No surprises at top as CIF SS Open field expanded to 10

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As expected, defending champion Harvard-Westlake and runner-up Eastvale Roosevelt are the top seeds in the boys CIF Southern Section Open Division.

A somewhat mild surprise, though, is the make-up of the division’s two pools:

The field was expanded from eight to 10 teams, as announced by the section office in Los Alamitos Saturday.

With the Southern Section using a computer program for the first time to rank its boys and girls teams for the playoffs, teams finishing No.’s 9 and 10 – La Mirada (24-4) and Heritage Christian (25-3) – placed in pool A (where 27-1 Harvard-Westlake sits) and B (27-2 Roosevelt heading that group), respectively.

The Southern Section office (Assistant Commissioner Jerry De Fabiis oversees basketball) said early in the season that expanded the field from eight to 10 was going to be a possibility, based upon on the numbers the computer program spit out in the “final” rankings following the conclusion of the regular season Wednesday night.

Rounding out Pool A are No. 4 Santa Margarita (22-5), No. 5 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (22-6) and No. 8 JSerra (21-7).

No. 3 St. John Bosco (24), No. 6 Sierra Canyon (21-5) and No. 7 Redondo Union (23-3).

With the field expanded to 10, five days will be needed to complete each team’s four-game schedule – with each team receiving one bye in that stretch.

The Open competition will now open on Wednesday night (along with the other divisions), continue Friday and Feb.’s 18, 21 and 25, with the title game – matching the pool winners – set for March 1 in the Ontario Toyota Arena.

The top four seeds in Division 1 are Crespi, Mira Costa, Mater Dei and Rancho Cucamonga, while Camarillo, Chino Hills, Viewpoint and Calabasas head 2-AA.

Harvard-Westlake and Roosevelt were the Open’s top seeds a year ago, with the Wolverines knocking off Roosevelt in the Feb. 23 title game, 54-47, and Harvard-West edging the Mustangs, 63-59, in the March 5 regional final.

Both are led by McDonald’s All-Americans, Nikolas Khamenia (pictured) and Brayden Burries, respectively.

Wednesday games have La Mirada at Harvard-Westlake; JSerra at Notre Dame; Redondo Union at Sierra Canyon; and Heritage Christian at Roosevelt.

The La Mirada and Heritage Christian programs are making their debuts in the division that started in the 2013-14 season.

The Mission (Harvard-Westlake, Notre Dame and Sierra Canyon) and Trinity (co-champions St. John Bosco and third-place JSerra) are represented by three teams apiece, with the Big VIII (Roosevelt), Bay (Redondo), Gateway (La Mirada) and Olympic (Heritage) repped by one each in the Open field.