Bishop Montgomery rides momentum into playoffs
The Bishop Montgomery boys basketball team got off to a bad start by losing its first six games on the remade schedule.
“We had some things to work out,” coach Doug Mitchell said. “You usually have the fall and summer league games to find out your lineup. But we started slow, got rocked some, and we were struggling.”
The Knights also had a 10-day shutdown for a positive COVID-19 test, but since returning they’ve been on top of things, going 5-2 in the Del Rey League to finish tied for second.
The turnaround, according to Mitchell, came in a loss.
“It was the second game against Windward (a 5044 loss),” he said. “We were shorthanded, we had two starters out, but things started to turn, and the last two weeks, we’ve played good ball.”
The Knights will look to carry that momentum into the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. The Knights lost a coin flip and enter the playoffs as the third-place team from the Del Rey League. They will face Ivy League champion Riverside Poly in Wednesday’s opening round.
“We’ve started slow as a team, but we’re playing better and better,” Mitchell said. “All five starters are contributing.”
Will Smith and Kelcy Phipps are players who
Mitchell said have taken big jumps from last season.
St. Bernard is the other area school in the Division 1 playoffs. The Vikings, the Del Rey League champions, have a first-round bye. They will host the winner of Oxnard-Valencia in the second round.
Rolling Hills Prep has a first-round bye in Division 2AA. The Huskies will host the winner of the HesperiaShadow Hills game.
Serra (2AA) and Wiseburn Da Vinci (4AA) were the only area schools to receive an at-large entry into the playoffs.
The 2AA bracket has the most area teams. In addition to Serra and RHP, the bracket includes Bay League teams Mira Costa (at Westlake) and Palos Verdes (at Saugus).
Wednesday Division 1 First round
Bishop Montgomery at Riverside Poly
St. Bernard, bye
Division 2A
West Torrance at Dominguez
Division 2AA
Serra at La Habra Mira Costa at Westlake Palos Verdes at Saugus Rolling Hills Prep, bye
Division 3A
Kaiser at Morningside Ayala at El Segundo
Division 3AA
Lakewood at Lawndale
Division 4AA
Wiseburn Da Vinci at Bell Gardens
Division 5AA
Katella at Hawthorne