SoCalHoops High School News
SoCalHoops High School News
Division I-AAA First Round
Game Previews--(Feb. 16, 2001)
Ok, everyone has been asking us what we know about these teams. . . so we'll spill it: We know a lot, but there's just not a lot of time to tell it all. So we'll go with these abbreviated previews. Records, standings, key players to watch for. We might even make a few predictions. Here goes:
El Rancho @ Upland-- Upland comes in as the No. 1 seed in this bracket, and they have been virtually unstoppable (well, they are 26-1, so they were stopped once, by Clovis West at the BCW tournament, but that was after Upland beat Dominguez pretty badly at the same tournament). Key players are Kirk Snyder who has signed with Nevada Reno, Sheldon Pace, Prentice Harris and a whole cast of others (we did a preview of Upland and the complete roster is there, just look at the fall HS Preview). El Rancho comes in at 13-13, 4-4 league, which was good enough for fourth in the Del Rio League, but it probably won't be good enough tonight. Their high scorers are Bobby Miller (6'-3" Jr. F) who averages 11.8 ppg, Johnny Urrutia (6'-5" Sr. C) who averages 11 ppg, and Mark Elisaldez (6'-0" Sr. G) who has been averaging 21.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg. . .not bad. . . three guys who average in double figures, and they've only got a 13-13 record. El Rancho has beaten Bell Gardens, Workman, El Monte, LA Roosevelt, Gabrielino, Northview, Chino, West Covina and Montebello outside of league, but they've also lost to Monrovia, Cerritos, Warren, Harvard Westlake (which didn't make the playoffs), Corona and La Serna. Upland is a nationally ranked team, No. 1 in their division, and it would be a major upset for El Rancho to take this one from them.
LB Wilson @ Alhambra-- Alhambra is 11-16, finished tied for second in the Almont League, and their key players are Marcus Harris (6'-3" Jr. G/F), Johnny Tan (5'-11" Sr. G), Keith Tran (5'-10" Sr. G/F), Edwin Rosario (5'-10" Sr. F), Chris Miller (6'-0" Sr. F), and they've also got a kid, Dominic Breazeale (6'-5" So. C) who gives them some height. Wilson comes in at 11-16, fourth in the very tough Moore League, and their key players are Quishawn Harrell (6'-5" Sr. C) who averages 21.6 ppg and 12 rpg, Jason Malone (6'-2" Jr. G) 7 ppg, 6 rpg, Jeff Terry (5'-11" Sr. G) 10 .1 ppg), Jakarri Hunt (6'-2" Jr. g) 5.2 ppg, and Kevin Crockett (6'-1" So. G) 5.7 ppg. Alhambra has the home court advantage and they've got more guys on their bench, but these two teams are probably more even than not.
Esperanza @ Diamond Bar--Esperanza won the wild card game on Wednesday against Alta Loma in overtime, and they are now 13-14 overall, an at large entry from the Sunset League. Key Esperanza players are Mark Lovein (6'-7" So. F) who averages 15 ppg and 7 rpg, Mark Davidson (6'-5" So. F) 11 ppg, 7 rpg, Anthony Vicencia (6'-0" Sr. G) 12 ppg, 3 rpg, Anthony Suite (5'-7" Sr. G), Burke Spencer (5'-9" Jr. G) and JD White (6'-4" Sr. F) 11 ppg, 5 rpg. Diamond Bar didn't submit a media sheet, and other than what we know about them from reading the papers and from what we've seen, they will evidently be at a slight disadvantage playing without their point guard Khalief Ford (6'-1" So. PG) who was ejected from the last league contest, and under CIF rules will have to sit out. Diamond Bar comes in at 12-14, but they finished tied for No. 1 in the Sierra League. You pick 'em.
Peninsula @ Fontana-- Peninsula comes in as the underdog, almost an at-large entry but for a final playoff game on the last day of the regular season which they won to give them fourth place in the crowded and tough Bay League, and with a record of 16-10, Peninsula has some horses and has beaten some tough teams, and lost to some others. They've beaten Leuzinger, Mira Costa, North, Morningside, Hart, Ventura, Crossroads, and almost knocked off Arroyo Grande. They have lost to teams like Inglewood (twice) Santa Monica (a split), Palisades, Carson, and a few others. Key players are Andrew Yim (5'-9" Sr. PG) who averages 9 ppg, Kevin Gardner (6'-7" Jr. C) 19 ppg, 8.4 rpg, Jay Lescoulie (6'-3" Sr. F/C) 7.1 ppg, Austin Cinnamond (6'-2" Sr. G) 7.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and Shawn Weinstein (5'-11" So. G). They have other guys with some size, including Ryan Johnson (6'-4" Jr. F), Phil Baster (6'-5" Jr. F), Chris Boarst-Smith (6'-5" Sr. F), and Chris Cowan (6'-3" Sr. F). Fontana comes in as the Citrus Belt League No. 2 team with a record of 18-8 and they've got some excellent players, like Mark Mancha, Corey McJimson, Trayvon Williams and others. Fontana is probably the favorite, and will likely survive to play the winner of Arroyo Grande v. Santa Monica, which will probably be AG. . .
