Frank Burlison

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Ca. – The St. John Bosco High basketball team – seven days away from a Trinity League rematch with unbeaten Mater Dei – took care of some business in South Orange County Thursday night.

Coach Matt Dunn’s Braves went on a 16-1 run to start the second quarter, built a 20-point advantage at intermission and never led by fewer than 10 points in the second half while coasting to a 66-50 victory over the JSerra Lions.

St. John Bosco, No. 7 in this week’s BurlisonOnBasketball “21 for 2021”, improved to 15-2 overall and 6-2 in Trinity play.

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LOS ANGELES – Monday night one of Southern California’s youngest boys’ varsity basketball teams showed once more why it is also one of the region’s best basketball teams.

The Corona Centennial Huskies, after navigating the nearly 55-mile stretch of west-bound stretch of freeways to arrive at the Ribet Academy gymnasium, rallied from 10 points down with a little less than five minutes to go in regulation and prevailed in overtime, 79-75, over the host Fighting Frogs.

It ended up being all that could be expected – and more – in a showdown of the teams ranked No.’s

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – It’s down to two, baby . . . as in “Just two more weeks of the ‘regular’ boys’ high school basketball season” in Southern California.

Of course, there’s been nothing “regular” about the 2020-21, pandemic-modified season – starting with it not beginning until near the middle of June with the Southern Regional Championships.

The most “significant” (relative to possible league titles and CIF Southern Section Division make-up and seedings) last week were, with updated BurlisonOnBasketball 21 for 2021 ratings were:

No. 3 Mater Dei over No.

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ONTARIO, Ca. – The first three games served as appetizers to what proved to be the “main course” of the annual boys’ basketball Rolling Hills Prep State Preview Saturday.

And that finale, pitting the teams rated No.’s 12 (Chaminade) and 19 (the host Colony Titans) in last week’s BurlisonOnBasketball “21 for 20021”, proved quite tasty indeed for any hoopsters’ palette.

The Titans, behind the play of Santa Clara-bound point guard Brenton Knapper and a precocious sophomore class, burst out to a 15-point edge in the closing moments of the first half before falling behind and then pulling the win out, 72-69.

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ETIWANDA, Ca – The Etiwanda High boys’ basketball team hit two quarter buzzer-beating 3-pointers Friday night in its Baseline League game against the Damien High Spartans.

The first of those, from about 40-feet out by sophomore guard Jimmy Baker, stunned the pandemic-reduced sparse crowd.

The second, from about 20 feet away by senior post Darvelle Wyatt after a pass from classmate Jahmai Mashack, ignited a Wyatt-led sprint by the winning Eagles into their team room, along the baseline and near the Spartans’ bench.

The 56-53 decision gave Coach David Kleckner’s team a second down-to-the-wire victory over the Spartans – who’ve won the other 20 games on their schedule against non-Etiwanda competition.

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