LONG BEACH, CA – Thousands of fans stood outside waiting for the best basketball game in Southern California on Saturday night.
After the Chaminade versus Long Beach Poly girls thriller ended, fans inside had to be ushered out of The Pyramid in Long Beach. Spectators needed an extra ticket to attend the Chino Hills and Bishop Montgomery rematch.
The marquee game got off to a late 9:15 p.m. start, but the standing room only crowd of 4,556 didn’t mind as Chino Hills showed why the team is ranked No. 1 in the nation in a 84-62 win over Bishop Montgomery on Saturday night.
Junior forward LiAngelo Ball led the way with 27 points. His older brother, Lonzo, notched a triple double. The UCLA-bound guard had 13 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. The youngest brother, LaMelo, added 17 points.
“The first half I didn’t feel I played my game. But the second half I controlled it and I did what a point guard is supposed to do,” McDonald’s All-American guard Lonzo told Prep2Prep after the win.
David Singleton scored a game-high 33 points for Bishop Montgomery in the loss.
After a 14-7 first quarter by Chino Hills the game got out of hand fast. The Huskies controlled the pace and were the dominant team in the rematch.
Chino Hills took a 28-17 advantage at halftime and blew the game wide open in the third quarter. Before fans got back to their seats after halftime the Huskies were up 44-19 on Bishop Montgomery. The third ended with Chino Hills leading 56-31.
With the outcome decided, the fourth quarter was somewhat of a high school skills contest with several dunks and some long-range threes by both clubs.
Chino Hills will now face De La Salle in Sacramento for the state championship and the Huskies are hungry to come back to SoCal with some hardware.
“Last year we went to Sacramento and didn’t come back with nothing but this year we are looking forward to it,” Lonzo said. “Just go out there and represent and make the city proud.”
Bishop Montgomery is one of the best team’s in the nation. However, Chino Hills overwhelms opponents with their aggressive offensive and defensive style. The Huskies trot out five future division one starters in their starting lineup and the talent level of the Huskies have proved over and over again to be too much for opponents.
“We’re gonna get a win (in Sacramento),” a confident LaMelo told Prep2Prep.
With a 33-0 undefeated record, the Huskies have every right to be confident. We haven’t seen the Chino Hills lose this season and it’s not wise to pick against them in Sacramento.
