By Ronnie Flores

RELATED:????| Ballislife Podcast Network?|?How To Create A High School March Madness |??State Champions Invitational Announced ? | History of High School Team Rankings |?All-Time No. 1's

The pressure has never been greater or the stakes higher in high school basketball than now. Some see enrolling at academy-type programs that play national schedules as their release valve; the best way to ensure scholarship opportunities. There is no doubt the competition level at these programs is higher than ever before, but basketball in our nation's public schools can still compete and a national level. In fact, many of them thrive.

It was only six years ago when Chino Hills (Calif.) captured the FAB 50 national title with a group of home-grown talent that captured the nation's imagination in compiling a 35-0 mark and eventually producing three Top 6 NBA lottery picks. This year there is another public school in the running for the No. 1 spot and over the weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio that club, Duncanville (Texas), wrapped up the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A state crown with a 69-49 victory over then No. 25 McKinney (McKinney, Texas) in the championship game.

Senior guard Anthony Black scored 18 points, had four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Texas State-bound senior forward Davion Sykes had 13 points and five rebounds for a team that led 46-21 at halftime and was able to withstand a 11-0 surge to begin the third quarter by the Lions, who knocked off previous No. 30 Westlake (Austin, Texas) in the state semifinals, 68-66, in double overtime.

In Duncanville's semifinal contest with bubble club Atascocita (Humble, Texas), David Peavy's Panthers found themselves in a major hole. In fact, Duncanville trailed 16-7 after one quarter and by 20 points (30-10) with 4:40 remaining in the second period. The Panthers went on to outscore Atascocita 40-6 the rest of the game to record a 50-36 semifinal victory. Duncanville allowed two points the rest of the second quarter and two in each of the last two quarters in what will go down as one of the best defensive clinics in the history of high school basketball.

For Duncanville, it has won three consecutive Class 6A state crowns and been Texas' top ranked team for the past four seasons. In 2019-20, Duncanville finished No. 20 in the FAB 50 after the season was cancelled because of the outbreak of COVID-19 with the Panthers in the UIL state final four.

There is no doubt one-loss Duncanville is ultra-talented, but there is no denying its special team chemistry; something easier built by building a winning culture in a program over time rather than by stockpiling talent. The same can be said for the public school program at Centennial (Corona, Calif.), which also wrapped up a one-loss championship season a couple of hours after Duncanville on Saturday night by capturing the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division state title with a 59-50 victory over bubble club Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) before approximately 5,500 fans.

Centennial used a 11-2 spurt at the end of the game to clinch the program's first CIF state title after the Crusaders had the game tied at 48 with just over three minutes remaining. New Mexico-bound senior Donovan Dent keyed the late run and finished with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting, while adding eight points and five assists. Backcourt mate Jared McCain, a junior, made 3-of-5 on 3-pointers and finished with 16 points.

Duncanville handed No. 5 Centennial its only loss, a 75-70 setback at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Dallas. The second-ranked Panthers lost in overtime to Richardson (Texas) at the Whataburger Tournament over the holidays. Richardson fell in the UIL playoffs to the McKinney club Duncanville defeated in the state title game. Duncanville still has a chance to finish as the 2021-22 FAB 50 national champions, but it will need help from the results of the games at GEICO Nationals (March 31-April 2) in Florida. Regardless, Duncanville will finish as the highest ranked public school for 2021-22 with Centennial not far behind.

Another public school that will finish with a high FAB 50 mark is Weddington (Matthews, N.C.), which is No. 13 this week after capturing the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Class 4A crown with a 75-58 victory over bubble club Panther Creek (Cary, N.C.). With the win, Weddington will enter 2022-23 on a 49-game winning streak, currently second longest in the nation. Last season, Weddington won the Class 3A crown with a 18-0 mark.

Seniors Kyle Frazier (21 points), Chase Lowe (20) and A.J. Cook (17) led the way offensively for the Warriors in their state title game win over Panther Creek.

In Ohio, No. 11 Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) is two victories from a magical 30-0 season. The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division I Final Four set for March 19-20 at the University of Dayton Arena is highly-anticipated. Three No. 1 seeds have made it, with Centerville taking on No. 3 seed St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) and top seeds Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) and St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) battling in the opposite bracket. Pickerington Central cracks this week's FAB 50 at No. 43.

This week's highest ranked newcomer is public school and UIL Class 5A state champ Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) at No. 28. The Timberwolves captured their second consecutive 5A state crown with a 62-57 victory over bubble club Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas). Houston-bound Terrance Arceneaux scored 10 of his 14 points in the final two minutes to help the Timberwolves seal another state title. Arceneaux, who nailed the game-tying and game-winning shot in the 2021 Class 5A title game, also had 10 rebounds and four steals.

In the semifinals, Beaumont United downed bubble club and battle-tested Kimball (Dallas, Texas), 66-64, by closing the game on a 14-4 run over the final three minutes. Beaumont United-Kimball was a rematch of last year's Class 5A state title game.

Class 6A finalist McKinney (McKinney, Texas) fell two spots in the FAB 50 right in front of Beaumont United. McKinney did lose to the Mansfield Timberview club Beaumont United defeated, but McKinney gets rankings credit for its semifinal win over then No. 30 Westlake and for downing Richardson in the regional quarterfinals when that club was No. 7 in the FAB 50. Beaumont United is alble to hop over UIL Class 4A state champ Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) because it defeated the Kimball club that defeated the Eagles, 81-77. Beaumont United lost to No. 17 North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.), 82-72, while Oak Cliff Faith Family fell to the same club, 79-63.

