Recap: Rolling Hills Prep Fall Classic
Leave it to Rolling Hills Prep coach Harvey Kitani to pull together one of the most high level fall basketball events in recent memory as he built upon his immensely successful State Preview series with the RHP Fall Classic.
Saturday at Cerritos College was a must-attend for any Southern California high school basketball fan as many of the area’s top programs competed against one another and the matchups couldn’t have been better.
Here’s a breakdown of the action in chronological order:
Taft 69, Dominguez 66
St. John Bosco transfer Makani Whiteside led the Toreadors past the Dons in the absence of Virginia commit Kihei Clark. Taft center Antwan January also put forth a solid effort. For Dominguez, junior guard Sean Harlston was the catalyst with help from seniors Devin Garcia and Keith Carlton. Dominguez was without Cal State Fullerton-bound shooting guard Wayne Arnold.
Rolling Hills Prep 55, St. Francis 53
The host Huskies edged the Golden Knights behind sophomore forward J.T. Tan who scored a game-high 19 points. Senior guard Alex Garcia added 15 for Rolling Hills Prep. St. Francis was paced by junior guard Dennis Flowers, Jr., who scored 18 points. The addition of Flowers, a transfer from Chaminade, forms a strong backcourt duo with sophomore Andre Henry.
Long Beach Poly 55, Redondo Union 49
Senior point guard Darryl Polk, Jr. scored 13 points and junior wing Giordan Williams added 12 for the Jackrabbits as they edged the Sea Hawks despite a challenging day from the perimeter. Zekiah Lovett led Redondo Union with 13 points, even after he ran in a cross country event earlier that morning.
Damien 70, Santa Monica 66
It was the Cameron Shelton show for the Spartans as the Northern Arizona-commit scored a game-high 26 points in the four-point victory. Sophomore sharpshooter Austin Cook added 14 points for the Spartans. Rice-bound guard Payton Moore was the standout performer for Santa Monica, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Ethan Berks added 12 for the Vikings.
Santa Margarita 55, Maranatha 47
Senior forward Jordan Guest, who is committed to Boston University, led the Eagles with 17 points. Santa Margarita lost super junior Jake Kyman to an ankle injury early in the first quarter and were also without starting point guard Pearson Parker, who could miss the entire season with a hip injury. Fordham-commit Chris Austin scored 29 points in the losing effort.
Fairfax 66, Pasadena 63
The trio of Jamal Hartwell (20), Kirk Smith (16) and Ethan Anderson (12) scored 48 of the Lions 66 points in the win. Darius Brown, one of the top uncommitted seniors in Southern California, finished with 22 points, while another top unsigned senior, Bryce Hamilton, led Pasadena with 24.
Sierra Canyon 90, Mater Dei 85
The marquee matchup of the day lived up to expectations, despite the Monarchs playing without two starters in Spencer Freedman and Bol Bol. Sierra Canyon’s Duane Washington, Jr. turned in an explosive scoring performance, dropping 33 points, including 10 3-pointers. Sophomore Terren Frank added 19 and junior Scotty Pippen, Jr. finished with 16 for the Trailblazers. Seattle-transplant P.J. Fuller led Mater Dei with 17 points, while freshman forward Harrison Hornery added 14.
Bishop Montgomery 74, Rancho Christian 49
The Knights put together a complete effort on both ends in the rout of Rancho Christian. Seniors David Singleton and Fletcher Tynen, along with juniors Gianni Hunt, Will Crawford, Oscar Lopez and Josh Vazquez all made major contributions. Isaiah Mobley, who was battling the flu, played well for the Eagles.