Posted by Valley Fan on February 03, 2022 at 07:47:28:
In Reply to: LA CITY Section Open Division Teams posted by GHC Loyalist on January 06, 2022 at 02:33:05:
Really enjoyed your first post. Any update as the regular season winds down?
: Being a huge City Section and GHC fan I have watched many/all the major players in the LA City Section this season and have come up wit my top 8. Here they are based on results so far
: 1. Granada Hills- Already own some huge wins vs Southern Section teams so far. Westlake, Harvard Westlake, Rolling Hills Prep, Canyon. Makes them an easy top seed. Only way they slip down is by losing to Birmingham in league
: 2. Birmingham- Team has an absolute stud in PG. Top 3 player in all the City. Birmingham has already beat Palisades who is the two time OPEN champion. That win will go a long way in seeding as long as they only lose to Granada in league.
: 3. Palisades- Coach does an excellent job preparing his team for league. Always plays the toughest schedule in the section and always plays their best basketball in January. Expect the Dolphins to make another run but will be seeded behind Birmingham due to the loss to them
: 4. Westchester- I thought they would be the two seed but a recent loss at home to Palisades is going to crush their hopes. Will need to avenge the loss to be seeded any higher. Also played a tough schedule with close losses to West, Camarillo, LB Poly, Windward and Marlborough
: 5. LACES- This team has talent and guard play. Havent played many games but I see a 19 point win over a ranked Burroughs team early in the year. Play in a tough league. I expect their league to get 4 entries.
: 6. Hamilton- This team is much better than advertised due to a great frosh class. Too much talent with good guards and a nice post player to avoid the Open. Their standing in league will determine their seeding. Coach does a great job with the talent they have. They also seem to be getting better from early in the year.
: 7. King Drew- This is a new shooter to Open. Sneaky team. I watched them recently and they have a really good team. Recent loss by only 5 to Serra combined with close losses to San Juan Hills, Keppel, Alemany make them a virtual lock to join the other OPEN teams
: 8. Taft/El Camino- whoever finishes higher in league. Taft has played some quality teams and owns a win over Saugus. Taft has really good athletic guards that can shoot lights out. Very well coached along with the other teams in their league. El Camino has a losing record but has played a brutal schedule. The loser of these two teams will win D1 city so finishing behind the other is a good thing
: Others:
: Eagle Rock- Yes they are 12-3 but they are not a top team. Terrible strength of schedule and no quality wins. Loss by 23 to Hamilton. They beat Garfield by 5 who got served as the 8 seed last year. they won't lose in league. If the committee does their job they keep them out of the Open. If they are lazy and only look at records they will be in which will be a shame.
: Arleta- Always a solid group. Not as good as the top 8. Recent close loss at Taft was good for them to stay out of the Open
: Verdugo Hills- May be in the conversation if not a recent loss to Arleta. Will absolutely crush everyone in D3. They should order their rings now
: Crenshaw- Not as good as recent years. Lost to Taft by1. Will need to pass King Drew in league to be in this conversation