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SANTA ANA, Ca. – It was a game some might have deemed “ugly”, although that description wouldn’t have come from anyone with a Mater Dei High affiliation.

Coach Gary McKnight’s Monarchs, despite committing 18 turnovers while utilizing a backcourt stripped clean by 2020 graduation, punched out a 51-38 victory over the visiting Santa Margarita Eagles Friday night in a showdown of Trinity League unbeatens.

It was the first “real test” in the program’s pursuit of a 38^th league championship in McKnight’s 38^th season as the head of the powerhouse program that he has sculpted.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The most telling results of last week’s SoCal high school boys’ hoops action were the wins by Etiwanda (at Damien) and Santa Margarita (at home, in OT, against St. John Bosco.

Each of those squads is among the Top 12 in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball “21 for 2021” SoCal ratings.

21 for 2021

1. Sierra Canyon (2-0/Southern Section D1)

Comment: Three games this week scheduled, toughest (by far) of which should be home Saturday clash with Santa Maria St. Joseph. Junior transfers Ramel Lloyd Jr.

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ANAHEIM, Ca. – The Corona Centennial High boys’ basketball team had to dip deeply into its extraordinary sophomore class to come from 12 points down and pull out a win Friday night.

Coach Josh Giles’ Huskies (No. 11 in the BurlisonOnBasketball 21 for 2021) improved to 6-1 by knocking off host Fairmont Prep, 58-53, in a non-league game.

The visitors struggled against the hosts (also nicknamed Huskies) and their half-court zone defense most of the first half, often settling for deep – and unsuccessful – jump shots without achieving much of the way of dribble or pass penetration into the lane.

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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Ca. – The consensus of opinion going into the season was that the Trinity League Boys’ Basketball Derby was strictly a two-horse race.

The Santa Margarita High squad of Coach Justin Bell trampled that perception senseless Wednesday night.

Senior Aldo Ruiz-Ortiz’s sixth 3-pointer of the contest – with 2.8 seconds to go – gave the Eagles a 61-58 overtime win over visiting St. John Bosco in a league opener.

Ortiz’s final 3 reverberated not only among the six Trinity members but also in the entirety of Southern California prep hoops.

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LA VERNE, Ca. – Basketball, especially on the high school level, is an ever-evolving sport – on and off the court.

But there is at least one dependable constant in prep hoops in Southern California:

Coach David Kleckner’s Etiwanda High teams are always going to guard opponents – man to man – and make it very difficult to do what they want to on offense.

And, their 2021 “spring season” debut Tuesday night at Damien High, the Eagles made sure that they followed that same blueprint.

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