TARKANIAN CLASSIC: Clark nearly upsets nationally ranked Chino Hills (Calif.)

The crowd at Bishop Gorman started to sense a possible upset midway through the second half, and the buzz on social media spread quickly.

But with the chance to become a nationwide trending topic in prep boys basketball, Clark couldn’t finish the job.

The Chargers went cold from the field against nationally ranked Chino Hills (California) and saw a 10-point lead turn into a 91-87 loss in the opening round of the Platinum Division at the Tarkanian Classic.

“We took them to the brink,” Clark coach Colin Darfour said. “I am disappointed we didn’t win, because we could have won. But at the same time, I could not be more proud of my team. They came out and competed against a team who nobody in the world gave us a chance against.”

Trey Woodbury had 25 points and five rebounds to lead Clark (7-1), which led by as many as 11 points in the second half.

Deshawn Wilson’s baseline dunk gave Clark an 82-72 lead with 5:40 remaining, but the Huskies responded with a 16-0 scoring spurt over the next three minutes to take the lead for good.

LiAngelo Ball had eight points in the run, including a 3-pointer in transition to put the Huskies (8-0) ahead 84-82 with 3:23 left to play.

Ball, who has committed to UCLA, finished with 41 points as the entire Bruins’ coaching staff watched from the first row of the bleachers. Younger brother LaMelo Ball added 26 points before he fouled out with 3:34 remaining.

Elizjah Scott had 14 points and 22 rebounds for Chino Hills, ranked No. 6 in the country by USA Today.

“We handled their pressure, but they had guys who could flat-out score it, and they did what they’ve been doing for the past 40, 50 games,” Darfour said. “They shoot the ball from beyond NBA range. They play scrappy, they play heady. Those guys had phenomenal games.”

Ian Alexander had 14 points and seven rebounds, Antwon Jackson added 13 points and 13 boards, and Jalen Hill scored 13 for the Chargers.

Clark led by as many as nine points in the first half before the Ball brothers combined to score their team’s final 26 points of the half to give the Huskies a 51-47 lead at halftime.

Alexander’s 3-pointer gave Clark a 71-61 lead, and he scored to put the Chargers on top 78-67 with 6:30 left to play before Chino Hills rallied.

“There’s a lot of positives from this going forward,” Darfour said. “The main thing is, I can’t be more proud of our guys. They went out and fought, and we had a chance to win that game. That’s all I can ask for as a coach.”

Bishop Gorman 76, Denver East 40 — At Gorman, Chuck O’Bannon finished with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in his return after missing the past four games because of injury, and the Gaels routed the Angels.

Jamal Bey added 14 points, five rebounds and six assists, and had thunderous alley-oop dunk midway through the second half for Gorman.

Jarrett Jordan had 11 points, and Saxton Howard scored 10 to spark the Gaels, who led 43-22 at halftime.

Kwane Marble led Denver East with 14 points.

Mater Dei (Calif.) 84, Desert Pines 61 — At Gorman, Capri Uzan finished with 23 points in the Jaguars’ loss to the Monarchs.

Derrick Coleman had 14 of his 18 points in the second half, and Trevon Abdullah-Booker added 13 points for Desert Pines, which trailed 41-25 at halftime.

Spencer Freedman made six of Mater Dei’s nine 3-pointers and had a game-high 26 points.

Justice Sueing had 17 points, and Miles Brookins added 14 points for the Monarchs.

ORLEANS DIVISION

Coronado 69, St. Mary’s (Ariz.) 65 — At Gorman, Kennedy Koehler and Patrick Simms each scored 14 points, and the Cougars held off the Knights.

Trey Hurlburt and Will Weems added 10 points apiece for Coronado.

Koehler scored after a behind-the-back pass from Freddy Reeves to put the Cougars on top 51-41 with 10 minutes left in the second half before St. Mary’s rallied to tie the game at 63 thanks to multiple turnovers by Coronado.

Koehler was fouled with 2:15 left, and St. Mary’s also was called for a technical foul on the play. Koehler made all four free throws to give Coronado a 67-63 lead.

Reeves was called for charging with 19 seconds left and Coronado leading 67-65, giving the Knights a chance to tie.

St. Mary’s missed two late shots, and Weems grabbed the rebound after the second attempt. He was fouled with one second remaining and made both free throws for the final margin.

Jorden Blake had a game-high 23 points to lead St. Mary’s. Isaiah Casillas added 14 points for the Knights, and teammate Ricky Cardines scored 12, including a 3-pointer with 2:30 remaining to tie the score at 63.

K.J. Hymes, a 6-foot-10-inch center with scholarship offers from multiple Power 5 schools, was limited to five points as he battled foul trouble.

Eaglecrest (Colo.) 73, Durango 48 — At Gorman, Demetrius Valdez had a team-high 16 points in the Trailblazers’ loss to the Raptors.

Anthony Hunter had 11 of his 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in the first half for Durango. Teammate LeAndre McIntyre added 10 points.

