Cal-Hi Sports Insider Blog

Quick-hitting, behind-the-scenes news and notes from the CalHiSports.com staff, including previews of upcoming content and events.

Super 8 Girls BB State Ranks Update

By Harold Abend | Published March 13, 2017

Pinewood avenges a loss to Bishop O’Dowd and has now joined the top five while looming and seemingly ready for a NorCal Open Division showdown against state No. 1 Archbishop Mitty is 2015 Open Division state champ St. Mary’s of Stockton.

NOTE: Our updated State Top 20 with expanded writeups of the first eight teams plus the next 12 and lists of many other teams on the bubble will be posted each week but will require Gold Club membership to see for the rest of the season. Our breakdowns and analysis of what’s coming up and what’s already happened can’t be matched anywhere else because we’ve been following the statewide scene years and years longer than any other media source. For sign up info, CLICK HERE.

(After games of Saturday, March 11)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1. (1) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 26-2
College coaches were everywhere for the Monarchs’ 92-71 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral to start the NorCal Open Division playoffs. They were there mainly to see super sophomore Haley Jones, who didn’t disappoint with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Haley Jones from No. 1 Archbishop Mitty is one of the top sophomores in the nation. Photo: Harold Abend.


2. (2) Clovis West (Fresno) 31-2
If there were any thoughts about it being easy for the SoCal Open Division top seed to cruise to a spot in the state finals, those were dashed quickly as Troy of Fullerton pushed the Golden Eagles until the last 20 seconds before falling 68-61.

3. (3) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 26-3
On the other side of the Southern Regional Open Bracket to Clovis West is the Jackrabbits, who did their part in advancing toward an expected matchup vs. the Golden Eagles on Saturday by rolling over Fairfax 77-58. Jasmine Jones led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

4. (4) Mission Hills (San Marcos) 30-2
We saw both Mission Hills and Clovis West lose at the MLK Showcase in Stockton so it would be kind of funny if the two played for the SoCal Open Division title. The Grizzlies certainly can’t be forgotten heading into their matchup at Poly on Tuesday after beating Etiwanda last week 54-40.

5. (6) Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 25-3
It’s been a meteoric rise for head coach Doc Scheppler and his girls who weren’t even ranked a few weeks ago. The Panthers move up again with an avenging 51-43 triumph over Bishop O’Dowd in the NorCal Open Division.

6. (7) St. Mary’s (Stockton) 21-8
Due to the players who are now in the Rams’ lineup, there are some who think the winner of their game at Mitty on Tuesday in the NorCal Open Division semifinals will be the team that eventually winds up as the CIF state champion. St. Mary’s topped Salesian of Richmond 72-49 in last Friday’s regional quarterfinals.

7. (11) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 29-3
The new Cinderella of the Open Division playoffs was the only No. 7 seed in either girls or boys action to come out of the first round victorious. The Cardinals did that by knocking off No. 2 seed Carondelet on the road 48-47 in a matchup that showed again how closely bunched the top teams from the CIF North Coast Section have been all season.

8. (5) Carondelet (Concord) 28-5
Season complete. This is where the Cougars fall after their loss to Cardinal Newman in the NorCal Open Division. They may not fall further as the season ends, either, if the NorCal teams win state titles in the top two girls division in two weeks in Sacramento.

Super 8 Boys BB State Ranks Update

By Ronnie Flores | Published March 13, 2017

St. Augustine moves from No. 7 to No. 4 after big win over Sierra Canyon in CIF SoCal Open Division. Damien of La Verne also is now at No. 8 and looking strong in CIF SoCal Division I bracket.

NOTE: Our updated State Top 20 with lists of many other teams on the bubble will be posted each week but will require Gold Club membership to see for the rest of the season. Our breakdowns and analysis of what’s coming up and what’s already happened can’t be matched anywhere else because we’ve been following the statewide scene years and years longer than any other media source. For sign up info, CLICK HERE.

(Through games of Saturday, March 11; Previous ranking in parentheses)

1. (1) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 28-2
After a little bit of a slow start, the Knights cruised to a 64-49 win over San Diego Section Open Division runner-up Torrey Pines in their SoCal Open Division opener. They play No. 3 Chino Hills next in the semifinals on Tuesday night at El Camino College.

Gelo Ball grabs rebound for Chino Hills during 2016 CIF Open Division state final at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. Photo: Phillip Walton/SportStars.


2. (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 32-2
The ability to have a rematch with either Bishop Montgomery or Chino Hills should prevent the Monarchs from looking past San Diego St. Augustine in Tuesday’s CIF SoCal Open Division semifinals. Mater Dei, which already has two wins this year over the Saints, topped Westchester of Los Angeles 74-60 last Friday.

3. (4) Chino Hills 30-2
Due to the upset loss by Sierra Canyon to St. Augustine, the Huskies are now ahead of Sierra Canyon in the rankings for the first time this season. In their 130-110 shootout win vs. Birmingham last Friday, Li’Angelo Ball poured in 52 points.

4. (7) St. Augustine (San Diego) 28-4
For knocking off previous No. 3 Sierra Canyon and becoming one of the final four in the CIF SoCal Open Division, the Saints get to jump to fourth in this week’s rankings. It may be an even bigger upset for them to beat Mater Dei on Tuesday only because the Monarchs have already beaten them twice.

5. (5) Woodcreek (Roseville) 30-2
The Timberwolves got hopped this week by St. Augustine, but didn’t drop below Sierra Canyon in this week’s rankings. They will face defending NorCal Open Division champ De La Salle on Tuesday after winning their NorCal opener 68-66 vs. Capital Christian.

6. (3) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 27-3
By the time the season is over and all of the Open Division games are in the books, the Trailblazers’ overall season resume should put them higher in the rankings. Right now, though, they have to drop behind teams still playing.

7. (8) Sheldon (Sacramento) 2893
The Huskies fell one spot after their loss to Woodcreek by two points in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 final and now get that position back. If they win in Tuesday’s NorCal Open semis over Archbishop Mitty, they might play Woodcreek again.

8. (9) Damien (La Verne) 31-4
This is the highest-ranked team that is not in the Open Division, but is considered No. 1 in the state among those going for the D1 state title. Damien just beat Fairfax of L.A. 60-44 and plays Corona Centennial on Tuesday in D1 South semifinals.

HS Football California Book Deal

By Mark Tennis | Published March 13, 2017

We are pleased to announce today (Monday, March 13) that longtime Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis will be author of a book to be published in the fall of 2018 by Skyhorse Publishing of New York about high school football in California.
Read more…

Super 8 Girls BB State Ranks Update

By CalHiSports.com Staff | Published March 7, 2017

Both Pinewood and St. Mary’s of Stockton receive four-spot bumps in this week’s rankings and are now showing at No. 6 and No. 7 overall in the state. No. 1 Archbishop Mitty also may have to beat them both to earn place in CIF Open Division state championship.

NOTE: Our updated State Top 20 with expanded writeups of the first eight teams plus the next 12 and lists of many other teams on the bubble will be posted each week but will require Gold Club membership to see for the rest of the season. Our breakdowns and analysis of what’s coming up and what’s already happened can’t be matched anywhere else because we’ve been following the statewide scene years and years longer than any other media source. For sign up info, CLICK HERE.

(After games of Saturday, March 6)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1. (1) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 25-2
St. Mary’s-bound Madeline Holland shined with 23 points and six rebounds to lead the Monarchs past Pinewood 65-57 to win the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division title. That also cemented the team’s No. 1 seed in the NorCal Open Division.

Akayla Hackson of new No. 6 Pinewood looks for openings during last year’s CIF NorCal Open Division final. Photo: SportStarsOnline.com.

2. (2) Clovis West (Fresno) 30-2
The Golden Eagles cruised by Clovis to win another CIF Central Section Division I title. We thought the possibility of putting them in the north all along was just for a worst-case scenario and we were right. They are the top seed in the SoCal Open Division.

3. (3) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 25-3
After winning the CIF Southern Section Open Division over Harvard-Westlake, the Jackrabbits got the NO. 2 seed in the South for the Open Division, but probably got the easier game than No. 1 Clovis West with a home matchup vs L.A. City winner Fairfax.

4. (4) Mission Hills (San Marcos) 29-2
The Grizzlies won the CIF San Diego Section Open Division over Bishop’s of La Jolla and have not lost to a team from Southern California all season. Their two losses are to Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco and No. 1 Archbishop Mitty.

5. (5) Carondelet (Concord) 28-4
Head coach Elgin Leslie’s squad earned the program’s 12th NCS title with a win over Heritage of Brentwood, but this time it was in Division I. It’s quite difficult to rank the next six teams in Northern California, but the Cougars are solid in this spot.

6. (10) Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 24-3
There was evidence to move up the Panthers even higher than Carondelet, and they did have a strong week with their win over Sacred Heart Cathedral (previous No. 9) and then a strong showing vs. Mitty. But Carondelet did nothing to deserve being dropped and Pinewood is coming up four spots regardless.

7. (11) St. Mary’s (Stockton) 20-8
Also a team that arguably could be higher, considering where it was before an injury to All-American Aquira DeCosta. After winning 10th straight section title, Rams still go up four spots and might be looking at a trip to San Jose to play Mitty in the NorCal Open semifinals.

8. (8) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) 25-4
The CIFSS Open Division runner-up will take on all-time state career scoring leader Destiny Littleton and her team from Bishop’s of La Jolla in a SoCal Open Division game on Saturday.

Super 8 Boys BB State Ranks Update

By Ronnie Flores | Published March 6, 2017

We were alone with Bishop Montgomery at No. 1 last week ahead of Mater Dei and also were alone with Woodcreek as the No. 1 team from Northern California. Guess we do know what we are doing after all as both won featured games last Saturday. Mater Dei also almost fell to No. 3, but did not move Sierra Canyon higher.
Read more…

Girls BB: San Diego Updates

By Harold Abend | Published March 6, 2017

Destiny Littleton of La Jolla Bishop’s sets a state record for most points scored in a season while La Jolla Country Day gets set to perhaps make a run at a D1 state title with big-time freshman guard now playing for the first time this season.
Read more…

Super 8 Girls BB State Ranks Update

By Harold Abend | Published February 28, 2017

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.

NOTE: Our updated State Top 20 with expanded writeups of the first eight teams plus the next 12 and lists of many other teams on the bubble will be posted each week but will require Gold Club membership to see for the rest of the season. Our breakdowns and analysis of what’s coming up and what’s already happened can’t be matched anywhere else because we’ve been following the statewide scene years and years longer than any other media source. For sign up info, CLICK HERE.

(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.

Super 8 Boys BB State Ranks Update

By Ronnie Flores | Published February 27, 2017

The new No. 1 and new No. 2 are playing each other on Saturday so perhaps it doesn’t matter that much, but for the Cal-Hi Sports Top 20 it will be Bishop Montgomery at No. 1 and Mater Dei at No. 2 mostly because the Knights were higher previously and they are the ones who defeated previous state No. 1 Sierra Canyon.
Read more…

Top four hoop-themed video games

By Special To CalHiSports.com | Published February 25, 2017

Ever since the invention of games consoles, there has been a variety of different genres of game available for people to play – with one of the more popular proving to be sports-themed games. The best of these games allow you to take on the role of a manager, compete as a favorite player or use your grasp of the sport to win money. This article will showcase some of the best basketball themed games that are out there and have ever been out there.
Read more…

Boys BB State Stat Stars of the Week

By CalHiSports.com Staff | Published February 25, 2017

Catching up on recent State Stat Stars of the Week for boys hoops shows some huge outings for Damari Milstead of Moreau Catholic, Josh Singh from Lutheran of Elk Grove and Hayfork’s Jacob Halderman.
Read more…

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