Frank Burlison

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – The Santa Margarita Eagles were the big winners – on and off the floor – among Southern California boys’ high school basketball teams Monday.

Coach Justin Bell’s team built a 20-point advantage early in the third quarter before losing all but five points of that edge – via an 11-point spurt in the first minute and eight seconds of the fourth quarter by Mater Dei’s junior deluxe jump shooter Luke Barnett.

But, with each starter scoring in double figures, the Eagles regrouped and prevailed, 87-75.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – The final four days of the CIF Southern Section boys’ basketball regular season begin on . .  . Sunday.

Traditionally, high school programs that are members of the California Interscholastic Federation are not allowed to play “real season” games or practice on Sunday.

But the Southern California fires forced many postponements, so the CIF granted a waiver for some games to be played on Sunday.

The most notable of those involve Mission League programs, where the La Canada St. Francis team will visit Alemany in Mission Hills (5 p.m.),

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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – The Santa Margarita High boys’ basketball team wrapped a terrific week Friday.

And, with the 65-60 Trinity League win at JSerra, the Eagles are in position to win no worse than a share of the league crown with two victories to close out the regular season next week.

Coach Justin Bell’s team trailed by 14 points (40-26) midway through the third quarter before junior Kaiden Bailey fueled a collective effort at both ends of the floor to come away with its second win against one of state’s top teams in this week.

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SANTA ANA – If you’re eagerly anticipating seeing who comes out on top of the Trinity League high school boys’ basketball race, you don’t have much longer to wait – next Tuesday’s last day of the regular season.

The race among the league’s top four teams couldn’t be more tangled following Wednesday night’s action.

With – as anticipated – Santa Margarita (82-36 over Orange Lutheran) and St. John Bosco (76-50 vs. Servite) handling the league’s 5^th and 6^th place squads, it was left to the JSerra and Mater Dei clash in Santa Ana to shake things up among the four title contenders.

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STUDIO CITY, CA –  The Harvard-Westlake High boys’ basketball team continued its sprint Tuesday night to the No. 1 overall seed in the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division playoffs.

The Wolverines’ 63-52, Mission League win against visiting Sierra Canyon also propelled them a huge step toward securing the top seed in the league’s playoff.

Their 14^th win in a row – during which they’ve outscored their opponents by 21.5 ppg – pushed them to 23-1, overall, and 5-0 in league.

Coach David Rebibo’s team returns to its gym Thursday night for a game with Chaminade (18-7 and 1-4), then plays St.

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