Prep Rally: Great matchups in Southern Section basketball playoffs
Hi, and welcome to Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. The Southern Section boys’ and girls’ basketball pairings were released on Sunday. The playoffs begin this week. For the Open Division, there’s outstanding matchups. There’s lots of parity in the eight-team boys bracket. For girls, unbeaten Santa Ana Mater Dei and unbeaten Corona Centennial have separated themselves. It’s going to be a few days of May Madness, followed by several weeks of June craziness in lots of sports besides basketball.
Basketball parity
Sierra Canyon was the clear team to beat over the last two seasons in boys’ basketball when the playoffs began. This time, any of the eight Open Division teams is capable of beating the other, so when the Southern Section champion is finally determined, there will be no surprises.
“I think it’s eight equal teams,” St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn said.
Santa Ana Mater Dei had its 24-game unbeaten streak ended by St. John Bosco and won’t have standout center Wilhelm Breidenbach available for the playoffs because of a knee injury.
Sierra Canyon (11-0) drew the No. 1 seed for pool A and will open Friday at home against St. John Bosco. The other openers have No. 5 Ribet at No. 4 Etiwanda, No. 7 Studio City Harvard-Westlake at No. 2 Corona Centennial, No. 6 La Verne Damien at No. 3 Mater Dei.
Here’s the link to complete boys and girls basketball pairings.
Here’s the link to a story about the playoffs.
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Boys’ basketball rankings
A look at the top 25 boys’ basketball teams in the Los Angeles Times’ top 25:
Rk. SCHOOL (W-L); Comment; last week’s ranking
1. SIERRA CANYON (11-0); vs. St. John Bosco, Friday; 1
2. CORONA CENTENNIAL (18-1); vs. Harvard-Westlake, Friday; 3
3. MATER DEI (25-1); vs. Damien, Friday; 2
4. ST. JOHN BOSCO (18-2); at Sierra Canyon, Friday; 4
5. RIBET ACADEMY (11-1); at Etiwanda, Friday; 5
6. ETIWANDA (9-1); vs. Ribet Academy, Friday; 6
7. DAMIEN (26-2): at Mater Dei, Friday; 7
8 . HARVARD-WESTLAKE (15-3); at Corona Centennial, Friday; 9
9. COLONY (18-1); No. 1 seed in Diivsion 2AA; 8
10. HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (17-6); No. 1 seed in Division 1; 10
For the rest of the top 25, click here.
King/Drew unveils top player
King/Drew was keeping 6-foot-4 senior Kosy Akametu a secret. Well, it only seemed that way.
Akametu was not on the roster last season when King/Drew lost to Westchester in the City Section Open Division semifinals. And no one was talking about him this season when the season started late because he largely had been forgotten. Those at King/Drew knew, though, that Akametu was one of the team’s best players until his father made him stop playing basketball until his grades improved.
With his grade-point average at 3.0, he’s back with a vengeance. He scored 30 points in a 90-73 victory over Crenshaw, including four dunks.
Here’s a look at why King/Drew might be a big factor in next week’s City Section playoffs.
Round 1 to Westchester
The Fairfax vs. Westchester basketball rivalry in the best in the City Section, and Round 1 went to Westchester 62-54.
TJ Wainwright scored 20 points, all in the first three quarters.
Here’s a report on the game.
Higgins & Simpson
With the Southern Section basketball playoffs beginning this week, it’s time to show appreciation for the lasting legacy created by the duo of Keith Higgins Jr. and Kenneth Simpson Jr. of West Hills Chaminade.
They met as first-graders at Vintage Elementary School. There was a pencil on the ground. Simpson picked it up.
“He dropped it,” Simpson said.
“He stole it,” Higgins said.
The rest is history. The guards played on the same teams since third grade. In an era when players sometimes are never satisfied and move from school to school seeking greener pastures, these best friends were determined to be examples of a different time when loyalty mattered and faith in your own skills counted most. Higgins is headed to Lehigh. Simpson is headed to Colorado. Chaminade is seeded No. 2 in the Division 1 playoffs.
Here’s their exit interview.
Girls’ basketball
Former NBA player Zach Randolph was in the Sierra Canyon bleachers watching his daughter, Mackenly Randolph, score a career-high 35 points against Palisades. She’s only a freshman. His high point total was 43. That’s going to be soon gone as the No. 1 ranking in the family.
Coach Alicia Komaki believes Mackenly has the chance to be “the best to ever play in the Valley. Guarantee,” she said.
Randolph should be very effective in the Open Division playoffs with her 6-foot-1 size and ability to get offensive rebounds.
