Pretty much EVERY game means “a lot” this week

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  LAGUNA NIGUEL – It’s gut-cutting time, folks.

With the final week of the boys’ basketball “regular season” upon us, the stakes include a lot of league championships, the most high-profile of those coming in the Trinity, Mission and Big VIII ­– the latter two by way of “league tournament” title games set for Friday night.

*The outright Trinity champion could be all but decided Tuesday night, when St. John Bosco (No. 6 in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30) visits Mater Dei (No. 3) at 7 o’clock.

Each is 7-1 in league, with Mater Dei knocking off the Braves in the first round and the Monarchs suffering their loss last Wednesday night at now-No. 7 JSerra, which has three league losses.

*Barring shocking results in the Big VIII semifinals Wednesday night, Roosevelt (the new No. 1 this week) takes on Centennial (No. 10) at Santiago in Corona Friday night for the championship.

Centennial prevailed over the Mustangs (82-78) at home on Jan. 9 in the teams’ first and only meeting.

*And, also short of any stunning or even “mild” upsets, No. 5 Harvard-Westlake will be playing at No. 4 Notre Dame, and No. 18  Crespi visits No. 2 Sierra Canyon in Wednesday night’s Mission semifinals.

The winners meet Friday night on the home floor of the top remaining seed (they are seeded in the pecking order of the teams’ Top 30 ranking).

The results in each of those leagues this week will significantly impact the makeup and seeding of the CIF Southern Section’s eight-team Open Division playoff field and, as a byproduct, the upper seeds in the Division 1 bracket, as well.

One of the players who was responsible for keeping his team firmly in the “Open Division/high D-1 seed” playoff conversation last week was senior guard Aidan Fowler (pictured) of JSerra.

Fowler averaged 25 points in the Lions’ first-ever win over Mater Dei last Wednesday night, as well as another Trinity victory (vs. Orange Lutheran) on Friday and a win against San Diego St. Augustine at Mater Dei during the Nike Extravaganza.

The CIF Southern Section administration will announce playoff pairings for all divisions at noon Sunday from its Los Alamitos office.

 

SoCal Top 30 Teams (records reflect games as of Jan. 27)

School/Record/Last Week

1. Eastvale Roosevelt/25-2/2

Next Up: Wednesday, Big VIII Tournament, at Corona or Santiago, 7 p.m.; Friday (if win Wednesday), Big VIII championship, vs. TBD, at Santiago, 7 p.m.

2. Sierra Canyon/24-1/4

Next Up: Wednesday, Mission Tournament, vs. TBD, 7 p.m.; Friday (if win Wednesday), Mission championship, at home vs. TBD, 7 p.m.

3. Mater Dei/24-2/1

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. No. 6 St. John Bosco, 7 p.m.; Thursday, at No. 19 Santa Margarita, 7 p.m.

4. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame/24-2/4

Next Up: Wednesday, Mission Tournament, vs. TBD, 7 p.m.; Friday (if win), Mission championship, opponent, and location TBD., 7 p.m.

5. Harvard-Westlake/23-3/5

Next Up: Tuesday, Mission Tournament, vs. TBD ,7 p.m.; Wednesday (if win Tuesday), vs. TBD, 7 p.m.; Friday (if win Wednesday), Mission championship, opponent, and location TBD, 7 p.m.

6. Saint John Bosco/22-4/6

Next Up: Tuesday, at No. 3 Mater Dei, 7 p.m.; Thursday, vs. Orange Lutheran, 7 p.m.

7. JSerra/22-4/10

Next Up: Tuesday, at No. 19 Santa Margarita, 7 p.m.; Thursday, vs Servite, 7 p.m.

8. Windward/23-3/7

Next Up: Wednesday, vs. No. 20 Campbell Hall, 7 p.m.; Friday, at Brentwood School, 7 p.m.

9. Saint Pius/Saint Matthias/20-5/9

Next Up: Monday, vs. Bishop Montgomery, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, vs. Gardena Serra, 7 p.m.

10. Corona Centennial/18-9/9

Next Up: Wednesday, Big VIII Tournament, vs. Norco or MLK, 7 p.m.; Friday (if win Wednesday), Big VIII championship, vs. TBD, Santiago, 7 p.m.

11. Damien/19-4/13

Next Up: Tuesday, at No. 21 Rancho Cucamonga, 6:30; Thursday, vs. No. 13 Etiwanda, 6:30 p.m.

12. West Ranch/18-8/11

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. Hart, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. Golden Valley, 7 p.m.

13. Etiwanda/22-4/12

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. Los Osos, 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, at No. 11 Damien, 6:30 p.m

14. Redondo Union/20-4/15

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. Peninsula, 7 p.m.; Thursday, at No. 29 Mira Costa, 7:30 p.m.

15. La Mirada/20-7/14

Next Up: Thursday, vs. Downey, 7 p.m.

16. Heritage Christian/19-8/16

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. Village Christian, 7 p.m.

17. Los Alamitos/21-5/17

Next Up: Tuesday, at Fountain Valley, 7 p.m.; Thursday, vs. Edison, 7 p.m.

18. Crespi/21-6/19

Next Up: Tuesday, Mission Tournament, vs. TBD, 7 p.m.; Wednesday (if win Tuesday), vs TBD, 7 p.m.; Friday (if win Wednesday), Mission championship, vs. TBD, 7 p.m.

19. Santa Margarita/17-8/18

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. No. 7 JSerra; Thursday, vs. No. 3 Mater Dei, 7 p.m.

20. Campbell Hall/11-14/20

Next Up: Wednesday, at No. 8 Windward, 7 p.m.; Friday, vs. Viewpoint, 7 p.m.

21. Rancho Cucamonga/17-7/21

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. No. 11 Damien, 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, vs. Upland, 6:30 p.m

22. Rancho Christian/14-8/22

Next Up: Monday, at No. 23 Rancho Verde, 6 p.m.; Wednesday, at JW North, 7 p.m.; Saturday, at San Diego Mission Bay, 8:30 p.m.

23. Rancho Verde/23-3/23

Next Up: Monday, vs. No. 22 Rancho Christian, 6 p.m.; Wednesday, at Riverside Poly, 6 p.m.

24. Saint Anthony/17-7/24

Next Up: Monday, at Gardena Serra, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, at St. Paul, 7 p.m.

25. Foothill/18-8/26

Next Up: Monday, at El Dorado, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, at No. 26 Canyon, 7 p.m.

26. Anaheim Canyon/20-6/27

Next Up: Monday, vs. El Modena, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, vs. No. 25 Foothill, 7 p.m.

27. Culver City/15-7/28

Next Up: Monday, at St. Monica, 7 p.m; Tuesday, at Palos Verdes, 7 p.m.; Thursday, vs. Santa Monica, 7 p.m.

28. Mira Costa/18-8/22

Next Up: Tuesday, vs. Santa Monica, 7: 30 p.m.; Thursday, vs. No. 14 Redondo Union, 7:30 p.m.

29. Fairmont Prep/18-8/30

Next Up: Monday, vs. Capistrano Valley Christian, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, at San Gabriel Valley Academy, 6:15 p.m.

30. Saint Bernard/11-11/25

Next Up: Monday, vs. St. Paul, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, at Bishop Montgomery, 7 p.m.