Hayfield (Alexandria, Va.) should also be mentioned as a public school who turned in an unblemished season, capturing the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 6 title with a 67-47 victory over Battlefield (Haymarket, Va.).

RELATED:????| Ballislife Podcast Network?|?How To Create A High School March Madness | ?State Champions Invitational Announced ? | History of High School Team Rankings |?All-Time No. 1's

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(14th poll of 2021-22 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 13; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season complete)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 14 Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio), No. 32 Richardson (Richardson, Texas), No. 37 Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.), No. 40 Glenbrook South (Glenview, Ill.), No. 41 King’s Fork (Suffolk, Va.), No. 45 Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.).

Bubble Teams:? American Fork (American Fork, Utah) 16-12***; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 34-7***; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 36-3***; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 20-8; Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) 26-5***; Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) 29-1***; Bristol Central (Bristol, Conn.) 22-0; Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) 25-3***; Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.) 28-2***; Carver Collegiate Academy (New Orleans, La.) 33-5***; Chambers (Charlotte. N.C.) 22-7***; Christian Brother’s (St. Louis, Mo.) 24-6; Columbia Heights (Columbia Heights, Minn.) 24-0; Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 25-5***; Curtis (University Place, Wash.) 27-3***; Damien (La Verne, Calif.) 32-4***; Del City (Cel City, Okla.) 24-4***; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 21-7***; Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) 26-6***; Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) 20-6***; Eagle Academy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 18-5; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 24-5***; Fox Chapel (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 26-1; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 25-1***; Gill St. Bernard’s (Gladstone, N.J.) 20-7***; Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 18-12***; Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.) 23-4***; John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 22-4***; Kimball (Kimball, Texas) 30-9***; Kingfisher (Kingsfisher, Okla.) 28-1***; King’s Fork (Suffolk, Va.) 24-1***; Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tenn.) 28-4***; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 31-1***; Laurel Highlands (Uniontown, Pa.) 27-0; Liberty (Liberty, Mo.) 24-3***; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 19-7; Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.) 31-6***; Magnolia (Magnolia, Ark.) 29-0***; Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) 36-5***; Milton (Milton, Ga.) 22-8***; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 28-6**; Mount Si (Snoqualmie, Wash.) 25-1***; Mt. Vernon (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) 20-0; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 24-6***; North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 27-5***; Northview (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 22-1; North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 26-1; Panther Creek (Cary, N.C.) 23-8***; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 28-3***; Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 25-5; Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 26-3; Quaker Valley (Leetsdale, Pa.) 25-0; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 29-5***; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 32-2***; Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 21-4; South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 21-3**; South St. Paul (South St. Paul, Minn.) 27-0; Staley (Kansas City, Mo.) 26-4; St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) 22-4***; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 18-4; St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 23-4; The Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) 30-7; The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) 25-8***; Tualatin (Tualatin, Ore.) 26-2***; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 14-10; West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 21-4; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 26-10**; Williamston (Williamston, Mich.) 22-0; Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 25-3; York Prep (Rock Hill, S.C.) 27-1***; Zachary (Zachary, La.) 36-3***.

Note:?The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 22 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at?[email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter:?@RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Public School Statement! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Note: For a more detailed breakdown of many of the standout players we evaluated, make sure to listen in to this week's podcast. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., was the site where "getting back to normal" with regards to a high school or grassroots basketball setting with colleges coaches in attendance evaluating tipped off. For college coaches on the D1 level, this past weekend at the Section 7 Team Camp was the first time they were allowed on the recruiting trail since the outbreak of COVID-19 in March of 2020. It was refreshing for many of them to be back out on the trail, as there were lively conversations, plenty of positive connections made and scholarships offered.

The wins and losses weren't paramount, but for the team that opted out of its state's regional tournament in order to give its players the opportunity to be seen, winning came with the territory and was icing on the cake for an otherwise productive weekend. That team was Corona (Centennial, Calif.), the CIF Southern Section open division champions who finished No. 22 in the 2020-21 Final FAB 50 National Team Rankings with an underclass-dominated lineup. Not only did the Huskies find out they would finish ranked No. 1 in California as a result of the games in the SoCal open regional (previous 30-0 Torrey Pines of San Diego lost in Saturday's regional championship), the Huskies advanced to Sunday's championship game in the All About People (main) division with an incredible 77-73, four-overtime semifinal victory over Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.). Rising junior (2023) Aaron McBride scored on an offensive rebound put back off a missed Centennial free throw to give his team a two-possession lead in the closing seconds.

Its opponent in the championship game was Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), the 2019 champions of the inaugural Section 7 Team Camp held at Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.). Of course, Section 7 or any other live period event wasn't held in summer of 2020 because of COVID-19. Similar to Centennial, Gorman is loaded with underclassmen, but the Gaels weren't at full strength on Sunday. After holding off a talented Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.) team in its semifinal, 52-50, after building a big first half lead, Gorman didn't have the services of talented 2024 guard Jase Richardson (6-1), the son of former Michigan St. and NBA player Jason Richardson, in the title game. The Gaels also played the tournament without 2022 forward Darrion Williams (6-6). Centennial's inside duo of McBride and 2023 forward Devin Williams (6-9) dominated the glass and interior scoring and helped the Huskies pull away in the second half to record a 84-64 victory.

