New State Top 20 Girls BB Rankings 
March 9, 2010 9:11 PM
Archbishop Mitty and Carondelet get bumped up to No. 10 and No. 11 while only newcomer is St. Mary's of Berkeley. Go inside for write-ups and analysis of all 20 teams. Note: On Wednesday, we'll begin the process for finally moving our content off this blog to our new and improved home that is part of the new ESPNRISE.com web site. Message boards will be back, too.
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend, Steve Brand, Ronnie Flores
(After games of Saturday, March 6)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
1. (1) St. Mary's (Stockton) 30-1
For folks who think the Rams are vulnerable because they don't have a 6-foot-2 type center, consider what happened in last Friday's CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III final. Sacramento does have a tall center and a very good one in 6-foot-3 Kyra Dunn, signed by Pitt. The problem is that against head coach Tom Gonsalves' press the ball hardly ever gets inside to the center. It's an average of two to three turnovers for every shot attempt by a center. The other telling stat in St. Mary's 75-45 win over the Dragons is that the two McDonald's All-Americans, Chelsea Gray and Afure Jemerigbe, don't have to score for their team to dominate. In that game, senior guard Alle Moreno had 18 points while Ali Gibson and Annissa Garcia both scored 10 to supplement Jemerigbe's 15 and Gray's 11. St. Mary's has a bye in the first-round of the CIF Div. III NorCal playoffs and will play either Enterprise of Redding or Miramonte of Orinda on Thursday. Barring anything bizarre, it will be the Rams vs. either Bishop O'Dowd or Sacramento for the NorCal title on March 20.
2. (2) Brea Olinda (Brea) 29-2
Let the countdown begin for the Ladycats meeting No. 3 Mater Dei in the CIF Division II Southern California title game on March 20 at USC's Galen Center. With apologies to perhaps Hanford, we are getting a little ahead of ourselves, but those two met in last year's final when Mater Dei was No. 1 in the nation and Brea came up with the win. Similar national implications could be on the line again. Brea opens the regionals with a bye, then gets either Westview of Santee or Diamond Ranch of Pomona in the second round. In the CIF Southern Section Div. II-AA championship game, Kelsey Harris had the hot hand with 23 points and five assists in a 63-38 victory over Villa Park. The Ladycats led 29-14 at halftime, then went on a 24-4 run in the third quarter. Keitra Wallace and Alexis Perry both added 11 points each.
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basketball, CA, Jordan Adams, Mater Dei, Moriah Faulk, Santa Monica, Caitlin Welsch, Oak Ridge, Danielle Mauldin, Berkeley St. Mary's
New State Top 20 Boys BB Rankings
March 9, 2010 3:00 AM
Making the most noise this week is Foothill of Tustin, De La Salle of Concord and Etiwanda (even with a loss). Click inside to see write-ups and analysis on all 20 teams before many of them hit the court in the regional playoffs.
By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend, Steve Brand
(After games of Saturday, March 6)
(Previous rank in parentheses)
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 29-1 (1)
Despite Etiwanda's eight losses coming into the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA final, we could have moved the Eagles higher in the ratings last week. We figured they would give Mater Dei all they could handle and boy, did they ever. The non-call on the potential game-tying three-point attempt by Etiwanda's Evan Jenkins will be talked about for a long time in Inland Empire basketball circles, but the actuality is Etiwanda made only four of 10 free throws and gave up 15 offensive rebounds. In other words, the Eagles had other chances to win that game. It was the 20th section title for Gary McKnight in his tenure at Mater Dei, which will open the CIF Div. I SoCal Regional as the top seed as we predicted. The Monarchs take on 22-7 Buchanon of Clovis from the Central Section in Tuesday's first-round. If all goes with no upsets, it will be MD vs. Westchester on Saturday, March 20 at USC's Galen Center.
