Frank Burlison

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Chatsworth, CA, Sierra Canyon and Los Angeles Fairfax came out of the second to last day of 2014 with championships in two of the most challenge post-Christmas high school tournaments in the country.

Sierra Canyon used two free throws by junior point guard Devearl Ramsey with eight-tenths of a second remaining to edge Mableton, GA, Pebblebrook, 67-66, in the finale of the Open Division of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic at Rancho Mirage.

And Fairfax got 20 points from reserve Lorne Currie and used a 14-0 run in the second half to overcome a seven-point deficit in the third quarter and knocked off Redondo Beach Redondo, 56-51, in the National Division finale of the Under Armour Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines High.

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SAN DIEGO – The L.A. Fairfax and Redondo Beach Redondo high teams took remarkably different routes to Tuesday night’s 8 o’clock championship game in the National Division of the 25^th Under Armour Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines High.

The Fairfax Lions – heavily favored to win the L.A. City championship in March – got 25 points from senior reserve Lorne Currie and was pretty much in control from Jump Street while knocking off Corona Centennial, one of the better teams in the Southern Section, 69-62.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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