Frank Burlison

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The eight teams selected to the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division playoff field, along with the three squads closest to being a part of that group, take up the first 11 spots on the final regular-season BurlisonOnBasketball “21 for 2021” ratings.

Sierra Canyon secured the top spot with its 86-74 win over host and now-No. 9 Heritage Christian on Saturday – an opponent that could prove to be as tough a foe for them as any the Trailblazers could face in the Open playoffs.

[Click to continue reading]

The 2021 CIF Southern Section Boys’ Basketball Open Division playoff field looks a whole lot like its 2019-20 counterpart.

And that starts at the top, where two-time defending champion Sierra Canyon (12-0) and Corona Centennial (18-1) are again the respective 1 and 2 seeds, with the Trailblazers atop Pool “A” and the Huskies topping Pool “B”.

Also returning to the Open Division Playoffs are No. 3 seed Mater Dei (26-1), 4 Etiwanda (9-1), 7 Harvard-Westlake (15-3) and 8 St. John Bosco (19-2).

Joining Open action for the first time are No.

[Click to continue reading]

LOS ANGELES – The more than year-long pandemic prevented the usual packed house for the latest renewal of one of California’s best high school rivalries Saturday afternoon.

But that didn’t lessen the stakes – nor the competitiveness – during the Westchester at Fairfax basketball game.

Senior guards T.J. Wainwright and Zion Sutton – starters on the Comets’ latest L.A. City Open title squad last spring – helped Coach Ed Azzam’s team improve to 7-0 with a 62-54 victory over the host Lions, who slipped to 6-1.

[Click to continue reading]

NORTHRIDGE, Ca. – Coach Andre Chevalier’s Sierra Canyon High boys’ basketball team handled its final “pre-CIF Southern Open Division playoffs” challenge in admirable fashion Saturday afternoon in a non-league contest at Heritage Christian High.

The Trailblazers, behind by as many as seven points a couple of times in the second quarter and by four early in the final quarter, turned on the Amari Bailey-sparked afterburners to pull away from the host Warriors, 88-66.

Chevalier’s team will take a 12-0 record into the CIF Southern Section’s eight-team Open Division playoffs, scheduled to begin Friday evening.

[Click to continue reading]

BELLFLOWER, Ca. – Seniors Scotty Washington (16 points) and Lamaj Lewis (19) and junior Jeremiah Nyarko (20) combined for all but 14 of their team’s points as St. John Bosco High’s boys’ basketball pulled away to knock off visiting Mater Dei, 69-56, in a Trinity League finale Thursday night.

It was the first loss of the season for the Monarchs (24-1 overall and 9-1 in league), who clinched the league title Tuesday night with a win at Santa Margarita.

The host Braves improved to 19-2 and 8-2 and enhanced the odds that they will be one of the CIF Southern Section’s eight-team Open Division Playoff field that will be announced Sunday morning.

[Click to continue reading]