The Central Coast Section boys’ basketball playoffs begin this Tuesday, February 20, with championship games scheduled for the first weekend of March. Of course, that is hardly the end of basketball season, as the top finishers in each bracket automatically qualify for the CIF championships, along with all teams who were selected for the Open Division.
Right now, we take a look at each CCS playoff bracket.
Open Division (bracket)
TEAMS: Bellarmine, Menlo, Palo Alto, St. Francis, Sequoia, St. Ignatius, Mitty, Serra
OVERVIEW: As usual, the WCAL is all over the Open Division field, but seeing the top two teams from the league lined up to meet in the semifinals rather than the championship is a major surprise. It shows that the committee truly believes that this year’s crop of non-WCAL teams is better than any that’s come before. While seeing Menlo in the #2 spot isn’t a major surprise, seeing Palo Alto ahead of the rest of the pack was unexpected. The Vikings do have the resume for a high seed, though. They’re 22-2, and one of those losses was by just eight to Salesian.
The bottom four seeds are all dangerous as well. Sequoia is the only CCS team from outside of the WCAL to beat a WCAL team, and that was a road win over Serra on December 16. While big man Ziggy Lauese is the focal point, the Cherokees also boast a deep bench and excellent athleticism throughout the lineup. Mitty is the only CCS team to beat Bellarmine in the past two years and has won three of five Open Division titles, and even though it’s been a quiet year for Serra, nobody will overlook the Padres. Chuck Rapp’s teams always seem to be at their most dangerous when they’re counted out, such as a win at St. Francis on January 26.
SLEEPER: Despite finishing third in the WCAL, St. Ignatius has the sixth seed. The Wildcats split a pair of meetings with St. Francis and took Bellarmine to overtime in the league opener despite the absence of Wrenn Robinson and Neal Begovich to injury. When SI is clicking, the results are devastating for opponents. This year, the ‘Cats swept Serra for the first time since 2001, winning 70-61 in the Jungle Game and 68-40 at home in one of their most complete performances of the year.
PREDICTED CHAMPION: Bellarmine
Division I (bracket)
TOP FOUR SEEDS: Piedmont Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo-Atherton, Alisal
OVERVIEW: Even with three Division I teams in the Open Division, this year’s field is incredibly deep. It seems almost criminal that only one of these teams will end up advancing to the CIF State Tournament. Piedmont Hills and Los Gatos are a clear top two, but the top seven all have impressed this season.
Even the lower half of the field should be intriguing, with tons of parity in the field. Almost all of the BVAL and SCVAL teams have split head-to-head meetings with at least one of the other teams in the field, meaning that it’s almost impossible to use prior matchups as a means for prediction.
SLEEPER: Los Altos was a solid third in the SCVAL De Anza. While the Eagles handled the four teams below them in the league with relative ease, they struggled with Palo Alto and Los Gatos. Still, the Eagles have the firepower to knock off a top team, even if they are known as a defensive unit. Cal Poly-Pomona bound Matt Eberle is a difficult matchup and can score from anywhere on the floor. If Jake Shab or Simon Heck joins forces with Eberle to propel the offense, Los Altos will be hard to stop.
PREDICTED CHAMPION: Los Gatos
Division II (bracket)
TOP FOUR SEEDS: Valley Christian, Leigh, Aragon, Willow Glen
OVERVIEW: It’s been a while since Valley Christian won a section title. The Warriors last did so in 2005 and have lost their last three championship games, including a 70-58 defeat to Mountain View in last year’s Division II final. What better time than the present to change that? With Cameron Fini and Jay Allen-Tovar inside, the Warriors have run roughshod over nonleague competition and held their own in the WCAL. Despite going just 2-12, they were competitive in almost every league game, including a three-point loss to Mitty last Tuesday and pushing Serra to overtime on Friday.
Leigh went 2-8 against an absolutely grueling nonleague schedule, which helped them finish second in the BVAL Mount Hamilton. The Longhorns will be well-prepared for the rigors of playoff basketball. Third-seeded Aragon, the quarterfinal and semifinal host, also overcame a difficult early part of the season. With Sam Manu fully integrated into the lineup, the Dons finished PAL South play on a six-game winning streak, including victories over Menlo-Atherton and Mills.
The rest of the field is extremely full of parity. Leland has a stunning win over Piedmont Hills and Mountain View owns a similarly huge upset over Los Gatos. The bottom of the field is intriguing as well, with Pioneer as an unseeded team despite finishing third in the BVAL Santa Teresa standings.
Only the winner from Division II will reach the state tournament, as was the case last year. Valley also encountered the predicament as a Division III team in 2014, in which they lost to Aragon in the final.
SLEEPER: Despite a BVAL Santa Teresa title, Branham was unceremoniously handed the tenth seed, meaning the Bruins need two wins just to have a shot at upending rival Leigh. Past Valley Christian, Branham arguably has the most size in the field, with Brandon Anders, Luke Sayre and Nick Majors all standing at 6-foot-5.
