Frank Burlison

CHICAGO – Simeon – one of the two host high schools for the event – wrapped up the third Chicago Elite Classic in, well, elite fashion Saturday night at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion to pull away in the fourth quarter for an 87-72 victory over Lancaster, one of the better squads in Texas.

The Wolverines, who were making their season debut while the Tigers (6-3) were into their ninth game, used their impressive depth to great advantage as 11 of the 12 players who got into the game scored, led by Nebraska-bound Edward Morrow’s 22 points.

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CHICAGO – Six teams combined to commit 104 turnovers and hit less than 20 percent from behind the arc (16 of 82) Friday night during the opening action of the third Chicago Elite Classic at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.

OK, so with those nuggets of ugliness out of the way, on to my rundowns of the three games played . . .

The “Chicago-area” teams batted .500 in games vs. non-Illinois squads Friday, with Westchester Saint Joseph rolling past Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo Union in Game II, 70-54, and Memphis Southwind trimming Chicago Whitney Young in overtime in Friday’s finale, 69-66.

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CHICAGO – One of the season’s top high school hoops events is on tap Friday and Saturday when the third Chicago Elite Classic is held at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.

Nine prep teams from within and near Chicago, as well as teams from California, Utah, Texas, Tennessee and New York, will participate in the seven-game slate.

The event was inaugurated in 2012 under the direction of Chicago’s Simeon and Whitney Young high schools.

Three games will be played on Friday: 6 p.m., Oak Park (IL) Fenwick vs.

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NEWARK, Ca. — Last December, during the Tarkanian Classic semifinals in Las Vegas, Oakland Bishop O’Dowd toppled Las Vegas Bishop Gorman by 14 points.

It seems as if the pecking order of the “Bishops”, basketball-wise, hasn’t changed much in 11 months or so.

That appeared to be the case Saturday night when the Dragons scored the first 14 points of the third quarter and went on to knock off the Gaels, 63-55, in front of a packed Newark Memorial High gymnasium during the 8th Prep2Prep NorCal Tip-Off Classic.

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REDONDO BEACH, Ca. – They may not have been the most esthetically pleasing of basketball games.

But, ultimately, the 63^rd Dijon Thompson Pac Shores Tournament’s top two seeds – the host Redondo Sea Hawks and the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits – won their semifinals Friday evening to advance to Saturday afternoon’s 3:30 championship game.

The Jackrabbits of Coach Shelton Diggs were in front of L.A. Westchester, 32-20, at intermission before the City power Comets made things interesting.

The got to within four points (51-47) in the fourth quarter before the Jackrabbits made just enough plays – at both ends of the floor – and hit just enough free throws to hold on for a 60-55 victory.

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