CIF-SS Open Division: Pool B Update

<p>We are quickly approaching the final week of Pool Play action in the CIF Southern Section playoffs and Corona Centennial and West Ranch each control its own fate as the Huskies and Wildcats each sit at 2-0 in their respective pools. There's still a wrench out there that could possibly be thrown into the mix and St. John Bosco and Bishop Montgomery each hold that wrench in its hands. Below we take a closer look at each of the final two games in Pool B of the Open Division.</p>   <h4>(2) Harvard-Westlake (1-1) vs. (3) West Ranch (2-0)</h4>   <p>Harvard-Westlake was the first top-seeded team to fall in Pool Play as it fell to sixth-seeded St. John Bosco Tuesday but the path to the Open Final isn't closed just yet for the Wolverines. We'll get into the three-way tie possibilities a little later but the focus now for Harvard-Westlake is simply on how to beat a surging West Ranch team. From a size and athleticism standpoints the two starting units matchup pretty well against each other and really the only advantage you can kind of point to is [player_tooltip player_id='1502769' first='Trent' last='Perry']'s 6-foot-4 point guard frame to [player_tooltip player_id='1502802' first='Darrell' last='Morris'], Jr.'s 5-foot-9 frame. </p>   <p>For Harvard-Westlake to win this game it must turn it into a grind-it-out, possession-by-possession affair where half-court execution and late shot clock situations are the preemptive way of scoring. The matchup I see as the one the Wolverines must win is the battle of the big men. [player_tooltip player_id='994936' first='Jacob' last='Huggins'] has to make [player_tooltip player_id='992478' first='Jazz' last='Gardner']'s life difficult on both ends of the floor. I envision Huggins getting out and running the floor, setting a ton of ball screens and crashing the offensive boards as much as possible.</p>   <p>West Ranch is a highly-talented and tremendously-skilled team that, as they've shown many times this season, has the ability to beat any team at any time. The Wildcats, like Centennial in Pool A, are in the drivers seat to reach the Open Division championship game. They win Friday against Harvard-Westlake, they are in. So how does West Ranch go about beating Harvard-Westlake? Do everything you can to turn them over and capitalize on the other end. We mentioned a size advantage that [player_tooltip player_id='1502769' first='Trent' last='Perry'] holds over [player_tooltip player_id='1502802' first='Darrell' last='Morris'], Jr., but Morris is one of the more pesky defenders in Southern California and his on-ball pressure really is difficult to deal with for 32 minutes. </p>   <p>West Ranch has so much firepower and versatility at its disposal that it can play and succeed in just any style but getting out in transition and using their size, length and athleticism to convert turnovers into easy points is where the Wildcats are at their best. Another aspect of the game that West Ranch must excel in is efficiency in its half-court offense. Harvard-Westlake will be ready to defend personnel, so the Wildcats will look to find mismatches and expose those when and if the game slows down. Is that mismatch [player_tooltip player_id='1222500' first='Andrew' last='Meadow'], [player_tooltip player_id='992478' first='Jazz' last='Gardner'] or Isaiah Fields?</p>   <h4>(6) St. John Bosco (1-1) vs. (7) St. Bernard (0-2)</h4>   <p>The Braves provided us with the first big "upset" of the Open Division field on Tuesday but with so many good teams, players and coaches involved can anything really be deemed an upset? Seed-wise, Bosco as a six went on the road and defeated a two - so yes, technically an upset - and now hold the key as the potential major spoiler in the much-expected Centennial vs. Harvard-Westlake showdown in the championship game.</p>   <p>The Braves obviously must take care of business Friday at home against St. Bernard and that's no easy task. The Vikings are a dynamic team with talented players and a style of play that takes opponents out of their comfort zone and forces them into a high-tempo, almost reckless pace. Look for St. Bernard to be flying all over the court defensively - trapping, jumping passing lanes, and gambling on long, cross-court passes. </p>   <p>Bosco's guard play will be the key in this one. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1630620' first='Elzie' last='Harrington'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1502781' first='Jack' last='Turner'] must take care of the ball and limit turnovers. If the Braves guards can stay poised under pressure there's a ton of layups to be had in transition for guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1630622' first='Kade' last='Bonam'] and Xinyi Li.</p>   <h4>The Three-Way Tie</h4>   <p>It's a dreaded way to decide which team will come out of Pool B and advance to the Open Division championship game but the threat of a three-way tie looms large. If Harvard-Westlake beats West Ranch and St. John Bosco beats St. Bernard, the Wolverines, Wildcats and Braves will all sit at 2-1 in Pool Play. How will the team who advances be decided? I'm not a math guy but basically a team adds each number of the seed they beat and the lowest total will advance.</p>   <p>So say if all three of those teams win and we find ourselves in a three-way tie here's how it breaks down:</p>   <p>Harvard Westlake beat (7) St. Bernard and (3) West Ranch - their total is 10.</p>   <p>West Ranch beat (7) St. Bernard and (6) St. John Bosco - their total is 13.</p>   <p>Bosco beat (2) Harvard-Westlake and (7) St. Bernard - their total is 9.</p>   <p>Bosco advances to the Open Final with the lowest number. All of this can be avoided if West Ranch beats Harvard-Westlake.</p>

We are quickly approaching the final week of Pool Play action in the CIF Southern Section playoffs and Corona Centennial and West Ranch each control its own fate as the Huskies and Wildcats each sit at 2-0 in their respective pools. There's still a wrench out there that could possibly be thrown into the mix and St. John Bosco and Bishop Montgomery each hold that wrench in its hands. Below we take a closer look at each of the final two games in Pool B of the Open Division.