Matchups are settled; here's what to know
Boys Top Story: Will it be Mitty vs. Riordan III?
During the spring COVID season in 2021, Archbishop Mitty and Archbishop Riordan met for the Central Coast Section Open Division championship.
In a wild game at Mitty that stretched to overtime, the home team pulled away late for a 69-63 victory.
They met again for the Open title last season. That time, Riordan had the upper hand as King-Njhsanni Wilhite followed his 35-point performance in the previous season's final with 29 to lift the Crusaders to a 68-51 victory at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz.
If the seeds that were announced Wednesday hold firm, Mitty and Riordan will meet for another Open title on Feb. 24 at Santa Clara University.
Mitty was seeded No. 1, Riordan No. 2. The teams split their two league games this season — each winning at home — even though Riordan lost its senior star, Wilhite, to a prep academy in Las Vegas just as West Catholic Athletic League play was to begin.
While some teams might have crumbled at the thought of losing a player like Wilhite, Riordan stayed strong, finishing 12-2 in league play to tie Mitty for the championship.
It took a collective effort, Riordan coach Joe Curtin said Wednesday.
“We probably lost the league MVP right before league started,” Curtin said. “To finish at the top of the standings with Mitty, I am super proud of them. I really am. It's hard to do when you have a good core group back -- three or four starters. It's hard to do then.
“But to do it with the circumstances and five new starters from last season's league play, it's just amazing.”
Girls Top Story: No. 1 Mitty welcomes return of a key player
A familiar face has made Archbishop Mitty, already the overwhelming favorite to repeat as CCS Open Division champions, even stronger as the Monarchs start their playoff run.
Morgan Cheli, a FIBA under-17 gold medalist, is back after missing most of the regular season with a foot sprain.
Mitty's Sue Phillips, who coached her star on the FIBA world champions, said Cheli already appears to be in midseason form.
“We had an intrasquad scrimmage yesterday to simulate the rhythm we've been on with a two-game week,” Phillips said Wednesday. “If you didn't know that she hadn't played for a while, you wouldn't have known from how she looked. She looked fantastic.”
Last season, the junior averaged 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 3.1 assists per game and received first-team all-Bay Area News Group recognition.
“She tackled her rehab with tremendous dedication and time,” Phillips said. “We're talking six days a week.”
Cheli adds a unique offensive quality to a team that is 22-2 overall and went 10-0 in the West Catholic Athletic League. She can create her own shot from multiple spots.
“Morgan can knock down the deep three, pull up from mid-range, and you're talking about a 6-2 kid elevating with some good lift that can get to the rim and draw a foul and finish with contact,” Phillips said.
Cheli also creates opportunities for her teammates.
Freshman phenom McKenna Woliczko, Loyola Marymount-bound Maya Hernandez, shooting guard Elle Hanson and others should benefit from Cheli's return.
“Not only does Morgan see the floor well, but she's able to deliver all the kinds of passes needed,” Phillips said. “She's going to be an instant injection of offensive firepower for our team.”
Open Division pool play: Good or bad?
Instead of staying with a traditional bracket, the CCS implemented pool play for the Open Division last season, putting seeds 1, 4, 5 and 8 in one pod and seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7 in another.
Each team within a pod played three games, with the first-place teams advancing to the final.
Riordan and Mitty boys and Mitty and Pinewood girls went 3-0 in pool play last season.
Mitty won the girls title, Riordan the boys crown.
“It was harder,” Curtin said.
Harder, because rather than needing two games to reach the final in a traditional bracket, it took three in pool play.
Harder, because for top seeds such as Riordan, the tiebreaking points system tends to favor lower-seeded teams.
“You have to win three in a row and then the championship,” Curtin said. “But I think it's fine. I think it adds some spice and can throw things for a loop a bit if there is an upset.”
The good news for the top two seeds is they get home games until the final.
“That's huge,” Curtin said. “I love that.” Phillips said pool play helps teams get ready for the state playoffs. In the CCS, every team in the Open advances to a Northern California regional bracket.
“If all the teams are moving on to NorCal,” Phillips said, “what better way to prepare for that postseason run than to have these games against these quality opponents?
“My only suggestion would be to start the tournament a little bit earlier because, for the two teams that go to the finals, that will be four games in seven days. So that's a little rough.”
Girls: Not a typical Pinewood season
Pinewood is back in the Open Division playoffs, somehow finding enough putty to patch the holes left behind by a rash of knee injuries.
“It's been an interesting year,” coach Doc Scheppler said Wednesday.
Skylar Chui and Chlea Facelo were lost before the season to anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
Chui tried to rehabilitate in hopes of playing this season but suffered another ACL injury in a non-contact drill two weeks ago.
“She was going to come back in February, 5-11, a starter last year,” Scheppler said. “Fouryear varsity player. Going to Williams to play basketball.”
Facelo suffered an ACL injury against Mitty in the CCS Open Division final at Stanford in 2020. Since then, she has had two more ACL injuries, according to Scheppler.
“She re-did hers partially in September, was trying to ramp up to play and she tweaked it again a week ago at practice,” Scheppler said. “We're talking about girls who didn't get to play their senior year in high school.”
On top of that, Pinewood's senior point guard, Jade Ramirez, went down with an ACL injury in mid-January just as the team was starting to get hot. Earlier that month, Pinewood beat perennial power Salesian.
Sophomore Jolyn Ding, who had never played point guard, took over from Ramirez and has improved as the season moved along.
“Now she's accepted the challenge and done really well,” Scheppler said. “We're starting to have a better flow to our team. We gave Carondelet a great game on Saturday (53-49 loss) and we just blew through our last round of league.”
The late-season surge led to a co-league championship with Crystal Springs Uplands.
Given everything that happened, Scheppler said his team overachieved.