Williams, a pogo stick with quick leaps who has grown at least 3 inches over the course of the past year who is quickly developing into one of the best shot blockers in the country, finished the championship game with 11 points and three blocked shots. McBride, a barrel chested forward with terrific stamina and great grades (4.0 student) finished with 15 points and eight rebonds. Both have seen their recruiting soar since the beginning of the event.

The players who arguably benefited the most out of the thousands of players who made up the 191 high school teams in 11 different divisions who played at State Farm Arena were the Centennial 2023 backcourt duo of Kylan Boswell (6-0) and Jared McCain (6-2). Boswell, our tournament Most Valuable Player, had 17 points in the title game while McCain added nine. The third member of Centennial's backcourt, 2022 Donovan Dent (6-1), added eight points.

Some national recruiting analysts have pegged Boswell the nation's fastest-rising guard, as he now boast offers from heavyweights such as Kansas, Louisville, USC, UCLA, among others. Make no mistake, however, since Boswell first moved to Southern California from Illinois and played his freshman season at Colony (Ontario, Calif.), we knew he was a big-time player who would easily crack the Top 75 and head towards the Top 50 of the national 2023 class. Most of the country simply hadn't seen him live. Other schools in the mix for Boswell's services that he's interested in include Kentucky, Gonzaga and Illinois.

McCain has also been offered by Kansas and Louisville, with additional offers coming from Texas Tech, USC, LMU and San Diego State, among others.

Gorman's backcourt of Richardson and 2024 sharpshooter John Mobley Jr. (5-11) also turned plenty of heads and will be high of the recruiting board of plenty of high major schools in due time. Richardson is a terrific left-handed scorer who is a good athlete with good instinct, while Mobley was particularly affective in Arizona. He was knocking down deep 3-pointers that had some college coaches shaking their heads as if to say "I've seen enough". Mobley had six 3-pointers in the title game, good for 18 points, while 2022 guard Ryan Abelman (6-2) added 14 points.

Richardson had 31 points in Gorman's 69-58 first round victory over Olympus (Holladay, Utah). Mobley had the main court buzzing when he hit 6 first half 3-pointers and finished with 31 points in the Gaels' 71-59 quarterfinal victory over Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.).

In the other division with the best allotment of teams, the Juneteenth Division, St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) showed it will be a force to be reckoned with in California for the 2021-22 season as it downed Mitty (San Diego, Calif.) in the championship game, 78-59. Saints 2024 guard Ian De La Rosa (6-3) had a monster game at an opportune time, hitting five 3-pointers and finishing with 40 points, seven rebounds and five steals versus Mitty. The defending CIF Central Coast Section open division champs were led all tourney by rising junior (2023) Derek Sangster (6-6), a talented wing who moves well and is excellent in catch-and-shoot situations. He had 11 points in the title game.

Section 7: What We Learned

1. There is a New Definition of D1
There will always be differences of opinion on what level high school prospect can play at, but there is no doubt the low-end threshold for a D1 prospect just went up a notch because of the affects of COVID-19 and the robust transfer portal. What a high school D1 prospect looks like in 2021 is not what he looked like in 2016. College coaches mentioned to us how fluid their current roster situation is and that their allotment for 2022 is not large. Simply put, they are prioritizing potential portal transfers, especially since transfers rules are lax across many conferences compared to what they were just a few years ago. The likelihood of them being willing to gamble or take a flyer on a borderline D1 prospect has decreased because those prospects are at the very bottom of the recruiting pecking order. The pressure to win is now and colleges would rather have older, stronger players with college experience and more than ever, a player who fits that bill is available. Moving forward, players (and their parents) are going to have to be realistic of what level is the right fit.

2. The New NCAA Recruiting Calendar is in Limbo
As a fallout from the 2017-18 NCAA corruption scandal, the summer recruiting calendar was changed in 2019. The NCAA wanted to inject the high school coaches back in the boys basketball recruiting process, so they created two scholastic live period weekends for that summer and did so once again in 2021. They also created NCAA operated camps, but in 2019 those events were only mildly successful, as a majority of the nation's elite did not participate. Those events did not take place in 2020 and will not take place in 2021, either. One problem the NCAA is running into, and it's the same problem with some state associations sanctioning a scholastic live period in their respective state, is gender equity issues. The NCAA, and some state associations such as the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), are very cognizant of gender equity when it comes to funding various initiatives. If there is not a female equivalent event, the likelihood of these organizations hosting a live recruiting event lowers. There is no guarantee the NCAA camps will return in 2022 and there is a loud, growing sentiment that the state associations that don't take the time and effort to sanction a June scholastic live period event are costing their student-athletes scholarships opportunities. Section 7 was again well organized and ran (in conjunction with the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association) and we heard positive things from other events such as the one sanctioned by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), but there are simply too many states not sanctioning these events to make it anything close to equitable for players across the country. Section 7 was the only sanctioned event in the Western United States and some high school programs (just like in 2019) were unable to experience this event because of their lack of resources. If there are no NCAA camps in 2022 what will happen to the recruiting calendar as the pandemic continues to fade away?

