Frank Burlison

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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Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section boy’s playoff includes six rematches of regular season meetings:

*Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Corona Centennial (Open Division pool game). The hosts (and top seed) Huskies knocked off the Knights, 69-60, at Cerritos College on Jan 7.

Since the teams won their Friday openers (Notre Dame, at Bishop Montgomery , 71-63, and Centennial, at home vs. Sierra Canyon, 68-63), the winner of the rematch will be in the proverbial – cliché alert – driver’s seat to win the pool and play in the Feb.

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DANA POINT, CA – it didn’t take the Newport Pacifica Christian High boys’ basketball team long Friday night to confirm what its head coach had drilled into its collective consciousness over the past couple of days:

The Dana Hills High team has a lot of quality jump shooters with a lot of range.

The host Dolphins got five 3-pointers from four players in the first five minutes or so to burst out to a six-point advantage.

But the Tritons quickly stabilized their defense to pull out to a 12-point lead at intermission and coast to a 76-56 victory in a CIF Southern Section Division 2A second-round playoff game.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – There’s a large quantity of Southern California-based seniors still looking for a college landing spot this fall.

And few of those are having the kind of final high school season performance that Denzel Hines is turning in for Ontario’s Colony High Titans.

The 6-foot-7 Hines (pictured), who will lead his teammates into their CIF Southern Section Division I playoff game at Damien Friday night at 7 o’clock, scored 43 points in the Titans’ 77-55 first-round win over visiting Los Altos Wednesday night.

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