), faces defending California State Open Division champion Chino Hills at 4 o’clock, with Santa Ana Mater Dei faces the Bishop Gorman Gaels at 5:30.

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LAS VEGAS – Two nights after knocking off top-ranked Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill Academy on national television in Indiana, Southern California’s top-ranked team was in the Bishop Gorman High gymnasium Saturday night.

And the Trailblazers showed little in the way of “hangover” during their brief stint in Las Vegas while holding off Las Vegas Centennial, 61-52, in a “showcase” contest as part of the fifth Tarkanian Classic.

Earlier in one of the Platinum (top) Division quarterfinals at Bishop Gorman, defending California State Open Division I champion Chino Hills stretched its win streak to 44 with an 87-77 victory over Northern California power Oakland Bishop O’Dowd.

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LAS VEGAS –The fifth Tarkanian Classic almost produced a “first” on Friday’s first day of the event’s high school play:

Southern California’s Chino Hills High Huskies were oh-so-close to suffering their first loss since March 27 of 2015 – nearly 21 months – before pulling off a furious rally to knock off Las Vegas Clark, 91-87, in a Platinum (top) Division game at Bishop Gorman High.

How close was “oh-so-close”?

The Huskies, who last lost (in double overtime) when they fell to Danville San Ramon Valley in the 2015 State Division I championship contest in Berkeley, trailed by nine points late in the first half and by 10 a few times deep into the second half.

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