Harvard-Westlake pins 11-point defeat on one-loss Etiwanda in earning trip to CIF Southern Section Open Division finals opposite state No. 3 Long Beach Poly. The Wolverines also move up to No. 8 in this week’s rankings. No. 1 Archbishop Mitty and No. 2 Clovis West, meanwhile, continue to roll in section playoffs.
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(After games of Saturday, Feb. 25)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
1. (1) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 23-2
The Monarchs continue to be No. 1 in these rankings as well as the MaxPreps computer national rankings and other rankings as well. Last week they looked a lot different against WCAL rival St. Francis with a 55-point victory in the first round of the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs than in the last league meeting three weeks ago in a six-point win.
Harvard-Westlake head coach Melissa Hearlihy holds championship banner from tournament in Washington, D.C. that her team won in December. Photo: @HWgirlshoops (Twitter.com).
2. (2) Clovis West (Fresno) 28-2
Like most of the teams in the top spots, the Golden Eagles only played one game last week and had no problems in a CIF Central Section Division I 87-29 win over Bakersfield Stockdale.
3. (3) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 24-3
Wins over Ventura and Troy of Fullerton advanced head coach Carl Buggs’ girls into this week’s CIF Southern Section Open Division championship opposite Harvard-Westlake. If most seeds hold in this week’s section playoffs, look for Poly to be the No. 2 seed behind Clovis West in the CIF SoCal Open Division playoffs that start next week.
4. (4) Mission Hills (San Marcos) 27-2
It was a one-game week for the Grizzlies as the top seed in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division and they easily rolled down the road in a 79-47 victory over San Diego Serra.
5. (5) Carondelet (Concord) 26-4
There were a couple of minor upsets at the mid level of the seedings of the CIF North Coast Section Division I playoffs but up in the catbird seat the Cougars blew past Santa Rosa and Fremont American, 88-39 and 83-38, respectively.
6. (6) Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) 25-3
Much like Carondelet it was easy pickings for the Dragons in the first round of the NCS Division III playoffs as the girls from the hills of Oakland posted 83-29 and 75-23 victories over Richmond Kennedy and Sonoma Valley, respectively.
7. (7) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 26-3
The top two seeds in the NCS Division IV playoffs had byes so the Cardinals only had one game and like the NCS teams above them it was little more than a scrimmage after a 68-29 victory over Del Norte of Crescent City.
8. (12) Harvard –Westlake (North Hollywood) 25-3
Last week we talked about survival in the CIFSS Open Division and with a loss to Chaminade as the only real blemish on their record, the Wolverines get a bump this week for making it into the title game of that division. They pinned a 60-49 loss on No. 2 seed Etiwanda.
