Damien coach Matt Dunn’s reaction: “First of all we’re excited to get a home game, that will be special to open the playoffs in front of our fans,” Dunn said. “Orange Lutheran is a team I know something about. We saw them during the fall. They’ve got a special guard like we do and we’re both pretty similar size-wize. You know, the draw (is what it is). It’s not like you’re waiting for the draw hoping you get this team or that team, they’re all good. We’re just excited to be in it and now that we know who we’re playing we can get prepared.”

CIF-SS OPEN DIVISION BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Thursday’s first round
Top Bracket
No. 16 JW North at No. 1 Bishop Montgomery
No. 9 Cathedral at No. 8 Redondo Union
No. 12 Orange Lutheran at No. 5 Damien
No. 13 Alemany at No. 4 Corona Centennial
Bottom Bracket
No. 14 St. John Bosco at No. 3 Sierra Canyon
No. 11 Cantwell Sacred Heart at No. 6 Etiwanda
No. 10 Chino Hills at No. 7 Long Beach Poly
No. 15 Price at No. 2 Mater Dei

STORY: After a 21-3 regular-season record and Baseline League championship, the CIF-SS Open Division playoff pairing announcements on Friday afternoon weren’t a matter of if for the Damien High School boys basketball team.
More like a matter of who, when and where.
The Spartans knew they’d be invited to the Southland’s biggest dance and on Friday they got their first-round assignment: a home game against Orange Lutheran (22-4) on Feb. 19.
“We’re really excited,” Damien head coach Matt Dunn said. “If you have a team that you think can compete at that level, it’s an incredible opportunity. I think we’ve earned the right to play in the best of the best tournament.”
Damien was made the No. 5 overall seed. Orange Lutheran is the No. 12 seed. Only one other local boys team made the field and that was Cantwell Sacred-Heart, which went 15-11 and will play at Etiwanda (20-7) on Thursday.