Santa Monica @ Arroyo Grande-- In our view it was probably a mistake that AG didn't get one of the seeds in this bracket, because we think they're that good. . . of course Santa Monica will probably prove us wrong by beating the Eagles, but with AG's record of 23-2, they will be very tough to handle. AG has already beaten teams like Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara (back when things weren't so nutty at Santa Barbara), Ocean View, Las Vegas Mojave, Peninsula, Santa Maria, Morro Bay, Camarillo, but they haven't' really been tested like they will be when (if) they reach the next round against a team like Fontana. Key players for Arroyo Grande are Matt Landeros (5'-7" Sr. G) 5 ppg, Luke Caywood (5'-8": Sr. F) 7 ppg, David Romero (6'-4" Sr. F) 12 ppg, and two of the tallest players in D-IAAA this year making for a formidable frontline, Ryan Zimmerman (6'-10" Sr. F/G) who averages 12 ppg and 7 rpg, and Phillip Johnson (6'-11" Sr. C) who has signed with Cal Poly SLO and is averaging 16 ppg and 10 rpg. Santa Monica didn't turn in a media form to the CIF (or if they did, we just didn't get a copy of it), and they come into the playoffs at 13-13, an at-large entry from the Bay League. . . they sure don't have Jacoby Atako this year, but they'll give AG a game. . .
Highland @ Jordan-- Highland is 12-13 coming into this game, the No. 3 finisher out of the Golden League. Key players are Michael Stevenson (6'-0" Jr. G) who averages 14 ppg, 4 rpg, Idel Dawson (6'-4" Sr. F) 14 ppg, 7 rpg, Antoine Jones (6'-3" Sr. F) 8 ppg, 8 rpg, and Gabriel Stevenson (5'-8" Sr. G) who is averaging 20 ppg. Stevenson is getting most of his shots on three pointers, shooting 66-150 as of February 8. Raymond Astudillo, a reserve is also shooting 50% from three point range (20-40) so he could be dangerous. Jordan comes in as the No. 2 team in the Moore League, but just barely and they almost captured the title from Long Beach Poly. Jordan has a deep bench, excellent starters, and at 19-10 overall (9-1 in league) the Panthers will be tough to handle. We'd have to pick Jordan for this one. . .
Lynwood @ Fountain Valley-- Lynwood comes into the playoffs with probably the worst record of any team, and that includes Compton Centennial which agreed to forfeit 11 games: Lynwood is 5-13 overall, but finished 4-6 in league to take 3rd in the San Gabriel Valley League, the same league which Dominguez has dominated for years. They've lost to just about everyone who is anyone, and a few who aren't anybody, including teams like Pasadena, Dorsey, Narbonne, Marina, Oakland Castlemont, Granada Hills, Glendora, Downey, Warren, Gahr, and Dominguez. Their leading scorer is Keyon Kensie (6'-4" Sr. F) who averages 22 ppg, and 12 rpg, followed by Josh Arnold (6'-3" So. G) 16 ppg, 4 rpg, Daniel McCall (5'-11" So. G) 11 ppg, Jamar Frazier (6'-2" Sr. G) 10 ppg. Some may ask how it's possible for a team to only win 5 games and yet have four players averaging double figures, and frankly we can't answer that one. . . . Fountain Valley comes in as the Sunset League's No. 2 team, with a record of 16-10 overall, 6-2 in league. The Barons managed to beat teams like Diamond Bar, JW North, Chaparral, Esperanza, Los Amigos, and Rancho Verde (when RV was playing without JS Nash), but they've also lost to a lot of decent teams, like Newport Harbor, University, Irvine, Los Alamitos, and they lost to La Jolla Bishops too. Key players are Matt Ball (6'-6" Jr. F) 10.2 ppg, Mike Guernsey (6-5" Sr. F) 4.5 ppg, Tucker Fendon (6'-2" Sr. G) 12 ppg, Zach Wheatley (6'-4" Jr. F) 5 ppg, and Danny Torres (6'-1" Sr. G) 5.2 ppg. Chris Dailey (6'-5" Sr. F) comes in off the bench and averages 7 ppg and 4 rpg, while Kevin Edmunds (6'-6" Jr. F) also averages 5.5 ppg and 3 rpg. Fountain Valley gets the home court advantage, but this could be a close one.
