Aidan Mahaney grabs loose ball for Campolindo during CIF NorCal Open semifinal on Saturday. There wasn’t much that didn’t go right for Mahaney in team’s win vs Riordan of San Francisco. Photo: Willie Eashman.
It’s going to be a busy week so we’ll begin with new divisional rankings for boys hoops following Saturday night’s regional semifinals. Look for more details from the TOP 25 squads when our weekly feature for them drops on Monday. Entering Tuesday’s regional finals, No. 1 teams are Corona Centennial (Open), Damien (D1), Elk Grove (D2), Viewpoint (D3), Scripps Ranch (D4) & Priory (D5).
Note: We hope you enjoy this free post on CalHiSports.com. We decided to make this second look at the divisional rankings free as well, but the final rankings compiled after the state finals will be for Gold Club members only as well as our state stat star of the week honor rolls. To check out getting a Gold Club membership to see all of those rankings plus all of our updated state record lists, totally authentic historical features, recruiting player ratings and more, CLICK HERE.
Note: These rankings are based on the usual factors of schedule strength, head-to-head wins and results from the first round of the regional playoffs. We can’t obviously do division rankings until after the CIF announces regional brackets since no one knows which divisions to put any of the teams in. We also like to do these rankings since the upcoming divisional all-state teams will be based on these same divisions.
(After games of Saturday, March 5)
(Teams in the regional finals Tuesday are listed with asterisk)
(Teams with two asterisks indicate forfeits are part of their records)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
OPEN DIVISION
1. (1) Centennial (Corona) 31-1*
2. (3) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 26-4*
3. (2) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) 25-4
4. (4) Campolindo (Moraga) 28-1*
5. (5) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 20-4**
6. (8) Modesto Christian 28-5*
7. (6) Clovis West (Fresno) 31-2
8. (7) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 26-5
9. (9) St. Augustine (San Diego) 23-8
10. (10) St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 27-4
11. (12) Archbishop Riordan (SF) 21-9
12. (11) De La Salle (Concord) 22-6
13. (13) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 23-6
14. (14) Sheldon (Sacramento) 22-11
Notes: Look for details on Monday for these teams in our State Top 25 overall rankings. Centennial, Sierra Canyon, Campolindo & Modesto Christian won in regional semifinals on Saturday night. Sierra Canyon avenged an earlier loss to Harvard-Westlake. Modesto Christian went on the road and knocked off NorCal No. 2 seed Clovis West.
Parker Tuttle is an exceptional three-point shooter for Crean Lutheran. Photo: @CreanHoops / Twitter.com.
DIVISION I
1. (1) Damien (La Verne) 30-4*
2. (3) Crean Lutheran (Irvine) 24-6*
3. (2) St. Bernard (Playa del Rey) 23-7
4. (4) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 21-8
5. (12) St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 23-7*
6. (5) Village Christian (Sun Valley) 28-5
7. (13) Clovis North (Fresno) 21-11*
8. (9) St. Anthony (Long Beach) 18-9
9. (6) Inderkum (Sacramento) 28-3
10. (7) Lincoln (Stockton) 26-6
11. (8) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 25-5
12. (10) JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 21-11
13. (NR) Miramonte (Orinda) 24-6
14. (11) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 21-8
15. (14) Oakland Tech (Oakland) 22-5
Dropped Out: Previous No. 15 Folsom.
Bubble: Folsom 25-7, Granada (Livermore) 17-9, Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 22-7, San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno) 25-8, San Ysidro 23-10, St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 23-10.
Notes: The top five and perhaps top six teams will be in Monday’s State TOP 25 overall rankings. Damien won its game 70-65 vs St. Bernard while Crean topped Notre Dame by an almost identical 72-65. Clovis North already has won at Miramonte and at Sacred Heart Prep and will have to head to San Francisco on Tuesday to play at SI. Being in the north as a No. 13 seed, though, instead of the south and playing a likely even tougher first-round foe than Miramonte still was a better situation for the Broncos. They won on Saturday at SHP 64-58. Sophomore Connor Amundsen, the son of head coach Tony Amundsen, led the way with 29 points.
DIVISION II
1. (1) Elk Grove 26-6*
2. (2) Foothill (Tustin) 30-3*
3. (3) Branson (Ross) 28-5*
4. (4) Los Altos (Hacienda Heights) 26-6*
5. (5) Rancho Cucamonga 29-7
6. (6) St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 24-3
7. (9) Vanden (Fairfield) 22-13
8. (NR) San Juan Hills (SJ Capistrano) 27-5
9. (10) Mt. Whitney (Visalia) 30-3*
10. (NR) Edison (Huntington Beach) 28-6
Dropped Out: Previous No. 7 La Mirada; No. 8 Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland).
Bubble: Bakersfield Christian 22-10, Birmingham (Lake Balboa) 18-9, Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) 18-7, Carlsbad 22-12, Central (Fresno) 19-12, King/Drew (Los Angeles) 20-11*, La Mirada 19-15; San Ramon Valley (Danville) 18-10, St. Francis (Mountain View) 16-13.
