CIF-SS Division 2A Semifinal Preview

<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 the two semifinal matchups in Division 2A between St. Paul and San Juan Hills and La Mirada vs. Edison.</p> <h6>St. Paul at San Juan Hills<br /> <br /> </h6> <p><strong>Key Storyline:</strong> When you look at the two rosters, one thing stands out as something San Juan Hills must focus in on and that’s stopping 7-foot-2 center <strong>Sidy Diallo</strong>. The Stallions haven’t seen a player to date with the combination of size, mobility, athleticism and rim protection that Diallo brings to the floor. San Juan Hills must make it a point to block him out on the offensive boards and attack the basket in hopes the 7-foot senior gets in early foul trouble.</p> <p><strong>Key Matchup:</strong> The key matchup comes down to the wing play of <strong>Jacob Simon</strong> of San Juan Hills and <strong>Jordan Williams</strong> of St. Paul. Simon is the team’s third leading scorer, but he’s the most athletic and versatile defender for the Stallions and he’ll have a tough task if he draw the assignment of guarding defending Williams. Williams is a 6-foot-6 grid-hoop stud who is committed to Colorado State to play tight end. His combination of physicality and athleticism on the wing, along with his aggressiveness on both ends of the floor, could dictate the outcome of the game.</p> <p><strong>X-Factors:</strong> The x-factor for San Juan Hills is how well they can shoot the ball from three-point range. With so many long, athletic defenders the opponent brings to the table, knocking down perimeter jumpers at a high clip will be key for the Stallions to open driving lanes and keep St. Paul’s defense honest. San Juan Hills has hit 180 of its 590 three-point attempts on the season, led by sharpshooters <strong>Mark Reichner</strong> and <strong>Thomas Hattan</strong>. The x-factor for St. Paul will be point guard <strong>Allen Moser</strong>. The 6-foot-2 senior has the ability to control the pace and tempo of a game and his downhill drives, finishes and passes are a major part of what the Swordsmen to offensively.</p> <h6>La Mirada at Edison<br /> <br /> </h6> <p><strong>Key Storyline:</strong> We’re not sure if anyone thought this young La Mirada team would win its way into a CIF semifinal game, but the Matadores have arrived and will face a veteran and talented Huntington Beach Edison squad. The biggest storyline heading into this game for La Mirada is the emergence of freshman guard <strong>Julien Gomez</strong> who is an absolute scoring machine. It will be interesting to see how Gomez stacks up when an entire defense, led by a veteran coaching staff, is geared toward stopping him.</p> <p><strong>Key Matchup:</strong> The key matchup here is which La Mirada defender can shut down <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="970258" first="Trey" last="Wilborn"]</strong>. The 6-foot-5 lefty shooter has put up some monster scoring games over the last month or so and his ability to knock down open shots is crucial for Edison’s offense. Wilborn struggled through the first three quarters against Pacifica Christian in the quarterfinals, but it was his shooting in the fourth quarter which sparked the big comeback win for the Chargers.</p> <p><strong>X-Factors:</strong> The x-factors in this game are kind of like a mirror effect. We’re guessing La Mirada is looking to speed up the tempo with some man-to-man pressure defense and it will be on the Edison guard-play of<strong> Quinn Delaney</strong> and <strong>Kaz Hampton</strong> to handle that pressure and limit turnovers. If the Matadores are able to get some steals and easy buckets early, it will be the confidence they need to grind it out for 32 minutes.</p>