LAGUNA NIGUEL – The State CIF Office in Sacramento released the State Regional playoff basketball brackets late Sunday afternoon.
And, oh my goodness . . . the South’s Open Regional field could not be more challenging for all concerned – top seed Eastvale Roosevelt included.
From my perspective, the state’s five-best teams – along with San Diego Open champion Montgomery (29-2) – make up the South bracket.
Those are Roosevelt (32-2 after its CIF Southern Section Open win over Notre Dame Saturday night in Ontario), Central Section D-I champion Santa Maria St. Joseph (31-1), Mission League rivals Notre Dame (26-7) and Harvard-Westlake (30-2), and Trinity League champion St. John Bosco (26-6).
The surprise – depending on your perspective, “mild” or “stunning”, I suppose – was that Tounde Yessoufou-led St. Joseph was put in the South instead of the North field.
A year ago, Clovis North – after “upsetting” St. Joseph in the Central final – was sent to the North bracket while St. Joseph knocked off Sierra Canyon on a Yessoufou shot at the buzzer before losing at Roosevelt in a semifinal.
The assumption of some – me, included – was that St. Joseph, after its beatdown of Clovis Buchannan (54-33) Saturday, would be the No. 1 seed in the North bracket.
That left the North with just a five-team field – opening round games are set for Wednesday night; all other divisions tip Tuesday night – with San Francisco Riordan (27-1) in the top slot, followed by Concord De La Salle (27-4), Folsom (28-3), Richmond Salesian (26-3) and Modesto Christian (24-8).
Each is led by experienced and gifted rosters, with exceptional coaches.
But, for perspective . . .
*Riordan’s only loss came to JSerra – a CIF Southern Section member and the No. 4 seed in Division I – in the Dec. 30 championship game at the Torrey Pines Holiday Tournament.
*De La Salle lost to Harvard-Westlake (58-44), on Jan. 4 in Arizona during a Nike Tournament of Champion final.
*Folsom lost to Redondo Union (another CIF Southern Open team that land as the No. 3 seed in D-I Sunday), 85-68, on Nov. 30 in a NorCal Tip-Off Classic game at Dublin High.
*And Modesto Christian lost to Crespi of Encino, 76-63, on Jan. 4 at Pacifica Christian in Newport Beach.
Crespi finished fourth in the Mission League (behind Notre Dame, Harvard-Westlake and Sierra Canyon), and was upset in the second round of the Southern Section’s Division 1 playoffs.
Here’s another way of explaining just how formidable the South field is:
There are three McDonald’s All-Americans, via Brayden Burries (Roosevelt), Nikolas Khamenia (Harvard-Westlake) and Yessoufou (pictured).
And there are also as many as four 2026 All-Americans in that group by way of Tyran Stokes (Notre Dame), Brandon McCoy, Jr., and Christian Collins (St. John Bosco), and Julius Price (St. Joseph).
Yeah . . . sheeeeeeet!
That freakin’ gauntlet starts Wednesday night in the San Fernando Valley, with St. John Bosco visiting Harvard-Westlake in Studio City and Montgomery traveling to Sherman Oaks to take on Notre Dame.
*The South’s 16-team, Division I field included 12 Southern Section members – four of those that dropped from the Sectional Open Division (No. 1 Sierra Canyon, No. 2 Santa Margarita, Redondo Union and JSerra), as well as the Division 1 and 2AA title winners, Los Alamitos and Fairmont Prep, respectively.
Surprisingly, L.A. City Section Open winner Westchester and runner-up Chatsworth, were placed in Division II as the No.’s 2 and 3 seeds.
It was anticipated – by me, at least – that they would land in D-I.
*Second-round games in Divisions I-V are set for Thursday, with all division semifinals on Saturday and finals on March 11.
The State title games will be held March 14 & 15 in Sacramento.
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