Notes: It’s actually quite rare when the top two seeds in any of the regional brackets get to the regional finals, but we have that for D2 boys in both in the north and south. It’s also not always the case when we agree with the seedings with our rankings system, and that also is the case for this bunch. Elk Grove edged Vanden on Saturday night, 42-40, in a matchup of Sac-Joaquin Section schools. Foothill, coming off an incredible three-overtime game vs Carlsbad, advanced with a 69-64 victory vs Rancho Cucamonga. Branson won in its game 75-49 vs St. Patrick-St. Vincent and is looking to win its first state title since winning three in a row in D5 from 2006 to 2008. Los Altos cruised past Edison, 57-41.
Fresno Bullard’s Tim Amundsen is in the foreground shown coaching in a game with brother Tony coaching in the background. Photo: ClovisRoundup.com.
DIVISION III
1. (4) Viewpoint (Calabasas) 21-6*
2. (3) Pleasant Valley (Chico) 30-3*
3. (5) Venice 20-9*
4. (1) Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 22-8
5. (NR) Bullard (Fresno) 21-12*
6. (2) Oakland 27-4
7. (9) Lincoln (San Francisco) 22-4
8. (6) Whitney (Rocklin) 23-9
9. (7) Bishop Diego (Santa Barbara) 24-8
10. (8) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 23-10
Dropped Out: Previous No. 10 Mt. Carmel (San Diego).
Bubble: Lynbrook (San Jose) 21-8, Mt. Carmel (San Diego) 25-10, Narbonne (Harbor City) 17-11, Oak Hills (Hesperia) 23-8, Palisades (Pacific Palisades) 12-10.
Notes: It’s hard not to look at Viewpoint as now being the state favorite in this division. The Patriots, who are from the same league as Sierra Canyon, won their games last week 74-38 over Bishop Diego and 90-57 over Mt. Carmel. Pleasant Valley won in its game 63-51 over San Francisco Lincoln. The Vikings will host Bullard, which got past an Oakland High bunch that we thought should have been higher seeded (can’t get them all right), 60-59. It’s worth noting that Bullard head coach Tim Amundsen is the brother of Clovis North head coach Tony Amundsen and they both will be going for regional titles on Tuesday and both could be coaching in state finals. In the other SoCal semi, Venice knocked off previous No. 1 Rancho Verde, 54-49.
DIVISION IV
1. (1) Scripps Ranch (San Diego) 24-11*
2. (2) Liberty Ranch (Galt) 29-5*
3. (6) Justin-Siena (Napa) 21-11*
4. (7) Dos Pueblos (Goleta) 23-10
5. (8) Valley Torah (Valley Village) 30-3*
6. (10) Westchester (Los Angeles) 16-12
7. (3) Enterprise (Redding) 21-9
8. (4) Golden Valley (Bakersfield) 23-9
9. (5) Carlmont (Belmont) 17-9
10. (9) University Prep (Redding) 21-10
Dropped Out: None.
Bubble: Los Angeles CES (Los Angeles) 19-14, Lowell (San Francisco) 22-8, Millikan (Long Beach) 16-19**, Sunny Hills (Fullerton) 25-9, Urban (San Francisco) 19-12.
Notes: The possible battle of the Ranches for a CIF state title is still on as both Scripps Ranch & Liberty Ranch won on Saturday. Scripps, which has more than one player on the basketball team that played on the CIF D2-AA state title football team last fall, defeated Golden Valley, 70-57, while Liberty slid past Carlmont, 60-58. Valley Torah, the club that upset No. 1 SoCal seed Westchester in the first round, is now in the final after downing Millikan, 72-59. The CIF currently lists the D4 state final with a 12 noon start on Saturday, which would obviously have to be moved if Valley Torah beats Scripps Ranch due to the Jewish Sabbat. Justin-Siena, meanwhile, stamped its ticket opposite Liberty Ranch with a 66-57 mild upset of Enterprise.
DIVISION V
1. (4) Priory (Los Altos Hills) 19-11*
2. (5) Stuart Hall (San Francisco) 20-12*
3. (1) Cloverdale 26-3
4. (2) Head-Royce (Oakland) 22-6
5. (3) Denair 25-5**
6. (NR) Chaffey (Ontario) 23-12*
7. (NR) La Quinta (Westminster) 22-11*
8. (NR) Malibu 17-7
9. (6) Edgewood (West Covina) 25-7
10. (7) Fontana 27-6
Dropped Out: Previous No. 8 Harbor Teachers (Wilmington); No. 9 Garces (Bakersfield): No. 10. Villanova Prep (Ojai).
Bubble: Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 13-20, Garces (Bakersfield) 13-20, Harbor Teachers (Wilmington) 18-1, Ripon Christian 21-9, Rosamond 25-2**, Villanova Prep (Ojai) 22-9.
Notes: NorCal No. 1 seed & top-ranked Cloverdale lost on Saturday night to Priory, 64-50. That is the same club that took out Denair in the previous round. Stuart Hall won the other NorCal semi, 50-33, over Head-Royce. The south teams all have significantly lower computer rankings, but once teams get to Sacramento you never know. Chaffey won in its regional semifinal, 75-69, vs Malibu. La Quinta defeated Fontana, 66-59. The Steelers were the team that in their previous game handed Harbor Teachers its first loss of the season. That also was the state’s last unbeaten squad of the season.
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 on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
