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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – As has been anticipated (at least by me), Monday night the Los Angeles Loyola High team wrapped up a terrific portion of its 2013-14 season.

Playing in the championship game of the 24^th Under Armour Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, the Cubs improved to 12-zip with their 78-57 victory over Corona Centennial, which is another of the very best teams in the CIF Southern Section that is likely to end up in the section’s new “Open Division” when the playoffs begin mid-February.

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SAN DIEGO – I could change my opinion Monday night or anytime between now and March 29.

And maybe my feeling that Los Angeles Loyola is in proud possession of the best high school basketball team I’ve seen this season is never going to change during – or after – the 2013-14 campaign.

I came away from Torrey Pines High Saturday night, following the conclusion of the National Division championship semifinals of the 24^th Under Armour Holiday Classic, convinced that everyone in California will be chasing Jamal Adams’ Cubs from now until the March 29 California State Open Division Championship game in Sacramento.

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SAN DIEGO – It’s officially called the “National Division of the 24^th Under Armour Holiday Classic.

After the first two days of play at Torrey Pines in the top division of the tournament, however, this change in name is suggested:

How about “the Southern California Division”?

Or, more specifically, maybe it should be referred to as “the Southern Section Division”.

Saturday night’s championship bracket semifinals are made up of four of the better teams from the Southern Section of the California Interscholastic Federation (the governing body of prep athletics in the state).

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SAN DIEGO – If you showed up at Torrey Pines Thursday morning at about 9:30 expecting some 13 hours of post-Christmas hoops merriment, you didn’t head home muttering “bah, humbug” – or whatever the basketball equivalent might be.

The first day of the National Division of the Under Armour Holiday Classic promised to showcase some of the better high school teams and players from coast to coast.

It delivered on that promise.

Eight games were played and something approaching four times that many future major college players were on display.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – Deck the halls – with lot of bouncing basketballs!

That will be the case, post-Christmas with high school tournaments galore.

The following are some of the opening-day schedules I was able to get my mittens on – if mittens were needed in a Christmas “season” in Southern California during which temperatures have climbed into the 80s.

My schedule: I’ll be at Torrey Pines all day on Thursday; La Costa Canyon all of Friday and Rancho Mirage on Saturday.

Monday is to be determined, based upon what transpires Thursday-Saturday:

 

CHAMINADE CHRISTMAS CLASSIC

(Dec.

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