Top 10 section championship games worth seeing

The top 10 section title games, ranked in the order that Bay Area basketball fans should enjoy Friday or Saturday: 1. Pinewood-Los Altos Hills girls (24-2) vs. Mitty (24-2) at Santa Clara University, 7 p.m. Friday: Fans have pointed to this possible Central Coast Section Open Division matchup between two of the nation’s top teams. Mitty won the CCS crown last year over Pinewood 76-62, but the Panthers came back to win the rematch 78-67 in triple overtime for the Northern Calfiornia Open title. Stanford signees Haley Jones (Mitty) and Hannah Jump (Pinewood) lead their teams. Mitty is No. 2 in the MaxPreps national computer rankings and Pinewood is No. 9. 2. Sacred Heart Cathedral boys (12-14) vs. Bellarmine (20-6) at SCU, 8:30 p.m. Friday: This CCS Open title game is a surprise matchup as the Irish are the first eight seed to reach the final. SHC has caught fire after a 3-11 West Catholic Athletic League season. Bellarmine figured to fizzle with injuries and illness but the Bells have pulled out tough wins over St. Ignatius (57-54) and secondseeded Riordan (68-61 in overtime). 3. De La Salle-Concord (27-3) vs. James Logan-Union City (24-5) at St. Mary’s College, 8 p.m. Friday: Most figured a rubber match between De La Salle and Dublin would come in this North Coast Section D1 title game, but Logan, specifically Tim Oldham, shocked the host Gaels 86-83. Oldham swished a desperation, turnaround 30footer at the buzzer to win it after Logan squandered a sevenpoint lead in the final minute. 4. Moreau Catholic-Hayward boys (23-7) vs. Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland (21-7) at Dublin, 7 p.m. Saturday: Two deep teams with longtime coaches — Moreau’s Frank Knight and O’Dowd’s Lou Richie — go for an NCS D2 championship. 5. Stuart Hall boys (27-4) vs. University (22-9) at Kezar Pavilion, 7 p.m. Saturday: The trilogy between the Bay Counties League West rivals this season — top-seeded Stuart Hall has won by 6, 5 and 5 points — has been terrific. The secondseeded Red Devils are looking for a different ending in this NCS D5 final. 6. Mission boys (20-9) vs. Lincoln (21-9) at Kezar Pavilion, 7 p.m. Friday: Mission, two years after a D3 state title, goes for its fifth straight San Francisco section title. Ben Knight, a 5-11 guard who averaged 4.9 points per game on that team, now averages 19.8. Carl Jacobs has hit the ground running in his return to coaching Lincoln, which is led by guards Shakur Blaylock and Gabito Valdivia, who scored 23 each in a semifinal win over Washington. Mission won both regularseason meetings. 7. Carondelet-Concord (25-4) vs. Heritage (26-3) at St. Mary’s College, 6 p.m. Friday: Heritage has been knocking on the door but has not won an NCS title. It will be a tall order to beat top D1 seed Carondelet and 6-3 Washington-bound post Ali Bamberger. 8. Branson-Ross boys (28-2) vs. Fortuna (29-1) at College of Marin, 7 p.m. Friday: The records for the teams in this NCS D4 final say it all. 9. Miramonte-Orinda girls (27-2) vs. Bishop O’Dowd (19-9) at Dublin, 5 p.m. Saturday: If this one matches last year’s NCS D2 championship — a 75-71 Bishop O’Dowd win — fans are in for a treat. 10. Campolindo-Moraga boys (22-6) vs. Salesian (30-0) at St. Mary’s College, 7:30 p.m. Saturday: For the third straight year, these teams meet for the NCS D3 title. The Cougars have played the Pride tough. Salesian is ranked fifth in the country by MaxPreps.