AB Miller @ Ontario-- Ontario is the No. 4 seed in the bracket, with a record of 20-4, 8-0 in league, finishing first in Mt. Badly League play. They beat Claremont, gave Mater Dei a game early in the season, beat Serra, Santa Barbara, Fontana, Etiwanda, Montclair, but lost to Price and Pacific. Key players have been Marlon Mitchell (6'-2" Sr. g) 22 ppg, 4.1 rpg, Cameron Munoz (6'-3" Jr. G) 16.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, Brandon Kinney (6'3" Sr. F) 10.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and Jarreau Rasheed (5'-10" Sr. G). AB Miller's record is 15-11, they were a Citrus Belt League at-large team, and will likely not beat Ontario. Key players are Jacob Ramirez (6'-1" Jr. G) 18.5 ppg, Erik Scott (6'-3" Sr. F) 8.5 ppg, 12.2 rpg, Victor Michel (6'-0" Jr. G) 6.5 ppg, Dennis Kingsland (6'-3" Sr. F) 3.5 ppg, and several others. . . This is Ontario's to lose.
Rialto @ LB Poly-- Long Beach Poly, the defending Southern Section champion, is the No. 3 seed in the bracket, at 22-5 overall and 12-0, finished first in the tough Moore League, with their only losses coming to Westchester, Fairfax, Mayfair, Modesto Christian, and Canyon (ok, so most people say the last one was a fluke, but it was a heck of a game for Canyon), and most of the losses occurred before the end of the football season, when some of the top players returned to basketball. The Jackrabbits' roster is very deep, and key players are Jono Harper (6'-5" Sr. G/F), Carlos Rivers (5'-11" Jr. PG), Markee White (6'-8" Sr. G/F) Marcedes Lewis (6'-8" Jr. F), Reggie Butler (6'-6" Jr. F) Mike Roche (6'-6" Jr. F) Isaiah Freeman (5'-9" So. G) and some excellent reserve guards like Mike Washington (5'-10" Jr. G) Mike Pagan (5'-6" Fr. G) Jameel Gay (6'-3" Jr. G). Rialto is another team who either didn't submit a media form, or it got mis-filed, and hence we can't tell you any more than that they are 15-11, and enter as another Citrus Belt At-Large team. Look for Poly to take this one, and matchup in the next round with either Ayala or Chaffey.
Chaffey @ Ayala-- Chaffey comes into this game with a record of 11-13, 5-5 in Mt. Baldy League (3rd Place) and the Tigers key players are Danny McGhee (6'-1" Jr. G) 6.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, Anthony Avina (6'-0" Sr. F) 6.7 ppg, Mickey Miranda (5'-10" Sr. G) 12 ppg, Jose Cardenas (6'-4" Sr. C), and Daryl Sconiers (6'-4" Jr. C). Their key player throughout the season and high scorer, Cheddelle Hunt (6'-1" Sr. F) is ineligible to play as are several others. Ayala is tough, smart and still has some excellent players like Dontaa Donald, Kyle Gregory, Malik Jones, Danny Stephens, Andrew Hatch, and others. Ayala comes in at 18-6, having finished second in the Sierra League, and with the home court advantage ought to be able to take this game and move on to Long Beach Poly in the second round.
Leuzinger @ Los Alamitos--This is a great matchup, and we wish we could see it but will be elsewhere. Leuzinger is 13-13, and it really a much better team we think than their Bay League at-large entry status would indicate. Los Alamitos comes in at 18-6, as the Sunset League Champion, and they've still got some players left over from their better years, including Ian Martini (6'-3" Sr. F), Brian Rakusin (6'-6" Sr. C), Mark Lotman (6'-4" Jr. G), Eddie Courtemarche (6'-1" Sr. G) and Steve Paranal (5'-9" Jr. G). The winner will play either Downey or Capo Valley in the second round, with an eventual matchup against either Long Beach Poly or Ayala if both of them make it to the quarterfinals.
Downey @ Capistrano Valley-- Downey comes in at 14-11, and a third place finish in the San Gabriel Valley League. The Vikings' key players are Larry Cunningham (6'-0" So. G), Lucas Lucero (6'-4" Sr. C), Aaron Perez (5'-9" Jr. G), Dan Hardy (6'-3" Jr. G) and Steve Topete (6'-0" Jr. F). Capo Valley gets both the home advantage tonight, and they've probably got the deeper team too, with a record of 21-3, and a 10-0 first place finish in the South Coast League. Top players for the Cougars are Jake Franzen (6'-3" Jr. F/G) 14.3 ppg, Jeff Gloger (6'-3" Sr. G) 13.5 ppg, Justin Demere (5'-11" Sr. G), Pete DeCasas (6'-3" Jr. F/G) 11.8 ppg, and Bryan Mallon (6'-5" Sr. C/F) 7.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg. Look for Capo Valley to advance to the next round.
