Cypress boys basketball team competes in North-South Challenge tonight and at Staples Center Saturday after Clippers game

Jared Brown (far right) of Cypress, who was MVP of the Bellfower Tournament along with all-tournament players Anthony Tello and Elijah Vaielua.

It’s going to be an exciting two days for the Cypress boys basketball team, which is 11-1 and coming off a non-league victory over Cerritos and its second consecutive Bellflower Tournament title.

Friday night, the Centurions face San Clemente in the North-South Challenge at Tesoro High at 8 p.m. and on Saturday, Cypress plays Torrance at the Staples Center following the Clippers game.

“The boys continue to surprise me with how they handle themselves on and off the court,” said Coach Derek Mitchell. “They are putting in a great effort on the court and in their studies.

“Our goal is to end 2018 with only two losses for the calendar year: last season to San Marcos and this season to Villa Park. It’s going to be extremely hard as San Clemente and Torrance are both formidable opponents.  Then we go to Vegas and we don’t know who we get the chance to compete against, but we will be ready for the challenges.”

It’s been a challenging week, Mitchell said.

“The boys are going through finals this week, so they are exhausted,” he said.  “Friday will be a relief for them as they will be on break and the first semester will be done with.  I’m a little worried about our legs for our games, as we are not in our normal routine.

“The North-South Challenge is a great opportunity to showcase how competitive Orange County basketball is.  Being from the North, we always want to represent well since most of the bigger name schools come from the South. It’s our chance to show the South County fans that we can ball too.”

Then on Saturday, Cypress, ranked sixth in Orange County by the Orange County Register, heads for Los Angeles for a game in the Staples Center against Torrance for the second year in a row. The game will be played after the Clippers-Nuggets game, which starts at 2 p.m.

“It’s a great deal and opportunity for the boys,” Mitchell said. “Both teams are asked to sell a certain amount of tickets to the Clippers game and in return, we are guaranteed a certain amount of floor time. Whoever bought a ticket is welcome to stay for our game.  It’s two games for the price of one.

“We plan to continue this game for as long as possible. Both sides have sold out of our own tickets, but if someone else wanted to attend our game, they just need to purchase a Clippers game ticket and then head to section 113 afterward to get a bracelet and they can stay for our game.

“The boys are really excited, and our families are looking forward to it as well.  The opportunity to play on the same court as NBA players is a dream come true.”

FULL SCHEDULE FOR NORTH-SOUTH CHALLENGE

–Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com