MaxPreps Southern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings

Playoff time is finally here for most teams in the SoCal Top 25. And the drama already got off to a rolling start when the Southern Section chose its Open Division, and shocked the world by leaving Long Beach Poly out. The Open Division is new this year, and teams that win a game in the double-elimination competition will gain access to the state playoffs - either in their enrollment division or the state's Open Division.

Expect more oohs and aahs as the postseason progresses. And not just in the Southern Section. The Los Angeles and San Diego sections should also feature some supreme battles.

You can click the following links for brackets: Southern Section, Los Angeles City Section. And you can visit this page for all of the state's brackets from all sections. The San Diego and Central sections are still in the regular season.

Be sure to visit the California rankings page, and the metro pages for the Fresno area, Los Angeles area and San Diego area.


1. (1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 27-0
Classification: Southern (1AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 1 state, 2 national, 1 Xcellent 25

The Monarchs beat JSerra Catholic on the road, 82-61, to finish off their regular season and easily claim the top seed in the Open Division.

Playoffs: Mater Dei hosts No. 16 Cantwell-Sacred Heart Friday. The winner faces the Mayfair vs. Chaminade winner. VIEW PREGAME

2. (3) Etiwanda, 25-3
Classification: Southern (1AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 4 state, 22 national

The Eagles took out Upland 70-32 to finish their season with 12 straight victories.

Playoffs: Etiwanda is the No. 2 seed in the Open Division and hosts No. 15 Cathedral Friday. The winner faces the Chino Hills vs. Bishop Montgomery winner. VIEW PREGAME

3. (2) Loyola (Los Angeles), 24-2
Classification: Southern (1AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 2 state, 3 national

The Cubs dropped a 75-70 overtime contest to Alemany to close out the regular season. It cost them a spot in the Xcellent 25, and one ranking spot here and in the Open Division seedings. They have a blowout win over Centennial, so can't fall too far. We shall see how much the Parker Jackson-Cartwright absence will hurt this squad, a rankings tumble could very well come about.

Playoffs: Loyola is the No. 3 seed and will host No. 14 St. John Bosco Friday. The winner faces the Redondo Union vs. Compton winner. VIEW PREGAME

4. (4) Centennial (Corona), 24-2
Classification: Southern (1AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 3 state, 13 national

The Huskies finished with a 62-55 road win at Corona, a very good team. That makes it 12 wins in a row.

Playoffs: Centennial is the No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 Serra Friday. The winner faces the JW North vs. Sierra Canyon winner. VIEW PREGAME

5. (5) JW North (Riverside), 23-2 (24-0 on court)
Classification: Southern (1A) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 17 state, 108 national

The Huskies completed a perfect regular season (on the court) with a 55-45 triumph over Arlington. This is the first team in the rankings that does not match its Open Division seed. Will the weaker schedule hurt this team or is the record for real?

Playoffs: JW North is the No. 12 seed and will go on the road to face No. 5 Sierra Canyon. The winner faces the winner between Centennial and Serra. VIEW PREGAME

6. (6) Redondo Union (Redondo Beach), 22-4
Classification: Southern (2AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 12 state, 73 national

The Sea Hawks finished off their regular season with a 49-37 triumph at Leuzinger. The defense is playing great, allowing 40 or fewer points in each of the past three contests.

Playoffs: Redondo Union is the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 Compton Friday. The winner faces the winner between Loyola and St. John Bosco. VIEW PREGAME

7. (7) Westchester (Los Angeles), 25-5
Classification: Los Angeles City (I)
Ranks: 8 state, 43 national

The Comets rolled through the rest of their regular season schedule by spanking University 63-51 and Los Angeles CES 67-50. Next up is the playoffs.

Playoffs: Westchester is the No. 1 seed and will host No. 16 South East Friday. The winner will face the winner between Palisades and San Pedro. VIEW PREGAME

8. (8) Mayfair (Lakewood), 22-5
Classification: Southern (1AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 52 state, 437 national

The Monsoons grabbed win No. 15 in a row, taking out Cerritos, 72-61. It's hard to deny the roll Mayfair is on, though there hasn't been much of a test since the Jan. 4 win over Etiwanda.

