Frank Burlison

LA VERNE, Ca. – Four teams that have already won a collective 48 games a month into the season make up the Thursday night championship semifinal field in the Gold Division of the first-ever Classic at Damien basketball tournament.

The host Damien Spartans (14-0) faces the Eastvale Roosevelt Mustangs (7-3) at 7 o’clock, with top seed Santa Ana Mater Dei (14-1) following against Corona Roosevelt (12-2) at approximately 8:30 in Damien’s Athletic Center.

Day IV of the tournament also includes championship semifinals in the Silver and Bronze divisions.

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LA VERNE, Ca. – Three of the four Gold Division championship semifinalists in the first Classic at Damien Tournament won “crossover” – against teams outside of their tourney divisions – Wednesday at Damien High.

The event hosts Damien Spartans improved to 14-0 by toppling Pasadena La Salle (which is in a Bronze Division semifinal Thursday), 79-55, behind 19 points apiece from senior Justin Hemsley and junior Elijah McCullough.

The Spartans play Eastvale Roosevelt (which didn’t play a crossover – or “cross-bracket” – game) in the first Gold semifinal at 7 o’clock Thursday night.

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LA VERNE, Ca. – The respective tables have been set for the championship semifinals Thursday during the first-ever Classic at Damien.

The matchups were set with the results of quarterfinals in the Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions Tuesday on the respective campuses of Damien and San Dimas High Schools.

Bracket play will take a one-day hiatus on Wednesday when 12 “cross-bracket” contests will be played in the Athletic (starting at 11:30 a.m.) and Event (tipping at 2 p.m.) centers on the Damien campus.

In the Gold Division, top seed Santa Ana Mater Dei (74-67 over Lake Balboa Birmingham), host Damien (topping Long Beach Poly, 71-63), Eastvale Roosevelt (74-65 against Bellflower St.

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LA VERNE, Ca. – Day II of the first Classic at Damien tips off Tuesday morning, with championship quarterfinals in the Gold and Silver divisions set for the Damien High campus.

For my rundown on Monday’s action, plus preview of Tuesday games, go to www.classicatdamien.com where you can also get complete brackets and schedules.

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LAVERNE, Ca. – The first-ever Classic at Damien gets underway way on Monday, with the Gold and Silver brackets being contested on the Damien High campus and games in the Bronze Division held at San Dimas High and Life Pacific College.

The Gold (top) bracketed games commence at 10 a.m. when Lake Balboa Birmingham and Oak Park – two of the top programs from the San Fernando Valley region of Southern California – play in the Damien Athletic Center in what should be one of the more compelling matchups of the first day.

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