Burgess, Woodbridge Win This Battle of the Big Men

IRVINE — Organizers hyped the evening finale of the first Pacifica Premier Invitational as a matchup between two of the most recognized high school big men in the country.

That was the case in the first quarter, anyway, as 6-foot-11 Chris Burgess of Woodbridge was tested by 7-1 Eric Chenowith of Villa Park.

But though the last of seven games at UC Irvine’s Bren Center provided plenty of crowd-pleasing blocks, hook shots, slam dunks and inside battles, it was the superior depth of Woodbridge that led to a 71-56 victory before a crowd of 3,300 Monday night.

Burgess was sensational, scoring 30 points on 12 of 18 shooting, including four of six from three-point range. And he demonstrated superior quickness against his taller opponent. But Woodbridge forward Brandon Beeson scored 18 points and matched Burgess in rebounds with six. Guards William Stovall and Peter Martinelli had five assists each.

“This was the first game in which we have played to our ability as a team this season,” Burgess said.

Fourth-ranked Woodbridge (14-3) built a 38-24 halftime lead with Burgess providing much of the flare in his alleged battle with Chenowith. The battle didn’t last much beyond the first quarter. Villa Park used a box-and-one defense with Chenowith guarding Burgess, but Burgess went outside, made a few three-pointers and left the Spartans gasping.

Chenowith finished with 18 points and six rebounds. Guard Isaiah Cavaco had 13 points and five assists and swing-man Mike Vogeding had 10 points for the sixth-ranked Spartans (13-4).

Chenowith said he was convinced after Monday who the best big man in the county is.

“Chris and I are friends,” he said. “We’ve played a lot against each other and I have never, ever seen Chris play this good in my lifetime.”

It really isn’t fair to compare these players. If Burgess ever leads Duke against Chenowith and Kansas when these two get to college, they probably won’t be matched up. Burgess is a power forward. Chenowith is more of a true center.

“He’s a totally different player,” Burgess said of Chenowith. “He has a nice touch for a 7-1 guy. I think he’s mainly an inside guy, though, and I can step outside more.”

Just how good was Burgess? The Warriors held a 21-13 lead when Martinelli brought the ball up court at one point in the second quarter. Woodbridge coach John Halagan shouted out a play and Martinelli, dribbling the ball at the top of the three-point line, motioned Burgess to go inside. Burgess shook his head no. Martinelli passed him the ball and Burgess drilled a three-pointer for a a 24-13 lead.

Villa Park cut it to 28-20, but Burgess had two dunks and a free throw in the final two minutes of the half.

Villa Park Coach Kevin Reynolds called it a “practice playoff game.”

“This didn’t cost us anything,” he said. “We may lose a little respect around the county, but we had a chance to play a good team in playoff conditions.”

In morning-session games:

Pasadena 58, Tustin 44--It was a one-point game with 3:40 remaining in the third quarter, but Pasadena went on a 12-0 run in the next four minutes to extend the lead to 43-30. Tustin never drew closer than nine in the final quarter.

Ray Hobbs scored 17 points for Tustin (13-7), which shot 36% from the field in the second half.

Cypress 72, Pacifica 53--Travis Weaver scored 12 of his 25 points in the third quarter when Cypress broke the game open by outscoring Pacifica, 26-9, in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half.

Wes Bunn added 18 points for Cypress (12-7).

Jeff Swan and Adam Rachlin each scored 11 points for Pacifica (10-9).

In afternoon games:

Glendora 57, Servite 34--The Friars got a touch of big arena jitters and missed several easy baskets in the early going. Servite made only one of its first 13 field-goal attempts, fell behind, 20-3, and never made a game of it.

In holding Servite to its lowest point total of the season, Glendora made 23 of 46 field-goal attempts. Servite (14-6) made 12 of 44 field goals overall, including two of 16 three-point tries. No one finished in double figures.

“We’ve never been in a situation like this before,” Servite Coach Scott Hamilton said of the arena setting.

Chris Clark (14 points) and Casey Jacobsen (12 points) led Glendora (18-1).

Mater Dei 92, La Canada 54--The Monarchs, top-ranked in Orange County, dominated the Spartans (12-7), who have won nine consecutive Rio Hondo League titles.

La Canada committed 22 turnovers and failed to defend the post area much of the game. Mater Dei made 33 of 52 shots from the field and held a 32-11 rebounding edge. Tom Lippold scored 24 points, David Castleton had 19 and Kevin Augustine had 13 and eight assists for Mater Dei (17-2). Matthew Moore scored 28 points for La Canada.

Correspondent Michael Itagaki contributed to this story.