Playoffs: Mayfair is the No. 8 seed in the Open Division and will host No. 9 Chaminade Friday. The winner will face the winner between No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 16 Cantwell-Sacred Heart. VIEW PREGAME

9. (9) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), 25-2
Classification: Southern (4A) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 10 state, 66 national

The Trailblazers escaped with a 52-51 victory at Windward, their second-straight tight league game to wrap up the season. They led by eight to start the fourth quarter, then hung on. Will this small school power be able to stand up with the big boys in the Open Division?

Playoffs: Sierra Canyon is the No. 5 seed in the Open Division and will host No. 12 JW North Friday. The winner will face the winner between Centennial and Serra. VIEW PREGAME

10. (10) Chino Hills, 23-4
Classification: Southern (1AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 5 state, 33 national

The Huskies knocked off a good Damien team, 82-64, to move their winning streak to 13. Their loss to Sierra Canyon earlier this year hurt their seeding in the Open Division a bit. A No. 6 seed is a markedly better draw than the No. 7 spot in this year's Open Division.

Playoffs: Chino Hills is the No. 7 seed in the Open Division and will host No. 10 Bishop Montgomery Friday. The winner will face the winner between Etiwanda and Cathedral. VIEW PREGAME

11. (11) St. Augustine (San Diego), 24-2
Classification: San Diego (Open)
Ranks: 14 state, 78 national

The Saints are still in the regular season, and they came close to a league loss against Mission Bay, escaping with a 54-53 triumph. They led 41-29 going into the final quarter. They go to Cathedral Catholic Tuesday and finish off their regular season schedule Friday at home against University City.

12. (12) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 22-4
Classification: Southern (4AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 11 state, 68 national

The Knights did not play.

Playoffs: Bishop Montgomery is the No. 10 seed in the Open Division and will travel to No. 7 Chino Hills Friday. The winner will face the winner between Etiwanda and Cathedral. VIEW PREGAME

13. (13) Chaminade (West Hills), 21-4
Classification: Southern (3A) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 7 state, 37 national

The Eagles took care of St. Francis in a 69-59 victory, finishing off a season with a huge win over Loyola but also one that featured setbacks to St. Francis and Crespi.

Playoffs: Chaminade is the No. 9 seed in the Open Division and will travel to No. 8 Mayfair Friday. The winner will face the winner between Mater Dei and Cantwell-Sacred Heart. VIEW PREGAME

14. (14) Compton, 22-5
Classification: Southern (2A) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 16 state, 103 national

The Tarbabes were rewarded in a huge way for their win over Long Beach Poly by getting an Open Division nod. They won 83-70 over Jordan to finish the regular season.

Playoffs: Compton is the No. 11 seed in the Open Division and will travel to No. 6 Redondo Union. The winner will face the winner between Loyola and St. John Bosco. VIEW PREGAME

15. (15) St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 17-9
Classification: Southern (2AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 13 state, 75 national

The Braves finished their regular season by beating Santa Margarita, 74-52. They've been battle-tested and aren't scared of going on the road - they'll need to draw upon that experience in the Open Division.

Playoffs: St. John Bosco is the No. 14 seed in the Open Division and will travel to No. 3 Loyola Friday. The winner will face the winner between Redondo Union and Compton. VIEW PREGAME

16. (16) Long Beach Poly, 19-7
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 21 state, 149 national

The Jackrabbits didn't play. And they still had to experience deflation. Poly was not selected for the Open Division, even though they won the Moore League title over Compton. It was a head-scratcher for many. Though it could be a blessing in disguise, as Poly now gets to play in a much more watered-down 1AA bracket as the top seed.

