Basketball: Southern Section releases 16 teams in Open Division

The Southern Section announced on Friday the 16 boys’ teams selected to play in the Open Division basketball playoffs. The complete pairings will be released on Sunday.

The teams: Alemany, Bishop Montgomery, Corona Centennial, Chino Hills, Crossroads, Damien, Esperanza, Heritage Christian, JSerra, Mater Dei, Oak Park, Long Beach Poly, Redondo, Roosevelt, Santa Margarita, Sierra Canyon.

Although seedings were not released, the top four teams are expected to be Sierra Canyon, Chino Hills, Bishop Montgomery and Santa Ana Mater Dei.

The top 16 teams in Southern Section basketball were plucked out of their playoff divisions to participate in the Open Division playoffs.

There will be a semifinal boys’ doubleheader at USC’s Galen Center on Feb. 24. The championship game is March 4 at Honda Center.

Sierra Canyon is 25-1 and led by 6-foot-11 junior Marvin Bagley III and 6-7 senior Cody Riley, a UCLA signee. Its only loss was to Seattle’s Nathan Hale.

Chino Hills is the defending Southern Section and state champion with a 27-1 record. Bishop Montgomery is 23-2, led by Oregon State-bound Ethan Thompson, and Mater Dei is 28-1 and added 7-1 Bol Bol to its team last month.

Here’s the 16 teams selected for the girls’ Open Division: Alemany, Brea Olinda, Chaminade, Etiwanda, Fairmont Prep, Harvard-Westlake, Lakeside, Mater Dei, Millikan, Orangewood Academy, LB Poly, Serra, Sierra Canyon, Troy, Ventura, Windward.

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