CIF-SS Division 1 Semifinal Preview: St. John Bosco vs. JSerra

<p>The CIF Southern Section playoffs have provided plenty of excitement and upsets through the first three rounds. As we head into the semifinals on Tuesday, we want to analyze and breakdown each of the "final four" matchups among the divisions. In this piece, we take a look at St. John Bosco vs. JSerra.</p> <p><strong>Key Storyline:</strong> This Division 1 semifinal game is eerily similar to the other side of the bracket. Like St. Anthony and St. Bernard, Bosco and JSerra have already played each other twice this season in Trinity League play. Each team held firm on its home floor, resulting in a regular season split leading into this postseason battle. The key here will be which team makes the best adjustments and which team executes the best in crunch time of the game. The coaching staffs have plenty of film to watch and scouting reports to refer to, but a win will be found in which team limits turnovers and mistakes the best.</p> <p><strong>Key Matchup:</strong> The St. John Bosco defense vs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="972526" first="Rob" last="Diaz III"]</strong>. The senior lefty has been shooting the ball with confidence and has been putting up huge scoring numbers over the last couple of weeks. With his ability to get going from behind-the-arc, it’s crucial for the Braves to close his space and not allow him to see the ball go through the net early. Diaz scored 26 points in a quarterfinal win over St. Francis and the smooth shooter is one of those players who, if he gets comfortable early, can fill up the scoring column.</p> <p><strong>X-Factors:</strong> For JSerra, the x-factor will be the interior play of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748770" first="Dane" last="Persek"]</strong>. The 6-foot-6 senior is a physical presence in the paint and will go head-to-head against our x-factor for Bosco, <strong>Christian Estrada</strong>. Persek must battle for offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds, stay out of foul trouble, and make everything Estrada does difficult. Bosco’s 6-foot-7 forward is as physical, active and tough of a high school player you’ll find and he will certainly need to bring his hard hat with him to Tuesday’s game. When Estrada is dominating inside, both offensively and defensively, the Braves are a tough group to beat. To a lesser extent, keep an eye on the Braves young players<strong> Kade Bonam</strong> and <strong>Jack Turner</strong>. If the freshman and sophomore can step up and provide a boost offensively, it forces the JSerra defense to extend a bit.</p>