Frank Burlison

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The final regular-season week of the 2021 boys’ basketball season, CIF Southern Section-variety, gets underway Monday night.

And, despite a couple of down-to-the-wire games involving Ribet Academy, as well as some nifty showdowns during the 26^th Mater Dei Extravaganza over the weekend, there is still much to play out before the makeup of the playoffs – notably the Open Division – is put into place.

Significant results from last week:

*Ribet Academy got an even later start than most everyone else in the “modified 2020-21 season”, with COVID-19 issues delaying the Frogs’ debut until May 1.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. – Coach Gary McKnight’s Mater Dei High Monarchs took take of some non-Trinity League business Friday night, knocking off Capistrano Valley Christian in the final game of Friday’s first day of the 26^th Mater Dei Extravaganza.

The 71-47 victory over the Eagles improved the Monarchs’ record to 22-0, keeping them on target for their first unbeaten regular-season since going 35-0 in the 2013-14 campaign, whicha ended with the first State Open Division championship and an unofficial “national championship”.

Mater Dei’s “major college frontcourt” of seniors Wilhelm Breidenbach (bound for the University of Nebraska), Nick Davidson (headed to Nevada in Reno) and Harrison Hornery (he’s going to USC) combined for 54 points, 31 rebounds and eight assists.

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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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