Seven private schools make it to state finals

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If you want to root for the underdog at this weekend’s state basketball championships in Bakersfield, pick a public school.

Of the 10 teams that qualified from Southern California, seven are private schools. The public school survivors are Westchester in Division I boys, San Diego Lincoln in Division II boys and Long Beach Poly in Division I girls.

Among Northern California representatives, eight are private schools. That means 15 of the 20 teams in Bakersfield will be private schools.

I can easily see a day coming where there would be zero public school representatives from SoCal. The private schools have figured out how to build a successful program. Hire a good coach with travel ball connections, get one good player and let him or her attract others. So far, the City Section powers are hanging tough, but we’ll see whether Westchester, Taft, Fairfax and Crenshaw can keep finding ways to stay competitive in Division I.

-- Eric Sondheimer