2. Westchester (Los Angeles) 27-3 (2)
Our divisional rankings lined up with Mater Dei grabbing the top seed, but we feel the Comets would be a slight favorite if the two teams were to meet in the regional final on March 20. With its 70-60 win over No. 3 Taft, Westchester won its 11th L.A. City Section title under veteran coach Ed Azzam, whose development of this group of players over the past two years is one of the better coaching jobs we've seen around the state in recent years. Westchester players are as unselfish as they are talented and know their roles. Nearly all our state-ranked clubs, including Mater Dei, don't have a true pivot, rebounding wings, perimeter shooting, and a true ball-handler like the Comets. Despite the L.A. City Section dominating prep basketball in the state of California, Westchester has won nine city titles the past 13 seasons and with another state title, will go down as one of the state's true dynasties. They would join Oakland McClymonds of the 1960s, L.A. Verbum Dei of the 1970s, plus L.A. Crenshaw and Santa Ana Mater Dei in the 1980s and 1990s. The quest begins Tuesday against 24-7 Colony of Ontario.
3. Taft (Woodland Hills) 24-5 (5)
Westchester coach Ed Azzam knows what Taft coach Derrick Taylor feels like. His team opened up ranked No. 1 in the state in 1988-89 with All-American Zan Mason and slick point guard Sam Crawford. They lost in the L.A. City quarterfinals. During the 1994 and 1995 seasons, Azzam had nationally ranked teams, but could not get over the hump against Willie West's Crenshaw Cougars. Azzam won two city titles, just as Taylor has, but Taylor's team hasn't gotten over the hump, so to speak, against the L.A. City's dominant program. Taylor is now 0-4 against Azzam in the postseason and even after his team was routed by St. Patrick of Elizabeth, N.J. earlier this season, Taylor was confident his team could do damage in the SoCal regional. Bryce Jones is red-hot and it's rare when DeAndre Daniels is not the most talented player on the floor. So if Taylor can get his ball-handlers to step up and stay composed, Taft might play another week after this one. First, it's a tough first-round matchup with state-ranked Loyola.
(Read full post)state rankings, CA, basketball, Ed Azzam, Westchester, Jordan Barton, Bishop O'Dowd, Kevin Smith, Compton Centennial, Myles Carrillo, Tustin Foothill
New Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area Hoop Rankings
March 8, 2010 7:42 PM
St. Mary's boys and girls make statements and then earn top seeds in NorCal playoffs. Also, Carondelet must go on without top player. For highlights on these teams and more, please watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sundays at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays during the week on Comcast SportsNet California.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Prior to the CIF North Coast Section Div. IV girls title game Saturday night at Albany High, a funny thing happened immediately after my old high school chum from Washington of San Francisco, Olaf Pollard, finished a sparkling rendition of the national anthem.
The fabulous crooner turned to yours truly and flashed a huge grin.
"52-49," he said, and then with a pause before finishing, he pointed to the stands where his son, Justin Pollard, was sitting. "St. Mary's!"
Olaf was right on the money even though the Panthers were facing nationally-ranked Salesian of Richmond. The 6-4 Lee twins led the way in the upset of Salesian but Pollard was instrumental in the win as well.
Demetrius Lee had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Utah-bound Dominique Lee scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but without Pollard it may have been a different story.
The 5-foot-10 senior came off the bench to score 12 points with eight rebounds. He also connected on seven of nine free throws. With the Panthers only 13 of 30 from the line, that means the rest of the team was an abysmal 6-for-21.
It was the fourth meeting of the year between the two and with the win St. Mary's snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Pride and grabbed the top seed in the NorCal Division IV playoffs.