Durango trailed 30-20 at halftime.

Colbey Ross led all scorers with 21 points for Eaglecrest, and Austin Forsberg and Victor Garnes each scored 13.

EASTBAY DIVISION

Faith Lutheran 77, Pasadena (Calif.) 75 — At Faith Lutheran, Nic Maccioni hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining in the second overtime to lift the Crusaders over the Bulldogs.

Maccioni, who scored the Crusaders’ last three field goals of the game, finished with a team-high 27 points. The senior scored a left-handed layup that tied the game at 73 in the first overtime to extend the game.

Jaylen Fox had 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and Elijah Kothe scored 10 for Faith Lutheran.

Bryce Hamilton led all scorers with 36 points for Pasadena. Darius Brown had 17 points, and Darius Mason scored 11 for the Bulldogs.

Las Vegas 74, Camarillo (Calif.) 60 — At Faith Lutheran, Marquise Raybon led three double-figure scorers with 26 points as the Wildcats downed the Scorpions.

Donovan Joyner added 21 points, and Deondre Northey scored 15 for Las Vegas, which led 38-28 at halftime.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 23 points to lead Camarillo. Justin Nguyen had 13 points, and Jonah Cottrell added 11 points for the Scorpions.

Godby (Fla.) 65, Palo Verde 45 — At Faith Lutheran, Brian Sullivan had nine points, and Dylan Yoro scored seven in the Panthers’ loss to the Cougars.

Montreal Edwards scored a game-high 15 points for Godby. Corbin Merritt had 13 points, and Freddy Williams scored 11 for the Cougars.

Woods Cross (Utah) 72, Legacy 33 — At Faith Lutheran, Quentin Brewster had 10 points, but the Longhorns fell to the Wildcats.

Taylor Smith led all scorers with 21 points for Woods Cross. Cameron Allen had 14 points, and Trevor Trost scored 12 for the Wildcats.

John Muir (Calif.) 60, Sierra Vista 53 — At Faith Lutheran, Maka Ellis scored 17 points in the Mountain Lions’ loss to the Mustangs.

Chris McCoy added 16 points for Sierra Vista.

Javonte James led John Muir with 19 points. Hunter Woods had 15 points, and Eric Hollins-Hamilton notched 11 points for the Mustangs.

NIKE DIVISION

Chaparral (Colo.) 83, Agassi Prep 48 — At Faith Lutheran, Akeemis Williams hit six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points in the Stars’ loss to the Wolverines.

Najeeb Muhammad added 13 points for Agassi Prep, which trailed 38-16 at halftime.

Kobe Sanders had 15 points, and Bryce Matthews and Wayne Fish each scored 14 for Chaparral.

Seton Catholic (Ariz.) 72, Mojave 50 — At Faith Lutheran, Jonathan Rodriguez and Samuel Torrence each scored 12 points, but the Rattlers fell to the Sentinels.

Carson Pinter hit four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points for Seton Catholic, which had 12 players score.

Payson (Utah) 64, Cheyenne 63 — At Faith Lutheran, Dewayne Alexander and Kavon Williams scored 16 points apiece, but the Desert Shields fell to the Lions in overtime.

Keshawn Hall added 14 points for Cheyenne, which led 31-29 at halftime.

Bryce Wiberg hit six 3-pointers and finished with 26 points for Payson, and teammate Hagen Wright scored 19.

Coral Academy 71, Price (Calif.) 67 — At Faith Lutheran, Isaiah Spears hit a pair of free throws with 1:45 remaining to give the Falcons the lead and spark a 7-3 run to end the game.

Spears hit four 3-pointers in the first half and finished with a team-high 25 points for Coral Academy.

Ryan Djino added 18 points for the Falcons, which led 42-35 at halftime.

Gary Harris led Price with 25 points. Ely Tom had 14 points, and Kylyn Dirks scored 12 for the Knights.

Lehi (Utah) 53, Western 43 — At Faith Lutheran, Kwan Carter scored 13 points in the Warriors’ loss to the Pioneers.

Jesus Rojo and Anthony Dodgson each added eight points for Western, which was outscored 32-19 in the second half.

Jaxon Treu led all scorers with 25 points for Lehi.

GATORADE DIVISION

San Bernardino (Calif.) 70, Desert Oasis 67 — At Desert Oasis, Jacob Heese scored 33 points for the Diamondbacks, but it wasn’t enough as they dropped a heartbreaker to the Cardinal.

Nate Van added 11 points for Desert Oasis, which missed a potential tying shot with 13 seconds remaining and the Cardinal ran out the clock.

Matthew Bradley scored 34 points to lead the Cardinal.

Leuzinger (Calif.) 73, Shadow Ridge 54 — At Desert Oasis, Damani Washington had 23 points to lead the Olympians over the Mustangs.

Garin Macfarlane led Shadow Ridge with 13 points, and teammate James Fuller scored 12.