Frank Burlison

LA VERNE, CA – The Classic at Damien tips off Monday morning, with action in four of its seven 16-team divisions spread over six gymnasiums — on or near the Damien Campus.

Play in the Silver and Bronze divisions will be held in the Damien Athletic Center and the Damien Center.

Each of the first-round Iron Division games will be contested at Charter Oak High, with Green Division games played at Life Pacific University, San Dimas High and Bonita High.

Play in the “Top three” Divisions – featuring many of the elite high school programs in California, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, and Utah – begins Tuesday morning at Damien High and Ramona Middle School (located just a few blocks away from Damien).

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LAS VEGAS – The West Ranch High boys basketball team made a four-hour drive from Southern California’s Santa Clarita Valley – Magic Mountain, anyone? – to Las Vegas with aspirations of continuing to show it can do more than just “hang” with the best of the in the region.

And the Wildcats of Coach Jeff Bryant did that – and won one of the major high school tournament in the country in the process.

They capped the 11^th Tarkanian Classic with a third consecutive “upset” Thursday night at Bishop Gorman High, rallying from a 10-point deficit late in the first to knock off the host Gaels, 67-62, packing a lot of championship paraphernalia for their return trip home.

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LAS VEGAS – The West Ranch boys’ basketball team made the most of another opportunity Wednesday evening to show why it’s one of the top teams in Southern California – and beyond.

The Wildcats led wire-to-wire while knocking off Mater Dei, 60-55, at Bishop Gorman to advance to the Thursday night (6 o’clock) Platinum Division championship game of the 11^th Tarkanian Classic.

Coach Jeff Bryant’s team, after improving to 11-0, will take on the host and defending division champion Gaels in the finale.

Freshman Jaxon Richardson picked off a short pass intended for 6-foot-9 Jacob Toppin with three seconds to go to give Bishop Gorman an 82-80 win in overtime against Dallas Oak Cliff Faith Family, which took a 14-0 record into the game.

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LAS VEGAS – The West Ranch boys’ basketball team made the most of another opportunity Wednesday evening to show why it’s one of the top teams in Southern California – and beyond.

The Wildcats led wire-to-wire while knocking off Mater Dei, 60-55, at Bishop Gorman to advance to the Thursday night (6 o’clock) Platinum Division championship game of the

11^th Tarkanian Classic.

Coach Jeff Bryant’s team, after improving to 11-0, will take on the host and defending division champion Gaels.

Freshman Jaxon Richardson picked off a short pass intended for 6-foot-9 Jacob Toppin with three seconds to go to give Bishop Gorman an 82-80 win in overtime against Dallas Oak Cliff Faith Family, which took a 14-0 record into the game.

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LAS VEGAS – The Mater Dei High 3-pointers were raining fast and furious Tuesday afternoon in the Bishop Gorman High gymnasium.

And the Monarchs used that Owen Verna-led onslaught to overwhelm the defense of a tall and gifted Ft. Lauderdale Calvary Christian squad, 70-62, and move into Wednesday evening’s Platinum Division championship semifinals of the 11^th Tarkanian Classic.

And they’ll face another of Southern California’s Southern Section Open Division playoff contenders at 4:30 when then take on a West Ranch team that improved to 10-zip after a “mild upset” of unbeaten Marietta (GA) Kell, 65-55.

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