Kaiser’s Dylan Harris shoots against Villa Park on Jan. 18.
I found two common opponents between the Huntington Beach Edison and Kaiser boys basketball teams in advance of Friday’s CIF-SS Division 2AA semifinal game at Edison, and the results don’t do a lot to help settle the idea of who should win this game.
The two common opponents were Rancho Cucamonga and Villa Park
Edison played the two of them on back-to-back days on a neutral court in the Palm Springs area as part of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in the Palm Springs area:
Dec. 28 Edison def. Rancho Cucamonga, 69-58
Dec. 29 Edison lost to Villa Park, 72-52
Later, Kaiser played both of those teams and had different results
Jan. 8, Kaiser lost at Rancho Cucamonga in a nonleague game, 66-61
Jan. 18, Kaiser defeated Villa Park, 60-54 in an MLK Day game played at Los Osos High
I’m no expert on this matchup, but one thing I know is that Myles Franklin, a junior guard who was Villa Park’s second-leading scorer, had 19 points against Edison, but did not play against Kaiser.
For the record, Rancho Cucamongz and Villa Park also played each other, Jan. 2 at Long Beach Jordan, with Rancho Cucamonga eking out a 62-61 win.
What does this say? That perhaps on any given day, either team can win. And in the semifinals, they both have a chance.
I got a text from Rancho Cucamonga coach Bill Burke, who said Edison “is patient and physical. If they can get to the Kaiser bench, they will win, if not, Kaiser will.”
Kaiser’s bench isn’t terrible, but its strength is in the leadership of the starting 5. Armani Dodson can’t get into early foul trouble. If Edison is physical, it will be interesting to see how the game is called.
