Shaena Brew, Grace Knox and Aliyahna Morris of Etiwanda (left) were all named to the all-tourney team on Monday after their team won the top division at the SoCal Holiday Classic. At right, Eastvale Roosevelt’s Brayden Burries looks to attack the defense of St. John Bosco during Monday’s title game of the top division at The Classic at Damien. Photos: Etiwanda girls basketball & Saturnino Photography.
Roosevelt of Eastvale boys need overtime to win in a No. 1 vs No. 2 state ranking showdown over St. John Bosco in the top division of The Classic at Damien. Other major boys tourney winners include JSerra, Lincoln of Stockton, Folsom and Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. State No. 3 girls team Etiwanda, meanwhile, knocks off an unbeaten nationally ranked opponent to win the top division at the SoCal Holiday Classic. The Mater Dei girls also win the Platinum Division at the West Coast Jamboree and Clovis West goes to 15-0 by taking a major tourney title in Florida.
(Ronnie Flores & Harold Abend both contributed to the recaps below)
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The very best teams in the CIF Southern Section often play each other more than two or three times in a season, so the boys basketball matchup on Monday night between state No. 1 Roosevelt of Eastvale and No. 2 St. John Bosco that decided the Platinum Division title at the The Classic at Damien is probably just round one. It still was a big win for Roosevelt as the Mustangs topped the Braves, 56-55 in overtime, before an overflow crowd in the San Gabriel Valley.
With the victory, Roosevelt captured the tournament title for the second consecutive year and beat the snake-bitten Braves in both championship games. Last December, Roosevelt defeated St. John Bosco in the title game, 68-65, en route to appearances in the CIF Southern Section and SoCal regional open title games. This year, the Mustangs hope Monday night’s victory on the eve of 2025 springboards their season two steps further, meaning a victory in the SoCal open title game and the CIF open title game on March 15 in Sacramento. For head coach Steve Singleton, he knows the road ahead may include another match with St. John Bosco, but for now he knows where his team stands.
“This is where we belong (among the nation’s best teams),” Singleton told Cal-Hi Sports. “We have a great program and a top level player. We had a great season (in 2024) with many of these same guys and came up a bit short and now we want to finish things out. We’ll see them (St. John Bosco) again soon.”
The top level player for the Mustangs is unsigned senior Brayden Burries, who was named Most Valuable Player in the Platinum Division for the second consecutive season after scoring 24 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing four assists vs. Bosco. He becomes to the second player to lead his team to back-to-back tourney titles while earning MVP honors, joining the Cleveland Cavs’ Evan Mobley (2018-2019) when he played at Rancho Christian of Temecula. Singleton, who has won state titles at Dominguez of Compton at Roosevelt, stated Burries is the best player he’s coached at Roosevelt.
Burries’ second MVP plaque and the game’s outcome was in serious doubt after teammate and long-time friend Myles Walker missed the first of two free throws with 13.1 seconds remaining in regulation that made the score 46-44. That allowed Bosco’s fantastic junior forward Christian Collins to tie the game on a driving, finger-roll lay-up with 4.9 seconds remaining. Roosevelt’s last second heave was off and overtime was needed to decide the affair, as Walker (13 points) made 5-of-6 free throws in the closing minutes of regulation and nine points in the fourth period.
Burries got Roosevelt off on the right foot in overtime when he nailed a 3-pointer of the first possession, but it didn’t seem as the outcome of the game was clear until Collins was called for an offensive foul with 24.2 seconds remaining on a hard drive with his team trailing 53-51. Roosevelt freshman Cam Anderson made two free throws with 19.4 seconds remaining to make the score 55-51 and Burries made one more free throw before Bosco’s Max Ellis made things interesting by nailing a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds to go to account for the final scoring.
New Mexico-bound Issac Williamson finished with nine points (three 3-pointers) for Roosevelt and took the challenge of guarding Collins even though he’s at least six inches shorter.
Collins finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, plus some eye-opening plays that make him one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country and every bit as good a prospect as the other top-tier talents in California’s much publicized 2026 Hot 100 rankings system (which have been around since the 1980s). Bosco also got 17 points from another improved player in 6-foot-2 senior Chris Komin.
St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn, who recently won his 500th career game, gave credit to both defenses for making the game one that was hard to prepare for. Roosevelt was out of sync, but the Braves let some golden opportunities slip through their hands early.
“It was an awesome game between two great defenses,” said Dunn, who it certainly should be noted did not have the services of 2024 State Sophomore of the Year Brandon McCoy (also one of the nation’s top Class of 2026 recruits) not just in the game vs Roosevelt but for the last nine to 10 games due to an injury.
Note that the following top-ranked California boys teams will be playing in this week’s Nike TOC in Arizona (starting on Thursday): Roosevelt, St. John Bosco, De La Salle (Concord) & Harvard-Westlake (Studio City). Most of the California teams are playing in a showcase style format and not in the actual tournament so there won’t be the possibility of a Roosevelt-Bosco rematch that soon.
