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A look at Orange County boys basketball:

• El Toro is on the list of 22 candidates for the Open Division that will be part of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs for the first time. Like many other coaches of many other teams, El Toro coach Todd Dixon would be flattered if his team would be selected to the Open Division, but know the chances of winning a CIF-SS championship would be better staying in its assigned division.

• “The Open Division will be the best-of-the-best and it would be an honor to be there,” said Dixon of his Chargers who are ranked No. 2 in Division 1A. “But then what we’d have is this team of all-local residents of Lake Forest going against some of these other schools that have kids from all over.”

• Open Division teams will be selected Feb. 14 to what will be either a 12- or 16-team bracket. Pairings for all CIF-SS playoff divisions will be released Feb. 16.

• Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight has 983 career victories, more than any other coach in California boys basketball history. It can be expected that McKnight would get win No. 1,000 in early December.

• Mater Dei is 16-3 in Nike Extravaganza games.

• Top non-Friday games this week, the next-last week of the regular season: Pacific Coast League, Woodbridge (6-1 in league) at Corona del Mar (5-1), Tuesday; South Coast League, Mission Viejo (4-1) at El Toro (4-0), Wednesday; Orange League, Savanna (6-0) at Magnolia (4-2), Wednesday; and Trinity League, St. John Bosco (4-2) at JSerra (3-3).

• Friday’s schedule has these games: Century League, Brea Olinda (7-2) at Foothill (6-2); Empire League, Western (6-2) at Tustin (7-1); Sea View League, Dana Hills (6-0) at Trabuco Hills (4-1); and Trinity League, Santa Margarita (2-4) at Orange Lutheran (3-3).

• How this panelist voted in the Register’s media poll for the O.C. top 10 this week: 1. Mater Dei; 2. El Toro; 3. Mission Viejo; 4. Sonora; 5. Los Alamitos; 6. Canyon; 7. JSerra; 8. Santa Margarita; 9. Orange Lutheran; 10. Dana Hills.

• Looking at this week’s top 10 and from there constructing an 11-25 ranking: 11. Saddleback Valley Christian (19-5); 12. Foothill (17-5); 13. Edison (18-4); 14. Brea Olinda (18-7); 15. Tustin (17-5); 16. Western (17-5); 17. Villa Park (14-9); 18. Corona del Mar (16-5); 19. Woodbridge (17-7); 20. Westminster (15-8); 21. Sunny Hills (15-8); 22. Northwood (14-9); 23. Trabuco Hills (13-9); 24. Laguna Beach (17-5); 25. Servite (10-13).

• Villa Park senior guard Luke Selway likely won’t play this week because of a sprained ankle suffered in the Spartans’ loss last week to Foothill. He was All-County first team last season.

• Tesoro guard John Jenkins scored 31 points in a Titans win over San Clemente and 30 in a loss to Aliso Niguel. In the Aliso Niguel game Jenkins, a 6-foot-3 senior, scored 20 points in the third quarter of the Aliso Niguel game in which Aliso’s Christian Charles scored 27.

• Westminster junior guard Tyler Burch scored 58 points in the Lions’ wins against Orange and Segerstrom. Servite’s Trevor Treinen scored 20 in a Nike Extravaganza win over Ocean View. Laguna Beach’s Noah Blanton scored 23 in a win over Estancia and 25 in a win over Costa Mesa.

• Northwood’s Zach Pierce went for 39 points in a win over Beckman. Orangewood Academy’s Devante Cooper spread 52 points over wins against Avalon and Capistrano Valley Christian. Loara’s Isaiah Merrill scored 29 points in a win over Segerstrom, and 25 in a win over Ocean View.

• Corona del Mar’s Blake Flamson had a season-high 24 points in a win over Irvine. Sunny Hills’ Max Thurman scored 26 in a loss to Sonora.

• Thurman has a county-leading 112 3-point baskets. Anthony Ballestero of Canyon is second with 66 3-point goals. The county single-season record of 149 3-pointers was set by Marina’s Brendan Holmes in the 2007-08 season.

• Westminster High alum Mark Eaton, who went on to play at UCLA and in the NBA, will speak before the Santa Ana-Westminster game at Westminster on Wednesday.

• Saddleback Valley Christian (19-5 overall) has won nine in a row since a one-point loss to Los Alamitos in the North/South Challenge at El Toro on Jan. 4. The Warriors’ other four losses were to Mater Dei by 40 points, Troy by two, Mayfair of Lakewood by 14, and Dana Hills by four.