Martin Luther King weekend is always a fun time for basketball-loving fans, a chance to see a number of games in one spot from morning to night, a chance to catch up as the postseason inches a little closer.
This year is no different.
Top teams and players from the Bay Area and beyond will be in action at sites such as Miramonte, Bishop O’Dowd and De La Salle, among others.
From Archbishop Mitty’s UConn-bound Morgan Cheli and sophomore superstar McKenna Woliczko to Alec Blair (De La Salle) and Zion Sensley (Archbishop Riordan), some of the region’s top talent will be in action this weekend.
The marquee matchups include Salesian, the Bay Area News Group’s top-ranked boys team, facing sixth-ranked Riordan on Monday evening in the seventh of eight games at De La Salle’s MLK Classic.
Among games earlier Monday at DLS, the home team will play Crean Lutheran-Irvine and St. Joseph-Santa Maria, the reigning NorCal Open Division champ, will meet North Bay powerhouse Branson.
St. Joseph is led by junior Tounde Yessoufou, a four-star 6-foot-6 forward. Branson features Illinois-bound senior Jase Butler.
Saturday, Miramonte will play host to its Martin Luther King-John Lewis Memorial showcase. The six-game lineup includes five teams ranked in the latest Bay Area News Group Top 20, including No. 3 Monte Vista, No. 4 Granada and No. 7 San Ramon Valley.
Granada will play No. 12 Menlo-Atherton, which was 11-0 before losing a league game at Half Moon Bay on Wednesday.
Miramonte will face Archie Williams in the fourth game of the event.
O’Dowd’s MLK girls showcase will feature 13 games over two days. The home team, the No. 4 Dragons, will play No. 20 Salesian on Saturday and No. 1 Mitty on Monday.
Here is the full schedule:
Boys basketball
Miramonte’s Martin Luther King-John Lewis Memorial showcase
At Miramonte HS
Saturday, Jan. 13
Northgate vs. California, 12:30 p.m.
No. 4 Granada vs. No. 12 Menlo-Atherton, 2 p.m.
Lincoln-San Francisco vs. No. 14 Sacred Heart Prep, 3:30 p.m.
Miramonte vs. Archie Williams, 5 p.m.
Marin Catholic vs. No. 3 Monte Vista, 6:30 p.m.
No. 7 San Ramon Valley vs. Inderkum-Sacramento, 8 p.m.
De La Salle’s MLK Classic
At De La Salle HS
Monday, Jan. 15
Session 1
Moreau Catholic vs. Redwood, 8:45 a.m.
Folsom vs. Oakwood, 10:15 a.m.
Notre Dame Prep-Arizona vs. Modesto Christian, 11:45 a.m.
Jesuit-Carmichael vs. Clovis North, 1:15 p.m.
Session 2
Crean Lutheran-Irvine vs. No. 2 De La Salle, 3:30 p.m.
Branson vs. St. Joseph-Santa Maria, 5 p.m.
No. 1 Salesian vs. No. 6 Archbishop Riordan, 6:30 p.m.
No. 17 Bishop O’Dowd vs. Capital Christian-Sacramento, 8 p.m.
Girls basketball
Bishop O’Dowd’s MLK Showcase
At Bishop O’Dowd HS
Saturday, Jan. 13
Weston Ranch vs. St. Mary’s-Berkeley, 9 a.m.
Monte Vista vs. Pinole Valley, 10:30 a.m.
No. 20 Salesian vs. No. 4 Bishop O’Dowd, noon
No. 15 St. Patrick-St. Vincent vs. No. 5 Sacred Heart Cathedral, 2 p.m.
No. 17 Heritage vs. No. 14 Oakland Tech, 3:30 p.m.
San Joaquin Memorial vs. Cornerstone Christian, 5 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15
San Leandro vs. Pinole Valley, 9 a.m.
No. 5 Sacred Heart Cathedral vs. San Joaquin Memorial, 10:30 a.m.
No. 1 Archbishop Mitty vs. No. 4 Bishop O’Dowd, noon
Castro Valley vs. Inderkum-Sacramento, 2 p.m.
No. 20 Salesian vs. No. 19 Priory, 3:30 p.m.
St. Mary’s-Berkeley vs. Moreau Catholic, 5 p.m.
Ygnacio Valley vs. Mt. Eden, 6:30 p.m.
Source: www.mercurynews.com