There are oodles of tantalizing CIF Southern Section boys' basketball playoff games on tap for Friday night.
Here are my predictions for some of them.
By the way . . . don't forget tune in to KDOC (Channel 56) Sunday night at 8 o'clock for a replay of the Artesia at Jordan I-AA quarterfinal. Broadcasting legend Tom Kelly will do the play-by-play, while yours truly (that's me) will provide the color commentary.
Aren't you pumped?
OK, on to some of those games:
I-AA
Mater Dei over Mayfair by 8-12 points: The Monsoons will be the second best Southern California team the Monarchs will have faced this season. The best? Artesia, the team that finished ahead of Mayfair in the Suburban League.
Compton over La Mirada by 3 points: Caveat! I haven't seen La Mirada but several individuals whose opinions I value think the Matadors can knock off the Tarbabes. La Mirada victories over Artesia and Gahr seem to be solid evidence for that suggestion.
Dominguez over Thousand Oaks by 6 points: I haven't seen Thousand Oaks but it has a very good guard named Bobby Macias . . . he'll have a tough time scoring over Quinton Watkins, though.
Artesia over Jordan by 12 to 14 points: The Pioneers have too much of everything for the host Panthers to cope with. But Coach Ron Massey's team isn't going to play passively and on its heels, though. It will get right after the tall and gifted Loren Grover-coached and James Harden-led team.
I-A
Redondo by 7 1/2 over Inglewood; Santa Barbara by 9 over Ramona; Los Alamitos by 6 over Etiwanda; Woodbridge by 3 over Martin Luther King.
Los Alamitos vs. Austin Daye/Woodbridge would pack 'em in, wherever it's played.
II-AA
Pasadena by 16 over Cajon; Murrietta Valley by 6 over Burroughs of Burbank; St. Bernard over Great Oak by 2; Bishop Montgomery by 9 over Arroyo Grande.
It's gonna vs. Pasaden vs. Bishop Montgomery on March 3 in the Honda Center in Anaheim (aka "The Pond")
II-A
Norco by 2 over Arroyo Grande; Atascadero by 8 over Ocean View; Camarillo by 3 over Righetti; Corona Centennial by 11 over Granite Hills.
Corona Centennial will hook up with Atascadero in the March 3 final just east of Disneyland.
III-AA
Cambell Hall by 43 over Savanna; RIbet Academy by 7 over Oak Park; La Canada by 9 over Santa Clara; Price by 14 over South Pasadena.
Price is the only team with a remote chance of making things competitive with Campbell Hall in the final. And that's extremely iffy.
III-A
(semifinals)
Corona del Mar by 7 over West Valley; Perris by 3 over Renaissance Academy.
OK; trivia time: Who is a Corona del Mar graduate who played basketball at USC in the mid to late 70s?
The answer is . . . Casey Jones.
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