And the first team to taste defeat will be ...

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The Etiwanda, Redlands and Murrieta Valley boys’ basketball teams won tournaments last weekend to remain unbeaten heading into the New Year.

Which team will go down to defeat first? I’m guessing Murrieta Valley will have its hands full Friday night in a nonleague game against visiting Perris.

Murrieta Valley played the Panthers five weeks ago in the final of the Perris tournament and escaped with a 62-60 win, its slimmest margin of victory this season.

Since then, Perris has been getting even stronger play from 5-foot-11 junior point guard Robert Smith and 6-8 senior center Kevin Young. Both were named, take a deep breath now, to the Above the Rim Classic Big Time Division all-tournament team, which concluded Saturday at San Diego Cathedral Catholic.

Etiwanda’s next tough test is Jan. 8 in a Baseline League opener at Los Osos.

Redlands can probably skate through Citrus Belt League play until Jan. 18, when the Terriers travel to Eisenhower, a team that just ran off four impressive victories at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image from parenting.leehansen.com