Lakewood @ Oxnard-- Lakewood comes in as the underdog, 13-14 overall, and the winner of an at-large game on Wednesday over Bell Gardens by 20, 72-52. They've beaten some teams like Marshall, LB Wilson, St. Anthony, Hawthorne, but have also lost to teams like Pac Hills, Mayfair, Redondo, Artesia, Millikan, Jordan, Poly, and they went 5-7 in league. Key players for Lakewood are Eugene Carey (5'-8" Jr. G) 10 ppg, Chester Gabriel (6'-2" Jr. F) 10 ppg, Robert Hicks (5'-11" Sr. G) 15.8 ppg, John Wegner (6'-5" Jr. F) 10 ppg, and Armand Ivory (6'-2" Jr. F) 15.5 ppg, who transferred to Lakewood from Artesia. Oxnard comes in at 23-2 overall, and they are also a team we think should have been seeded among the top four, featuring Nicholas Curtis (6'-8" Sr. F/C) who has verbally committed to USC a couple of weeks ago. Nick is averaging 19.9 ppg, 15.0 rpg, and they also have guys like Erik Webb (6'-1" Sr. G/F) 12.1 ppg, Shamir Simmons (6'-3" Jr. F) 10.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and Lee Abair (6'-3" Jr. F) 8 ppg, and Jonathan Monette (5'-10" Sr. G) 8.7 ppg. We'd have to pick Oxnard as the favorite and most likely to meet up with No. 2 seed Eisenhower in the quarterfinals.
Arcadia @ Canyon Springs-- Arcadia enters as a Pacific League at-large team, with a record of 13-13, and 2-7 in league. They are probably a little taller than most of the San Gabriel Valley area teams, with Matt Wiegand (6'-5" Sr. C), Donte Owens (6'-4" Jr. F) and Eric Paulson (6'-5" Sr. C), but they have a lot of smallish guards too, including guys like Brent Dohling (5'-10" Jr. G), Leo Thornton (6'-0" Sr. G), David Jackson (5'-9" Sr. G), and Paulus Mardechia (5'-7" Sr. PG). Canyon Springs finished as the No. 1 team in the Ivy League, will have home court advantage and with a record of 17-9 and Arizona State signee Jason Braxton (6'-3" Sr. G) who averages 16 ppg and 10 rpg, even if Richard Cobbs (6'-6" So. G/F) who averages 22 ppg and 14 rpg isn't healthy as we've been hearing, this will still be Canyon Springs' game to lose.
Millikan @ Etiwanda--Etiwanda gets the home court advantage but they've got a record of 12-12, while Millikan comes in at 17-9, having finished No. 3 in the Moore League; the Mt. Baldy League (Etiwanda's) isn't easy, but then it's probably not as tough top to bottom as the Moore. With a 5-5 record, Etiwanda's key players are Nate Dowd (6'-5" Sr. F/C), Jon Boyd (6'-2" Sr. F), Danny Driggs (5'-7" Sr. G), Gary Clark (5'-10" Jr. G) D'Omoir Flax (6'-0" Jr. G) Eric Vasquez (5'-7" So. G) Jason Dowd (6'-2" Sr. G), Alvin Beck (5'-10" Sr. G) Tim Houtz (6'-0" Jr. G) Chris Simpson (6'-3" Sr. F) Haron Kaisa (6'-) So. G) Jacob Johnson (6'-3" Jr. F) Art Drumwright (6'-1" Fr. G), Chris Wright (6'-4" Jr. F/.C) and Doug Shadwick (6'-2" Jr. F). Millikan's key players are Dominic Freeman (6'-5" Jr. F) 12 ppg, Keith Moore (5'-10" Sr. G) 13 ppg, Marcus Dove (6'-6" So. G) 15 ppg, 6 rpg, Rodney Spencer (6'-1" Sr. G) 12 ppg, and Mat Raitz (6'-4" jr. F) 8 ppg.
Paramount @ Eisenhower-- Eisenhower, at 22-4 will probably not lose, but Paramount will give them a game. The San Gabriel Valley League at large entrant Paramount Pirates finished only 2-8 in league. We'd like to tell you more about their players, but either they didn't turn in a roster, or we just can't find it now. Eisenhower has beaten just about every team in this division with the exception of Long Beach Poly and Centennial Corona. The Eagles have beaten La Quinta, Valley View, Colton, Etiwanda, San Gorgonio, Inglewood, LA Fremont, St. Ignatius, Crossroads and every team in their league twice (Redlands, Redlands EV, Fontana, Rialto and AB Miller). Their few losses, other than those above, came at the hands of Santa Margarita, and Mt. Zion Christian Academy. Eisenhower is the No. 2 seed in this bracket and they will likely win.
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