SoCal Tournaments: Big O vs. Mobley Brothers Friday night
LAGUNA NIGUEL – There are plenty of Friday viewing options for those brave high school hoops fans willing navigate what – for Southern California residents – could be some less than ideal weather conditions.
Those include:
*The Battlezone at Centennial High in Corona, where the championship semifinals tip off at 6:30 this evening with a clash between No. 3 (in the latest BurlisonOnBasketball Southland Top 25) Rancho Christian and No. 21 Chino Hills.
Brothers Isaiah (PICTURED) and Evan Mobley of Rancho Christian will hook up against their Compton Magic club teammate, Onyeka Okongwu (the 2018 State Player of the Year), meaning that the three best “bigs” in the west – regardless of class – will be on the floor at the same time.
Isaiah Mobley and Okongwu signed National Letters of Intent with USC (where the Mobleys’ dad, Eric, is on Andy Enfield’s staff) earlier this month.
In the other winners’ bracket semifinal (approximately 8 o’clock), No. 9 Centennial will take on No. 20 Rancho Verde.
In a couple of cool fifth-place semifinal tilts, Foothills Christian faces No. 23 Orange Lutheran at 3:30 while No. 10 Etiwanda hooks up with No. 22 St. Bernard at 5 o’clock.
All of the aforementioned programs (except Orange Lutheran) are part of the field for the best post-Christmas tournament in the west, The Classic at Damien (Dec. 26-29).
*Over at Westchester High in the Trevor Ariza Tip-Off Classic, it will be No. 8 Bishop Montgomery taking on No. 15 Notre Dame (Riverside) at 6:30 tonight with No. 6 Westchester facing No. 11 Washington Prep in a clash of the programs that won the L.A. City Open and Division I championships, respectively, last March.
In nice fifth-place tussles, Saugus plays Santa Monica at 2:30 and Leuzinger plays No. 19 Long Beach Poly at 3:50.
*In Pasadena at Maranatha High’s Rose City Roundball Classic, the championship semifinals pit No. 18 Riverside Poly and Pasadena at 6:30 and No. 4 Fairfax and the host school’s squad at 8.
*In Santa Monica, for the championship game of the St. Monica Catholic High Tournament, unbeatens Taft (No. 24) and Crossroads tips at 8 o’clock.