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basketball, CA, Justin Pollard, Berkeley St. Mary's, Ricki Radanovich, Carondelet, Sage Romberg, McKinleyville, Nate Appel, De La Salle
Mater Dei, McKnight off the schneid
March 6, 2010 9:19 PM
There was a controversial ending as state No. 1 Mater Dei pulled out a 68-65 win over Etiwanda of Rancho Cucamonga in the CIFSS Div. I-AA finals. With the win, the one-loss Monarchs are the favorites to earn the No. 1 seed in the SoCal Div. I regional playoffs over three-loss Westchester of Los Angeles, the two-time defending L.A. City Section Div. I champs and last year's CIF Div. I state title-winning club. READ INSIDE or CLICK HERE for even more recaps and analysis of Saturday's Southern Section playoff action from the Honda Center, which included a historic win for Lawndale Leuzinger in Div. I-A.
By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor
The Honda Center in Anaheim has not been kind to the boys basketball team at Mater of Santa Ana the past three years. Although the Monarchs have picked up state titles No. 6 and No. 7 in that time span, they had not won a CIF Southern Section title.
On Saturday night, the state's No.1 ranked team faced a red-hot Etiwanda of Rancho Cucamonga team that came in ranked No. 18 in the state. That ranking was a bit misleading since the Eagles dropped some uncharacteristic early-season games, but were coming off wins over talented Corona Centennial and No. 2 seed Long Beach Poly in the semifinals. Not to mention veteran coach Dave Kleckner usually has his team in peak form for a post-season run.
The Eagles were in position to win their second section title and hand Mater Dei its glass slipper for the fourth consecutive year when the Monarchs' Gary Franklin turned the ball over with 50 seconds remaining in the game and Etiwanda trialing by a point (66-65). What transpired after that will not soon be forgotten by players and coaches on both teams.
Etiwanda's Jordan Daniels, who had stolen the ball from Franklin, had to jack up an off-balance 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining as the shot clock expired. With the crowd noise produced by over 9,000 fans deafening, the Eagles were not aware of the shot clock and when the ball didn't hit the rim on the shot attempt, players on both teams were temporarily bewildered. Mater Dei's David Brown came up with possession in the mad scramble for the ball and the clock showed 5.2 seconds remaining before Etiwanda's Byron Wesley committed a foul to stop the clock.
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CA basketball, Reggie Morris Jr., Amir Garrett, Delon Wright, Dorell Wright, Etiwanda, Mater Dei, Santa Monica, record book, Taft, Westchester, Dwayne Polee Jr., Bryce Jones
Serra downs Centennial, eyes state
March 6, 2010 4:27 PM
Serra of Gardena boys basketball team wins section title over Centennial of Compton in an early-morning CIFSS championship showdown of state-ranked teams at the Honda Center in Anaheim. With its win, Serra is likely No. 1 seed in Div. III SoCal regional as the team looks to match the school's football program by winning a CIF Div. III state title. Also read inside for a report of Thursday's small-schools showdown between defending Div. V state champ L.A. Windward and Lutheran in Div. V-AA. Check CalHiSports.com through Sunday morning for various basketball section title game recaps.
By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor
The old mantra "save the best for last" didn't apply to this year's CIF Southern Section Toyota Boys Basketball Championships.
Centennial of Compton took on Serra of Gardena in a Div. III-A final that was one of the state's most attractive section title games. The crowd that made the 9am tip-off at the Honda Center in Anaheim was treated to a classic back and forth affair. When the dust settled, it was Serra that emerged with a 62-58 victory.
By winning the fifth section championship in the tenure of veteran coach Dwan Hurt, the Cavaliers likely clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SoCal Div. III regional. The other section titles for Hurt came in 1993, 1999, 2000, and 2006.
