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LAGUNA NIGUEL – With the unveiling of the CIF Southern Section boys’ basketball playoffs set for Feb. 9, just four weeks of the regular season remain.

Multiple games scheduled this week will impact the pecking order of the Open and Division I – and beyond – playoff fields after the results of the games of Feb. 5 are punched into the computer system used by the CIF SS for the first time this season.

*Each of the nine games scheduled Saturday for the Scorebooklive.com/Rolling Hills Prep State Preview (played at north Torrance High) involves at least one team in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30.

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IRVINE – The Anaheim Canyon High boys basketball team capped a heck of a week Saturday during one of the seven SoCal Showdown high school games played at Irvine Valley College.

The Comanches, getting 30 points from Brandon Benjamin and 29 from Staf Yilmazturk, knocked off Mira Costa, the last of the unbeatens in the CIF Southern Section, 77-72.

Coach Nate Harrison’s team – which came into the week at No. 9 in the CIF SS Computer ratings and 15 in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30 – improved to 16-4.

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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – The perceived paths that the Trinity League and CIF Southern Open Division races were on were tossed asunder Friday night during a couple of Trinity games.

*The result of the game played at Santa Margarita wasn’t startling but the margin – the host Eagles knocking off JSerra, 70-49 – was.

The Lions came into the game at No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Computer ratings and 5 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 30 while the Eagles were 10 in both ratings.

*But what happened in Santa Ana was near-seismic in its potential impact in the Trinity race and Open playoff pecking order.

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ORANGE – All but two of the points scored by the JSerra High boys basketball team Wednesday night came from players who weren’t wearing Lions’ uniforms a year ago.

Coach Keith Wilkinson’s team’s 55-45 win at Orange Lutheran improved the Lions’ records to 16-3 overall and 2-0 in the Trinity League.

So, yeah, it’s safe to suggest that not only are the seven newcomers who got significant playing time for Wilkinson gifted but that they seem to be meshing quite well, too.

Well, sort of .

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LA HABRA – A boys’ basketball game was sandwiched between two celebrations in the La Habra High gymnasium Tuesday night.

And it was the host Highlanders doing all the celebrating.

A pre-game video presentation showcased Coach Aaron Riekenberg’s program’s run to the Highlanders’ first-ever CIF Southern Section title last spring, capped by the unveiling of the championship banner on the gymnasium wall.

Less than an hour later the Highlanders were up 20 points on the visiting Crean Lutheran Saints and were cruising to a Crestview League victory.

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