SoCal Top 10: Etiwanda in big post-Damien jump
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – An exceptional five days at the second The Classic at Damien last week has jumped Etiwanda to No. 4 in my latest Prep Hoops/SoCal Top 20 team rankings.
The Eagles of Coach David Kleckner collected Platinum victories over Taft, Oak Park, St. John Bosco and St. Bernard – sandwiched around a “Crossover” victory against Riverside Notre Dame – to bag the championship in the top slot in the four-division, 64-team tournament.
Guard Elijah Harkless (pictured) joined fellow seniors and teammates Kessler Edwards and Krystian Wilson on the all-tournament team.
Also moving into the Top 10 is St. Bernard, which picked off “upsets” of Damien, Vista and Santa Margarita – each an “Open Division” program last season – before dropping a 65-54 decision in a Platinum Division final at Damien that was much closer than the score would indicate.
The No.’s 1 and 2 team in the rankings – unbeaten Bishop Montgomery and once-beaten Sierra Canyon – meeting Friday night (8:30) in the last of four Take Flight Challenge games played that day.
That clash could go a long way in determining the No. 1 seed in the eight-team CIF Southern Section Open Division bracket next month.
Eight other Take Flight games will be played on Saturday, including the 8:30 finale between Sierra Canyon and Josh Christopher-led Mayfair.
Another contest that will impact the SS Open Division bracket will be played Thursday night in the Trinity League opener of Santa Margarita (No. 9) at Mater Dei (No. 3.)
The Top 10
(Records as of Dec. 30)
- Torrance Bishop Montgomery (Southern Section/12-0)
- Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (Southern Section/9-1)
- Santa Ana Mater Dei (Southern Section/9-3)
- Etiwanda (Southern Section/14-1)
- Temecula Rancho Christian (Southern Section/13-2)
- Westchester (L.A. City Section/13-3)
- Playa del Rey St. Bernard (Southern Section/9-4)
- La Verne Damien (Southern Section/13-2)
- Santa Margarita (Southern Section/11-3)
- Fairfax (L.A. City Section/10-4)
Next 10 (alphabetical): Encino Crespi (SS/13-2); El Cajon Foothills Christan (San Diego/10-5); Studio City Harvard-Westlake (SS/12-2); Oak Park (SS/9-5); Long Beach Poly (SS/9-4); San Diego Mission Bay (SD Section/12-3); Eastvale Roosevelt (SS/11-1); Bellflower St. John Bosco (Southern Section/12-2); Vista (SDS/10-5); and Woodland Hills Taft (L.A. City Section/14-5)