Torrey Pines players get a trophy at the Under Armour Holiday Classic last December while Sabrina Ionescu of Orinda Miramonte gets up shot during CIF North Coast Section Division III championship. Photos: Anna Scipione & Phillip Walton/SportStars.
As the regional playoffs head to the semifinals, there is hardly any change for the first 10 teams in the State Top 20s, but after that there are plenty. Boys newcomers are Torrey Pines, San Mateo Serra and Sacramento while for the girls it’s Clovis West, Ventura and Dublin.
Check below for this week’s new list of the State Top 20 boys and girls basketball rankings released on Monday morning before Tuesday’s regional semifinals.
To read our breakdowns on each Top 20 team, why some of these rankings moves were made, which teams are on the bubble and for the usual CIF divisional state rankings for both boys and girls basketball, you need to be a member of our Gold Club. Join our team today by CLICKING HERE.
After the San Diego Section had a terrible week of off-the court-press for the handling of its section playoffs, the state’s most southern CIF section saw its teams atone for some of the madness by winning some key games on the court.
Torrey Pines of San Diego made the biggest statement, downing perennial state power Long Beach Poly, 54-49, in its home gym in the second round of the CIF SoCal D1 regional playoffs. The Jackrabbits had serious aspirations of winning their first CIF state title since 1984, but the Falcons had other ideas and are the state’s highest ranked newcomer this week at No. 17.
Another big win for San Diego County, although it doesn’t involve State Top 20 teams, saw Army-Navy Academy knocking off Windward of Los Angeles in the SoCal D5 regional bracket.
Even Foothills Christian of El Cajon, which lost a squeaker to state No. 3 Etiwanda in a SoCal Open Division first round game, and section open champ St. Augustine of San Diego, which played state No. 2 Bishop Montgomery of Torrance tough in another open regional game, did the beleaguered section proud on the hardwood.
This is the point of the season where we reward teams still playing, but teams such as Foothills Christian and El Cerrito, which dropped out of the Top 20, can move back in when all the results for the season are in and broken down.
NEW BOYS BASKETBALL
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
Corona Centennial senior guard Sedrick Barefield is looking to play in the D1 state final for a second straight year. Photo: Ronnie Flores.
(Compiled by Ronnie Flores; updated through games played Saturday, March 14; previous rating in parentheses)
1. (1) BISHOP O’DOWD (OAKLAND) 25-4
2. (2) BISHOP MONTGOMERY (TORRANCE) 31-1
3. (3) ETIWANDA 24-8
4. (4) MATER DEI (SANTA ANA) 27-4
5. (5) FAIRFAX (LOS ANGELES) 31-2
6. (6) SIERRA CANYON (CHATSWORTH) 23-4
7. (7) CATHEDRAL (LOS ANGELES) 21-7
8. (9) CENTENNIAL (CORONA) 23-5
9. (11) CHINO HILLS 21-7*
10. (15) MODESTO CHRISTIAN 29-3
11. (10) MONTE VISTA (DANVILLE) 25-3
12. (16) REDONDO UNION (REDONDO BEACH) 25-7
13. (17) DAMIEN (LA VERNE) 26-5
14. (20) FOLSOM 28-4
15. (8) LUTHERAN (ORANGE) 24-6
16. (18) DE LA SALLE (CONCORD) 27-4
17. (NR) TORREY PINES (SAN DIEGO) 31-3
18. (NR) SERRA (SAN MATEO) 23-5
19. (14) LONG BEACH POLY (LONG BEACH) 26-5
20. (NR) SACRAMENTO 27-5
*Forfeit losses not included.
Dropped Out:
Previous No. 12 Moreau Catholic (Hayward); No. 13 El Cerrito); No. 19 Foothills Christian (El Cajon).
*Forfeit losses not included.
NEW GIRLS BASKETBALL
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
The toughest task for this week’s overall State Top 20 for California girls hoops was what to do with Clovis West?
The Fresno school obviously had to be jumped up into this week’s rankings after knocking off previous No. 6 Alemany of Mission Hills 53-50 in the CIF Southern California Open Division quarterfinals.
But should the Golden Eagles go all the way up into the top 10 and do they have to be in front of Alemany? We ended up not doing either, instead placing the team at No. 15 and dropping the Warriors down to No. 9.
Clovis West, which is playing state No. 2 and top-seed Chaminade in Tuesday’s semifinals, does have four losses and one of those was to Alemany. The losing Warriors also have several notable wins that help them overcome the road playoff loss (at least in the ranking), including one against Chaminade and another against No. 6 Sierra Canyon. It’s a tough call either way, but not meant to diminish the accomplishment of Clovis West’s girls on a huge triumph.
In the other SoCal Open Division semifinals, heavyweights Mater Dei of Santa Ana (No. 3 overall in the state) and Long Beach Poly (No. 4) will match wits.
In the NorCal side of the Open Division bracket on Tuesday, state No. 1 St. Mary’s of Stockton will host No. 7 Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco while No. 5 Miramonte plays No. No. 10 St. Ignatius of San Francisco.
(Compiled by Harold Abend; updated through games played Saturday, March 14; previous rating in parentheses)
1. (1) ST. MARY’S (STOCKTON) 30-1
2. (2) CHAMINADE (WEST HILLS) 26-3
3. (3) MATER DEI (SANTA ANA) 29-2
4. (4) LONG BEACH POLY (LONG BEACH) 26-3
5. (5) MIRAMONTE (ORINDA) 29-2
6. (7) SIERRA CANYON (CHATSWORTH) 22-5
7. (8) SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (SAN FRANCISCO) 18-10
8. (9) VANDEN (FAIRFIELD) 29-3
9. (6) ALEMANY (MISSION HILLS) 24-7
10. (14) ST. IGNATIUS (SAN FRANCISCO) 22-6
11. (10) PINEWOOD (LOS ALTOS HILLS) 24-4
12. (11) BISHOP O’DOWD (OAKLAND) 22-9
13. (12) VISTA MURRIETA (MURRIETA) 23-7
14. (13) BREA OLINDA (BREA) 23-4
15. (NR) CLOVIS WEST (FRESNO) 24-4
16. (15) EASTSIDE PREP (EAST PALO ALTO) 23-5
17. (16) OAKS CHRISTIAN (WESTLAKE VILLAGE) 25-6
18. (NR) VENTURA 24-6
19. (17) MODESTO CHRISTIAN 27-5
20. (NR) ARCHBISHOP MITTY (SAN JOSE) 22-6
*Forfeit wins or losses not included.
Dropped Out:
Previous No. 18 Salesian (Richmond); No. 19 Carondelet (Concord); No. 20 Mission Hills (San Marcos).
Ronnie Flores is the managing editor of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at ronlocc1977@yahoo.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
2 Comments
How did MC get bump up and put in open. Loose to #1 team by 25. Now we’re 19th and Vanden sets at #9. They had Vanden 15 places ahead of us after we beet them going into the last rankings before sections. Why was Vanden not in open? If it’s because we beat them a few weeks ago then it should reflect that in the rankings. They were placed above MC all along.This system has me shanking my head. Looking for a reasonable explanation.
clovis west girls are good, but should not be in open division. great win last week vs. bishop alemany, to avenge December loss, but like last year, it’s a set up to get destroyed by chaminade. please put eagle girls in division one next year, so we can have a better shot to make socal state final.