First Look: CIF Girls BB By Divisions

Jazmine Johnson of Lynwood battles a double-team from the defense of Mountain View St. Francis in last year’s CIF Division II state final. Lynwood won 39-26. Photo: Willie Eashman.

No. 1 teams to start are Mater Dei, Carondelet, Bishop O’Dowd, St. Mary’s of Berkeley and Brookside Christian. The most confusion for top teams probably will be in San Diego due to the pre-determined lineup of its first open division. Go inside for top 10 rankings in all five CIF divisions.

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As explained earlier in the first state rankings for divisions on the boys side, the addition of an open division in the CIF Southern Section playoffs could certainly create a scenario in which the four CIFSS Open Division semifinalists will simply meet again two weeks later in the CIF Southern California regional open division semifinals.

On the girls side, however, it seems even more likely just due to the likelihood that Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and Windward will comprise at least three of those four teams.

As the new open divisions unfold in both the Southern Section and in San Diego, we’re going to keep our eyes focused on the state divisions because there is still a limit of just four teams that the CIF regional/state playoffs can bring up to the open division from any one section. This means that many of the top CIFSS open division teams (likely the teams that are not Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly or Windward) will probably be bouncing back to their divisions for the state.

In Northern California, meanwhile, the four-team limit will continue to primarily impact the CIF North Coast Section. That’s where defending CIF Open Division champ Bishop O’Dowd (D3), sharp-shooting Carondelet of Concord (D2), power-packed St. Mary’s of Berkeley (D4), unbeaten Miramonte of Orinda (D3) and defending D4 NorCal champ Salesian of Richmond (D4) all reside. Last year, Salesian was the fifth team in that group and did not get brought up to the open division. The Pride could be in that situation once again.

Note on CIF San Diego Section Teams: Since the open division in that section has been pre-determined, a team from that section that does not get into the open division for the state would then revert back into its section division (which for San Diego teams is not completely clear what division that would be). For schools below 1,250 enrollment, we are ranking them in Division IV for the state. For schools below 500, we are ranking them in Division V for the state. In the current sectionwide rankings, Bishop’s of La Jolla is No. 1 and barring injury is favored to win the first Open Division section title. The Knights would then be eligible to be taken up to the state Open Division by virtue of being in the SoCal regional playoffs the last three seasons. If La Jolla Country Day were to lose in the open division of the section playoffs, however, our interpretation as of now would be that the Torreys would bounce back down to D5 (due to enrollment) for the state playoffs. Theoretically, they too could be taken up to the open division but there should be more than four teams ahead of them in the overall rankings.

Another note on enrollment: While the CIF has limits for Division IV and Division V, a team’s section playoff division placement above Division IV or Division V takes precedence. This again is mainly for San Diego teams with low enrollments like Santa Fe Christian, which is D2 for the section. It’s the D2 for the section and not the enrollment number that is viewed as more important. If a school with an enrollment above 1,250 were to win a section title, however, that team’s higher enrollment would kick that team up one division for the CIF state playoffs. We didn’t find any teams that fit that profile for this first run-through.

Here are the first Cal-Hi Sports divisional state rankings (listed after games of Saturday, Jan. 11; not including any results from this week):

DIVISION I
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 13-1*
2. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 11-1*
3. St. Mary’s (Stockton) 9-3*
4. Etiwanda 9-4*
5. Clovis West (Fresno) 13-2*
6. Camarillo 14-3
7. Great Oak (Temecula) 12-1
8. Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills) 13-4*
9. Lynwood 7-5*
10. Santiago (Corona) 12-3*
11. Hanford 12-2*
12. Bonita (La Verne) 15-1
13. Troy (Fullerton) 9-5*
14. Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) 9-4
15. Napa 15-1
*Eligible for CIF Open Division based on meeting one of following criteria: Won section title last year, played in regional final last year or if team qualifies for regional playoffs will be in the regional playoffs for third time in four years. Teams also can ask to be in the open division and can be brought up if they are in the overall top 10 of the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings in early March or from last year’s final rankings.
Note: Lynwood won the CIF Division II state title last year and was moved up to Division IAA in the CIF Southern Section. Alemany also was moved up in the CIF Southern Section after winning the CIF Division III state crown.
Bubble Teams: Berkeley 8-4, Huntington Beach 14-2, Mark Keppel (Alhambra) 15-1, McClatchy (Sacramento) 13-1, Millikan (Long Beach) 10-3, Monte Vista (Danville) 13-0, Narbonne (Harbor City) 13-5, Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 13-3, Santa Rosa 12-1, Torrey Pines (San Diego) 9-4, Wilcox (Santa Clara) 11-1.

Sydney Raggio is one of the top players at St. Ignatius of San Francisco. Photo: Harold Abend.

