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SPRINGFIELD, MA – Tounde Yessoufou-led St. Joseph High keeps grinding out wins while he continues to power his way closer to becoming the all-time career leader among California boys basketball players.

But, from the perspective of the 6-foot-5, senior and native of the African country of Benin, the most important path the Knights are on is the one that they hope leads them to Sacramento, and into the Golden 1 Center, on March 15.

On that night, the state’s best boys hoops teams – one representing the North and the other the South –  will duke it out in the Open Division finale.

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SPRINGFIELD, MA – The high school team that had the longest trip to the HoopHall Classic got maximum value out of its nearly -2,600 -mile trek Friday afternoon.

The Santa Barbara High Dons got a combined 42 points out of seniors Diesel Lowe and Luke Zuffelato, and a strong second half, to knock off Ridgefield (CT), 66-52, in Springfield College’s Blake Arena.

The event runs thru Monday evening and includes games involving nine other western-based boys programs, among those the No.’s 1 (Roosevelt of Eastvale), 3 (St.

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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – It was a Trinity League showdown that included two major college-bound, senior centers and two of Southern California’s better juniors.

But it was a freshman who proved the difference as host JSerra knocked off Mater Dei Wednesday night, 60-52.

Six-foot-eight Ryan Doane came off the bench to score 11 points and grab 11 rebounds, with eight and three of those, respectively, coming in the fourth quarter to help the Lions hold off the Luke Barnett-led Monarchs.

Barnett – and 6-3 junior and one of the better jump shooters in the state – missed 11 of 12 shots from the field as the hosts took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – With the unveiling of the CIF Southern Section boys’ basketball playoffs set for Feb. 9, just four weeks of the regular season remain.

Multiple games scheduled this week will impact the pecking order of the Open and Division I – and beyond – playoff fields after the results of the games of Feb. 5 are punched into the computer system used by the CIF SS for the first time this season.

*Each of the nine games scheduled Saturday for the Scorebooklive.com/Rolling Hills Prep State Preview (played at north Torrance High) involves at least one team in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30.

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IRVINE – The Anaheim Canyon High boys basketball team capped a heck of a week Saturday during one of the seven SoCal Showdown high school games played at Irvine Valley College.

The Comanches, getting 30 points from Brandon Benjamin and 29 from Staf Yilmazturk, knocked off Mira Costa, the last of the unbeatens in the CIF Southern Section, 77-72.

Coach Nate Harrison’s team – which came into the week at No. 9 in the CIF SS Computer ratings and 15 in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30 – improved to 16-4.

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