It's CIF finals week and the top eight teams in our CIF-SS rankings remain in contention for a Southern Section title.
1. Mater Dei (27-2) Katin Reinhardt's seven three-pointers and 29 points in two games helped lead Mater Dei to a second round win over Palmdale and a quarterfinals victory over Foothill. Now Mater Dei faces its toughest in-state challenge of the season against Loyola in the Division 1AA CIF-SS semifinals. A victory over Loyola means a title game matchup with either Etiwanda or Long Beach Poly.
2. Long Beach Poly (26-1) Roschon Prince was unstoppable rounds two and three, scoring a combined 61 points with 23 rebounds in a second round victory over Palmdale Knight and a quarterfinals win over Rialto Eisenhower. Long Beach Poly will need another big effort from Prince and his frontcourt partner Jordan Bell in Tuesday's semifinal game against Etiwanda.
3. Etiwanda (29-1) Etiwanda received 28 points from standout sophomore point guard Jordan McLaughlin in a blowout 89-62 quarterfinals victory over Santa Monica. McLaughlin is going to be needed again when Etiwanda takes on Long Beach Poly in the semifinals, with the winner facing either Mater Dei or Loyola.
4. Alemany (27-4) Two seniors carried Alemany in a 78-67 semifinals victory over Santa Margarita as Marqueze Coleman scored 28 points and Max Guercy finished with 18. Alemany caught a break with Oak Park upsetting St. John Bosco, meaning there won't be a matchup between Coleman and high level prospects Isaac and Daniel Hamilton in the finals. Alemany takes on Oak Park on March 5.
5. Gardena Serra (28-2) Serra has been winning big games all season so knocking off Harvard-Westlake and Price to get to the finals should come as no surprise. A 33-point effort from senior wing Dakarai Tucker made the difference in Serra's semifinals victory over Price. Now it's on to the finals, where Serra faces a tough La Verne Lutheran squad.
6. Loyola (24-4) Two seniors had impressive nights in the quarterfinals against Upland as Jacob Hazzard's 16 points and Julian Harrell's 15 points helped Loyola advance to the semifinals. Sophomore point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who scored 17 points with 6 rebounds in a second round victory over Long Beach Jordan, will be needed to come up big against Mater Dei's trio of Katin Reinhardt, Xavier Johnson and Stanley Johnson.
7. La Verne Lutheran (23-6) The Trojans needed every one of Grant Jerrett's 38 points and 24 rebounds in two victories as Lutheran edged Oaks Christian in the quarterfinals, 50-48, and narrowly defeated Crespi in the semifinals, 51-49. Up next is a talented Gardena Serra team that has shown it's not afraid of anyone. The finals are March 2.
8. Pacific Hills (27-4) Behind emerging junior guard Marcus Jackson's 24 points, Pacific Hills defeated Aaron Holiday, Cole Huff and Campbell Hall, 76-69, advancing to the 4A finals. The championship game will be against Cantwell-Sacred Heart, which features big time scoring guard Jose Estrada. Pacific Hills will be led by senior point guard Brandon Taylor, who picked up an offer from Utah last week.
9. Price (22-8) After an impressive victory over Windward — Price's third victory over the squad this season — Gardena Serra was too much for the Knights in the semifinals, where Price lost 70-63. Price awaits its draw for the state finals, where seniors Skylar Spencer, Trey Dickerson, Khalil Johnson and JaQuan Green will attempt to end their careers on a high note.
10. Crespi (23-7) Crespi pulled off an impressive upset over Bishop Montgomery in the quarterfinals, but fell just short in its bid to knock off La Verne Lutheran, losing 51-49. Junior point guard London Perrantes was rewarded for an impressive season with an offer from Arizona State on Sunday.