"We knew they (Centennial) had athletes and that we we're pretty even in the starting five," Hurt said. "But I think our bench players played a big part in the game. I thought it was a great game from a spectator point of view, but I just wish it could have been played later in the day. We just had to prepare for this, so we practiced yesterday at 6:30 in the morning."(Read full post)
CA, basketball, Serra, CIF Southern Section, Dwan Hurt, Centennial, Deonta Burton, Marquis Lee, Keith Shamburger, Miguel Villegas, Bruce English, La Verne Lutheran, Windward, Murrieta Valley, Compton, Alex Varner, Pasadena, Eisenhower
Janelle Travis: State Girls Athlete of the Week
March 6, 2010 4:02 AM
Her Justin-Siena of Napa team is still alive in the playoffs and although she hopes to continue wearing sneakers at one college in particular, graduation from this institution takes to you to a different battlefield. Note: Make sure you follow us at twitter.com/calhisports as we'll do our best to give you live updates from the big games we attend all season long. You can also follow us on Facebook. Please join our Facebook group by CLICKING HERE)
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
When this week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week changed schools two years ago, her nominator, Justin-Siena of Napa football coach and CalHiSports 2004 State Small School Coach of the Year Rich Cotruvo, was already starting the nomination process.
"You've got to see this girl. She has all the moves, is smooth, can use either hand. She's the real deal,” said Cotruvo about current senior guard Janelle Travis.
And that was at the beginning of her junior season.
After a freshman year at Miramonte of Orinda, where on a talented team she saw little playing time, and then a sophomore year at Campolindo of Moraga where she led the team in scoring with a 16.7 points per game average, something still wasn't right.
(Read full post)basketball, CA, Janelle Travis, state girls athlete of the week
Cody Kessler: State Boys Athlete of the Week
March 5, 2010 5:00 PM
It's not often someone is the leading scorer in one of California's 10 sections, puts his team on his shoulders and takes them deep into the section playoffs, and basketball is not his top sport by a long shot. Note: Make sure you follow us at twitter.com/calhisports as we'll do our best to give you live updates from the big games we attend all season long. You can also follow us on Facebook. Please join our Facebook group by CLICKING HERE)
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
For this week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com State Boys Athlete of the Week, Centennial (Bakersfield, Calif.) two-sport standout Cody Kessler, it's kind of a shame the CIF Central Section only has two spots in the Division I Southern Regional playoffs and not four like some of its other divisions.
Although his team took a 350-mile round trip up Highway 99 to the Fresno area and lost 79-71 to Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.) in the Central Section Division I semifinals last Tuesday night, the fact the Golden Hawks are out of the playoffs is not because Kessler let down from the torrential pace he'd been keeping the past few weeks, or in fact, all season.
Shaking off a slow start, Cody dropped in a cool 39 points and that was after he was chosen winner of this award on Monday.
After leading his team to eight straight victories to wrap up the Southwest Yosemite League title, and going for 30 or more points in four of the eight contests, Cody had an off night and second lowest total on the season of 17 points in an inconsequential loss to cross-town Ridgeview.
(Read full post)football, CA, basketball, Cody Kessler, state boys athlete of the week
State Stat Stars of the Week
March 5, 2010 5:02 AM
(For additions, corrections or to report a statistical standout we may have missed, email mark@studentsports.com. To inquire about a section or state record, please email Senior Editor Ronnie Flores at ronnie@studentsports.com or call (800) 660-1334 Ext. 4414; For games played between Febuary 22- March 2; Writeups by Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens, Bob Barnett, Mark Tennis, & Ronnie Flores)
Boys Basketbal
Chris Adams (Damien, La Verne): He did all he could to try and help knock off the defending state champs, but his 32-point performance wasn't enough in a 82-74 loss to Eisenhower of Rialto in the CIF Southern Section Division II-A semifinals.
Harry Brazelton (Mount Miguel, Spring Valley): Although the girls team has been a power for years, the Matadors boys are making some noise behind Brazelton, who scored 23 points in a 67-61 win over dangerous University City (San Diego) in the section quarterfinals.
Chen Cai (Maranatha Christian, San Diego): Two more solid all-around games for the 6-8 junior by way of China. First, he scored 24 points and 14 points in limited action against Lutheran before tossing in 19 points, collecting 15 rebounds and 8 blocks against San Diego Jewish Academy.
