CIF-SS Playoffs: D2AA Capsules

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday night marks some of the biggest games of the year as the CIF Southern Section Divisional Playoffs have reached the semifinal round. There are two intriguing matchups in the Division 1 postseason bracket and we break both of them down in this piece.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Oxnard (29-2) vs. Orange Lutheran (19-10)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You might glance at the team records and think that Oxnard is heading into this as the favorites but that might not necessarily be the case. Orange Lutheran is a pretty battle tested squad that went 5-5 in one of the more difficult leagues in the state. The Lancers have beaten a handful of really good teams this season in Mater Dei, Santa Margarita, JSerra, Rancho Cucamonga and Damien. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Orange Lutheran comes into the game against Oxnard with a size advantage inside. Six-foot-7 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1630666' first='John' last='Gazzaniga'] and 6-foot-8 forward Andrew Nagy are both very good inside scorers and rebounders that could present problems for the Oxnard defense. On the wing, 6-foot-6 [player_tooltip player_id='1434794' first='Cannon' last='Potter'] and 6-foot-5 [player_tooltip player_id='994947' first='David' last='Manea'] are both athletic slashers and finishers and Zion Paleo is a crafty scoring and distributing guard who makes it all go.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellowjackets come into Friday night's game riding a 15-game winning streak but is that a blessing or a curse? Oxnard has blown through 14 of those 15 opponents - the one close game being an overtime win over Buena in a league game - and have won each of its first three playoff games by double figures. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellowjackets play more of a small lineup and a 5-out, dribble-drive style offensive scheme that could nullify the Lancers' size advantage by pulling the big men away from the rim to open driving lanes and are led by guards Bobby Barajas, Marcos Ramirez, Reese Widerburg and forward Dominik Contreras. Oxnard is also a team that can speed you up and force turnovers which lead to easy transition points. The Yellowjackets must find ways to negate their size disadvantage and that will likely be with ball pressure on defense and pushing the pace on offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Tesoro (27-4) vs. Culver City (17-11)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think this game has the potential to be one of the more entertaining games of the night as both teams have a multitude of offensive weapons and the ability to play in a fast-paced environment. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Titans of Tesoro are led by a talented duo of guards who bring a different style of play to the game. Blake Manning is a high IQ passer and playmaker who can also score when needed. Carson Brown is a high-level scorer and shot-maker who can take over a game on his own. Defenses have been locked in on Brown all season long and to no avail as he's but up 25-plus point games on what seems to be a nightly basis but can he continue that against a long and athletic Culver City defense?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Centaurs have advanced to the semifinals after a couple of nail-biting games. In the second round, Culver City outlasted Simi Valley in overtime and then beat Windward on a buzzer beating layup in the quarterfinals. Senior wing Connor Scales and junior forward Achebe Thompson lead the way for Culver City and are flanked by twin guards Myles and Braylon Singleton. The speed and pace in which the Centaurs want to play is how they will try to advance to the Division 2AA finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->