3. The Stakes Have Been Raised For Recruits & Families
The announcement of a handful of elite players signing professional contracts with the G League Ignite team and with Overtime Elite, a fledging organization that offers young players an alternative pathway (other than college basketball) to professional basketball, has raised eyebrows and has the grassroots community talking. The main subject is how OTE will operate and what source its opponents will come from. It is clear Overtime Elite is not a league at this time, but rather an organization trying to build a team(s) to compete against established teams in its peer group. OTE's platform either does not currently exist or is unclear. It all likelihood, it will attempt to align with already established platforms, such as existing grassroots events and/or the Grind Session. How successful that is remains to be seen. While the G League Ignite team is for a selected group of elites and has built-in opponents (other G League teams) and a clear path to pro ball, OTE currently doesn't have this component in place and is reaching out to almost all the of the nation's elite prospects. This raises the stakes for college teams and potential scholarship players. During the prep-to-pro decade (1995 to 2005), recruiters had to be cognizant of not putting too much focus on a player who was in all likelihood going to turn pro (i.e. Sebastian Telfair and Louisville) and now some college programs are going to have to do the same with families who may find an OTE offer too hard to pass up. Because this is not just a few elites, high school coaches also have their antennas up when it comes to their top players. We noticed a few elite players not with their respective high school team at Section 7 and not only are some being recruited to independent academy programs, the allure of compensation to play is also in also present. The awareness of the value of a player's Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has never been greater because of successful legislation in selected states and more in future years. What remains to be seen, however, is the market value of exactly what that means for a consensus top five recruit and likely NBA player, compared to one who is barely cracking a credible national Top 100. That unknown is causing some concern among high school coaches that a talented player in the program could have one foot in and one foot out in terms of his commitment to the program or making a short-sided or uninformed decision on his future.

Note: For a more detailed breakdown of many of the standout players we evaluated, make sure to listen in to this week's podcast. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post Section 7 Successfully Returns! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

RELATED:    | | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness  | Final Southwest Region Top 20 | Final Midwest Region Top 20 | Final Southeast Region Top 20 | Final East Region Top 20

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) concluded its season last Friday when Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) battled O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) for the Metro League crown.

Braeden Smith of Seattle Prep won the game in unbelievable fashion by intercepting an O'Dea inbounds pass underneath his own basket with two seconds left and converting an acrobatic lay-up at the buzzer to give the Panthers a dramatic 62-61 victory. Smith, a junior, finished with a game-high 24 points.

Even though it was mid-June, it was still dramatic and emotional as any championship game would be. There was no statewide playoffs, so it's not easy to determine if any WIAA team deserves to crack the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. We still have at least another week to make a determination and a few more to decide if teams from the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) can crack the nation's longest running weekly rankings. According to The Oregonian, Portland Interscholastic League assistant athletic director Jeff Peeler is organizing an end-of-season tournament scheduled for June 21-25.

As wild as Smith's game-winner was, it was hard to top what happened down in San Diego, Calif. the following night, when FAB 50 No. 37 Torrey Pines put its unbeaten record on the line vs. Cathedral Catholic for the California Interscholastic Federation CIF San Diego Section open title. It was a dog-fight that came down to the wire. Torrey Pines was able to keep its magical season alive when senior Nick Herrmann scored on a deep range, catch-and-shoot 3-pointer at the buzzer off an out-of-bounds play to give the Falcons a 63-60 victory.

Hermann, who finished with 30 points, battled cancer two years ago just at around the same time his mother did. The social media visuals of him embracing his mother after the game will probably be one of the defining moments of the 2020-21 season.

With the win, Torrey Pines moves to 29-0 and is the No. 1 seed in the SoCal open regional playoffs, which conclude on June 19. NorCal is not having a regional tournament as all but one section in the northern region did not conduct playoffs at the section level. The Falcons were able to nab the top seed because previous No. 46 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) toppled previous No. 10 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section open division title game on Friday night. With Centennial's 80-72 victory, Sierra Canyon's 21-game post-season winning streak was snapped.

All throughout the CIFSS open division playoffs, Sierra Canyon has been living on the edge and relying on the unique talents of UCLA-bound Amari Bailey to pull out victories. That was the case in two pool play wins, but in the championship game Centennial was just too disciplined and hit too many big shots to let that happen despite 34 points from Bailey. Sophomore Kylan Boswell was the difference maker finishing with 24 points, including six big 3-pointers, which at least two stopped Sierra Canyon mini-runs. Junior Donovan Dent added 19 points (three 3-pointers) while sophomore forward Devin Williams had a crucial block and a big dunk down the stretch, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and six blocks. As a team, Centennial blocked 12 shots.

Centennial obviously is now in front of Sierra Canyon in the rankings, with the Huskies jumping up 17 spots in this weeks' FAB 50 to No. 29, while Sierra Canyon is down to No. 32. We couldn't drop the Trailblazers any further because of their overall success and because they still have a chance to win their fourth consecutive CIF SoCal open regional crown despite losing at the section level.

They are the No. 2 seed in the SoCal open regional because Centennial opted out in order to participate in Section 7, a NCAA-sanctioned scholastic live period event held June 18-20 at State Farm Arena in Glendale, Ariz., as reported by Ballislife in the previous set of FAB 50 rankings. Coach Josh Giles and his staff felt it is more advantageous for his program to attend Section 7 than it would for his team to chase the SoCal open regional crown. After all, his team is all underclass and CIF players have not been seen live by college coaches for over 16 months.

