Game previews of 21st MaxPreps/De La Salle Martin Luther King Classic

High school basketball Top 25
Find out where things stand heading into the biggest weekend of the season.

MORAGA, Calif. — Two-time California state champion Salesian, featuring Connecticut-bound guard James Akinjo, headlines the 21st annual MaxPreps/De La Salle Martin Luther King Jr. Classic at St. Mary's College on Jan. 15.

Live stream of all the 2018 games

Here are the match-ups for the six games scheduled:

Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) Knights vs. St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) Bruins Time: 10 a.m.
Head coaches: Brian Dietschy (Las Lomas), Derek Walker (SPSV).
2016-17 records: Las Lomas 22-7, SPSV 28-7.
Records through Jan. 13: Las Lomas 15-0, SPSV 9-5.
Points per game/allowed: Las Lomas — 67.3/49.2. SPSV — 60.8/52.8.
Terrific Trios: Las Lomas — G Nathan Robinson, G Robert Prince, G Jason Holman. SPSV — C Dishon Jackson, G Akil Edwards, F Marshel Martin.
Notable alumni: Las Lomas — Katharine Ross (actress), Tracee Talavera (Olympic gymnast), Kira Kazantsev (Miss America).
Record previous five seasons: Las Lomas 93-52, SPSV 110-52.
Briefly: The Bruins are the defending state Division IV champions, but were hit hard by graduation. … Las Lomas already figured to have one of its best teams in years, but received a gem when Robinson transferred from Sacred Heart Cathedral. … Las Lomas opened the season with a resounding 60-43 win over WCAL co-favorite St. Ignatius when Robinson went for 23 points. … SPSV started slowly because of late addition of top football players Edwards and Martin.

Moreau Catholic (Hayward) Mariners vs. Woodcreek (Roseville) Timberwolves Time: 11:45 a.m.
Head coaches: Frank Knight (Moreau), Paul Hayes (Woodcreek).
2016-17 records: Moreau Catholic 25-10, Woodcreek 32-3.
Records through Jan. 13: Moreau Catholic 10-4, Woodcreek 13-5.
Points per game/allowed: Moreau Catholic — 62.1/61.6. Woodcreek 54.3/49.7.
Terrific Trios: Moreau Catholic — G Maxwell Andersonn, G Leonard Turner, G Amil Fields. Woodcreek — F Chris Cagle, G Delis Boggs-Smith, G Kyle Kern.
Notable alumni: Moreau Catholic — Darren Lewis (MLB player), Brian Copeland (author/comedian), Terry Eidson (football coach). Woodcreek — Dominic Sandoval (dancer).
Record previous five seasons: Moreau Catholic 118-39, Woodcreek 109-42.
Briefly: All looked more than promising for Woodcreek, the defending Northern California Open Division champion. But then the rug was pulled out. Jordan Brown, a 6-11 post considered one of the top 5 players in the country from the Class of 2018, transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa. … Moreau Catholic also won a Northern California title, a Division II crown. … Both teams lost winnable 2017 state title games, Moreau losing to Esperanza (Anaheim) 72-65, and Woodcreek to Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 74-67. … Both teams found their their footing during the nonleague season.

Oak Park Eagles vs. Valley Christian (San Jose) Warriors Time: 1:30 p.m.
Head coaches: Aaron Shaw (Oak Park), Mark DeLuca (Valley Christian).
2016-17 records: Oak Park 23-9, Valley Christian 14-13.
Records through Jan. 13: Oak Park 11-6, Valley Christian 9-4.
Points per game/allowed: Oak Park — 62.4/58.4. Valley Christian — 69.4/47.7.
Terrific Trios: Oak Park — PF Riley Battin, G Wes Slajchert, G Clark Slajchert. Valley Christian — F Jay Allen-Tovar, F Cameron Fini, G Justin Kidd.
Notable alumni: Oak Park — Gabby Douglas (gymnast), Travis Johnson (NFL football), Danielle Kang (LPGA golfer). Valley Christian — Byron Marshall (NFL football), Ariel Hsing (table tennis), Rusty Varenkamp (music producer).
Record previous five seasons: Oak Park 120-39, Valley Christian 45-89.
Briefly: DeLuca, a former Northern California championship coach at Berkeley, is primed to turn around a program that has lost almost twice as many games as its won over five years. … Battin, a Utah commit, averages better than 25 points and 14 rebounds per game. … The length of Allen-Tovar (6-8) and Fini (6-7) could bother the 6-10 Battin. … Valley Christian started 9-0 before opening WCAL with two losses.

Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) Dragons vs. Pleasant Grove (Utah) Vikings Time: 3:15 p.m.
Head coaches: Lou Richie (Bishop O'Dowd), Randy McAlister (Pleasant Grove).
2016-17 records: Bishop O'Dowd 19-11, Pleasant Grove 22-4.
Records through Jan. 13: Bishop O'Dowd 9-5, Pleasant Grove 13-1.
Points per game/allowed: Bishop O'Dowd — 70.2/65.3. Pleasant Grove — 63.3/47.1.
Terrific Trios: Bishop O'Dowd — G Elijah Hardy, G Naseem Gaskin, G William Chavarin. Pleasant Grove — C Matt Van Komen, G Casey Brown, G Kawika Akina.
Notable alumni: Bishop O'Dowd — Brian Shaw (NBA player/coach), Tarik Glenn (NFL), Ivan Rabb (NBA). Pleasant Grove — C.J. Wilcox (NBA), Todd Herzog (winner of Survivor: China), Mark Jensen (NFL).
Record previous five seasons: Bishop O'Dowd 118-39, Pleasant Grove 95-31.
Briefly: This is classic match-up of how O'Dowd defends 7-foot-3 Van Koman, and how Pleasant Grove handles Dragons' extremely talented guard brigade. … Richie, a former O'Dowd and Pac-10/ACC point guard, says the status of highly-rated 6-9 junior Hawkins is questionable. … Hardy (Washington) and Gaskin (Utah) is believed to be the first future Pac-12 guard tandem from the same Bay Area team. …. Pleasant Grove reached the state 5A semifinals last season, losing to eventual champion Bingham. It has won three Utah state titles, the last coming in 1961.

Damien (La Verne) Spartans vs. De La Salle (Concord) Spartans Time: 5 p.m.
Head coaches: Michael LeDuc (Damien), Justin Argenal (De La Salle).
2016-17 records: Damien — 31-5, De La Salle 28-6.
Records through Jan. 13: Damien 15-3, De La Salle 11-4.
Points per game/allowed: Damien — 84.3/51.9. De La Salle — 54.8/48.9.
Terrific Trios: Damien — PG Cameron Shelton, G Elijah McCullough, F Austin Cook. De La Salle — G Justin Pratt, PG Thomas Gregorios, G Cade Arbogast.
Notable alumni: Damien — Mark McGwire (MLB baseball), Bill Duffy (sports agent), Larry Wilmore (comedian). De La Salle — Brent Barry (NBA), Amani Toomer (NFL), Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL).
Record previous five seasons: Damien 133-30, De La Salle 135-28.
Briefly: Two highly successful programs square off trying to control pace. … Damien, behind high-scoring point guard Shelton, is one of the highest scoring teams in the state. It scored more than 100 points in four of its first six games. … De La Salle, with four new starters — all juniors — off of last year's NCS championship teams, has allowed less than 50 points in all but three games. … De La Salle has won two state, six regional, 12 section and 25 league championships. … Argenal, a former DLS guard, is in his second season as head coach. … Damien won the state CIF Division 3 title in 2015 with a 70-57 win over Campolindo at Haas Pavilion. ... Shelton has committed to Northern Arizona and McCullough, a 6-3 guard, to Sacramento State. Cook, a 6-4 sophomore, is a major college prospect.

Salesian (Richmond) Pride vs. Modesto Christian (Modesto) Crusaders Time: 6:45 p.m.
Head coaches: Bill Mellis (Salesian), Brice Fantazia (Modesto Christian).
2016-17 records: Salesian 27-5, Modesto Christian 22-8.
Records through Jan. 13: Salesian 16-1, Modesto Christian 13-2.
Points per game/allowed: Salesian — 71.5/52.1. Modesto Christian — 79.5/64.1.
Terrific Trios: Salesian — G James Akinjo, F Joshua Jefferson, G JoVon McClanahan. Modesto Christian — F Gabe Murphy, G Junior Ballard, G Earv Knoxx.
Notable alumni: Salesian — Jabari Bird (Boston Celtics), Jabari Brown (NBA), Jahvid Best (NFL). Modesto Christian — Chuck Hayes (NBA), Reeves Nelson (NBA, overseas), Richard Midgley (Cal point guard, former MC coach, currently Atlanta Hawks scout).
Record previous five seasons: Salesian 128-40, Modesto Christian 137-27.
Briefly: Two perennial NorCal and state powerhouses face off in the much-anticipated finale. … Connecticut-signee Akinjo, a 6-1 senior, is rated one of the top point guards in the nation. … Both rosters loaded with underclass talent — On NorCalPreps.com top-40 lists of juniors and sophomores, Salesian features five players and Modesto Christian four. … Gabe Murphy, a 6-9 senior, is headed to Norwest Nazarene University. … Over the last 13 seasons, Modesto Christian has won 350 games (26.9 per season), Salesian 342 games (26.3). ... Ballard, a 6-3 senior guard committed to Cal Poly, missed the team's first 12 games, but scored a career-high 34 in his first game back on Jan. 4. He is a transfer from Lathrop.