Michael Cohen (Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth): Blazed a way for the Trailblazers to reach the CIF Southern Section Division V championship game by scoring 31 points in a 64-57 semifinal win over top-seeded Renaissance Academy of La Canada.
Tyler Cross (The Rock Academy, San Diego): Had back-to-back games of 28 and 29 points as The Rock powered its way into the San Diego Section Division V semifinals with wins over Borrego Springs and Calvin Christian (Escondido). Against Borrego, he had a triple-double with 29 points, 10 assists and 15 boards.
(Read full post)CA, football, stat stars, state record book, softball, baseball, Robby Rowland, Saidah Allen, Chen Cai, Erykah Washington, Josiah Turner
Florida association breaks tradition
March 4, 2010 6:16 PM
Will other state associations, including the CIF, follow decision that will allow member schools to participate in post-season national invitational basketball tournament on ESPN?
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
A press release sent out Thursday by ESPN is likely to generate some heated debate within high school state associations around the country, including California.
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is granting its member schools permission to participate in this year's ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, provided any of its teams are invited.
A smaller private schools state association in North Carolina, the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association, also is going to allow its schools to participate for the first time.
The NHSI will be held on April 1-3 in Baltimore, Md., and will consist of an eight-school boys bracket and a four-school girls bracket. Based on the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national rankings, at least one Florida state champion boys team and possibly two Florida state champion girls teams could be invited.
If the Florida state champions play in the NHSI, it is believed that it would mark the first time in 25 years that a major state association anywhere in the country has allowed a basketball state champion to play in any games after winning a state championship.
(Read full post)basketball, CA, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational
More Girls BB Ranks: By Division & Region
March 4, 2010 11:27 AM
One team that has been No. 1 in its division this season is bounced from CCS tourney on Wednesday. Find out why that team also isn't going into the regional playoffs while almost every other section semifinalist is moving on. All CIF divisional rankings plus NorCal top 15 and SoCal top 20 are inside.
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Harold Abend, Ronnie Flores, Paul Muyskens
Note: Teams were put into divisions based on what was seen on the various section web sites and on MaxPreps.com. The rankings are more based on head-to-head results, common opponents and other factors than what a computer might come up with. The CalHiSports.com state rankings system is now in its 30th year of operation and is utilized for football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball and softball. To report schools in incorrect divisions or if you have a question, please email mark@studentsports.com.
(After games of Saturday, Feb. 27)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
Division I
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 27-2
2. (2) Santiago (Corona) 29-2
3. (3) Berkeley 24-3
4. (4) Clovis West (Fresno) 22-4
5. (5) Santa Monica 24-6
6. (6) Troy (Fullerton) 26-4
7. (8) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 26-3
8. (15) Summit (Fontana) 25-5
9. (7) Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) 26-4
10. (11) Poway 26-3
11. (9) Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 24-7
12. (12) Franklin (Elk Grove) 25-4
13. (13) Kennedy (Sacramento) 27-3
14. (NR) Deer Valley (Antioch) 21-6
15. (10) Ayala (Chino Hills) 22-7
Breakdown: Long Beach Poly is still in top shape in its quest for a fifth straight state title in this division. The Jackrabbits face Santiago for the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA title and if they win would be an easy pick on Sunday for the top seed in the SoCal regional playoffs. In the north, if Berkeley and Oak Ridge both win section titles, those would be the top two seeds. The No. 1 seed could go either way, despite our rankings. Berkeley will be weakened by the loss of junior standout Chairese Culberson from a knee injury, but that loss may not show up until the Yellowjackets play Oak Ridge or similar opponent. They will face Deer Valley in the CIF North Coast Section final.