The Centennial-Sierra Canyon result was a swoon for Torrey Pines and San Diego basketball because the Falcons own a head-to-head victory over Centennial. So if Torrey Pines and Sierra Canyon were to meet in the SoCal open final, it would be at Torrey Pines' home gym because the CIF is not using large facilities or neutral courts for this year's regional. Torrey Pines has a bye in the first round and will host a regional semifinal on June 17.

Torrey Pines moved up 14 spots in the FAB 50 to No. 23 and could become the first San Diego County team to finish ranked No. 1 in the state of California since World War II. According to Cal-Hi Sports, San Diego Hoover finished 16-1 and ranked No. 1 in the state for 1945. Since the advent of the CIF State tournament in 1982, no San Diego Section team has won the major division title or finished No. 1. From a FAB 50 perspective, the team Torrey Pines has in its sights is the 2002-03 Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) team led by future NBA forward Jared Dudley. Horizon won its second of back-to-back CIF Div. IV state titles, finished 32-1 and No. 15 in the FAB 50. Its only loss came against eventual D1 state champ and FAB 50 No. 4 Westchester (Los Angeles), which was led by Elite All-American Trevor Ariza

How high can Torrey Pines climb in the final FAB 50? What will happen if Torrey Pines loses in the regional semifinals or Sierra Canyon knocks them out in Saturday's regional final?

Centennial could still finish as California's No. 1 ranked team, despite not playing in the regional, if Torrey Pines loses on Thursday. It's highly unlikely Sierra Canyon will be able to hop Centennial in next weeks’ rankings unless it completely blows out Torrey Pines by a wide margin in Saturday’s regional final. We'll have to consider it but Centennial does own the important head-to-head victory, which is always a strong FAB 50 rankings criteria.

RELATED:    | | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness |Final Southwest Region Top 20 | Final Midwest Region Top 20 | Final Southeast Region Top 20 |  Final East Region Top 20

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(26th poll of 2020-21 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, June 13; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Does not include results vs. out-of-season opponents; ****Indicates season not complete.)

Dropped Out: None.

Bubble Teams:  Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.) 10-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 24-3; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 15-0; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 17-7; Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 6-1; Catalina Foothills (Tuscon, Ariz.) 19-1; Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 20-0; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 23-5; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 22-2; Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Col.) 17-1; Cleveland (Rio Rancho, N.M.) 14-1; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 22-4; Del City (Del City, Okla.) 22-4; DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 14-2; Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.) 17-2; Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) 22-3; Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) 11-2****; Highlands (Ft. Thomas, Ky.) 30-4; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 14-0; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 11-5; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 28-2; La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 10-10; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 14-1; Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) 25-1; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 11-2; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 25-2; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 12-3; Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) 11-2; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 21-1; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 21-3; Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 16-1; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 15-1; St. Mary’s (Pheonix, Ariz.) 20-1; Thunderidge (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 13-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 15-1**; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 20-3; Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) 21-4; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 27-5; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 15-1; Wilson (West Lawn, Pa.) 20-2.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 21 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Centennial Shakes Up Cali! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

RELATED:    | | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness  | Final Southwest Region Top 20 | Final Midwest Region Top 20 | Final Southeast Region Top 20 | Final East Region Top 20

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section open division has its championship game set up after three rounds of competitive pool play contests. When all the dust settled, the top two seeds advanced to Friday's title contest.

As expected, top seed Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), the No. 10 team in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com and still unbeaten, won pool "A" with an unbeaten 3-0 record. The Trailblazers advanced with a 82-76 victory over previous No. 47 Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) in a pool play game in which Sierra Canyon trailed by a point with just over a minute remaining. That's when UCLA junior commit Amari Bailey went to work, scoring on a conventional 3-point play and another contested basket to seal the win for the two-time defending CIFSS open champions. Bailey finished with 25 points, while junior forward Shy Odom also had a big game with 23 points.

The third pool play game between Sierra Canyon and Etiwanda was a "straight up" contest with the winner advancing to the title game. In pool "B", it was a bit more complicated. In the end, No. 2 seed Centennial (Corona, Calif.) advanced to the title game and jumped back in this week's FAB 50 for Etiwanda at No. 46. Centennial didn't actually find out it had advanced until after its own 84-69 victory over traditional California power Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in its final pool play game. Even though the Huskies won they still needed some help to advance to the title game. Had Harvard-Westlake (Harvard Westlake, Calif.) defeated Damien (La Verne, Calif.), the Wolverines would have been the team to face Sierra Canyon. Harvard-Westlake defeated Centennial in its first pool play game when sophomore guard Kylan Boswell was out of the lineup.

The Huskies just had too much speed and quickness on the perimeter for Mater Dei, as junior Donovan Dent had 33 points. When Damien defeated Harvard-Westlake, Centennial celebrated post-game in the locker room and hallways. Centennial will need to be hitting on all cylinders to take down a Sierra Canyon team that is an incredible 20-0 against all seven of the other teams that participated in the CIFSS open field when it faced one of those teams, including 2-0 vs. Centennial.

One thing is certain about Friday's section championship game: win or lose Centennial will be done for the 2020-21 season. Coach Josh Giles (who played for current Damien coach Mike LeDuc at Glendora High School in SoCal) confirmed to Ballislife that his team will not participate in the SoCal regional playoffs, which are scheduled to begin June 15 after the CIF Central, Southern, L.A. City, and San Diego Section playoffs conclude this weekend.