PREDICTED CHAMPION: Valley Christian
Division III (bracket)
TOP FOUR SEEDS: Sacred Heart Cathedral, Riordan, Mills, Monterey
OVERVIEW: It’s no surprise that the WCAL owns the top two seeds in Division III. Last year, SHC and Riordan were both knocked out in the quarterfinals, but this year’s field doesn’t seem to have the same sort of depth. The strength of the bracket largely lies in the higher seeds, with Mills’ difficult zone defense and an explosive Monterey team rounding out the top seeds.
A potential Mills-Riordan semifinal matchup could be a great one. The Vikings have one of the smoothest players around in junior Colby Vasquez, who offers great quickness, excellent drives to the hoop and a reliable outside shot. WCAL play was unforgiving for Riordan, but the Crusaders are getting healthy. They also own a remarkable win over Mitty and a natural scoring weapon in James Chun, who set a school record with nine 3-pointers in a December win over Westmoor. Transfer Watida Mukukula has fit in smoothly since joining the fold in January, and Je’Lani Clark is a promising sophomore point guard who excels at the free throw line.
Sacred Heart Cathedral also has a stellar sophomore at the point in Bryce Monroe, who scored 28 points in a remarkable Bruce-Mahoney Game performance against rival St. Ignatius. Junior wing E.J. Neal has also been excellent for the Irish as a constant double-double threat. SHC also has a monster rebounder in Amin Oglesby and Gary Hudson accentuates Monroe’s skills at guard. As of late, Elijah Flowers has been inserted in the starting lineup, rounding out the top five for a team that struggled to get secondary scoring early in the season.
Monterey will have a target on its back as defending champion, but with Tahjae Ordonio leading the charge, even the most well-prepared teams will have their hands full with the Toreadores.
SLEEPER: In such a top-heavy field, fifth-seeded Aptos could be team to sneak up on the rest of the group. With Rashaun Wooden and Blake Welle leading the charge, the Mariners, who reached the championship game in 2015, could have the firepower to keep up with the top seeds.
PREDICTED CHAMPION: Sacred Heart Cathedral
Division IV (bracket)
TOP FOUR SEEDS: Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Jefferson, Carmel
OVERVIEW: The Division IV field was by far the most difficult to seed. With Jefferson and Half Moon Bay splitting regular-season meetings and the PAL North title, it was a mess to organize from the very top. Pacific Grove beat Palma and Jefferson, plus split a pair of meetings with Carmel, but the Breakers also have losses to Soledad and King City.
Even with Menlo in the Open Division, the WBAL has two major players in the field in Sacred Heart Prep and King’s Academy. SHP struggled in December, but the young lineup began to flow in time for league play, in which the Gators went 11-3. In their second meeting with Menlo, they trailed by just two at the start of the fourth quarter. In a field dominated by veteran players, sophomore guard Ryan Von Thaden has led the youth movement for Tony Martinelli’s team. King’s Academy beat Pacific Grove when the Breakers were red-hot. Three members of Drew Petiti’s lineup average double-figures, led by Erik Peterson’s 14.6 ppg.
Aside from Von Thaden and the rest of the Gators, the other team with serious youth is Carmel, led by freshman J.T. Byrne and sophomore Kai Lee. Jefferson has a trio of juniors who transferred in from Westmoor, led by guard Marquez Costiniano, who, along with Luis Villarreal and J.J. Cruz, have supplemented a trio of three-year players. Rodney Lawrence has gone from a big body in the post to one of the best centers in the area. Should Jefferson get another shot at Half Moon Bay, he’ll have one last chance to go up against Ethan Menzies.
Perennial contender Palma is in unfamiliar territory. Typically one of the highest seeds in the field and an Open Division team the past two years, the Chieftains hold the ninth spot and will start play on Tuesday against Gonzales.
Terra Nova might be the most intriguing unseeded team in any division, as the Tigers overcame a lackluster December to finish third in the PAL North.
SLEEPER: Monte Vista Christian was nearly unstoppable at home, blowing out Salinas and beating both Alisal and Palma, but the Mustangs will need to translate their success to playing outside of Watsonville in order to find postseason success. Miles Greene (12.9 ppg) and 6-foot-10 Lucas Schmidt (11.3 ppg, 11.7 rpg) headline an experienced lineup.
PREDICTED CHAMPION: Jefferson
Division V (bracket)
TOP FOUR SEEDS: St. Francis SCP, Woodside Priory, Eastside College Prep, Pinewood
OVERVIEW: As usual, the top four teams in the field are St. Francis SCP and a trio from the WBAL. Woodside Priory is especially intriguing, with Ayo Aderoboye averaging 14 points a night. All three of the WBAL teams among the top four seeds are called the Panthers. Woodside Priory swept Eastside and split with Pinewood, while Pinewood swept Eastside. Still, Eastside has been hot as of late, with all four meetings against the aforementioned opponents going down to the wire and an impressive win over Sacred Heart Prep in the final week of league play.
SLEEPER: Alma Heights has hardly been battle-tested, but with explosive guards in Lucas and Diego Sotto, the Eagles have the ability to win shootouts. Their two losses were to Eastside College Prep and Pinewood, hence the fifth seed rather than a bye into the quarterfinals. The Sotto brothers are just two of four players who average double-figures for Mark Bermudez’s squad.
PREDICTED CHAMPION: St. Francis SCP