(Read full post)state rankings, CA, basketball, girls divisional state rankings, Brianna Salvatore, Villa Park, Alexa Johnson, Bishop Montgomery, Natasha on Kaeppler, Castilleja
More Boys BB Ranks: By Division & Region
March 3, 2010 5:17 PM
At Sunday's seeding meetings for the NorCal and SoCal playoffs, these rankings will be the ones some commissioners will use to help determine their pecking order. All CIF divisional rankings plus NorCal top 15 and SoCal top 20 are inside. Nearly 100 teams in all listed.
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Harold Abend, Ronnie Flores, Paul Muyskens
Note: Teams were put into divisions based on what was seen on the various section web sites and on MaxPreps.com. The rankings are more based on head-to-head results, common opponents and other factors than what a computer might come up with. The CalHiSports.com state rankings system is now in its 30th year of operation and is utilized for football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball and softball. To report schools in incorrect divisions or if you have a question, please email mark@studentsports.com.
(After games of Saturday, Feb. 27)
(previous ranking in parentheses)
Division I
1. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 28-1
2. (2) Westchester (Los Angeles) 26-3
3. (4) Newark Memorial (Newark) 26-3
4. (5) Taft (Woodland Hills) 24-4
5. (3) Poly (Long Beach) 26-4
6. (6) Leuzinger (Lawndale) 23-6
7. (8) De La Salle (Concord) 25-2
8. (10) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 25-2
9. (NR) Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 23-8
10. (7) Loyola (Los Angeles) 26-3
11. (13) Castro Valley 23-5
12. (15) Serra (San Mateo) 23-5
13. (12) Crenshaw (Los Angeles) 21-4
14. (NR) Santa Monica 24-6
15. (NR) Sheldon (Sacramento) 23-5
Breakdown: Both Mater Dei and Westchester are unbeaten vs. California schools and while an argument could be made that Westchester played a tougher national schedule the Monarchs would appear to have the edge for a top seed in the south for the regional playoffs with two less losses. This would assume of course that both teams win section titles this weekend. In the north, whichever team wins the Division I title in the North Coast Section (Newark Memorial, DLS, San Ramon Valley) will be the likely top seed. It will be interesting to see if Sheldon with all of its talent can finally break through and win a Sac-Joaquin Section crown.
(Read full post)state rankings, CA, basketball, boys divisional state rankings, Justin Gudger, Murrieta Valley, Doug Vierra, Bishop O'Dowd, Eric Cooper, La Verne Lutheran
New State Top 20 Girls BB Rankings
March 3, 2010 10:56 AM
Modesto Christian and St. Joseph of Santa Maria get back into the mix while Archbishop Mitty jumps three spots to No. 14. You can see the write-ups and analysis of all 20 teams with just one click.
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend, Steve Brand, Ronnie Flores
(After games of Saturday, Feb. 27)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
1. (1) St. Mary's (Stockton) 28-1
Senior point guard Chelsea Gray is a Ms. Basketball USA and Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year candidate and showed why in the Rams' 93-47 win over Natomas of Sacramento last week in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III quarterfinals. The Duke-bound standout nearly notched a quadruple-double with 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and nine steals. Earlier in the week, teammate Afure Jemrigbe led with 20 points in a 109-43 romp past Oakdale. St. Mary's plays Vanden of Travis Air Force Base, winners of 16 straight games, in Wednesday's semifinals. In Friday's section final at Arco Arena, it will likely be the Rams against No. 10 state-ranked Sacramento.
2. (2) Brea Olinda (Brea) 28-2
The Ladycats remain right on the heels of the only team they've lost to after CIF Southern Section Div. II-AA playoffs wins last week of 78-22 vs. Royal of Simi Valley and 59-42 vs. Ventura. Kelsey Harris buried five shots from 3-point land and had 17 points to lead the way against the Cougars, who are always dangerous. With the win, Brea advanced to this week's section final against Villa Park. It is a matchup that heavily favors the Ladycats and if they win, they'll likely be given the top seed in the CIF Division II Southern Regional playoffs.
