CIF-SS Division 3AA Semifinals 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 3AA between Rancho Cucamonga and Oak Hills and Rancho Verde and Viewpoint.</p> <h6>Rancho Cucamonga at Oak Hills<br /> <br /> </h6> <p><strong>Key Storyline:</strong> Oak Hills has won 16 of its last 18 games with one loss coming at the hands of (you guessed it) Rancho Cucamonga and the other to a team we will talk about below in Rancho Verde. The Bulldogs ran through its league unscathed, while the Cougars battled a tough Baseline League schedule to a 6-4 record. Will history repeat itself or has enough changed over the last two months to where Oak Hills can make amends for the early season loss?</p> <p><strong>Key Matchup:</strong> This will be a battle of the guards. Oak Hills brings talented scorer Michael Miller into the game while Rancho Cucamonga has a one-two punch of <strong>Shadale Knight</strong> and freshman <strong>Aaron Glass</strong> to rely on for scoring and initiating offense. So who will be the second Oak Hills guard to step up in this game, especially on the defensive end? <strong>Semaj Blocker</strong> has been good for the Bulldogs late in the season and could provide a boost of scoring and defense needed to advance to the championship game.</p> <p>X-Factors: For Rancho Cucamonga it’s <strong>Caleb Tuthill</strong>. The junior wing has as pure of a shooting form as you’ll find in SoCal and if he can knock down a few shots early, it will make the offensive side of the floor much easier for Glass and Knight. Oak Hills has ridden the<strong> Michael Miller</strong> train all season long and that likely doesn’t stop in the semifinals. Miller has to be good for the Bulldogs to make the title game, which is why he is always their x-factor.</p> <h6>Viewpoint at Rancho Verde<br /> <br /> </h6> <p><strong>Key Storyline:</strong> First-year head coach Johnny Dukes has done a tremendous job in leading the Mustangs to a semifinal appearance, but can the upstart Mustangs continue their stellar playoff performance? Perhaps the most impressive part of Viewpoint’s playoff run has been the amount of road miles they have put in. The Calabasas-based school drove 70 miles to beat Tustin in the quarterfinals and will make a 100-mile trip to Moreno Valley in hopes of advancing to a championship game. </p> <p><strong>Key Matchup:</strong> Each team features really good guards and, from what we know, the best of those for each side are <strong>Khemmani Davis</strong> of Rancho Verde and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="994956" first="Osiris" last="Nalls"]</strong> of Viewpoint. With the size and styles of play and position comparisons, it’s likely that Davis and Nalls will guard each other if both squads are in a man defense. The winner of that matchup could determine the winner of the game.</p> <p><strong>X-Factors:</strong> The x-factor for Rancho Verde is the big man inside. Six-foot-10 center <strong>Jacob McFarland</strong> is a matchup nightmare for Viewpoint because of his size, rim protecting and ability to get out and run in transition. the x-factor for Viewpoint is the guy who will defend McFarland. Six-foot-8 forward/center <strong>Andrew Klaey</strong> will likely draw that assignment and will be looking for plenty of help from teammates.</p>