Playoff Preview: Boys' Basketball Gets Under Way This Week

The regular season is over, which means it's time to get down to the playoffs and march toward the madness leading to the Southern Section championships, played this year at Anaheim Arena from Feb. 29-March 3.

The actual boys' playoffs begin on Wednesday as the lower divisions get under way, in 3A, 4AA, 5AA, 5A for those divisions that include Orange County teams from Patch cities.

The other divisions begin play on Friday.

Here's a preview of the boys' basketball playoffs, which have a strong south Orange County influence.

Division 1AA

2011 championship: Long Beach Poly 68, Corona Centennial 52

Seeded teams: 1. Mater Dei (24-2), 2. Long Beach Poly (22-1), 3. Etiwanda (26-1), 4. Los Angeles Loyola (21-4)

Notes: Trabuco Hills (15-11) has a chance to make some noise at Loyola in the opening round if it can muster the kind of performance in which it battled El Toro to the wire. If not, it could get ugly. …  San Clemente (13-13) has a similarly formidable task, opening against Etiwanda. The Tritons, on Dec. 14, led JSerra going into the fourth quarter, 47-42, but lost, 69-57. The game is 32 minutes, not 24. Nobody wins in the playoffs by playing three quarters. … Sunset League champ Los Alamitos (16-11) hosts Palmdale Knight (16-9) in the first round and would likely face Long Beach Poly in the second.

Division 1A

2011 championship: Loyola 56, Capistrano 53 (OT)

Seeded teams: 1. Mission Viejo (23-3), 2. Capistrano Valley (22-4), 3. Orange Lutheran (16-10), 4. Crescenta Valley (23-4)

Notes: Defending champ Loyola moved up to Division 1AA and is seeded fourth. … Orange Lutheran is the team to watch. The Lancers were the consensus No. 2 in Orange County behind Mater Dei this season but lost games because Arizona-bound guard Gabe York was out with appendicitis. He’s now back, and the team is at full strength. That could be an epic semifinal between Capo and OLu. …  Three South Coast League teams are seeded among the top five, Mission, Capo and fifth-seeded El Toro (19-8). The Chargers might have been No. 4 but they were beaten by Tesoro in the league finale. … Capo Valley’s title hopes may rest on the return of its point guard; Nick Thomas hasn’t played since Jan. 20 after injuring his knee in practice.

Division 2AA

2011 champion: Ventura 56, Mission Viejo 53 (OT)

Seeded teams: 1. Ocean View (23-3), 2. Canyon Country Canyon (23-3), 3. Riverside North (21-5), 4. Anaheim Canyon (20-7)

Notes: Tesoro (14-12) may have a chance to stretch its legs if it can build on the momentum of its 66-51 victory over El Toro. Led by junior Tanner Lancona (14.8 ppg), who scored 29 against El Toro, the Titans play at Westminster (16-10) and could play CC Canyon in the second round.  At one point, the Titans lost seven in a row. … Last year’s champ Ventura is in 1AA and runner-up Mission Viejo is 1A.

Division 3A

2011 champion: Harvard-Westlake 47, Inglewood 45

Seeded teams: 1. Mission Hills Alemany (23-4), 2. St. John Bosco (17-6), 3. Oak Park (19-6), 4. Santa Margarita (14-13)

Notes: How strong is the Trinity League? Santa Margarita finished fifth among six teams and is fourth-seeded in the division. It would be great for the Eagles, led by Wolfie Wood, to make a good run as Coach Jerry DeBusk has announced this is his 20th and last season. This is his 20th season as coach of the Eagles.  …  Laguna Hills (12-16), an at-large team from the Sea View League, was seeded No. 5 and plays at Corona del Mar (15-10), which has won six of its last seven.

Division 4AA

2011 champion: Orange Lutheran 78, L.A. Windward 71

Seeded teams: 1. Gardena Serra (24-2), 2. La Verne Lutheran (19-6), 3. Torrance Bishop Montgomery (21-4), 4. L.A. Price (19-7)

Notes: Laguna Beach (16-10) won the Orange Coast League title, but the Breakers didn’t get any breaks for their effort. Jake Dalke (12.9 ppg) and his teammates open against JSerra from the Trinity League. That’s a tall task. …  JSerra (16-10) is seeded 10th, but the Lions could make a deep run, especially if they play top-seeded Serra at home in the quarterfinals. Devon Pflueger (16 ppg) and Jamal Aytes (15.2 ppg) lead JSerra.

Division 5AA

2011 champion: Flintridge Prep 47, Pasadena Muir 44

Seeded teams: 1. St. Bernard (19-7), 2. Sun Valley Village Christian (24-2), 3. L.A. Ribet Academy (15-9), 4. Mission Prep (21-5)

Notes: Saddleback Valley Christian (19-7), champion of the San Joaquin League, was seeded eighth and will host Vistamar (8-16) in the first round. 

Division 5A

2011 champion: Sierra Canyon 48, Montclair Prep 45

Seeded teams: 1. Providence (23-4), 2. Rolling Hills Prep (16-5), 3. Holy Martyrs (15-11), 4. Kilpatrick (11-11)

Notes: Capistrano Valley Christian (20-6), which shared the Express League title, plays host to Grace Brethren (12-11in the first round with the winner advancing to face Rolling Hills Prep.