Centennial, as are at least 63 other California teams, are scheduled to compete in Section 7, a NCAA-sanctioned scholastic live period event held June 18-20 at State Farm Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The CIF SoCal regional championships will conclude June 19. Dent and Boswell are just two of the many talented underclassmen who haven't been evaluated live by college coaches in well over 15 months. It was just too important an opportunity for Giles to offer the student-athletes in his program.

There is no confirmation any other SoCal team is going to end their season at the section level and drop out of the regional playoffs, but this is where the intersection of high school basketball in the spring and summer travel ball clash. For a majority of schools in Southern California, the school year has ended and seniors have participated in graduation ceremonies. Some schools, such as talented 15-0 Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) had to end its season the day of graduation. Tennessee-bound Jahmai Mashack of Etiwanda is already enrolled in college courses while still competing for the Eagles, which have this week off and are scheduled to compete in the regional playoffs next week.

If Sierra Canyon beats Centennial, it won't affect the rankings much. However, if Centennial hands Sierra Canyon its first loss of the season it will create an interesting scenario for the final two sets of FAB 50 rankings. Centennial will need to be ranked in front of Sierra Canyon for at least a week because of the head-to-head win. But will it have done enough to hop No. 37 Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.)?

On Wednesday, the Falcons upped their record to 28-0 with a dominant 84-59 victory over St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) in the San Diego Section open semifinals. Torrey Pines, of course, owns a win over Centennial. If Sierra Canyon and Torrey Pines meet in the open regional playoffs and Sierra Canyon were to win, it probably would have done enough to hop back in front of Centennial considering the Falcons beat Centennial. In that scenario, however, we'd have to evaluate how the actual results play out before making a final rankings decision.

Torrey Pines (which faces 17-2 Cathedral Catholic of San Diego on Saturday for the section open crown) is not scheduled to play in the first session of Section 7, but is scheduled to the following weekend (June 25-27) after the CIF high school basketball season will be over.

After the next two weeks, we'll have to make a determination if team(s) in Oregon (OSAA) are good enough to crack the FAB 50. Washington (WIAA) ends its season June 11. If we determine Oregon teams are not, the final FAB 50 rankings will be released the week of June 21. The final West Region Top 20 won't be released to every game in Oregon is completed.

RELATED:    | | The Future Of Big-Time HS Basketball | FAB 50 Rankings Criteria | How To Make A HS Version Of March Madness |Final Southwest Region Top 20 | Final Midwest Region Top 20 | Final Southeast Region Top 20 |  Final East Region Top 20

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(25th poll of 2020-21 regular season; Through games played on Wednesday, June 9; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Does not include results vs. out-of-season opponents; ****Indicates season not complete.)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 47 Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.).

Bubble Teams:  Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.) 10-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 24-3; Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) 15-0; Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 17-7; Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 6-1; Catalina Foothills (Tuscon, Ariz.) 19-1; Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 20-0; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 23-5; Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) 22-2; Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Col.) 17-1; Cleveland (Rio Rancho, N.M.) 14-1; Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) 23-3; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 22-4; Del City (Del City, Okla.) 22-4; DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 14-2; Edmond Memorial (Edmond, Okla.) 17-2; Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) 22-3; Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) 11-2****; Highlands (Ft. Thomas, Ky.) 30-4; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 14-0; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 8-1****; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 11-5; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 28-2; La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 10-10; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 14-1; Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) 25-1; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 11-1****; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 25-2; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 12-3; Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.) 8-2****; South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) 21-1; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 21-3; Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 16-1; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 15-1; St. Mary’s (Pheonix, Ariz.) 20-1; Thunderidge (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 13-2; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 15-1**; Waxahachie (Waxahachie, Texas) 20-3; Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) 21-4; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 27-5; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 15-1; Wilson (West Lawn, Pa.) 20-2.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 21 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Clashing Seasons! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

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By Ronnie Flores

When the casual fan thinks "early playoff loss", the immediate reaction is "season over" and "big rankings drop". However, there are various playoff formats across the country and luckily for many FAB 50 ranked programs, a loss last week doesn't mean an early end to the 2019-2020 season.

For Centennial (Corona, Calif.), it drew a tough first assignment in the eight-team CIF Southern Section open playoffs, which is formatted into two pools of four teams each, with the winner of each pool playing for the CIFSS open championship on February 28 in Long Beach, Calif. Each team plays three, pre-set games with the higher seed hosting in each game. As the No. 2 seed behind top-seeded and Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), which comes in at No. 17 in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, the Huskies and Trailblazers are in separate pools and that guarantees each to be the host in all three pool play games.

Centennial had a tough opening draw with No. 7 seed Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), which actually gave Sierra Canyon its toughest competition on the way to the 2019 CIF Open Division state crown and returned its team basically intact. Mater Dei didn't have a vintage regular season, but still won its league title and would be an awfully tough opening playoff foe for any team in the country. Mater Dei went on the road and pulled out a 66-58 overtime win, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Ryan Evans and Aidan Prukop (22 points) helped the Monarchs take control of the game after Centennial tied it with 2.8 seconds in regulation on a driving lay-up by Portland St.-bound Paris Dawson.