The JSerra boys basketball team notched a big win on Monday in the top division at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego. The Lions didn’t have to travel that far compared to their opponents from Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco. Photo: Courtesy JSerra Athletics.
MORE BOYS TOURNEY HIGHLIGHTS
JSerra Shines In San Diego
In a matchup between the likely No. 1 team in Northern California and one of the top five from SoCal, it was JSerra of San Juan Capistrano that came out on top, 52-47, over Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco to win the National Division title on Monday at the prestigious Holiday Classic played at Torrey Pines High in San Diego.
With its Monday victory, JSerra upped its record to 14-3 while also handing Riordan its first loss of the season at 9-1. The Crusaders had won the Gridley tourney two weeks ago over Salesian of Richmond. The Lions opened up a 17-10 lead after one period and led 27-22 at halftime in a game where offense was at a premium. JSerra also won the tourney title in 2019 over Sheldon (Sacramento).
SMU-bound shooting guard D.J. Davis-Ray was named National Division MVP after netting 11 points. It tied for the team-high with talented sophomore point guard Earl Bryson. Joining Davis-Ray on the all-tourney team was junior Brannon Martinsen, who was all-state and co-Trinity League Player of the Year as a sophomore at previous school Mater Dei of Santa Ana. The multi-dimensional forward finished with nine points and netted 27 points in the semifinal victory over Carlsbad (Calif.) and after gaining eligibility in the tourney’s second game. With Martinsen available, the Lions could be a threat to St. John Bosco in the Trinity League.
Steve “Nes” Emeneke, a 6-foot-10 UC-Irvine signed senior, led Riordan with 20 points.
“I’m really proud of our group,” JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson told Cal-Hi Sports. “We played physical and tough. We also won the rebounding battle versus a very athletic team. Even though we struggled offensively, we stayed together, and we had big stops down the stretch.”
Lincoln (Stockton) Wins Holiday Classic American Divison
It’s a bit strange that a tournament in San Diego involved four of the top teams in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, but it did and on Monday it was Lincoln of Stockton that capped a 4-0 week with a 64-45 win over Mission Bay of San Diego in the American Division of the Holiday Classic. The Trojans were suffocating all week and improved to 10-1, with their only loss to Folsom (see below for what the Bulldogs did on Monday).
Weber State-bound Anthony Moore, the MVP of the division, led head coach Anthony Matthews’ squad with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Lincoln went on a 21-4 run in the first half to take control vs Mission Bay, which had a 10-game win streak snapped.
Highly-ranked SJS teams Rocklin, Inderkum of Sacramento and Sheldon of Sacramento also were in the same division.
Santa Barbara Stuns Sierra Canyon
It wasn’t a perfect 4-0 run for the host Santa Barbara High team in the annual Santa Barbara Holiday Classic, but the Dons ruined what would have been a perfect week for the powerful Trailblazers from Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth with a 75-74 win on Monday.
Luke Zuffelato buried a 30-foot bank shot at the buzzer for a game-winning three-pointer that was widely available to see on social media posts. Zuffelato finished with 31 points. Bryce Cofield led Sierra Canyon (11-3) with 21 points.
Santa Barbara had lost in an overtime game earlier in the event to Dougherty Valley of San Ramon. The Dons will head into the new year at 10-3. Dougherty Valley, which received good news coming into the event that Dublin transfer Jalen Stokes will be eligible to play this season, also faced Sierra Canyon in the tournament and lost, 54-50.
Folsom Turns Heads At Desert Holiday Classic
Details were not immediately available other than the team making 19 three-pointers, but watch out for Folsom from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. The Bulldogs improved to 11-1 overall on Monday with a shocking score of 87-46 over perennial powerhouse Mater Dei of Santa Ana in the title game of the Prime Division at the Desert Holiday Classic in Rancho Mirage.
Mater Dei (11-4) had a 99-35 win earlier in the event vs Hoover of San Diego in which Monarchs’ guard Luke Barnett set a school record with 55 points, but Folsom was too much in the tourney final. The Bulldogs’ only loss has been to Redondo of Redondo Beach, another team that has been in the top 10 of state rankings.
Mira Costa moves to 17-0 With Tourney Win
The St. Francis Holiday Hoopfest hosted by St. Francis of La Canada on Monday ended up being another impressive outing for Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach, which won the title with an 87-72 victory over Oak Hills of Hesperia.
The Mustangs, who are in the same league as Redondo of Redondo Beach, pushed their early season record to 17-0. They were led vs Oak Hills by tourney MVP Jacob DeArmas, who rattled home 18 points. Luke Hammerschmidt added 13 points.
Players from Mater Dei of Santa Ana celebrate after they took top honors in the Platinum Division of the West Coast Jamboree. Photo: Harold Abend / Cal-Hi Sports.
