Frank Burlison

DOWNEY – Less than 24 hours after wrapping up their overpowering run to a CIF Southern Section 3AA championship Saturday afternoon, the Pius X-St. Matthias Academy boys’ basketball coaches and players learned that the CIF State office did them no favors relative to the Southern Regional playoffs.

The Warriors, after whacking La Serna, 79-48, at Colony High to complete a five-game, their beatdown of their playoff competition – by a margin of 29.8 ppg – were moved up into the 16-team Division II regional bracket.

But, after Coach Donte Archie’s club improved to 30-4 with its 22^nd consecutive win, 70-62 over perennial L.A.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – The opening round of CIF Southern Regional boys’ basketball playoff action gets underway Tuesday night, in all but the Open Division.

With just five teams in the Open (as is the case in the Northern playoffs), the Southern Section’s West Ranch (29-2) visits San Diego Wednesday night to take on that section’s Open champion, St. Augustine (27-4).

The winner of that clash visits Corona Saturday evening for a semifinal with three-time Southern Section Open champion Centennial – which edged St. John Bosco, 58-56, in last Saturday night’s title game in the Honda Center.

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ANAHEIM — It was a stunning ending to the most compelling championship game in the 10-year history of the CIF Southern Section’s Boys Open Division basketball playoffs.

And it was Aaron McBride who provided the stunning close, picking off a St. John Bosco pass with a little less than four seconds to score and beating a Brave to the rim for a dunk at the buzzer, give the Corona Centennial Huskies a 58-56 victory and their third consecutive title Saturday night in the Honda Center.

The Huskies (29-3) will use the victory to get the No.

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LA MIRADA, CA – Only two programs that played in boys CIF Southern Section basketball games a year ago will be doing so again next Saturday (Feb. 25).

“Of course!” I’m sure you’re saying to yourself after reading that paragraph.

“Obviously, one of those is Centennial.”

Bingo!

Josh Giles’ Corona-based Huskies, after securing Pool A with their 73-55 win over visiting Bishop Montgomery Friday night, will take on Pool B-winning St. John Bosco at the Anaheim Honda Center to become program to win three consecutive SS Open titles.

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STUDIO CITY, CA – Down by as many as 11 points in the third quarter – and six with three minutes to go – the St. John Bosco High team closed out its game at Harvard-Westlake in stunning fashion Tuesday night, shaking up the “status quo” in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs in the process.

The Braves’ 62-55 victory over the Open’s No. 2 seed – the Wolverines came into the contest with a 29-1 record – means that three of the four teams in “Pool B” are still in the hunt for a spot in the Feb.

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