The overtime loss dropped Centennial out of the FAB 50 this week. It might seem like a harsh drop to Huskies' fans, but it comes with plenty of caveats. They have to be behind Mater Dei in the current California pecking order, as well as bubble club Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.), which beat the Huskies 74-67 during the regular season. Sheldon also beat Mater Dei in two overtimes at the Tarkanian Classic and neither of those clubs had great success against out-of-state competition, so Centennial is penalized this week.

Centennial still has to face Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), a team that handed it one of its three losses, and No. 26 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) in pool play games this week. Centennial will need some help to win its pool and if Mater Dei, which plays Rancho Christian in its second pool play game on February 18, were to win the pool, it will have done enough to hop Sheldon in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings and will likely return to the FAB 50 next week. Obviously, should Centennial go 2-1 in its pool and Mater Dei win it, that would help the Huskies as well.

In Texas, getting a local consensus is a bit more difficult, so the 81-77 loss by previous No. 19 Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) to unranked Richardson (Richardson, Texas) was handled differently than the Centennial loss. Duncanville lost to California No. 1 Sierra Canyon by three points, beat the Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) club that Mater Dei lost to, and did well against out-of-state competition. Coach David Peavy's club also owns a 70-68 overtime win over Richardson. In the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches statewide poll (TABCHoops.org), Duncanville actually remained No. 1 this week despite the loss to the Eagles, which checked in at No. 6. In the Hoopinsider.com poll, Richardson took over the top spot with Duncanville falling to No. 2.

What made most sense to us was to drop Duncanville two spots to No. 21, while rewarding Richardson for its victory. Not only did the Eagles only lose the first Region I, District 8 game by two points (70-68) in overtime, it hasn't lost any other game since November 22. That makes Richardson the highest ranked newcomer among three teams this week at No. 23, in front of FAB 50 ranked and fellow Class 6A contender Westlake (Austin, Texas) and Class 5A front-runner Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas), which lost to Duncanville. Westlake and Lancaster drop this week as a result, but they'll have ample opportunity to move back up in the UIL playoffs, which is traditionally one of the toughest post-season brackets to capture, especially in Class 6A.

The Georgia (GHSA) Class AAAAAAA are also tough, so we reward one loss Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) by moving it up three spots to No. 5 after previous No. 5 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) lost its first game in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) to No. 13 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.). For the four WCAC teams in the FAB 50 this week, we simply followed the league standings, as the teams are most concerned with capturing the upcoming WCAC Tournament.

As for Grayson, it has one overtime loss to a Newton (Covington, Ga.) team it demolished 86-39 in a return game and just beat for a second time 82-58 in the Region 8 semifinals. Grayson defeated No. 22 Shiloh (Snellville, Ga.) in the finals, 75-64, and is the only team to defeat the Generals so far this season. Should Grayson capture the GHSA Class AAAAAAA, its season likely wouldn't be over as it would be a strong shoo-in for GEICO Nationals April 2-4 in New York City.

Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.) fell to High School for Construction (Queens, N.Y.), 86-69, in a puzzling Public School Athletic League (PSAL) Queens Borough quarterfinal game. The Judges had previously defeated Construction by 38 and 26 points. According to long-time Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio, his team was without two starters, Errol White and Aston Miller. Miller did not suit up and White tried to make a go of it, but was unable to participate.

As a result, the Judges drop seven spots to No. 32, as they are penalized but not harshly because they are still the top ranked team in New York City and the team to beat in the PSAL Class AA City Tournament. They don't play again until February 27 so they have time to rest up on their injuries.

Curie (Chicago) is in a similar boat to Duncanville, as it failed to win the Chicago Public League title, but still remains ranked No. 1 locally by the Chicago Sun-Times and other polls. As a result, the Condors drop 16 spots because of their loss to eventual city champ Simeon, but not all the way out of the FAB 50.

When we get to the portion of the post-season where it's win-or-go-home bracket style play, then we'll see more teams harshly penalized for early exits. That's where the opportunity lies for many bubble clubs to make a move into the longest-running weekly national rankings.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Ninth poll of 2019-20 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 16; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 23 Centennial (Corona, Calif.), No. 39 Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.), No. 42 O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.).

Bubble Teams:  Allen (Allen, Texas) 28-4; Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 25-1; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 30-2; Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 14-1; Bloom (Chicago Heights, Ill.) 23-5; Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 15-5; Brentwood (Brentwood, N.Y.) 20-1; Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis.) 18-1; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 26-3; Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 15-1; Cleveland (Cleveland, Tenn.) 28-0; Collinsville (Collinsville, Ill.) 25-2; Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) 27-1; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 20-1; Dickinson (Dickinson, Texas) 26-5; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 19-3; Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) 16-2; Elizabeth (Elizabeth, N.J.) 17-3; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 24-3; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 22-2; Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) 27-5; Garfield (Seattle) 19-3; Grand Rapids Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 14-1; Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) 16-3; Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 23-5; Hellgate (Missoula, Montana) 15-0; Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 24-3; Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 18-2; John Paul II (Plano, Texas) 36-1; Lee (Montgomery, Ala.) 30-1; Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 13-2; Manasquan (Manasquan, N.J.) 23-1; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 23-6; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 20-6; Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) 22-2; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 19-4; North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.) 19-3; North Shore (Houston, Texas) 30-4; O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) 18-4; Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) 24-2; Potomoc (Oxon Hill, Md.) 19-1; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 16-1; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 15-6; Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) 21-1; Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 22-8; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 24-3; Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 23-5; Southmoore (Moore, Okla.) 17-3; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 24-2; St. Anthony (Long Beach, Calif.) 26-3; St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) 27-1; St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 19-1; St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas) 27-4; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 26-1; Trinity Christian (Fayetteville, N.C.) 26-2; Union (Vancouver, Wash.) 22-0; Westover (Fayetteville, N.C.) 24-0; Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) 21-3; Wyoming (Wyoming, Mich.) 14-1; Yates (Houston, Texas) 20-4.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 20 years ago. Starting with a weekly format for the 1987-88 season, the FAB 50 is the longest-running weekly national rankings.

