Frank Burlison

   LAGUNA NIGUEL – Week III of the boys’ basketball season wrapped Saturday night.

Although there is  some high-quality tournament (notably, at St. John Bosco) and “showcase” (ditto, at Beverly Hills) action involving multiple members in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal ratings, it’s a “calm before the (hoops) storm” kind of deal this week.

Three events (the Dec. 18-21 Tarkanian Classic; the Dec. 26-30 Classic at Damien; and the Jan. 2-4 HoopHall West/Tournament of Champions in Arizona), along with the Mission and Trinity League competition, will largely dictate what shape and look the CIF Southern Section Open and Division I (and, maybe II) playoff fields take when the computer spits them out in February.

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REDONDO BEACH – Trailing by six points midway through the second quarter, the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines boys’ basketball team smashed a two-headed hammer on Owyhee, pulling away from the defending state champion from Idaho, 74-51, Saturday night at Redondo Union High during the final day of the Air Jordan/Take Flight Challenge

Nikolas Khamenia scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter for David Rebibo’s 7-0 crew and grabbed eight rebounds and dished four assists while junior guard Joe Sterling – held without a shot in the first quarter and getting his first bucket 1:22 before intermission – scored 12 of his 18 points in the third quarter.

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REDONDO BEACH – The JSerra Lions overcame Goodyear (AZ) Millennium’s 15 3-point baskets, and a 14-point, first-half deficit, to dig out a 63-61 victory Friday night during Day I of the Jordan Brand/Take Flight Challenge at Redondo Union High,

Seven games were played Friday – four in the school’s main gymnasium and the others in its spacious auxiliary gym.

Action resumes Saturday morning 9 o’clock (with a girls’ game between Crossroads and Narbonne in the aux gym) and 9:30 (St. Monica vs. Legacy Christian in a boys game in the main gym).

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REDONDO BEACH – Harvard-Westlake and Redondo Union’s forceful victories, and Mayfair’s championship win over St. Monica, highlighted Thursday’s final day of the Ryse Williams/PAC Shores boys basketball event.

There’s two more days of high-caliber high school basketball set to tip off Friday afternoon (3:30) at Redondo Union High, via the 23-game Jordan Brand Take Flight Challenge/Powered by Morgan Stanley.

Action begins with the Serra vs. Palos Verdes clash in the school’s auxiliary gymnasium, with play starting at 4 o’clock in the main gym with two other South Bay-based foes, Rolling Hills Prep and St.

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REDONDO BEACH  – Two San Fernando Valley-based high school boys’ basketball teams scored impressive wins over quality competition Wednesday night during Day III of the Ryse Williams/PAC Shores at Redondo Union High.

Heritage Christian of Northridge improved to 6-0 by knocking off Bishop Montgomery (5-1), 68-56.

And Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth (5-1) cruised past Long Beach Poly (3-2), 74-40.

In an earlier game, St. Monica (7-1) eased past Millikan (3-3), 62-51.

The Mariners will play Mayfair (4-1) at 8:30 Thursday night in Redondo’s main gymnasium in the bracket championship portion of the four-day event.

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