Time for a little West Coast bias. California is not only one of the 11 states that uses a shot clock, it is also the innovator when it comes to postseason playoffs, adding Open divisions to the usual enrollment-based categories.
The idea of Open divisions — which are used in some of the 10 Sections in the state and in the final rounds of the California playoffs — is simple. Anyone with half a brain knows there are schools, usually private, that either take advantage of the lack of attendance boundaries, or recruit, or both. Since not all private schools recruit, it doesn't make sense to lump all private schools together, and since some public schools, often styled "magnet schools," can draw students from a wide area, it makes sense to pull them out of the enrollment-based divisions and let them battle it out against each other.
This week, California's Southern Section (which has more than 560 schools) not only starts its Open Division playoffs, it does so in a round-robin format that makes it more likely that the best teams move on. Eight teams — two of them in the MaxPreps Top 25 below — are divided into four-team pools. The teams play the other teams once, and then the pool winners play for the Southern Section title.
Then the top teams from the Southern Section Open Division move into the Southern California Regional Open, again facing the best of the best before they can move on to the state title game against the Northern California Regional Open champion.
Really, it's not very complicated, and it's much more fair than lumping a small-school power like Pinewood in the same bracket with a bunch of teams that don't take the sport nearly as seriously. And in the end, the Open champion is clearly the no-doubt best in the Golden State.
Peyton Hill, Incarnate Word Academy
Photo by Jimmy Simmons
Record: 17-0 |
Last week: 1
The biggest test remaining is the rescheduled matchup with No. St. John-Vianney, now scheduled for Feb. 20 at Sidwell. And of course, there's also the possibility the Quakers wind up in the GEICO High School Nationals.
2. Etiwanda (Calif.)
Record: 24-0 |
Last week: 2
The Eagles draw Windward in the first round of the Southern Section Open on Saturday before facing Rosary Academy and Mater Dei next week.
3. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.)
Record: 18-0 |
Last week: 3
The Lancers are eager to joust with anyone, starting with No. 23 Rutgers Prep this Sunday and then No. 1 Sidwell Friends at Sidwell Friends on Feb. 20.
4. DeSoto (Texas)
Record: 26-2 |
Last week: 4
The Eagles finish the regular season against Waxahachie Friday, and then start the long road through the 6A playoff bracket.
5. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Record: 16-1 |
Last week: 5
The Royals next two games are against 15-4 Wayzata and 16-3 Minnetonka, the latter on the road in a crosstown rivalry game. Then again, the first time around, Hopkins beat Wayzata by 34 and Minnetonka by 24.
6. La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.)
Record: |
Last week: 6
The Torreys beat Bishop's by 19 Saturday, but that game was in the friendly confines. This Saturday, La Jolla Country Day travels to 15-4 Bishop's.
7. Classen SAS (Oklahoma City)
Record: 16-1 |
Last week: 7
The Comets are ranked second in Oklahoma's 4A rankings to once-beaten Tuttle, and since the playoffs start next week, it's likely the two teams will soon settle the issue on the court.
8. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: 8
The Trailblazers face Bishop Montgomery on Saturday and then Orangewood Academy and Centennial of Corona next week. The Open pool-play winners meet Feb. 26 for the Southern Section title.
9. New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.)
Record: 22-2 |
Last week: 9
New Hope winds up its regular season next Tuesday, but its postseason plans are unclear. Plan A, though, is an invitation to the GEICO High School Nationals.
10. Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis)
Record: 18-0 |
Last week: 10
The Red Knights beat Webster Groves 71-54 the day after Webster Groves knocked previous No. 15 Rock Bridge out of the MaxPreps Top 25. IWA hosts 11-3 Notre Dame de Sion on Saturday.
11. DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Record: 22-2|
Last week: 11
Florida only allows one tournament after the regular season is over, so DME, which does not play in the official Florida postseason, will hope for an invitation to the GEICO High School Nationals.
12. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 18-3 |
Last week: 12
Montverde, like DME, is an onlooker during the Florida playoffs, and, like DME, is hoping for a GEICO bid.
13. Cedar Park (Texas)
Record: 29-0 |
Last week: 13
The Timberwolves begin the 5A playoffs next week, with Cooper and Amarillo as the most likely challengers. The Texas postseason goes on and on, and with each game, the possibility of an upset increases.
14. Conway (Ark.)
Record: 22-1 |
Last week: 14
The Wampus Cats face two perennial Arkansas powers in the next week, hosting 15-3 Northside on Friday and traveling to 11-4 Central on Tuesday.
15. Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 20-4|
Last week: 16
The Highlanders move up a spot thanks to the Rock Bridge loss, making it three Florida teams in the top 15.
16. Fremont (Plain City, Utah)
Record: 17-2 |
Last week: 17
The Silverwolves finish at home against two strong Utah teams, Syracuse and Davis. But note they beat both on the road.
17. Hazel Green (Ala.)
Record: 28-0 |
Last week: 18
The Trojans finish the regular season Friday, and then begin the three-week Alabama playoffs next week.
18. Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.)
Record: 13-1 |
Last week: 19
The Falcons will earn this spot, as they host once-ranked St. John's on Thursday and travel to once-ranked Bishop McNamara on Friday.
19. Johnston (Iowa)
Record: 16-0 |
Last week: 20
The Dragons handled Dowling Catholic by 16 on a neutral court, but Friday will play the Maroons on Dowling Catholic's home court.
20. Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.)
Record: 21-2 |
Last week: 21
The War Eagles move into the Georgia playoffs next week as heavy favorites in the AAAAA bracket.
21. Franklin Community (Franklin, Ind.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: 22
The Grizzly Cubs start the Indiana postseason with a doubleheader — yes, that's right — Saturday. If they sweep the twin bill, they move on to play again the following Saturday. But only one game.
22. Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: 23
The Spartans beat Noblesville by 21 in a home game in November, but Noblesville has lost only once since Dec. 18 — so expect the likely neutral-court matchup to be a sterner test.
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 24
Rutgers Prep celebrated its first week in the Top 25 by knocking off a good Red Bank Catholic team, 47-32, but No. 3 St. John-Vianney this Sunday will be much more difficult challenge.
25. Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Record: 19-0 |
Last week: 25
The Blaze end the regular season Friday, and hope to extend their 39-game winning streak all the way through the rest of the year.
25. Apex Friendship (Apex, N.C.)
Record: 21-1|
Last week: NR
The Patriots proved themselves the apex predator in the Tar Heel State by avenging their only loss with a win over Panther Creek in late January.
Dropped out: No. 15 Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.)
