LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The CIF Southern Section’s “Open Division” squads continue to mow through the State Southern Regional competition Saturday night during Round II of play in Divisions I-V.
The 16 teams from the Section’s first-ever Open Division are now a collective 25-1 after Chino Hills, L.A. Loyola, Corona Centennial and Lakewood Mayfair (I), Bellflower St. John Bosco and Compton (II), West Hills Chaminade and L.A. Cathedral (III) and Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, Torrance Bishop Montgomery, Gardena Serra and Montebello Cantwell-Sacred Heart (IV) advanced into Tuesday night’s semifinal action of their respective divisions.
Three teams from the Southern Section’s first-ever “Open” play that were also placed in the Open Division for State Regional action – unbeaten Santa Ana Mater Dei, Redondo Beach Redondo Union and Etiwanda – won Friday night to set up high-powered semifinal competition Tuesday.
The only team from the Southern Section’s Open Division to lose was Riverside JW North which dropped a 79-61 decision to L.A. City championship runner-up Westchester Friday night.
Unlike Wednesday’s opening-round competition – when the 10 Southern Section Open teams won by an average margin of 32.6 points – the outcome of many of Saturday’s games were in doubt throughout most of the way.
*Loyola trailed by 16 points late in the third quarter against Southern Section 1-AA runner-up Mission Viejo before rallying behind junior guard Max Hazzard, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter including the tying and go-ahead free throws with three seconds to go in an eventual 60-59 victory.
*Mayfair led by just two points going into the fourth quarter before pulling away down the stretch for a 82-73 win over Southern Section 1-AA champion Long Beach Poly. Junior guard Kendall Small of the Monsoons scored a game-high 34 points.
*Fresno champion Edison held down the high-scoring outfit that is Chino Hills before falling to the top-seed (in D-I) Huskies, 62-49.
*Corona Centennial, which rolled by Fresno runner-up Bullard Wednesday by 30 points, held off a tough challenge by L.A. Fairfax Saturday night before prevailing, 72-63.
*In D-IV, Sierra Canyon and Cantwell-Sacred Heart trailed deep into the fourth quarters of ultimate Saturday victories against San Juan Capistrano JSerra (61-56) and Sun Valley Village Christian (51-48), respectively.
The other Open teams in that division, Bishop Montgomery (78-59 over Westlake Village Oaks Christian) and Gardena Serra (67-52 over L.A. Windward), pulled away with big second half efforts Saturday night.
Those outcomes set up a third meeting this season between the Del Rey League rivals with the game set to be played at Bishop Montgomery.
Serra won the first meeting (71-70), in Torrance, and the Knights returned the favor the second time around by winning at Gardena (65-51).
*In D-II, Southern Section Open participants St. John Bosco (94-67 over La Habra Sonora) and Compton (63-50 against Santa Ana Foothill) advanced another step to a likely – barring Tuesday upset/s – Regional championship game next Saturday in Ontario.
The competition will be much tougher, though, on Tuesday.
Chula Vista Mater Dei (the San Diego Section’s D-II champion/30-2) is at St. John Bosco and Southern Section 2-AA champion Anaheim Canyon (30-4) visits Compton.
*And, in D-III, Open teams Chaminade (64-31 over Santa Barbara) and L.A. Cathedral (82-52 over La Mirada) continued to toy with their competition.
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