Frank Burlison

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Those wishing to take up-close-and-personal looks at some of Southern California’s best prep teams and players Monday certainly have a multitude of options to choose from among.

Let’s get started with:

*Rancho Mirage High (31001 Rattler Road, Rancho Mirage): This is the site of the Open Division of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic and the championship semifinals Monday evening in that division have the makings of being nothing short of terrific.

It wouldn’t be startling if Etiwanda and Chatsworth Sierra Canyon are battling for the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division championship in March.

[Click to continue reading]

RANCHO MIRAGE, Ca. – The first day of Open Division play in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic at Rancho Mirage featured plenty of impressive performances from both teams and individuals.

There just wasn’t anything approaching a “surprise”.

The top four seeds won their Round of 16 games Friday by an average margin of 17 points.

Santa Ana, CA, Mater Dei – which toppled American Fork of Utah, 63-46, in a game that wasn’t a wrap until Friday night at about 11:30 – played twice. The Monarchs also knocked off the host Rancho Mirage Rattlers in a tune-up of sorts, 85-56.

[Click to continue reading]

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The “post-Christmas” portion of the high school basketball season, Southern California-style, will feature two of the very best holiday tournaments in the country.

Rancho Mirage High (31001 Rattler Road) will be the main site for the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, with Torrey Pines in San Diego (3710 Del Mar Heights) serving the same duties for the Under Armour/Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, both of which tip on Friday.

The 16-team field in the MaxPreps Open Division includes “traditional” powers Santa Ana Mater Dei and Etiwanda, as well as four other Southern California programs in Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, La Verne Damien, San Juan Capistrano Saddleback Valley Christian and Mission Hills Alemany.

[Click to continue reading]

LAS VEGAS – The high school portion of the third Tarkanian Classic, highlighted by a whole lot of thrilling finishes over four days, ended in rather matter-of-fact fashion Saturday night at Bishop Gorman High.

The Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo Sea Hawks dominated the Oklahoma City Putnam City West Patriots for the bulk of the Platinum Division championship game’s 32 minutes to come away with a 66-51 victory.

For Coach Reggie Morris’ underclass-laden club, junior Leland Green (14 points, five rebounds and five steals) had multiple “Dwyane Wade-like” finishes; classmate Morgan Means (11 points, six rebounds and seven assists) may have been his team’s most consistent player over four days; and sophomore Billy Preston (17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots) turned in his most impressive (and foul-free) extended performance of the event.

[Click to continue reading]

LAS VEGAS – The host Bishop Gorman Gaels and Corona (CA) Centennial Huskies hook up in Saturday’s final day of action in the Platinum Division of the third Jerry Tarkanian Classic.

That is not surprising in itself.

What is perhaps startling to many is that the game will tip off at 3:40 in the afternoon – and will be contested for third place.

That’s because the division’s top two seeds were stunned in down-to-the-wire semifinals Friday evening in the Orleans Hotel Arena.

In the first semifinal the Huskies were edged by another of the better teams in California, Redondo Beach Redondo, 55-54.

[Click to continue reading]