LOS ALAMITOS – Somebody has to play Chino Hills in the first round.
That somebody is JSerra.
JSerra will play at high-flying Chino Hills in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section boys basketball Open Division playoffs. The playoff brackets were released Sunday.
It is JSerra’s first appearance in the Open Division that became part of CIF-SS basketball four years ago. A panel selects the 16 teams that play in the Open Division.
JSerra was in Division 4AA last season. Going from 4AA to the Open Division in one year is quite a leap. To make that leap with the No. 2-ranked team in California as the first opponent is quite a challenge.
Chino Hills is 27-1 and is seeded No. 2 in the Open Division. The Huskies have scored 100 or more points in 15 games. They had a 60-game win streak snapped on Feb. 4 when they lost to nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy of Virginia in the Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei.
JSerra is 17-9. The Lions finished third in the six-team Trinity League with a 5-5 league record.
What’s the game plan, JSerra first-year coach Zach Brogdon?
“The first thing you have to do is believe you can win,” Brogdon said.
The second thing might be playing mistake-free against the Huskies.
“They live and breathe on turnovers,” Brogdon said. “We have to take care of the basketball and let them shoot those 30-foot 3-pointers.”
The Chino Hills players, especially 6-foot-2 sophomore LaMelo Ball, have the green light to shoot from wherever they want and as often as they want.
Two Orange County teams will play each other in the Open Division’s first round Friday: Esperanza at Santa Margarita. In last week’s Orange County top 10, Santa Margarita was No. 2 and Esperanza was No. 3.
Mater Dei, seeded third, will play host to Crossroads of Santa Monica in the first round.
The playoffs begin Wednesday with first-round games in all divisions except for the Open Division and Division 5AA. Division 5AA has wild-card games Wednesday and first-round games Friday.
There are a few first-round games matching two O.C. teams on Wednesday’s schedule: El Toro at Corona del Mar, Division 1A; Woodbridge at Cypress, Newport Harbor at Northwood, and Yorba Linda at Buena Park, 2AA; Valencia at Trabuco Hills, 2A; Garden Grove at Katella and Costa Mesa at Santiago, 4AA.
Saddleback Valley Christian and Crean Lutheran are seeded 1-2 in Division 3AA.
Many divisions have first-round byes this season. In past years, teams that did not finish high enough in their leagues’ final standings to receive guaranteed playoff berths could qualify as at-large teams no matter their final win-loss record. This season, teams had to be at or above .500 to be eligible for at-large berths.
Last season, Division 1AA had six at-large teams with below-.500 records. With no such teams available to fill the bracket’s 32 berths, seven 1AA teams first-round byes, including fourth-seeded Sonora and Los Alamitos.
The Open Division semifinals will be played as a doubleheader at USC’s Galen Center on Feb. 24.
Championships are March 3 and 4 at Azusa Pacific University, Godinez High and Honda Center. Honda Center games are only on March 4. Which divisions play at which venues and at which times will be announced later.
Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com
