OCVarsity has the pairings and analysis for all of the CIF-SS boys basketball divisions.
OPEN DIVISION
Top four seeds: 1. Sierra Canyon; 2. Chino Hills; 3. Mater Dei; 4. Bishop Montgomery
O.C. teams in this division: JSerra (17-9); Mater Dei (28-1); Santa Margarita (20-6); Esperanza (25-1).
Playoff dates: First round (Feb. 17), Quarterfinals (Feb. 21), Semifinals (Feb. 24), Championship game (March 3 or 4). Consolation bracket: Second round (Feb. 21), Semifinals (Feb. 24), final (March 3 or 4).
FRYER’S OUTLOOK: This division is as elite as can be. The top four seeds are the top four teams in CalHiSports.com’s California top 20: Sierra Canyon, Chino Hills, Mater Dei and Bishop Montgomery. … Mater Dei is the best Orange County team in the division. Are the Monarchs as good as the other top three seeds? The addition of 7-foot- junior transfer Bol Bol certainly improves their chances. But Mater Dei is missing the go-to shooter who can consistently hit the 15-20 foot jumper. … JSerra’s first foray into the Open Division gives the Lions a tough-first-round assignment Friday: at high-scoring, Ball Brothers-led Chino Hills. … This is an outstanding first-round game: Esperanza at Santa Margarita. Esperanza has perhaps Orange County’s best player, Stanford bound 6-foot-7 senior guard Kezie Okpala. Santa Margarita has its best team in years and has more scoring options than Esperanza, including Kaden Rasheed outside and Adrease Jackson inside. … The CIF-SS has secured USC’s Galen Center for an Open Division semifinals doubleheader on Feb. 24. If the top four seeds get there, it would be Sierra Canyon vs. Bishop Montgomery and Mater Dei vs. Chino Hills. That was last season’s Open Division semifinals. Chino Hills stomped Mater Dei, 102-54, in their semi. Mater Dei is better this year, but might not be able to score at Chino Hills’ pace.
All games 7 p.m. unless noted.
FIRST ROUND
Feb. 17
Heritage Christian at Sierra Canyon
Centennial/Corona at Damien
Esperanza at Santa Margarita
Oak Park at Bishop Montgomery
Crossroads at Mater Dei
Redondo at Roosevelt/Eastvale
Long Beach Poly at Alemany
JSerra at Chino Hills