3. (3) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 27-1
Unlike St. Mary's and Brea Olinda, who had no trouble at all in playoff outings last week, the Monarchs were in a bit of a struggle in their two games in the CIFSS Div. II-A bracket. Norco was up first and the Cougars had it down to a one-point game in the fourth quarter before Mater Dei pulled away for a 59-50 win. It was a more comfortable 80-63 margin in the semifinals later in the week against Beverly Hills, but at the half it was a 42-40 contest. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis may have to be even more unstoppable with standout Jordan Adams banged up. She stepped up in these two games with 27 and 33 points, respectively. Head coach Kevin Kiernan's club meets Woodbridge of Irvine in the CIFSS Div. II-A final.
(Read full post)state rankings, CA, basketball, Chelsea Gray, Stockton St. Mary's, Chrishae Rowe, Corona Santiago, Brandi Henton, Modesto Christian, Aly Beebe, Santa Maria St. Joseph
New State Top 20 Boys BB Rankings
March 2, 2010 3:12 AM
Etiwanda causes chaos with upset of Long Beach Poly and joins two others as newcomers to this week's rankings. Click inside to see write-ups and analysis on all 20 teams.
By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend, Steve Brand
(After games of Saturday, Feb. 27)
(Previous rank in parentheses)
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 28-1 (1)
As expected, the Monarchs rolled into the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA finals with two wins last week. A bit surprising was the relative ease of those victories. In a quarterfinal win over Los Alamitos, Keala King netted 26 points and three-year starting point guard Gary Franklin Jr. added 21. In the semifinals, Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley came into the contest ranked No. 19 in the state, but fell 94-58. Last season, with McDonald's All-American Michael Snaer, the Mustangs put up a good fight before losing, but this year they were no match for Gary McKnight's club, which has played as well as any team on the West Coast since the turn of the New Year. King, Franklin Jr. and UCLA-bound Tyler Lamb combined for 62 points as Mater Dei jumped out to a 32-14 lead after one period. At the high school level, it's difficult for any team to find the combination of defensive players that can slow down that trio. Teams can double one of them, perhaps even slow down two of them, but finding the right combination to slow down all three is nearly impossible. Coach Dave Kleckner's club at red-hot Etiwanda of Rancho Cucamonga gets a crack at the Monarchs this Saturday in the CIFSS Div. I-AA final. Win or lose, and the Monarchs are favored, both clubs will participate in the CIF Div. I SoCal Regional.
2. Westchester (Los Angeles) 26-3 (2)
March is winning time and the Comets know how to pick up "Ws” better than any team in the state over the past decade. The competition supposedly gets tougher in the later rounds of the playoffs, especially in the historically tough L.A. City Section, but Westchester had no problem reaching the section final with wins over L.A. Fremont (84-48) and L.A. Washington (90-53). Dwayne Polee Jr. went for 18 and senior guard Jordin Mayes added 14 in the quarterfinal win over Fremont. In the semis at USC's Galen Center, the Generals came out a bit jittery and the veteran Comets jumped all over them, taking a 29-5 lead after one period of play. As he usually does, Mayes had a big night in a big game and finished with 22 points. Coach Ed Azzam has done a masterful job with this particular group of players in the past two years and will be seeking the program's ninth city title since 1998, and his 11th overall, against No. 5 Taft of Woodland Hills. Westchester defeated the Toreadors earlier in the season in the finals of their own pre-Christmas tournament, but Taft is an improved club since then. Question is, can head coach Derrick Taylor lead his club past the Comets in the post-season for the first time in his coaching career?
3. Salesian (Richmond) 29-1 (3)
Most of the top seeds in the CIF North Coast Section's large-school brackets get byes, but not in Division IV , so the Pride opened the playoffs at home against Clear Lake with an 88-47 blowout in which Coach Bill Mellis emptied the bench, allowing the boys from Lake County to score some points. It was much of the same for the top seeds in a 62-27 home victory over Healdsburg. Against the Hounds, Washington-bound Desmond Simmons had 17 points and seven rebounds. The boys now host 25-4 Arcata, a 59-54 winner over Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa. Arcata, the No. 9 team in the state in D4 in the last divisional rankings, has a player 6-11 and two players 6-6 in the starting lineup. Salesian will be going for its 20th straight victory since a loss to Loyola of Los Angeles.