DIVISION II
1. Carondelet (Concord) 10-2*
2. Chaminade (West Hills) 14-3*
3. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 12-1*
4. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 8-5*
5. Sacramento 7-6
6. McNair (Stockton) 13-1
7. West (Torrance) 18-2
8. Garces (Bakersfield) 16-3
9. Cajon (San Bernardino) 16-1
10. Brea Olinda (Brea) 11-5*
*Eligible for CIF Open Division based on meeting one of following criteria: Won section title last year, played in regional final last year or if team qualifies for regional playoffs will be in the regional playoffs for third time in four years. Teams also can ask to be in the open division and can be brought up if they are in the overall top 10 of the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings in early March or from last year’s final rankings.
Note: St. Ignatius is now being shown in D2 according the CIF Central Coast Section but both the Wildcats and Archbishop Mitty will no doubt be in the CCS Open Division. How’s this for a scenario? Mitty doesn’t get taken up to the NorCal Open Division in favor of Enterprise of Redding (D3 below) due to a head-to-head loss (which would then give Mitty a better chance of winning in D2 instead of playing in the open division).
Bubble Teams: Foothill (Tustin) 16-2, La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 11-3, Lynbrook (San Jose) 7-4, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 12-3, Patriot (Riverside) 13-3, Presentation (San Jose) 8-4, St. Francis (Mountain View) 8-5, Windsor 11-3.

DIVISION III
1. Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) 10-3*
2. Miramonte (Orinda) 13-0*
3. Enterprise (Redding) 14-1*
4. Vanden (Travis AFB) 11-3*
5. Santa Barbara 14-2
6. Sacred Heart Cathedral (S.F.) 7-5*
7. Diamond Ranch (Pomona) 11-4
8. Modesto Christian 8-7*
9. Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-2
10. La Canada 13-4
*Eligible for CIF Open Division based on meeting one of following criteria: Won section title last year, played in regional final last year or if team qualifies for regional playoffs will be in the regional playoffs for third time in four years. Teams also can ask to be in the open division and can be brought up if they are in the overall top 10 of the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings in early March or from last year’s final rankings.
Note: Yes, Miramonte will probably again have to battle Bishop O’Dowd in the NCS D3 playoffs, but this time O’Dowd isn’t one of the top five teams in the nation and the Matadors are a year older and stronger. Both teams also would again figure to be brought up to the NorCal Open Division. Would Enterprise then become a NorCal D3 favorite? Perhaps, but there also is a chance the Hornets get taken up to the Open Division as well. In retrospect, maybe Enterprise might want to re-think the idea of beating Archbishop Mitty.
Bubble Teams: Burroughs (Ridgecrest) 12-1, Inglewood 8-9, Lakeside (Lake Elsinore) 12-5, Red Bluff 11-4, Selma 13-3.

DIVISION IV
1. St. Mary’s (Berkeley) 10-2*
2. Windward (Los Angeles) 12-2*
3. Salesian (Richmond) 10-5*
4. Serra (Gardena) 11-2*
5. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 15-1*
6. Bishop’s (La Jolla) 16-1*
7. JSerra (San Juan Capistrano) 9-7*
8. Piedmont 9-3*
9. Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista) 9-5
10. Moreau Catholic (Hayward) 12-2
*Eligible for CIF Open Division based on meeting one of following criteria: Won section title last year, played in regional final last year or if team qualifies for regional playoffs will be in the regional playoffs for third time in four years. Teams also can ask to be in the open division and can be brought up if they are in the overall top 10 of the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings in early March or from last year’s final rankings.
Note: This division is as strong or stronger than D1. It’s even stronger with 2013 CIF D5 state champ Sierra Canyon being brought up within the Southern Section. Bishop’s might only be No. 6 in the division for now, but we can see that team easily being brought up to the open division if it were to win the first CIF San Diego Section Open Division title.
Bubble Teams: Bear River (Grass Valley) 13-2, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 12-7, Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 6-3, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 15-3, Scotts Valley 11-3.

DIVISION V
1. Brookside Christian (Stockton) 16-4*
2. La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) 8-7*
3. Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 12-1*
4. Valley Christian (Dublin) 11-2
5. Santa Clara (Oxnard) 12-1
6. Capital Christian (Sacramento) 12-3
7. Eastside College Prep (E. Palo Alto) 8-6*
8. Horizon Academy (San Diego) 7-7*
9. View Park (Los Angeles) 15-5*
10. Saddleback Valley Chr. (SJ Capistrano) 14-1
*Eligible for CIF Open Division based on meeting one of following criteria: Won section title last year, played in regional final last year or if team qualifies for regional playoffs will be in the regional playoffs for third time in four years. Teams also can ask to be in the open division and can be brought up if they are in the overall top 10 of the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings in early March or from last year’s final rankings.
Note: If you recall, Brookside Christian was the 2012 CIF state champ in this division and last year was brought up to play O’Dowd (unfairly in our opinion) in the first-round of the NorCal Open Division. The Knights don’t have scoring whiz Tiara Tucker anymore, but they did get a recent win over St. Ignatius and it doesn’t look like they will get bumped up this time.
Bubble Teams: Branson (Ross) 8-4, Fairmont Prep (Anaheim) 11-2, Kern Valley (Lake Isabella) 10-5, Poly (Pasadena) 10-6, San Domenico (San Rafael) 11-2.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark, Ronnie Flores and Harold Abend on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports