SoCal Team Ratings: Sierra Canyon moves on top
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The CIF Southern Section Open Division playoff games of last week resulting in some shuffling of the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 10 Plus 15 Southern California team ratings.
Sierra Canyon’s remarkable 77-74, two-overtime victory over then-unbeaten and defending champion Bishop Montgomery, coupled with Mater Dei’s grind-it-out, 76-66, over then-No. 2 and once-beaten Etiwanda, propelled the Trailblazers to the No. 1 slot.
Bishop Montgomery slipped to No. 2 – it took a buzzer-beating, Duane Washington Jr.-3-pointer so to send the game into the first OT for Sierra Canyon – while Mater Dei moved to No. 3 and Etiwanda dropped to No. 4.
Southern California’s “Big Four” are at it again this week, with Etiwanda visiting Torrance to play Bishop Montgomery for third-place in the Open pecking order Tuesday evening and Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei hooking up Friday night (8:30) at Long Beach State for the Southern Section’s fifth Open champion.
Open consolation games, with hosts St. John Bosco and Crespi beating Rancho Christian and Santa Margarita, respectively, also resulted in some re-figuring of the ratings.
Although Washington sent the game into the first overtime and then salted the victory away with a layup in in the closing seconds against Bishop Montgomery, Kenyon Martin Jr.’s performance was every bit as significant in the upset.
Martin (who scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds), sent things into a second OT with a layup (via a Scotty Pippen Jr. dish) with a second to go, and then followed in a Pippen (PICTURED) miss with a minute to go for the tying and go-ahead points.
The L.A. City Open championship game will be played Saturday night (at Cal State Dominguez Hills) between Western League rivals Westchester (No. 5 this week) and Fairfax (No. 8).
The San Diego Open semifinals are Wednesday night (No. 7 Foothills Christian vs. Chula Vista Mater Dei and No. 16 Mission Bay vs. No. 19 Torrey Pines.
SoCal Top 10 Plus 15
(Records as of Feb. 24)
- Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (SS/23-3)
Friday: vs. Mater Dei/Open championship at Long Beach State (8:30 p.m.)
- Torrance Bishop Montgomery (Southern Section/26-1)
Tuesday: vs. Etiwanda/Open third-place (7 p.m.)
- Santa Ana Mater Dei (SS/22-6)
Friday: vs. Sierra Canyon/Open championship at Long Beach State (8:30 p.m.)
- Etiwanda (SS/28-2)
Tuesday: at Bishop Montgomery/Open third-place (7 p.m.)
- Westchester (L.A. City/29-5)
Saturday: vs. Fairfax/Open championship at Cal State Dominguez Hills (8:30 p.m.)
- Bellflower St. John Bosco (SS/21-7)
Tuesday: vs. Crespi/Open fifth-place (5 p.m.)
- El Cajon Foothills Christian (San Diego/25-5)
Wednesday: vs. San Marcos at El Cajon Cuyamaca College/Open semifinal (7 p.m.)
- Fairfax (City/22-8)
Saturday: vs. Westchester/Open championship at Cal State Dominguez Hills (8:30 p.m.)
- Encino Crespi (SS/25-3)
Tuesday: at St. John Bosco/Open fifth-place (5 p.m.)
- Rancho SM Santa Margarita (SS/20-8)
Tuesday: vs. Rancho Christian/Open third-place (6 p.m.)
- Temecula Rancho Christian (SS/26-3)
Tuesday: at Santa Margarita/Open third-place (6 p.m.)
- Chino Hills (SS/20-11)
Saturday: vs. Pasadena/D-1 championship at Azusa Pacific (8:30 p.m.)
- Pasadena (SS/23-6)
Saturday: vs. Chino Hills/D-1 championship at Azusa Pacific (8:30 p.m.)
- La Verne Damien (SS/23-7)
Season concluded.
- Woodland Hills Taft (LAC/26-8)
Wednesday: vs. Narbonne/Open consolation semifinal (7 p.m.)
- Mission Bay (SDS/25-5)
Wednesday: at Torrey Pines/Open semifinal (7 p.m.)
- Long Beach Poly (SS/22-8)
March 7: TBD/State Southern Regional D-I
- Oak Park (SS/22-7)
Season concluded.
- San Diego Torrey Pines (SD/28-2)
Wednesday: vs. Mission Bay/Open semifinal (7 p.m.)
- Moreno Valley Rancho Verde (SS/22-10)
March 7: TBD/State Southern Regional D-I
- Corona Centennial (SS/21-11)
Season concluded.
- Eastvale Roosevelt (SS/25-4)
Season concluded.
- Studio City Harvard-Westlake (SS/22-6)
Season concluded.
- Santa Monica Crossroads (SS/20-8)
Saturday: vs. Brentwood School/D-2AA championship
- San Bernardino Cajon (SS/24-7)
March 7: TBD/State Southern Regional D-II
Dropped out: Long Beach Saint Anthony (SS/28-3)/March 7: TBD/State Southern Regional D-III