While only one boys basketball team team - Archbishop Mitty - could win the Central Coast Section Open Division, the season continues for the other five Open qualifiers - Serra, Leigh, Archbishop Riordan, Burlingame and Sacred Heart Cathedral.
CCS champ and defending NorCal titlist Mitty begins Open Division play on Friday night by hosting El Cerrito. Meantime, CCS Open runners-up Serra has dropped to the D2 tournament where it is joined by West Catholic Athletic League foe St. Ignatius - which won the CCS D-II title - and Leigh. The other CCS Open participants -- Sacred Heart Cathedral, Riordan and Burlingame - are in D3.
The NorCals present another chance for some Open teams like injury-plagued Leigh, which lost twice in the CCS Open tournament.
Leigh hosts Las Loma on Wednesday in a D-II opener. The Longhorns have not been in NorCals in 21 years and have never won a NorCal game.
"We feel real good," Leigh coach Patrick Judge said. "We're excited to be there and to have the opportunity. I sent a text to my players about who we're playing and we're watching film on Las Lomas and getting acclimated to how they play and then we'll start building a game plan."
Leigh has been hindered in the post-season by the absence of guard Josh Verner (broken hand). Verner has been cleared to play in NorCals but has also recently been diagnosed with mononucleosis, said Judge, who added his sharp-shooting guard is "50-50" to play against Las Lomas.
"Las Lomas is a good team - any team that makes it this far is very good. They're sort of similar to us," Judge said.
While Mitty enjoys some home cooking for its opener, Serra also gets a home game Saturday against the winner of Del Oro vs. Montgomery. Coincidentally, Del Oro defeated Serra in the CIF-State NorCal football playoff bowl game.
Serra star Danny Mahoney said the Padres are pumped to return to the court after falling to Mitty on Friday night in the CCS Open title game.
"We're excited about it," Mahoney said. "We didn't know if we'd be in the Open Division or Division II. Either way, it's another home we get to play at Serra. It was a tough loss against Mitty but at the end of the day I think we'd rather have a chance to make a far NorCal run than win CCS."
On the girls' side, CCS Open champ St. Ignatius and CCS runners-up Sacred Heart Cathedral are both in the NorCal Open. St. Ignatius hosts Salesian on Friday and SHC will meet Carondelet on Friday at De La Salle.
Other CCS Open girls qualifiers are spread throughout the brackets - Wilcox in D-I, Mitty and Presentation in D-II and Eastside College Prep and Pinewood in D5.
CCS D-II champ Lynbrook is also in in D-II for NorCals as well. The Vikings open on Saturday at Clayton Valley. If Lynbrook defeats Clayton Valley and No. 1 seed Mitty wins its first game, Lynbrook will meet the Monarchs on March 18 at Mitty.
"I feel fine," Lynbrook coach Cynthia Ting said. "I didn't know what to expect going into this because I didn't keep track of all the other teams. It kind of sucks we could meet up with Mitty if we win, but I'm glad we don't have to play St. Francis again."
Lynbrook came from behind to defeat St. Francis-Mountain View in the D-II title game.
Glad not to be making too long of a first-round trek in D-III is Soquel. The Knights travel to Campolindo on Wednesday for a first-round game.
"We're happy not to be going to Redding or Modesto," Soquel athletic director Stu Walters said with a laugh. "Scotts Valley was the class of our league and nobody came close to them. But our girls played well under our first-year coach (Kanani Thomas). So I guess we'll order a pizza, get on the bus and head up to Campolindo."
The entire CIF-State NorCal and SoCal brackets may be seen via this link ... http://is.gd/ZrmtOS
