CIF-SS Playoffs: Open Division Preview

<p>The CIF Southern Section playoffs begin Wednesday for many high school basketball programs across the Southland. In this preview we take a closer look at the teams and players in the cream of the crop Open Division grouping, which features eight of the best teams in the Southern Section.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Favorite</h3>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 1 Harvard-Westlake | 26-3 | Mission League (Champion)</h4>   <p>The defending state Open Division champions from a season ago have the "Big Three" talent and highly-improved role players and reserves to make another run. McDonald's All-American [player_tooltip player_id='1502769' first='Trent' last='Perry'] leads the way at the point guard spot while wings [player_tooltip player_id='1188984' first='Robert' last='Hinton'] (Harvard-commit) and top 2025 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1630618' first='Nik' last='Khamenia'] provide size and versatility both inside and outside. The key to the Wolverines winning it all will be which role guy will step up in a close game. [player_tooltip player_id='1502826' first='Christian' last='Horry'], [player_tooltip player_id='1630659' first='Isaiah' last='Carroll'], [player_tooltip player_id='2136707' first='Amir' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1956502' first='Dominique' last='Bentho'] have all had their moments in big games this season.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Contenders</h3>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 2 Eastvale Roosevelt | 27-2 | Big VIII League (Champion)</h4>   <p>The trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1630617' first='Brayden' last='Burries'], [player_tooltip player_id='1502796' first='Darnez' last='Slater'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1630629' first='Isaac' last='Williamson'] have proven to be explosive on the offensive end while also possessing the ability to lock opponents down defensively. The Mustangs enter the postseason on a 9-game winning streak which includes two wins over fellow Open Division opponents in St. Pius at the State Preview Classic and Corona Centennial in the Big VIII tournament championship game. For Roosevelt to win its pool and advance to the championship game, point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630660' first='Myles' last='Walker'] must be healthy and [player_tooltip player_id='1502830' first='Tochi' last='Anigbogu'] must be an effective rim protector. </p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 3 Mater Dei | 26-2 | Trinity League (Champion)</h4>   <p>The third-seeded Monarchs took a big hit with the news that starting forward [player_tooltip player_id='1956471' first='Brannon' last='Martinsen'] will miss the postseason with an injury but Mater Dei still has plenty of fire power to make things interesting in its pool. Either 6-foot-9 junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1630644' first='Blake' last='Davidson'] or sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1956507' first='Luke' last='Barnett'] will step into the starting lineup looking to fill the 17.3 point void left behind by Martinsen and the Monarch's already thin bench will become thinner. Mater Dei can go six deep with those six being very talented, smart and disciplined, but, foul trouble could derail the Monarchs in a crucial moment.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 4 St. John Bosco | 23-5 | Trinity League (2nd Place)</h4>   <p>The Braves bring one of the more talented rosters into the Open Division field with four future Division 1 players in the starting lineup. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2131779' first='Brandon' last='McCoy'], Jr. is one of the most gifted offensive talents and athletes in the state, junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630620' first='Elzie' last='Harrington'] is a high IQ playmaker at 6-feet-5 and 6-foot-3 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1502781' first='Jack' last='Turner'] has the ability to fill up the scoring column from three-point range. The fourt, [player_tooltip player_id='1630622' first='Kade' last='Bonam'], might be the most important piece to the Bosco puzzle. The 6-foot-6 forward has missed the last few weeks due to injury and his offensive versatility and physical inside presence are imperative to the Braves' success.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 5 Sierra Canyon | 24-2 | Mission League (3rd Place)</h4>   <p>The Trailblazers were victim to the upset of the high school season thus far as they fell to Crespi in overtime of the Mission League tournament semifinals. It will be interesting to see how Sierra Canyon bounces back in a road game at St. John Bosco in its Open Division opener but the Trailblazers definitely have the talent and size to shake things up. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1502811' first='Justin' last='Pippen'] is one of the most improved players on the west coast and is seeing high major recruitment while [player_tooltip player_id='1630626' first='Bryce' last='Cofield'] and Cal State Northridge-commit [player_tooltip player_id='1502776' first='Noah' last='Williams'] are rangy defenders and finishers in transition. The health and effectiveness of [player_tooltip player_id='1502767' first='Isaiah' last='Elohim'] is always the x-factor for Sierra Canyon and he has looked good in his last couple of outings.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 6 St. Pius X-St. Matthias | 22-5 | Del Rey League (Champion)</h4>   <p>Pius is making its first appearance in the Open Division and the makeup of this team gives it a chance to make some noise. The things that win in the postseason are defense and rebounding and both of those attributes run through the Warriors' roster. University of San Francisco-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1502771' first='Tyrone' last='Riley'] is one of the better two-way wings in the state, junior center [player_tooltip player_id='1630631' first='Douglas' last='Langford'] is one of the best rebounders in the state and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1502820' first='David' last='Mack'] can really pressure ball handlers and create turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id='1630641' first='Tariq' last='Bridges']' three-point shooting ability will be a key factor in how competitive this group will be.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">No. 7 JSerra | 24-4 | Trinity League (3rd Place)</h4>   <p>The Lions are looking to bury the infamous "shoe game" by winning the eventual rubber match against Mater Dei and proving to the naysayers that they did belong in the Open Division. The dynamic senior duo [player_tooltip player_id='1502809' first='Aidan' last='Fowler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1502779' first='Sebastian' last='Rancik'] (Colorado-signee) has the one-two punch ability to keep JSerra in any game as they've shown multiple times this season but the role guys must play big in big moments. Look for [player_tooltip player_id='2102471' first='Korin' last='Hull'], [player_tooltip player_id='1817910' first='Diego' last='Martinez'], GC Eboigbodin and [player_tooltip player_id='1689254' first='Drew' last='Bowman'] to make plays and shots when needed.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Corona Centennial | 20-10 | Big VIII League (2nd place)</h4>   <p>Some might be surprised seeing the three-time defending Southern Section Open Division champions sitting in the eight-seed but the road hasn't been as smooth for the Huskies this season. Still, even with some bumps throughout their tough schedule, Centennial has good of a duo as anyone in this field with Arizona-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1502766' first='Carter' last='Bryant'] and UCLA-bound wing [player_tooltip player_id='1502773' first='Eric' last='Freeny']. Bryant and Freeny have both shown the ability to take over a game and put the team on their back but they are going to need help with three straight road games on the horizon. The other players who see big minutes are all talented, but very young and inexperienced in playoff basketball. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1956524' first='Isaiah' last='Rogers'], CJ Richardson, Tariq Iscandari, [player_tooltip player_id='1956523' first='Justice' last='Griffith'] and Markee White will have to grow up quickly.</p>

The CIF Southern Section playoffs begin Wednesday for many high school basketball programs across the Southland. In this preview we take a closer look at the teams and players in the cream of the crop Open Division grouping, which features eight of the best teams in the Southern Section.