CaliforniaPreps.com - Regional Finals Preview: Southern California

March 15, 2013

Brandon Tatera
CaliforniaPreps.com Staff Writer

The California State Playoff Regional Finals are upon us. The Southern Section is loaded with quality games held at Citizens Business Bank Arena, Colony High School both in Ontario and Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego. The individual talents on display are also impressive, headlined by elite juniors Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Jordan McLaughlin and Stanley Johnson, in addition to Washington bound Jahmel Taylor, Cal bound Jordan Mathews and many more.

Open Division - Citizens Business Bank Arena 8 P.M.:
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) vs Etiwanda

Etiwanda went into Orange County 2 weeks ago and beat Mater Dei in the 1AA Championship in Anaheim. Mater Dei essentially has a road game on Saturday as Etiwanda High School is just 5.8 miles north east of "The Bank." This game should be another classic: Dave Kleckner's strict man to man defense against Gary McKnight's free flowing offense.

Mater Dei is led by two very good offensive players in Butler bound Elijah Brown and the 5-star junior Stanley Johnson. They scored 33 and 21 respectively in the Monarchs' victory over Long Beach Poly on Tuesday.

For Etiwanda, when Jordan McLaughlin is good they can beat anyone. His ability to score on offense (shown by his 30 point effort on Tuesday night) and ability to pick up full court on defense sets the tone for everything the Eagles do. Versatile senior Sheldon Blackwell was the x-factor in the last game and he will be counted on once again.

The Pick: Mater Dei -
The Monarchs haven't lost twice to a team since 2006-07 against James Harden's Artesia squad; I don't see that happening on Saturday.

Division 1 - Citizens Business Bank Arena 4 P.M.:
Loyola vs Santa Monica

The Cubs beat Santa Monica twice in early December by a combined 7 points. Since then Loyola was eliminated in the Southern Section 1AA quarterfinals and the Vikings won 1A. Loyola has new life and has been playing very well. They have a balanced squad led by the best pure point guard on the west coast in Jackson-Cartwright, who has committed to Arizona, and a talented 7-footer in Thomas Welsh. Senior Trey Mason is one of the best shooters in the Southland and a perfect compliment to them.

SAMO is led by Cal bound guard Jordan Mathews, who has been on fire lately, as he scored 17 points on Tuesday night. They need a good night from senior guard Trevis Jackson and the other supporting cast to go along with a big afternoon from Mathews to beat the Cubs.

The Pick: Loyola

Division 2 - Citizens Business Bank Arena 12 P.M.:
Redondo Union vs JW North (Riverside)

JW North has been rolling and it's because of their inside-out duo of junior guard Deshon Taylor and 6'6 senior Dorian Butler, who have each averaged 15 plus points per game. 6'4 senior Marcus Baugh, an Ohio State bound tight end/forward for JW was the difference in their win on Tuesday night with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Westlake.

Reggie Morris is back in the regional finals with a new school, Redondo Union, which is loaded on the perimeter with 4 good guards who are all different ages: senior guard Derek Biale, junior Ian Fox, sophomore Cameron High and freshman Leland Green. The latter 3 should be Division 1 prospects. Fox had 22 points in Tuesday night's victory.

The Pick: JW North

Division 3 - Colony H.S. 8 P.M.:
Chaminade (West Hills) vs St.Augustine (San Diego)

One of the best teams from the San Fernando Valley faces off with one of San Diego's best at "The Cow Pasture" in Ontario. Chaminade has rebounded from their loss to St. John Bosco in the Southern Section Championship by winning 3 straight. The Eagles are led by senior guard Jaron Martin and an imposing front line of 6'9 junior Jack Williams and 6'10 freshman Trevor Stanback. Justin Eisen has been the star of the playoffs for the Eagles, adding 19 bench points in Tuesday's victory over Royal.

What St. Augustine lacks in size, they match in skill as senior UC Davis bound guard Brynton Lamar and talented junior Troy Kell are two of the best players in San Diego County. Kell had 14 points, all in the fourth quarter in the Saints' victory on Tuesday.

The Pick: Chaminade

Division 4 - Colony H.S. 4 P.M.:
Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) vs Pacific Hills (Los Angeles)

This Division 1 level game in terms of talent for the Division 4 state berth should be very entertaining. A guard galore game as Bishop Montgomery has the Pepperdine bound senior Lamond Murray Jr. and talented junior Justin Bibbins and sophomore Stephen Thompson Jr. Jr. Bibbins and Thompson Jr shined in their victory over Army-Navy on Tuesday with 24 and 23 points respectively.

The Bruins counter with Washington bound senior Jahmel Taylor and Rice bound Marcus Jackson, along with top 100 junior Namon Wright. Taylor had 18 points in their victory over Serra in Gardena on Tuesday. This could be the most high scoring affair of the afternoon.

The Pick: Bishop Montgomery

Division 5 - Cathedral Catholic High School 8:30 P.M.:
San Gabriel Academy vs Horizon Christian (San Diego)

The favorite and one of the underdogs meet up in the D5 Regional Final, as top seeded Horizon Christian faces off with the number 11 seeded San Gabriel Academy. Horizon gets to host this game in their backyard, nearly 15 miles from their campus. Cody Underwood and Markel Byrd are two good guards; they scored 40 points between them on Tuesday night. The Panthers also have a versatile forward in Darren Carrington, a 4-star wide receiver headed to Oregon.

The more athletic squad faces a team, San Gabriel Academy, with a big front line. 6'9 Ricky Guo and 6'6 Josh Ajayi combined for 28 points and 23 rebounds in Tuesday night's upset win at Buckley.

The Pick: Horizon Christian

CaliforniaPreps.com will have coverage from both venues and also from the northern california regionals.

California NEWS

[More]

Latest Headlines:

Resources:

FEATURED PRODUCT