Playoffs: Long Beach Poly is the No. 1 seed in Division 1AA and will host Knight (Palmdale) Friday. The winner will face the winner between No. 16 Orange Lutheran and Crescenta Valley. VIEW PREGAME

17. (17) Serra (Gardena), 20-7
Classification: Southern (4AA) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 24 state, 171 national

The Cavaliers won 67-41 at Bishop Amat to finish a very successful regular season.

Playoffs: Serra is the No. 13 seed in the Open Division and will travel to No. 4 Centennial Friday. The winner will face the winner between Sierra Canyon and JW North. VIEW PREGAME

18. (18) El Toro (Lake Forest), 24-2
Classification: Southern (1A)
Ranks: 22 state, 151 national

The Chargers ended up escaping the Open Division, probably a good thing for them, as they would have been a low seed and face a brutal matchup. Instead, they're looking good in 1A. They beat Capistrano Valley 83-56 to close the regular season.

Playoffs: El Toro is the No. 1 seed in Division 1A and will host Chaparral (Temecula) Friday. The winner will face the winner between No. 16 Ayala and California. VIEW PREGAME

19. (19) Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista), 23-2
Classification: San Diego (II)
Ranks: 44 state, 377 national

The Crusaders are now at 16 victories in a row after they dispatched Olympian, 55-44. All that is left for them is a Wednesday contest at Otay Ranch.

20. (20) Rancho Cucamonga, 23-4
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 27 state, 209 national

The Cougars did beat Glendora 80-62 to finish the league season, but their resume wasn't good enough in the committee's eyes to make it to the Open Division.

Playoffs: Rancho Cucamonga is the No. 2 seed in Division 1AA and will host Montclair Friday. The winner will face the winner between No. 15 Santa Monica and Montebello. VIEW PREGAME

21. (21) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), 21-6
Classification: Los Angeles City (I)
Ranks: 23 state, 155 national

The Conquistadors won 67-47 at Granada Hills and then finished things off by taking down Cleveland 97-63. They had a duplicate victory taken off their schedule, so the record should be correct after an issue last week.

Playoffs: El Camino Real is the No. 2 seed in the Los Angeles City Section Division I bracket and will host No. 15 Arleta Friday. The winner will face the winner between Washington and University. VIEW PREGAME

22. (22) Sonora (La Habra), 24-3
Classification: Southern (2A)
Ranks: 45 state, 397 national

The Raiders were dark horses to make the Open Division, and instead they'll play in their enrollment division. They won 83-73 over Sunny Hills to close out their regular season.

Playoffs: Sonora is the No. 1 seed in Division 2A and will host Nogales Friday. The winner will face the winner between No. 16 Righetti and Garden Grove. VIEW PREGAME

23. (23) Cathedral (Los Angeles), 22-3
Classification: Southern (3A) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 49 state, 420 national

The Phantoms got the nod to go to the Open Division, the culmination of a stellar regular season. They beat Bosco Tech 74-39 then took care of business against freelance team Rancho Christian in an 80-71 victory.

Playoffs: Cathedral is the No. 15 seed in the Open Division and will travel to No. 2 Etiwanda Friday. The winner will face the winner between Chino Hills and Bishop Montgomery. VIEW PREGAME

24. (24) Sweetwater (National City), 23-0
Classification: San Diego (III)
Ranks: 59 state, 486 national

The Red Devils won 91-38 over Chulsa Vista, just another demolition by this squad. The regular season ends Friday at home against Castle Park.

25. (25) Cantwell-Sacred Heart (Montebello), 21-6
Classification: Southern (4A) - OPEN DIVISION
Ranks: 19 state, 129 national

The Cardinals' good news: They got into the Open Division. The bad news? They were the last team selected. Still, they have shown this season that they can play with the area's best. They beat Bosco Tech 79-29 to finish things off.

Playoffs: Cantwell-Sacred Heart is the No. 16 seed in the Open Division and will travel to No. 1 Mater Dei Friday. The winner will face the winner between Mayfair and Chaminade. VIEW PREGAME