The CIF Southern Section boys basketball pairings were released on Sunday. There was no question Division 1AA was going to be tough, it was only a matter of who was going to get paired with who. Here are the divisions that will be really exciting to follow over the next couple of weeks, including Division 1AA.
Division 1AA
Just call it the PAC-5 of Southern Section basketball. Often times the draw has as much to do with a team’s playoff success as the team itself.
Mater Dei, certainly, received the luck of the draw. As the No. 1 seed, there’s no question they have a much easier path to the finals. The margin of that path, however, is questionable.
Long Beach Poly is the No. 2 seed and on their side of the bracket is Etiwanda, Corona Centennial and Loyola.
The Huskies received the No. 3 seed, while Mission Viejo is No. 4. Etiwanda is No. 6. The Eagles looked like the best team in Southern California at the Nike Extravaganza.
However, they followed up that superb showing with a loss to Rancho Cucamonga in Baseline League play. That undoubtedly hurt their playoff seeding.
Division 3AA
Leuzinger received the No. 1 seed in this division despite dropping their final two games of the regular season to West Torrance and Redondo. Jurupa Valley and Santa Margarita, an at-large out of the Trinity League, are on their side of the bracket.
The No. 2 seed in this division is Damien. The Spartans lost three of five to end the regular season, however one of those losses was by six points to Corona Centennial.
The Huskies were cruising along as winners of 13 in a row at that point when the Spartans pushed them to the brink. Leuzinger guard Eric Childress has the skill to take this division by storm. If he does, it can mean good things for the Olympians.
Division 4AA
If Division 1AA is a gauntlet, 4AA is right there with it. This division is easily the toughest behind Division 1AA. Undefeated Bishop Montgomery is the top seed, but this division is loaded with the likes of Price, Harvard Westlake, Windward, La Verne Lutheran, JSerra, Sierra Canyon, Serra, and Crespi.
Westchester head coach Ed Azzam said the talent and depth of the Knights sets them apart. This is coming from a coach whose team played the top seeds in Division 1AA this season, Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly.
The Knights' next loss would be their first. It would also be a shock.
Division 4A
The Alpha League is well represented in this division. Pacific Hills and Brentwood are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.
They were tri-champs along with Windward. Joining the Bruins and the Eagles in this division, from the Alpha League, is Viewpoint and Campbell Hall. Pacific Hills and Brentwood could certainly be headed for a collision course in the finals.
It would be their third meeting of the season. A team of interest in this division is St. Anthony. The Saints played a tough non-league schedule. The majority of which was without two of their top three scorers.
Because of CIF transfer rules, guard Eric Cooper Jr., and forward Kyle Benton were ineligible until New Year’s Day. Cooper Jr. is leading the team in scoring at 24.3 points per game.
