Chino Hills moves into 9 slot in SoCal Top 10
LAGUNA NIGUEL – There are just two weeks remaining in the regular season, with not much in the way of change in the latest BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal team rankings from last week.
Baseline League victories over Rancho Cucamonga and then-No. 10 Damien, coupled with a win over Santa Monica Saturday night at Cerritos College during the Rolling Hills Prep State Preview (presented by Scorebooklive.com), moved Chino Hills into the No. 9 slot.
The Huskies, led by 6-foot-9 wunderkind junior Onyeka Okongwu, face two more Top 10 foes this week when they visit No. 2 and Baseline League-leading Etiwanda Tuesday night (6:30) and then take on No. 6 and host Mater Dei Saturday night (8:45) in the finale of the two-day, 23rd Nike Extravaganza.
Two other games that will influence the makeup of the eight-team playoff field in the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division have No. 8 St. John Bosco at No. 10 Santa Margarita in a Trinity League game Wednesday night (7), and Santa Margarita taking on Corona Centennial (in the “Plus 15” of my ratings) Saturday afternoon at 1:15 in the Nike Extravaganza.
Two more of those “SS Open-influencing games” this week include “Plus 15” JSerra hosting Mater Dei Wednesday night (7) in the Trinity League, and JSerra and No. 5 Rancho Christian hooking up at Mater Dei High Friday afternoon (4:30) in the Nike Extravaganza.
Rancho Christian’s Mobley brothers – 6-10 sophomore Evan (pictured) and 6-9 junior Isaiah – will be tested by San Diego State-bound Joel Mensah as well as 6-5 junior Dennis Rodman Jr.
In what could be another preview of the L.A. City Open Division final, “Plus 15” Fairfax plays host to No. 4 Westchester Wednesday (7 p.m.).
SoCal Top 10 Plus 15
(Records as of Jan. 27)
- Torrance Bishop Montgomery (Southern Section/22-0)
- Etiwanda (SS/23-1)
- Sierra Canyon (SS/16-3)
- Westchester (L.A. City Section/21-4)
- Temecula Rancho Christian (SS/21-2)
- Santa Ana Mater Dei (SS/15-6)
- Encino Crespi (SS/21-2)
- Bellflower St. John Bosco (SS/19-5)
- Chino Hills (SS/14-8)
- Rancho SM Santa Margarita (SS/16-6)
Next 15 (alpha listing): San Bernardino Cajon (SS/16-6); L.A. Cathedral (SS/13-6); Corona Centennial (SS/14-9); La Verne Damien (SS/19-5); Fairfax (City Section/14-7); El Cajon Foothills Christian (San Diego Section/19-5); Studio City Harvard-Westlake (SS/19-3); San Juan Capistrano JSerra (SS/18-4); Mission Bay (San Diego Section/20-4); Oak Park (SS/16-6); Pasadena (SS/15-6); Eastvale Roosevelt (SS/18-3); Long Beach St. Anthony (SS/20-2); Playa del Rey St. Bernard (SS/13-8) and Torrey Pines (San Diego Section/20-2).