Jaquez toughness
If you’re from Camarillo and your last name is Jaquez, everyone knows you’re tough. Gabriela Jaquez is the sister of UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez, and she plays with the same family passion and toughness of her parents and older brother.
“Oh yeah, she has that toughness,” coach Mike Prewitt said. “On the other side, she’s a sweetheart to be around.”
The junior is averaging well over 25 points a game for the Scorpions. She has missed several games playing club basketball, but Prewitt is hopeful she’ll be available for the Division 1 playoffs.
“If stats mean anything, she’s doing pretty well for us,” he said. “She does so much. She makes girls around her better.”
The big question is what would happen if there were a one-on-one game between sister and brother? And how many scratches would each have?
“That’s an interesting question and I’m not going to answer that,” Prewitt said.
Multi-sport athletes
Superman had his phone booth to change from Clark Kent to superhero. Cameron MacDonald of Brentwood and Brendan Terry of Santa Monica Crossroads use their parents’ cars to undergo the transformation from baseball player to basketball player. It’s a matter of switching from cleats to Nikes and replacing pants with shorts.
“That’s the phone booth — the car ride,” Brentwood basketball coach Ryan Bailey said.
The delay in sports seasons because of coronavirus restrictions has forced multisport athletes to go to great lengths to play two sports at the same time. It’s working out for a select few because coaches are cooperating, athletes are deploying time management skills and parents are returning to the Little League days by serving as chauffeurs for their teenage sons and daughters, driving them to parks, gyms and fields.
Here’s a look at how players and coaches are pulling it off during overlapping sports seasons.
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Smiles are back
There’s a photo of Thomas Southey smiling with his arms raised triumphantly after Manhattan Beach Mira Costa upset No. 1-seeded L.A. Cathedral in the Southern Section Division 1 soccer playoffs.
It’s a moment in time that resonates with every high school athlete who has participated during a 2020-21 sports season that almost didn’t happen because of COVID-19.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Southey said. “It’s so much fun.”
High school athletes are smiling again. They’re having fun again. They’re dreaming of championships again.
No one is having more fun than Southey, a three-sport standout. He has helped Mira Costa advance to the Division 1 championship game against Loyola. He’s also playing in Tuesday’s lacrosse playoffs. And he was the star receiver for the football team.
A profile on how much fun he is having.
Baseball
It’s showdown week in the final week of the regular season.
Two three-game series can’t get any better than Orange Lutheran taking on JSerra in the Trinity League and Harvard-Westlake facing Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the Mission League. All four teams are on long winning streaks. Orange Lutheran and JSerra are unbeaten in league play.
Monday’s opener in the Trinity will take place at JSerra, where David Horn will face off against Louis Rodriguez. JSerra is keeping Gage Jump for a Tuesday start at Hart Park. Harvard-Westlake ace Christian Becerra will get the call in the opener at O’Malley Field on Monday, followed by freshmen sensations Thomas Bridges on Tuesday and Bryce Rainer on Thursday. Notre Dame is still determining its pitching starters, but coach Tom Dill said, “It’s exciting.”
Orange Lutheran is 25-2 and has won 16 consecutive games. JSerra is 22-5 with 18 consecutive wins. Harvard-Westlake is 21-4 with 12 consecutive wins. Notre Dame is 20-5 with 11 consecutive wins.
“It should be fun,” Orange Lutheran coach Eric Borba said. “It’s exciting after all these kids have been through in the last year and a half to have two unbeaten teams playing.”
The Division 1 playoff seedings should be influenced by what happens in both series.
Thousand Oaks’ 23-game win streak came to an end in a 2-1 loss to Newbury Park. The Lancers were 23-0 and had won 31 consecutive games dating back to the 2020 season. Sophomore Derek Turner, who threw a four-hitter, used to pitch for Thousand Oaks.
The Foothill League championship will be decided on Wednesday when West Ranch plays at Hart. Ditto for the Bay League championship when Redondo Union and Mira Costa face off. The Big VIII League is still up for grab, with Corona and Corona Centennial playing.
Here comes Roosevelt
Los Angeles Roosevelt is making a late-season run to be a high seed for the City Section baseball playoffs.
The Rough Riders are 15-3 and 8-0 in the Eastern League. Their 6-4 win over Marine League champion San Pedro on Saturday could end up huge come seeding time because the City Section relies on head-to-head matchups. Their losses have come to Granada Hills, Chatsworth and Banning.
Junior Chris Blanco is the leading hitter with a .386 batting average. Junior pitcher Andrew Contreras is 6-0 with an 0.34 ERA.
Brian Uribe regains top form
Brian Uribe of Camarillo has a four-year pitching record of 15-0. And he’s finally healthy after elbow surgery following a sensational freshman season that left him sidelined 7½ months.
