Etiwanda and Sierra Canyon clash for Open title spot

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CALABASAS – Rematches of Classic at Damien semifinals tonight will dictate half the championship fields in the CIF Southern Section’s Open and Division 2AA championship games next week.

*In an Open Division Pool-A contest, No. 1 and defending champion Sierra Canyon (26-4) plays host to No. 4 Etiwanda (28-2) at Calabasas High.

Sierra Canyon edged the Eagles, 57 -53, in a Dec. 28 Classic Platinum semi.

Etiwanda has won 17 in a row since, including Pool A games with St. Anthony (71-55) and St. John Bosco (60-38).

The Trailblazers have lost just twice to in-state competition – Rancho Christian both times – since losing to Mater Dei in the 2018 Southern Section Open finale at Long Beach State.

The Pool B representative will be decided by either – or both – of the results of two games played tonight.

No. 7 Mater Dei “upset” No.’s 2 Centennial (66-58 in OT) and No. 3 Rancho Christian (76-71) and will snag a slot in the Feb. 28 title game at LBSU with a victory at No. 6 Harvard-Westlake tonight (at 7:30 in a game televised by KDOC).

If the Monarchs lose, they will still advance to the championship clash if Rancho Christian wins at Centennial tonight, which would create a three-way tie (with RC and HW), at 2-1, since they hold the tie-breaker in that scenario.

Should Harvard-Westlake and Centennial win, Harvard-Westlake would face either Sierra Canyon or Etiwanda next Friday night, since the Wolverines and Monarchs would be the only 2-1 squads and HW would get the tie-breaker based on their head-to-head result.

*No. 5 Chaminade (26-6) is at home to top seed Santa Clarita Christian (22-5) in a 2AA semifinal.

Santa Clarita Christian prevailed, 67-55, in a Classic at Damien Gold semifinal on Dec. 28, with the Cardinal knocking off George Washington Prep two nights later in the title game.

Senior guard Ty Harper  of SCC was selected the Gold Most Outstanding Player with Chaminade’s standout junior K.J. Simpson Jr. (pictured) joining him on the all-tournament team.

*The No.’s 1-4 seeds make comprise the Division 1 semifinals.

Top seed Windward (23-6) heads way down south to San Juan Capistrano to face No. 4 JSerra (24-7) while No. 2 Riverside Poly (25-5) is at “home”—at Martin Luther King High, also in Riverside – to take on No. 3 Damien (24-7).