Four Orange County boys basketball teams are in the CIF-Southern Section’s elite Open Division playoff division.
Friday’s announcement of the 16 teams selected to the Open Division included O.C. teams Esperanza, JSerra, Mater Dei and Santa Margarita. The bracket will be released Saturday.
This will be the first Open Division playoffs for Esperanza and JSerra.
Mater Dei has been an Open Division playoff team since the division was created for the 2013-14 season. Santa Margarita is in the Open Division for the second year in a row.
The CIF-SS Open Division is like a regular-season tournament in that it has a championship half and a consolation half of the bracket. The other 11 divisions are single elimination.
Being selected to the CIF-SS Open Division includes a guaranteed berth in the CIF Southern California Regionals, the qualifying tournament for the CIF State championships.
The Open Division playoffs begin Feb. 17. The finals are at Honda Center on March 4.
Also Friday, the CIF-SS announced that that boys basketball semifinals will be played as a doubleheader Feb. 24 at USC’s Galen Center. Courtside and general admission tickets go on sale at galentix.com on Thursday at 10 a.m. Student and child tickets can be purchased only at Galen Center on game day.
Mater Dei lost to Chino Hills in the Open Division semifinals last season. Santa Margarita lost to Chino Hills in the first round and went into the consolation round where the Eagles lost to Alemany to go 0-2 in the Open Division.
The Open Division became part of the CIF-SS basketball playoffs in the 2013-14 season. Open Division teams are selected by a committee comprised of current and former representatives of the CIF-SS Executive Committee, the CIF-SS basketball coaches advisory committee, the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association executive board, the CIF State basketball coaches advisory committee and media members.
Boys basketball Open Division championship were Chino Hills last season, Bishop Montgomery of Torrance in the 2014-15 season, and Mater Dei in 2013-14.
The 16 Open Division boys basketball teams: Alemany of Mission Hills; Bishop Montgomery of Torrance; Centennial of Corona; Chino Hills; Crossroads of Santa Monica; Damien of La Verne; Esperanza; Heritage Christian of Northridge; JSerra; Mater Dei; Oak Park; Long Beach Poly; Redondo Union; Roosevelt of Eastvale; Santa Margarita; Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth.