GIRLS TOURNEY HIGHLIGHTS
Mater Dei captures Jamboree Platinum title
Mater Dei of Santa Ana came into the 24th Annual West Coast Jamboree as a heavy favorite to win the Platinum Division title. Following two lopsided wins over state-ranked Oakland Tech and Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), the Cal-Hi Sports No. 5 ranked Monarchs finally got a tussle from a young Windward (Los Angeles) team but still prevailed in a 65-49 victory on Monday night at Dublin High.
Iowa-bound Addie Deal led Mater Dei with a double-double 20 points and 10 rebounds. She also had seven assists and two steals. For her efforts, Deal was named the David “Scoop” Jackson Most Valuable Player.
Junior star Kaeli Wynn also had a double-double and finished with 18 points (two three- pointers) and 13 rebounds with three assists and two steals. Grand Canyon-committed Amaya Williams added 10 points. Wynn and Willams, along with sophomore Stella Hoss and senior Devyn Kiernan, were named All Tournament.
Mater Dei (15-2) came out a bit sluggish, and in fact trailed at the end of any quarter in the three Jamboree games played after falling behind 12-11 after one quarter. A 12-0 run got Mater Dei a 23-12 lead, but Windward did not fold at that point. Wynn finally hit a three-pointer at 7:10 of the third quarter and that led to what was part
of a 14-0 Mater Dei run that eventually ended up 18-4 run.
After connecting on 13 three-pointers in their semifinal win over McClatchy of Sacramento, the Wildcats (8-6) didn’t connect on a three-pointer until there was 2:04 left in the third quarter. University of Central Florida-committed senior Samari Bankhead was named the Jim Capoot Memorial Award winner for inspirational play after finishing with a co-team high with 13 points plus five rebounds. Budding sophomore Charis Rainey also had 13 points (one three-pointer) with nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
“As we wrap up the Jamboree, I’m proud of the progress our team has made. Coming away with the championship of a prestigious tournament is something we are very proud of,” said Mater Dei first-year head coach Jody Wynn.
Next up for Mater Dei is hosting the Kevin Kiernan Classic on Saturday. Mater Dei will face Corona Centennial in one of the seven girls’ games on the schedule.
Priory wins WCJ Diamond Division
Priory of Portola Valley (10-1) has been knocking on the door of the state rankings, and, after a hard fought 53-47 victory over a St. Francis of Mountain View team that had upset No. 11 Fairmont Prep (Anaheim) to get to the title game, it looks like head coach Buck Matthews and the Panthers, whose lone loss is to state-ranked Clovis, may very well make the grade in the next rankings coming out next week.
Senior Vienn Sheng connected on four three-pointers and led a balanced attack with 13 points. Adelaide Chan added 10 points. Sheng was named the David “Scoop” Jackson Most Valuable Player.
St. Francis (10-1) would have been a lock to make the state rankings if the Lancers had won the Diamond Division after upsetting Fairmont Prep. Maia Jimenez led the way with 13 points. Sophomore Grace Curley added 12 points and sophomore Katia Grizelj made three three-pointers and finished with 10 points.
For complete results of all 13 divisions of the 104-team West Coast Jamboree go to
https://www.westcoastjamboree.org/page/show/8889551-2024-brackets and click on the individual links to BracketTeam.com
Etiwanda Takes Top Divisional Title At SoCal Holiday Classic
The message from head coach Stan Delus on Twitter after two-time defending CIF Open Division state champion Etiwanda took down Sidwell Friends of Washington, D.C., 69-55, on Monday to win the WNBA Premier Gold Division at the SoCal Holiday Classic was simple: We got better this week.
The Eagles, who had an early season loss to Ontario Christian after opening the season No. 1 in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings, also took three other early losses in a schedule in which they faced highly ranked opponents. Sidwell Friends certainly qualified as a similar opponent. The Quakers were 10-0 entering the night and were as high as No. 11 in the nation.
Tourney MVP Aliyahna “Puff” Morris knocked down 18 points and had six assists plus five rebounds vs Sidwell Friends. She wasn’t the top scorer on the night for the Eagles, however, as senior forward Grace Knox netted 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Shaena Brew was another bright spot for Etiwanda and nearly posted a triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Clovis West Represents In Florida
There was only one California team in the ENG Sports Championship bracket of the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational, but the girls from Clovis West of Fresno were the ones celebrating after a 66-48 win on Monday in the title game vs Neumann-Goretti of Philadelphia, Pa. Neumann-Goretti came into the week ranked No. 2 in Pennsylvania.
Five of the eight teams in the bracket were from Florida while Milton, Ga., was another out-of-state squad. Like Neumann-Goretti, Palm Bay of Melbourne (Fla.) also was ranked No. 2 in its state. Clovis West topped Palm Bay, 63-56, in the semifinals. The Golden Eagles also improved to 15-0 on the season, but it still may be hard for them to move up from No. 6 in the state with Archbishop Mitty, Ontario Christian, Etiwanda, Sierra Canyon (unbeaten) and Mater Dei in front of them.
Clovis West’s Alexis Swillis, who also celebrated her 18th birthday on Monday, was named tourney MVP.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
Ronnie Flores is the managing editor of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at ronlocc1977@yahoo.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