In his last three starts, he has thrown shutouts against Moorpark, Simi Valley and Royal. The UNLV signee has learned plenty after elbow surgery as a 16-year-old.
Here’s the link to his rise to health again.
Hunter Greene is healthy
Former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame pitcher Hunter Greene had his longest outing since returning from Tommy John surgery, striking out 10 in six shutout innings for the Cincinnati Reds’ double-A Chattanooga team.
The hard-throwing Greene can hit 101 mph on a radar gun.
Here’s the link to video on Greene.
Anthony Joya talks
Standout All-City pitcher Anthony Joya of Banning was the guest on “Friday Night Live.”
Here’s the link to his interview.
Softball
Thirty-one strikeouts in one game by a pitcher?
Emily Leavitt of Ayala pulled off the feat in a 14-inning, 2-0 win over Glendora. She struck out 31 batters.
Norco is 21-1 and ends its regular season with a three-game series against Roosevelt.
Here’s the link to the top softball teams in Southern California.
Football
Offensive lineman Josh Morales of Loyola received attention for overcoming COVID-19 family issues this spring.
Now the Rams have honored his commitment on and off the field by naming him the first recipient of a community award for someone who demonstrates a “team-first, winning mentality characterized by perseverance, resilience and courage.”
Here’s the link to a YouTube story on Morales, who’s headed to USC for academics.
Photos: The Shortened Season
Photographer Jason Armond followed the Culver City football team during its five-game season,.
Take a look at his photography behind the scenes and at games.
Here’s the link to his photographs.
Troubling trends?
The future of high school sports competition among its elite athletes is certainly going to face challenges with the trend of top individuals being in a hurry to get to college or the pros, thus ending their high school careers early.
I’m not saying whether it’s right or wrong, but it’s happening.
This past week, a top junior running back from Texas decided to opt out of his upcoming senior year to prepare for college. If this is happening in Texas, where high school football is revered, then that’s a big warning sign. All the pluses of participating in high school football couldn’t prevent him from opting out.
The same trend is happening in high school basketball, where two junior twins from Florida, Matt and Ryan Bewley, reached agreement to become the first high school underclassmen to sign contracts with the Overtime Elite league. They will get paid to forego high school and college to prepare for the NBA draft.
It’s great there’s options for high school athletes but coaches in high school and college need to provide the appropriate advice and intervene if a reality check is needed.
Lacrosse
After years of hard work, there’s finally going to be a Southern Section championship in lacrosse. The playoffs begin on Tuesday.
Last year was supposed to be the first season for playoffs. Then COVID-19 hit.
Here’s the link to boys and girls playoff pairings.
Track
It’s time for league finals in track. One of the best is the Mission League finals on Thursday at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
The Southern Section prelims will take place June 5, followed by the finals on June 12.
Soccer
The City Section Division I boys and girls soccer championships are set. Birmingham will play host to El Camino Real on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in an all-West Valley League final and Granada Hills will play host to Cleveland in another all-West Valley League girls final on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Birmingham. Birmingham has beaten El Camino Real once and tied in the other meeting. Granada Hills has beaten Cleveland twice.
In Southern Section Division 1 boys, Loyola will face surprising Mira Costa in the championship game this weekend. Mira Costa took out No. 1 seeded L.A. Cathedral. Loyola knocked off No. 2-seeded Servite.
In Southern Section Division 1 girls, unbeaten Harvard-Westlake will face Villa Park.
From the archives
Way back in 2004, I wrote a column that was titled, “Buddy system works for rivals on the court.”
It was so fun to write because the two basketball players were Jordan Farmar of Taft and Nick Young of Cleveland. Farmar was headed to UCLA. Young was headed to USC. Farmar was helping Young make sure he could qualify academically by tutoring him on the SAT.
“People say it’s like Magic [Johnson] and Larry Bird,” Young said.
Added Farmar: “Nick is my boy. He’s a good person, with a good heart.”
They’d go on to have great college careers and fulfill their dreams by both reaching the NBA. Farmar won a championship with the Lakers. Young won a championship with the Warriors and also played with the Lakers.
It’s a great story of teenage rivals helping each other.
Here’s the link from the 2004 interview.
Recommendations
From the Boston Globe, a story on adjustments being made for lacrosse on faceoffs.
From the San Jose Mercury News, a story on former Cal and NFL running back Jahvid Best becoming a head coach in Northern California.
From the Ventura County Star, a story on Scott Radinsky of Westlake, the son of the former major leaguer whose father is also coaching at Westlake.
Tweets you may have missed
Until next time...
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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