Division 1AA has proven to be the gauntlet it was expected to be. Second round games were impressive but the quarterfinals should be a dandy. Meanwhile Division 4AA remains Bishop Montgomery’s to lose. The Knights remain the No. 1 team in our updated playoff rankings heading into quarterfinal/semifinal matchups to be played on Friday.
No. 1 Bishop Montgomery (29-0) — Harvard Westlake is no pushover. The Wolverines have wins over Cardinal Hayes (a top-10 team in New York), Rainier Beach (the No. 1 team in Washington), and also Loyola. Bishop Montgomery beat the Wolverines by 20, 78-58, to advance to the Division 4AA semifinals. A home game with five-seeded La Verne Lutheran is next for the undefeated Knights.
No. 2 Long Beach Poly (26-2) — It’s common place for a team to jump ahead early and let up a tad once a comfortable lead is built. That wasn’t the case with Long Beach Poly on Tuesday night. Not only did Poly knock out Mayfair early, they kicked them while they were down in a 73-28 Division 1AA second round win. Poly led 41-20 at halftime. Yes, the Monsoons scored just eight points in the second half. The Jackrabbits are on a mission. No. 4 Loyola is next in the quarterfinals.
No. 3 Mater Dei (28-1) — While the bottom half of the Division 1AA bracket has the makings of a cage fight, the Monarchs have yet to be challenged through the first two rounds of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed on the upper half of the bracket. A 35-point win over Eastvale Roosevelt and a 27-point win over Warren have propelled the Monarchs into the Division 1AA quarterfinals against Rancho Verde.
No. 4 Loyola (22-6) — The Cubs 24-point beatdown of Pasadena was expected to be much closer than the end result. The quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 Long Beach Poly won’t be nearly as easy. Loyola is one of four teams still alive that have a legitimate chance of winning Division 1AA. The downside to that is there may not be a team in the division as locked in as Long Beach Poly is right now.
No. 5 St. John Bosco (22-6) — A year ago, St. John Bosco reached the semifinals in Division 3A and beat themselves. They outshot Oak Park and outrebounded them. They lost the turnover battle, however, 18-6. Back then the Braves were the No. 2 seed. This time around as the No. 1 seed, they’re going to need to focus on the little things in order to get past fourth-seeded Ocean View and into the 3A finals.
No. 6 Pacific Hills (22-4) — The Bruins received a first round bye and were more than fresh in a 104-41 win over Pasadena Marshall. The quarterfinal game at St. Bonaventure was much closer, with the Bruins needing an 18-6 fourth quarter to eliminate the Seraphs in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, 69-60. The repeat bid continues in a semifinal meeting with fourth-seeded Cantwell-Sacred Heart — a rematch of last season’s Division 4A championship game.
No. 7 Etiwanda (24-2) — The Eagles, along with Long Beach Poly and Loyola are all in the bottom half of the Division 1AA bracket. After the Nike Extravaganza, Etiwanda looked like the team to beat in the division but took a step back dropping a Baseline League tilt to Rancho Cucamonga. That’s a huge reason for the logjam at the bottom. Up next for Etiwanda is a visit from Silverado in the quarterfinals. The Hawks are high on confidence after upsetting third seed Corona Centennial in the second round.
No. 8 Brentwood (26-3) — Brentwood is in the midst of its first 20-win season in eight years. If the No. 2 seed in the Division 4A is going to reach the finals, they’re going to have to survive a semifinal trip to the Central Coast to take on Santa Maria St. Joseph.
No. 9 Mission Viejo (26-3) — Evan Zeller is a marksman. He added three more three
pointers and 18 points to his season total in the Diablos narrow win against Orange Lutheran. The fourth seed in Division 1AA, the Diablos, will travel to Inglewood for a quarterfinal matchup. The Sentinels are a tricky team. They were swept by Santa Monica in Ocean League play but own a win over No. 4 St. John Bosco this season.
No. 10 Compton (20-9) — Compton took its lumps against Long Beach Poly in Moore League play. Now it’s time to for the Tarbabes to soar in Division 3AAA. They knocked off last year’s 3AA champion, Calabasas, behind 18 points from Iziahiah Sweeney and 16 apiece from Isaiah Bailey and Kyron Cartwright. In the semifinals they’ll get a visit from top seed Tustin.
