Heading into the Final Week -- Boys Hoops
Okay folks, we're down to the wire here entering the final week of the regular season for winter sports. I've included a breakdown of the leagues in boys basketball with this week's game. My info comes from coaches and a few websites. If something is incorrect, feel free to correct it here.
Let's start with the Del Rio League -
In boys basketball - Wednesday's Games Friday's Games
all at 6:30 p.m. all at 7 p.m.
T1.La Serna (14-11, 6-2) California at La Serna Pioneer at Santa Fe
T1. Whittier (13-10, 6-2) El Rancho at Pioneer Whittier at California
3. California (11-10, 5-3) Santa Fe at Whittier La Serna at El Rancho
4. Pioneer (8-17, 4-4)
5. Santa Fe (6-13, 3-5)
6. El Rancho (5-17, 0-8)
Thoughts: First off, what a great week of games. My first thought is that La Serna may have the inside edge toward a league crown. The Lancers host the always difficult Condors before closing at El Rancho. On the flip side, the Condors travel to La Serna and then host Whittier to close out the season. Yikes. The most interesting team may be Pioneer, which finishes with Santa Fe and El Rancho. The Titans may take the back road to the DRL's No. 3 spot.
Here's the rest of the area squads -
Montebello (25-1, 8-0) already clinched a share of the Almont League title on Friday with a convincing 76-61 win over rival Keppel. The Oilers can clinch the league crown outright with a home win over Schurr on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Montebello closes out at Bell Gardens (4-21, 3-5) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Schurr (9-14, 4-4) controls its own destiny as it is in lone possession of the Almont League's No. 3 spot, ahead of Bell Gardens. While the Spartans have a big challenge at Montebello on Tuesday at 7 p.m., they host San Gabriel (13-10, 2-5) on Friday at 7 p.m. while BG hosts Montebello.
La Mirada (13-13, 6-4) is in fourth place in the Suburban League, which also happens to be the league's final guaranteed playoff spot. The Matadores are a game up on Artesia (10-13, 5-5) with a game Tuesday at 6:30 at Cerritos (16-9, 7-3) and a home game versus Norwalk (14-11, 7-3) on Friday at 6:30.
St. Paul (10-15, 4-4) can clinch the Camino Real League's final playoff spot with a win over visiting Don Bosco Tech (4-19, 0-8) today at 7 p.m. and a Cantwell win over Mary Star of the Sea (6-15, 3-5) today. St. Paul finishes at league-leading La Salle (17-7, 8-0) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Cantwell Sacred Heart (8-16, 2-6) appears out of the playoff picture and closes it season with Mary Star today, at Bosco Tech on Wednesday.
La Habra (14-11, 6-2) is in third in the Freeway League but still controls its own destiny. A Highlanders' win over visiting Troy (9-14, 2-6) on Tuesday at 7:30 sends La Habra into a league championship match at Sunny Hills (22-3, 7-1) on Thursday at 7:30 with a share of the crown at stake.
Whittier Christian (15-10, 6-2) is at Village Christian (11-13, 2-6) on Tuesday at 7 before closing out at home at 7:30 against Maranatha (16-9, 6-2). Both Whittier Christian and Maranatha are a game behind Pacific Hills (14-10, 7-1).
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About this blog
Steve Ramirez is the prep sports editor for the Whittier Daily News.
High quality info here! Keep up the great work. I love the feelings being expressed.
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy.
I mean, I could see all this fuss over the guy if he'd led Jersey to the Finals
Whittier Alum...Yes change has taken place. And I must say that it is obvious that coaching had plenty to do with it.
Do not tell me about change. I saw it at Cal Poly Pomona baseball where I played. As soon as Coach Scolinos left, in about 92, consistent NCAA Division 2 power became a nobody!!
I love good coaching. It does not matter where. And I despise those that stick around too long.
congrats to the Mata family, you too lisa. mr zimmer eat your heart out.you too mr werle.
Sports Fan Original
For the last three or four months, you have talked bad about Whittier sports. Iam here to tell you, there is change happening at Whittier, to bad you didn't go to the school and find out, before you opened your mouth. First test scores are up. Young teachers are doing a great job, with the students. The boys and girls basketball teams have won league. The baseball team is young and good.(jv team won league last year). The football team missed the playoff's after killing ER the day before. The JV was second in league for the second year in a roll, and the freahmen were co-champs this year. So change is comming, now is it as fast as people would like it, maybe not. But there still is change.
It's nice of you to eat it. But the damage is done. Think about it next time.
