OC All County Teams

Honorable Mention

Final Team Rankings

---

Orange County CIF Championship Previews

Out of the 48 Orange County boys basketball teams to make earn a postseason berth, only four were able to navigate the rigors of their
respective playoff divisions to reach CIF Southern Section championship games.

Mater Dei (Open), Villa Park (2AA), Capistrano Valley (2A) and Pacifica Christian (6) will all compete on “Championship Saturday” in hopes
of bringing home a ring, while also keeping the good mojo flowing heading into the state playoffs.

Mater Dei is no stranger to section championship games as the Monarchs have won 22 section titles under the tutelage of Gary McKnight.

Mater Dei advanced to the Open Division title game, where it will face Bishop Montgomery, with wins over Crossroads, Eastvale Roosevelt,
and a thrilling 83-80 overtime victory over Chino Hills last Friday in the semifinals at Galen Center.

Villa Park has made amends for an early playoff exit from a year ago, beating Westlake, Mission College Prep and Highland, 71-55, in the
semifinals en route to a showdown with Colony of Ontario.

Capistrano Valley, which has won 14 of its last 15 games behind superb junior shooting guard Dawson Baker, ran through Sunny Hills and
Dos Pueblos before dispatching a youth-laden and talented Rancho Christian squad, 68-61, in the Division 2A semis.

And finally, on the opposite end of the spectrum from the corner of Bristol and Edinger, Pacifica Christian cruised its way to a Division
6 championship appearance in its first season of varsity competition.

The gifted freshman duo of Dominick Harris and Cal Whitney paced the Tritons to playoff wins over Bethel Baptist, Valley Christian of Santa
Maria, Cate and Foothill Technology to set up a date with a formidable Carnegie of Riverside squad in the title game.

Playoff Capsules

Open Division: Mater Dei (31-1) vs. Bishop Montgomery (26-2)
When: Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Honda Center

Outlook: This is an intriguing matchup of a new-age small ball team in Bishop Montgomery, led by the “Big Three” of Ethan
Thompson, Jordan Schakel and David Singleton, against the more traditional attack of Mater Dei, paced by high IQ junior signal caller
Spencer Freedman, athletic wing Justice Sueing and the gravity defying game of Bol Bol. Both the Monarchs and Knights are extremely
well-coached by two of the more respected figureheads that Southern California hoops has to offer in Gary McKnight and Doug Mitchell,
meaning this contest will not be without in-depth game plans and high-level offensive and defensive adjustments throughout.

Matchup to Watch: Senior Matt Weyand and junior Harrison Butler were crucial for Mater Dei defensively in the semifinals
against Chino Hills’ LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball, holding the electric combination to just 17 of 65 shooting on the night. Weyand and
Butler have some more difficult defensive assignments Saturday with Oregon State-bound Ethan Thompson and dynamic scoring junior David
Singelton on the horizon. Bol Bol’s presence in the painted area as a rim protector was also a major factor in the Monarchs win and
his 7-foot-2 frame will certainly come in handy Saturday.

---

Division 2AA: Villa Park (23-5) vs. Colony (26-5)
When: Saturday, 11:15 a.m.
Where: Honda Center

Outlook: The Franklin brothers – Myles and Julien – will certainly be the focal point of Colony’s defensive scheme, but
many of the Spartans unsung heroes have contributed big performances throughout the playoffs. Matt Lanzone scored 19 points in the
win over Westlake, Caleb Banuelos had 20 against Mission Prep and Daelyn Bams scored 12 against Highland. Colony has an athletic and
active team, led by senior wings Jozelle Carter and Rodrick McCobb, who will look to do anything possible to lockdown the Franklin’s.

Matchup to Watch: Colony’s full-court pressure defense against Villa Park’s guards. The Titans defend 94 feet for 32 minutes
and the Spartans guards must be on high alert and take care of the basketball to limit turnovers and easy buckets.

---

Division 2A: Capistrano Valley (24-6) vs. Oxnard (27-3)
When: Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
Where: Honda Center

Outlook: Capo, led by four juniors, has had its fair share of growing pains early in the season, but have been on a roll
as of late, winning 14 of its last 15 games. Dawson Baker is one of the most potent wing scorers in the county, but the Cougars can’t
rely on Baker to carry them in the non-shooter friendly Honda Center. Grayson Beeman stepped up with 14 points in quarterfinals against
Dos Pueblos and Nic Lipovic poured in a team-high 22 points, including six 3-pointers, in the semifinal win over Rancho Christian.
Capo coach Brian Mulligan will be pleased if Baker is joined by a teammate or two, or three, or four in double figure scoring.

Matchup to Watch: The Supporting Casts. Baker (20 ppg), Lipovic (13 ppg), and Beeman (12 ppg) have been the three most
consistent offensive threats for the Capo this season, while Oxnard has a senior scoring duo in Mason Johnson (20.1 ppg) and Brycen
Wight (18.6 ppg). The question is can role players like Michael Callaghan and Tanner Gray step up for the Cougars and Yellowjackets?

---

Division 6: Pacifica Christian (23-3) vs. Carnegie of Riverside (17-6)
When: Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
Where: Godinez High School

Outlook: None of Pacifica Christian’s players have ever played in a game of this magnitude, but the Tritons will surely
be prepared behind the leadership of head coach Jeff Berokoff and assistants A.J. Gasporra and Richard Vargas who have seen their fair
share of big games. Freshmen guards Dominick Harris and Cal Whitney are averaging 25.6 points and 18.8 points respectively, while the
supporting cast of Timmy Bahador, Josh Sims, Josh Griffith and Primo Belfiore are all capable of putting up solid numbers. The Tritons
are going to need a complete team effort to top a Carnegie team loaded with skill, height and depth.

Matchup to Watch: Pacifica Christian’s team defensive effort against Carnegie 7-foot senior Luka Filipovic. Filipovic
is averaging 18.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and while the Tritons have some size with 6-foot-9 forward Josh Griffith, look
for them to double hard on the Carnegie big man to force him into being a playmaker rather than a shotmaker.