CIF-SS Playoffs: Division 1 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <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 a loaded Division 1 field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Favorite(s)</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Sherman Oaks Notre Dame | 24-3 | Mission League (4th)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The talk of the last few days - other than the immense amount of rain that's fallen from the sky - is that Notre Dame was snubbed of an Open Division selection and we'll see if those claims are true. The Knights received the No. 1 overall seed in Division 1 and, with players the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1502768' first='Mercy' last='Miller'], [player_tooltip player_id='1630643' first='Angelino' last='Mark'] and Zach White leading the way, Notre Dame is among the favorites to win a Southern Section Division 1 title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Windward | 25-3 | Gold Coast League (Champion)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats were likely a bubble team when the list of 12 Open Division possibilities was cut to eight prior to Sunday's release of the postseason brackets. [player_tooltip player_id='1630623' first='Gavin' last='Hightower'], [player_tooltip player_id='2323686' first='JJ' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='1630647' first='Jeremiah' last='Hampton'] and Louis Bond are four very talented juniors who have sparked a 15-game winning streak heading into the playoffs. Can Windward sustain that momentum throughout a strong Division 1 field?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Damien | 24-4 | Baseline League (Champions)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans were another late cut from the Open Division field which gave them a top three seed in the Division 1 bracket. Damien has the pieces to make a deep run and one big piece that gives them an advantage over most other teams in the field: 7-footer [player_tooltip player_id='1630667' first='Nate' last='Garcia']. The junior center has been nothing short of dominant this season as a walking double-double and defensive anchor in the painted area. Perimeter shot-making will be the key for the Spartans as opponents will likely do everything possible to limit Garcia. Look for sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1956481' first='Eli' last='Garner'] and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1817896' first='Xavier' last='Clinton'] to be the guys who knock down open threes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Contenders</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Redondo Union | 22-4 | Bay League (Champions)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sea Hawks are back to playing uptempo basketball and it resulted in them running through the Bay League slate. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1502868' first='Devin' last='Ringer'] provides a steadying presence at the point while Chris Sanders, [player_tooltip player_id='1956526' first='SJ' last='Madison'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1630621' first='Hudson' last='Mayes'] are physical and athletic slashers whose length creates turnovers on the defensive end. Redondo has something that other teams in this division don't: the ability to come at you in waves. Coach Reggie Morris, Jr. isn't afraid to sub early and often and will go 5-6 deep off the bench.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">La Mirada | 21-7 | Gateway League (Champions)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Randy Oroñoz and his Matadores took on all challengers in their nonleague schedule and that should have them battle tested and prepared for the gauntlet that is Division 1. La Mirada has as good of a two-headed monster as any team in SoCal with freshman Gene Roebuck (24.1 points) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1630683' first='Julien' last='Gomez'] (18.5 points) combining to score 42.6 points per game this season. Three of the Matadores seven losses on the season came to Southern Section Open Division teams, another to a Northern California Open Division team, two to two Open Division teams in Arizona and the final loss to the top team in Idaho.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Los Alamitos | 23-5 | Surf League (Champions)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Griffins are a dangerous team because of their style of play. Their full-court pressure defense is a bit quirky and has proven to be difficult for opponents to figure out and their combination of positionless players on the offensive end makes them difficult to guard. [player_tooltip player_id='1630669' first='Trent' last='Minter'], a 6-foot-6 wing, leads the way for Los Alamitos with his ability to stretch the floor and the guard/wing combo of Liam Gray, Wesley Trevino and Samori Guyness is a trio that with complementing skill-sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Darkhorses</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Santa Margarita | 17-10 | Trinity League (4th)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles have the pieces to make some noise in the Division 1 field. The question is: can the pieces come together on the offensive end to provide enough firepower to pull off an upset or avoid an upset? The size and talent are there with [player_tooltip player_id='1502798' first='Cameron' last='McNamee'], [player_tooltip player_id='1956520' first='Brayden' last='Kyman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1630630' first='Dallas' last='Washington'], [player_tooltip player_id='2323685' first='DeMarco' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1502883' first='Jonathan' last='Moxie'] all being next-level type of players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">West Ranch | 14-13 | Foothill League (3rd)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats record and league finish might not point to a team that is primed for a deep run in a strong division but four of those 13 losses came by way of forfeit due to an ineligible player while a few more were without point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1502802' first='Darrell' last='Morris, Jr.'] who was injured. Now fully-healthy and the formerly ineligible player now eligible, look for West Ranch to be on of the tougher outs in Division 1. UNLV-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1502770' first='James' last='Evans'] along with Morris, Jr., [player_tooltip player_id='1502875' first='Bishop' last='Brooks'], 6-foot-10 [player_tooltip player_id='2102484' first='Tracy' last='Bryden'] and 6-foot-9 [player_tooltip player_id='1919183' first='Prince' last='Okonkwo'] give the Wildacts five formidable pieces both inside and out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Etiwanda | 23-5 | Baseline League (2nd)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles remained on the Open Division watchlist until the bitter end when it fell to Damien on the Thursday before the selection. As always, Etiwanda is one of the best defensive teams in the state but they have some offensive firepower on their side as well. Senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='1817907' first='Amare' last='Campbell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1817908' first='Carrington' last='Pierce'] are solid two-way guys while [player_tooltip player_id='2102469' first='Jaidon' last='Nassar'] and Stanley Thomas have the ability to impact the offensive end inside and out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->