You guys are quick to jump on freshman coaches. Almost every varsity coach started on the lower levels and unlike football where there are coordinator positions, most varsity coaches come from the lower levels. Especially with most lower level coaches in this area doubling as assitant varsity coaches. If now one was ever brought up from freshman or jv levels there would be no new coaches lol. Look at del rio co champs coach Joey Mata he was a J.V. girls Coach at Whittier before getting hired at Pioneer as Varsity boys coach. No head coaching varsity experience. Look at him no. No problem looking at lower levels for good coaching minds.
CANTWELL IS MAKING PLAYOFFS
What a job Whittier. I am willing to "eat it"; last year criticizing the coaching change!!! It has proven to be a "HUGE CHANGE FOR WHITTIER SPORTS"!!
Mata and his crew guiding this inexperienced group to a league title!!! They have not been better than 3rd in the last 6 or 7 years (usually below 3rd in the lower half of the standings)!
Wow, that new Principal comes in and quickly "BETTERS" the school athletically, suggesting COACHING DOES MATTER!! (I know football people, you all insist coaching means ZERO!!)
Way to go Whittier Basketball!!
On Cal-Hi's coaching spot. If there is a freshmen coach out there that has quality basketball experience, like having played in college, and just waiting, then a freshmen coach may be very qualified. Many very good varsity coaches started at the freshmen level. It just depends on their experience, either as a player or coach.
analsyst,
calm friggen down, its was a joke.
anything would be better than barber. but i agree an established varsity coach would be nice. daaaahhhh
Way to go Coach Willis?
It's all about his LUCKY CHARMS!
Dr. Del Rio,
You think Barber gets out-coached and want to replace him with a FRESHMEN COACH? Do you not know how it works? There are quite a few quality, experienced head coaches on the market currently without a team and you want to hire a freshmen coach? No freshmen coach ever makes that jump and no admin would ever be crazy enough to hire one. Silly thoughts like that will get you anothere Barber and not fix your problem. What Cal Hi needs is a coach from outside Cal Hi!
Dr del rio: big difference between coaching freshmen and coaching against freshmen coaches and coaching against GOOD varsity coaches.
NIGHT AND DAY!!!
Nice game by La Serna. Cal looked real bad. What happened to that d-fense that stopped La Serna last time. Not happy at all.
congrats to coach barber
out coached once again. its time (ad)jim arnold gets in some new blood. the freshman coach looked really good in a game i watched a few weeks ago. coach lowe has won the big game everytime. his talent sometimes not as good as cals but he gets the job done. isnt it about time for beisbol ?
St. Paul boys basketball in the playoff for 3rd straight year. Talented, young squad that works very hard defensively.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL TEAMS IN THE POST SEASON. REPRESENT THE AREA WELL
to fAN- all Pioneer has to do is win one more game because if PIONEER and Cal finish in a tie pioneer wins tie breaker because they beat CAL last week- CAL got embarressed tonight again at LS- they are dead in the water- they must beat Whittier to have any chance and probably will lose that game.Pioneer just needs to win one more game to clinch third place.
If La Serna and Whittier win both games this week, both will Co-Champs. La Serna win tie-breaker. Pioneer needs to win both games to take 3rd. League standings:
La Serna 6-2 Whittier 6-2 Cal 5-3 Pioneer 4-4 Santa Fe 3-5 and El Rancho 0-8.
After Friday games:
La Serna 8-2 Whittier 8-2 Pioneer 6-4 Cal 5-5 Santa Fe 3-7 El Rancho 0-10.
Way to go Coach Willis!
CAL is in trouble- their loss to PIONEER was a killer becuase they will lose out on a tie breaker to them- they also have the most difficult schedule down the stretch and may be missing at least one player due to an end of game incident against ER- my prediction- LS will win both games this week and win league- WHITTIER wins both games and finishes second - PIONEER wins at least one game this week and finishes third- CAL will lose both games and will miss the playoffs (not enough overall wins to qualify as an at large team)- too bad because they should have easily finished in the top three of league- very dissapointing.
calhi is in trouble-they have the most difficult schedule down the stretch- they may very well lose their last two games-im sure that LS will play much better than the first game at CAL - also it seems like CAL will bewithout at least one player after an end of game incident at ER- CALHIS loss to Pioneer last week was a killer for CAL as Pioneer now holds the tie breaker. My prediction is LS will win out- Whittier will finish second-they will win out this week- PIONEER will finish third by winning at least one game this week - CAL will lose both games this week and will miss the playoffs( they also do not have enough overall wins to qualify for an at large berth)its too bad cause CAL should have easily finished in the top three spots in league.