Ronnie Flores is the National Grassroots Editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Playoffs Cause Change! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Centennial, particularly Oregon-bound power point guard Troy Brown, came to play and gave Sierra Canyon all it can handle. Brown finished with 21 points and had THE PLAY of the Tarkanian Classic, dribbling between two defenders and throwing down a facial on Marvin Bagley III, which sent the crowd into a frenzy in a close game. It was 45-40 Sierra Canyon at that point in the second half and all that spectacular play did was seem to fire up the Trailblazers, who went on to post a 61-52 victory to move to 7-0 on the season.

Bagley, who sat a long period of time (roughly six minutes) in the first half, picked up his play at the end of the game to finish with 18 points and seven rebounds. UCLA-bound forward Cody Riley , who played well down the stretch in the win over Oak Hill, finished with 15 points versus Centennial, which came in as a FAB 50 bubble team and fell to 7-2 on the season. Its other loss is to Clark (Las Vegas), which is 1-1 so far in the Platinum Division of the Tarknian Classic. Sierra Canyon and Centennial is not part of the bracket and the unbeaten Trailblazers are boarded a bus back to Southern California Saturday night.

It wasn't its cleanest game, but Sierra Canyon will learn from it. It cannot play down to the competition and has to play consistently for consecutive games if its going to win CIF Southern Section and CIF state open championships.

Tarkanian Semifinals Set

Chino Hills, which is now 9-0 and riding a 44-game winning streak, will take on Roosevelt (Corona, Calif.) in Monday's 4 pm (PT) semifinal at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Roosevelt advanced with a 64-51 victory over Crossroads (Santa Monica, Calif.), as Cal-St. Fullerton-bound Matt Mitchell had 23 points, while CAL-bound Jemarl Baker added 20. If it wasn't for Troy Brown's spectacular play, Mitchell would have the play of the event so far with his own facial dunk over Shareef O'Neal.

The other semifinal will pit FAB 50 No. 18 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) versus host Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) at 5:30 pm (PT). Mater Dei downed Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) in its quarterfinal contest 58-46, as senior forward Justice Sueing had 17 points and five rebounds. Bishop Gorman had no trouble with Westchester (Los Angeles), defeating the Comets 96-53, as seniors Christian Popoola Jr. (BYU) and Charles O'Bannon Jr. (Undecided) netted 21 points each.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post Troy Brown With The FACIAL, But Sierra Canyon Gets Last Laugh, W! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

Related: Day Two Raw Footage | Frank Burlison Talks Tarkanian, Previews Holiday Tournaments | Gorman-Overland Preview | Trevon Duval's Reverse Dunk | City of Palms / Maxpreps Holiday Classic Preview | Overland Captures Tarkanian Classic Title 

Platinum Upper Bracket 1st Round Scores
Overland (Aurora, Col.) 62, Poly (Long Beach) 43
Senior Jervae Robinson, a 6-foot-1 combo guard drawing D1 interest, scored 19 points in the win over injury-depleted Poly. The Jackrabbits also had trouble slowing down Indiana-bound power forward Deron Davis, who finished with 10 points.
Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 46, Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) 43
Raiquan Gray, a 6-goot-8 junior wing, scored 15 points to lead Dillard in a low-scoring affair.
Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 61, Westchester (Los Angeles) 56
The Comets of Westchester trailed by 20 points early in the second half, but their rally fell just short. Yoeli Childs, a 6-foot-8 forward bound for BYU, led Bingham with 20 points.
Centennial (Corona) 63, Desert Pines (Las Vegas, Nev.) 59
This was a tight game throughout, but Centennial took control down the stretch behind some great on-ball defense from junior guard Isom Butler. Offensively, UCLA-bound forward Ike Anigobu and Long Beach State-bound Jordan Griffin led Centennial with 15 points and 17 points, respectively. Cap Uzan, a 5-foot-11 junior guard, netted 31 points for Desert Pines in a losing effort.

Platinum Lower Bracket 1st Round Scores
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 73, Timpview (Provo, Utah) 62
The host club, one of four FAB 50 bubble clubs participating in this bracket, easily got by Timpview with junior forward Charles O'Bannon Jr. (16 points) and Gonzaga-bound center Zach Collins (13 points) leading the way.

Thursday 12/17 Platinum Quarterfinal Matchups:

Centennial vs. Bingham, 1:20 pm
Bingham was impressive in its opening round victory and a matchup between Yoeli Childs and Ike Anigobu will be worth the price of admission.

Overland vs. Dillard, 12 pm
Dillard has some length, but does it have the muscle inside to deal with Deron Davis?
Redondo vs. Bishop Gorman, 5:20 pm
Both of these teams have FAB 50 ability, but does Redondo have the size the slow down the Gaels inside? If Zach Collins has a big game, Gorman will be in business.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post Tarkanian Classic: Day One Raw Footage appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.