CIF-SS Open Division Championship Primer

<p>It’s the best time to be a high school basketball fan, coach, parent, reporter, scout or zealot in Southern California as Divisional Championship games will tip off tonight across the Southland. In this capsule we take a closer look at the top division - the Open Division - with a heavyweight matchup between Harvard-Westlake and Corona Centennial.</p> <h6>Harvard-Westlake at Corona Centennial<br /> <br /> </h6> <p><strong>Key Storyline:</strong> Over the last few seasons, Harvard-Westlake and Centennial have met five times with the Wolverines coming away with victories in all five of those contests. Will Harvard-Westlake continue its recent dominance over the Huskies or will Centennial’s talented group and fast-paced style overwhelm the Wolverines this time around?</p> <p><strong>Key Matchup:</strong> There will be a lot of good guard-play on the floor tonight for each team, but the interior battle could be the deciding factor in this game. For Harvard-Westlake, the defensive presence of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994936" first="Jacob" last="Huggins"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="970272" first="Landon" last="Lewis"]</strong> will be imperative to try to make the night difficult for Centennial point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="970280" first="Donovan" last="Dent"]</strong>. Dent, a dynamic 6-foot-1 guard heading to New Mexico, is one of the best finishers around the basket on the west coast and his speed and quickness allow him to get unlimited paint touches. The bigs for Centennial will have a similar impact defensively, but the keys for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994973" first="Devin" last="Williams"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994950" first="Aaron" last="McBride"]</strong> will be how they compete on the offensive and defensive boards. Limiting Harvard-Westlake to one shot and snapping quick outlet passes to start the break will allow Centennial to dictate the pace of the game.</p> <p><strong>X-Factors:</strong> The x-factors for Harvard-Westlake, like they were in the win over Sierra Canyon, are [player_tooltip player_id="992481" first="Brady" last="Dunlap"] and [player_tooltip player_id="748779" first="Cameron" last="Thrower"]. Dunlap, a 6-foot-7 swingman is a lethal offensive player whose ability to stretch the floor to the three-point line and knockdown smooth pull-up jumpers off the bounce present a matchup nightmare for just about any team at the high school level. Thrower will have a lot of responsibility as a primary ball-handler against a good pressure defensive team. Him taking care of the ball, and knocking down three-pointers as he normally does, will be a huge lift for the Wolverines. For Centennial, shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="992480" first="Jared" last="McCain"] will be the key piece to its victory. The 6-foot-3 highly-ranked junior is one of the best shooters you can find at the high school level and, when he has his shot going early, it gives the Huskies’ entire team a boost of confidence and ups their pace of play.</p>