Frank Burlison

LONG BEACH – A Friday night “Poly vs. Poly clash” became reality because the “Long Beach” Poly was able to outlast Crossroads Wednesday night.

The host Jackrabbits trailed by five points in the fourth quarter but were able to pull away down the stretch and come away with a 66-60 victory over the Roadrunners in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener.

Coach Shelton Diggs’ club (17-12) will have to make a Friday afternoon, east-bound trek on the 91 Freeway to take on the host Bears (23-5 and the No.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – During the first four seasons of the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division boys’ basketball playoffs, the field consisted of 16 entrants.

The next three, including this season, has featured an eight-team format (the last two of those in “pool” instead of “bracket” play).

So, how would the field look this week if it was back in the 16-team format?

If it were strictly my decision (instead of the other Open Division Committee members), joining the 1-8 seeds – Sierra Canyon, Corona Centennial, Rancho Christian, Etiwanda, St.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – The Harvard-Westlake and St. Anthony programs will make their first appearances in the CIF Southern Section Open Division boys’ basketball playoffs, brackets for which were unveiled from the Southern Section Administration office in Los Alamitos early Sunday.

In no great surprise, defending champion Sierra Canyon was the top seed in the eight-team field, followed by Corona Centennial, Rancho Christian and Etiwanda.

The last of the selections was locked in Saturday night, when Ribet Academy was knocked off by Rancho Christian at Cerritos College and cleared the way for the St.

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NORWALK – Rancho Christian High has the only California-based boys’ basketball program to knock off two-time State Open Division-champion Sierra Canyon in nearly two years.

And the current edition of Coach Ray Barefield’s Eagles had one final tune-up Saturday night before starting on the road to dethrone Trailblazers when the Southern Section Open playoffs begin Friday night.

McDonald’s All-American Evan Mobley went for 19 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to help the Eagles (No. 3 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25) knock off No.

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NORWALK – The second annual SoCal Finale – a four-game affair including some of the best boys’ basketball teams from California – tips off Saturday afternoon at Cerritos College at 3:30.

Opening things are “NorCal vs. SoCal” clash of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd (16-7) and Renaissance Academy (19-8).

The NorCal squad has won 11 in a row since dropping a 67-66 decision in overtime to St. John Bosco (No. 7 in this week’s BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25) on Jan. 4.

And the Altadena-based Wildcats (19-8) are No. 20 and have beaten fellow Top 25 members St.

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