If Esperanza defeats Santa Margarita tonight in their Open Division boys basketball playoff game, Esperanza would be the home team in the second round if Esperanza’s second-round opponent is Bishop Montgomery of Torrance.
Esperanza would not play against Bishop Montgomery at Esperanza. The CIF-Southern Section mandated that Open Division second-round games must be played in venues with a minimum capacity for 2,000 spectators.
Esperanza’s on-campus gym capacity is about half that.
Santiago Canyon College in Orange could be the site for a Bishop Montgomery-Esperanza game. Todd Dixon, who will be the men’s basketball coach at Santiago Canyon when the community college plays its inaugural season of basketball this coming fall, is trying to arrange for Bishop Montgomery-Esperanza to be played at Santiago Canyon should the game occur.
That game would help Dixon, whose 21st season as El Toro’s coach ended Wednesday with El Toro’s loss to Corona del Mar in a Division 1A first-round game, show off the new basketball facilities at Santiago Canyon as he tries to attract players and build a strong foundation for the program.
If Esperanza beats Santa Margarita and Oak Park defeats Bishop Montgomery, then Oak Park is the home team for the Esperanza-Oak Park second-round game. A coin flip earlier this week determined the home team for that matchup.
Bishop Montgomery is seeded fourth in the Open Division.
When two teams meet after the first round of the playoffs, the team with the fewest number of home playoff games at that point of the playoffs is the home team. If the two teams have played the same number of home playoff games a coin flip decides the home team.
Results of coin flips completed in advance of potential second-round matchups for the 12 CIF-SS boys basketball playoff divisions are here.
All CIF-SS boys basketball playoff games are 7 p.m. games.
OPEN DIVISION SEMIFINALS
They will be played as a doubleheader at Galen Center, at USC, on Feb. 24. The first game starts at 7 p.m.
Courtside seats are sold. They went for $40 each.
As of Thursday evening, 1,049 general admission seats, at $15 each, had been sold. General admission tickets are available at this link.
Galen Center capacity is 10,258. Twelve suites were available at $700 to $1,200 (pricing varies by amenities).
Student and child general admission tickets at $10 each will not be sold until game day at the arena. There will be a pre-sale of student tickets at the participating schools.
Parking at Galen Center is $12.
