Frank Burlison

LONG BEACH, Ca. – Two key elements in the success the St. Anthony High boys’ basketball team enjoyed last year still reside in Long Beach.

But they’re no longer playing for the Saints.

All-CIF Southern Section Open Division selection Jadon Jones enjoyed a strong freshman season a few miles east of St. Anthony at Long Beach State while Lorenzo Marsh is playing as a senior a couple miles north at Poly High.

But Coach Allen Caveness still has a team favored to win the Del Rey League and good enough to make a run at another spot in the Southern Section’s Open Division playoffs late next month.

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GARDEN GROVE, Ca. – Steve Singleton has had a lot of quality teams during his six seasons as the head coach of the Eastvale Roosevelt High boys’ basketball program.

Notable among those are the Matt Mitchell– and Jemarl Baker-led team that won a State DI title four years ago, and the one that was the runner-up in the State Southern Regional DII championship game.

Neither of those, though, had the number of quality jump shooters that were on display for the Mustangs during their 84-53 victory over host Orangewood Academy Wednesday evening.

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COMPTON – Considering that it hadn’t played a game in exactly 14 months, it should come as no surprise that the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits initially struggled in its Moore League game with Compton Wednesday night at Centennial High.

The hosts (the game was moved to the other Compton Unified School District high school because the Compton campus is undergoing reconstruction) led the Jackrabbits, 24-21, after a turnover-plagued first 16 minutes of action.

“We’ve only had nine practices,” Poly Coach Shelton Diggs said afterward, echoing what a lot of coaches are saying since the return to the “new normal” of COVID-19 high school hoops.

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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Ca. – The Santa Margarita High boys’ basketball team missed out on a spot in the CIF Southern Section playoffs during the 2019-20 season.

That isn’t likely to be the case during Season II under Coach Justin Bell.

The Eagles improved to 3-0 while cruising past visiting San Gabriel Academy, 64-30, Tuesday night.

Bell has a roster deep in size and backcourt skill and experience.

And that roster is going to become even more formidable this weekend.

Transfers Luke Turner (6-foot-7, Rancho Christian) and Coby Barnes (6-3, Clovis Buchannan) become eligible on Friday for the team’s home game with Murrieta Valley.

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ALISO VIEJO, Ca. – The Capistrano Valley High Cougars improved to 3-0 Monday night in a “South Orange County tilt” played host to by the Aliso Niguel Warriors.

The Cougars took a 10-0 advantage and were never seriously threatened, though they got a tad sloppy in stretches of the second half, to prevail, 74-62.

Six-foot-three twins Gavin and Aidan O’Neill – transfers from Saddleback Valley Christian, which closed last spring – combined for 38 points for Coach Brian Mulligan’s team, with Gavin scoring 15 of his team-high 21 in the second half.

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