(Read full post)state rankings, CA, basketball, boys state top 20, Bryce Jones, Woodland Hills Taft, Alex Varner, Rialto Eisenhower, Keith Shamburger, Gardena Serra, John McArthur, Concord De La Salle
New Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area Hoop Rankings
March 1, 2010 8:09 PM
Berkeley girls suffer big blow entering playoffs while two-sport standout Robby Rowland's basketball career ended by St. Mary's of Berkeley. To see highlights from many of these teams, watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays every day on Comcast Sportsnet California.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
The CalHiSports.com caravan made three stops last week to cover CIF North Coast Section boys and girls playoff action.
Wednesday night it was a Division V doubleheader at College of Marin in Kentfield.
In the first game there was a familiar site on the sidelines at the newly refurbished gym.
What was different was two-time Division V state champion head coach Mike Fulton was not coaching the home team, Branson, but its opening-round opponent, San Domenico of San Anselmo, playing in its first NCS playoff game in school history.
There were lots of hugs and embraces before the game, but once tip-off came around the host Bulls' girls had little sympathy for their old coach in his first year at the Panthers' helm.
Branson bolted to a 15-0 lead and just kept going in a 73-34 victory.
In the boys' game that followed, Branson overcame a sluggish start and an 11-9 first quarter deficit, to win easily, 45-30, over Urban of San Francisco.
Friday night's arrival at Berkeley was greeted by the sight of star junior post Charise Culberson with an immobilized right knee.
According to Coach Cheryl Draper, "she took a normal step in practice last Wednesday and it went out," as the ACL and meniscus were torn.
Brittany Boyd had 26 points with 23 in the first half, so the Yellowjackets didn't need Culberson in a 65-24 running clock victory over Washington of Fremont, but to win a state title without Culberson will now be a very difficult task.
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basketball, CA, Charese Culberson, Berkeley, Don Lippi, Alameda St. Joseph, Kendall Andrews, Newark Memorial, Mike Fulton, San Domenico
Top 5 Weekend Playoff Storylines
March 1, 2010 2:42 AM
State career assists record falls in San Diego plus defending state girls champion loses in San Fernando Valley. Note: Make sure you follow us at twitter.com/calhisports as we'll do our best to give you live updates from the big games we attend all season long. You can also follow us on Facebook. Please join our Facebook group by CLICKING HERE)
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
With more teams than ever before being allowed to advance into the CIF Northern California and Southern California regional playoffs, upset specials in the semifinal rounds of the various section basketball playoffs around the state don't have the finality of a knockout like they used to.
Still, the postseason of California boys and girls basketball moved into a more intense phase over the last weekend.
Here are five storylines, presented in a countdown, that most captured our attention at CalHiSports.com:
5. Agoura girls stay unbeaten
As the wins have piled up and the losses have stayed at zero, many around the state and in the CIF Southern Section have wondered about the strength of the Agoura High girls team. The Chargers haven't played the toughest of schedules, but after a CIFSS Div. III-AA semifinal win of 67-55 on Saturday night over Buena of Ventura they are perhaps a team to be taken a bit more seriously. With the win, Agoura, No. 12 overall in the state, improved to 29-0 and advanced to a section final against Inglewood. Buena is a school with a tremendous girls basketball tradition, but fell behind early and could only close to within seven points. Kylie Cunningham and Camille Mahlknect led the scoring for Agoura with 17 points apiece.
(Read full post)basketball, TAGS: CA, Byron Wesley, Etiwanda, Kylie Cunningham, Agoura, Imani Stafford, Windward
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