Can Anyone Catch the Soaring Eagles? A CIF Division 2 Semifinals Preview
Back in the summer, it became clear that Olympian was on a mission to win back-to-back titles while moving up from Division 3 to Division 2, and just like the previous run, it wasn't clear if they would be challenged.
There were teams that some believed would have the chops - Poway made a nice run through the UCSD Tournament in June and looked like they had the prerequisite size and guard play to contend, Mira Mesa got a manna-from-heaven-like transfer by way of 6-7 junior Tim Dorn that immediately made them a sexy contention pick, and Christian made an inspired blitz through the second half of the season, which for a moment made them look like legit challengers.
But with two games left before a champion is crowned, it's still Olympian's division to lose.
The top-seeded Eagles are back in the semifinals, joined by No. 2 seed Mira Mesa, the No. 5 seed Madison and the No. 6 seed Bishop's.
Do the Marauders, Knights or Warhawks have enough to take down Olympian? Let's explore.
(1) Olympian (24-6) vs (5) Madison (22-8), 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26
Head to Head Matchup: Olympian won 53-44 Jan. 4
Common Opponents: St. Augustine (Olympian won 75-63, Madison lost 76-52); Coronado (Olympian won 76-53; Madison won 67-60, lost 65-57); Hoover (Olympian won 70-51, Madison won 71-50); Valhalla (Olympian won @ 66-47; Madison won 62-33); Mater Dei Catholic (Olympian won 59-52, Madison won 77-63)
Key Players
Olympian
Tristan Anderson, 5-9 So. G; Jordan Walker, 5-8 Jr.. G, Sammell Humphries, 6-1 Jr. G; Xaiver King, 6-4 Jr. F; Yaseen Chemsi, 6-4 Jr. F; Mathew Huertas, 5-10 Jr. G; Koa Cardeno, 5-8 Jr. G; Nijil Sherrard, 5-9 Jr. G
Madison
Runnar "RJ" Miller, 6-3 Jr. F; Eli Stevens, 6-0 Jr. G; Caleb Gleason, 6-1 Jr. G; Jorge Luque, 6-3 Jr. W; Tristen Moore, 6-4 Jr. W; Adein Lea'e, 6-1 Jr. G/F
How they got here:
Olympian
The Eagles returned the majority of its roster from last year's runaway Division 3 champions and almost immediately took the pole position in Division 2. Led by its fierce back court trio of Tristan Anderson, Jordan Walker and Sammell Humphries, the Eagles put the rest of the region on notice that they weren't just a good Division 2 team when they took down St. Augustine during the Madison Regional Rumble. Then, they shocked the hoops landscape again when they took down No. 1 Montgomery in the second game of Mesa League play, giving the Aztecs their only loss against a San Diego opponent. Not just an undersized team, the Eagles get quality contributions from its underrated front court players Xavier King and Yaseen Chemsi, the former who provides physicality and a presence on the boards and the latter who is a sleek, slashing mismatch for opposing bigs. It's six losses were all to Open Division and Division 1 teams: Montgomery (in the rematch), Carlsbad, San Marcos (in a thriller at the December Knights event at Victory Christian), Francis Parker, Victory Christian and San Diego.
Madison
Madison struggled last year in its cameo appearance in the Western League, but the seeds were planted for a resurgence as their young core improved throughout the season. That core of mostly sophomores received a huge boost when RJ Miller, who started his career at Madison, returned after a one-off year at Scripps Ranch. The addition of Miller gave Coach Mike Stutz the final piece to the puzzle and the Warhahwks have been one of the turnaround stories of 2024-25, orchestrating a 13-game improvement from last year's 9-20 season, winning the City League after dethroning preseason favorite Mira Mesa in both league games. They rely heavily on their top six after the loss of senior Ryan Jackson to injury halfway through the season, but in that six they have a lot of physicality (Miller, Lae'e, Gleason) length (Luque, Moore and Gleason), shooting (Stevens, Miller and the improved Luque and Gleason) and a matchup nightmare in Miller, who is unafraid to take - and make - big shots. Exhibit A: Miller hit a buzzer-beating three to send the Warhawks quarterfinal game against Bonita Vista to overtime, where Madison prevailed in thrilling fashion. In the game against Olympian in January, Madison led the game entering the fourth quarter, but the Eagles outscored them 20-10 to escape with the win. This is the rematch everyone wants to see.
Why Olympian will win
Guard play. As solid as Madison's back court has been this year, Olympian arguably has the best trio of guards in the county, and will have a quickness mismatch in at least one of those cross matchups. Anderson has been playing at an All-CIF level for most of the year, and can take over a game in an instant, but Walker and Humphries can also hit clutch shots and are elite defenders in their own rights.
Why Madison will win: Size
The Warhawks have the positional size on the wing that can give Olympian problems. Gleason is a lockdown defender and will likely get the assignment on Anderson, but Moore and Luque can cover a lot of ground with their wingspan and make it difficult for the Eagles' diminutive guards to get their patented midrange shots off. The Warhawks pride themselves on forcing teams into difficult, contested shots. This game should be no different.
Prediction
I've been on record as saying this is Olympian's division to lose, and while this semifinals matchup arguably poses the toughest challenge they've faced during their two season run, the Eagles should have enough to prevail at home. But it won't be easy. This game will come down to execution in the final minutes.
Olympian 65, Madison 61
(2) Mira Mesa (25-5) vs (6) Bishop's (17-13), 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26
Head to Head: Did not play
Common Opponents: Helix (Mira Mesa won 56-52, Bishop's won 58-34); University City (Mira Mesa won 84-80 OT, Bishop's lost 66-49); Madison (Mira Mesa lost 55-53 OT and 76-62, Bishop's won 57-55 OT); Canyon Hills ( Mira Mesa won 80-31, 68-41; Bishop's won 70-30)
Key Players
Mira Mesa: Diego Ortiz, 5-9 Jr. G, Tim Dorn, 6-7 Jr. F; Jeremiah McCaleb, 5-10 Jr. G; Che Lesperance, 5-11 Jr. G; Connor Shea, 6-2 Sr. G; Gabe Gustilo, 5-10 Sr. G; Cole Soriano, 5-10 Sr. G; Roan Kangleon, 6-3 Sr. F; Jase Davis, 6-2 Jr. F
Bishop's: Lucas Myer, 6-5 Sr. W; Jacob Tsai, 5-11 Sr. G; Owen Turner, 6-0 Sr. G; Tristan Vuong, 5-9 Sr. G; Romeo Wright, 6-6 Jr. F; Josiayah Bryant, 6-1 So. G; Zack Chen, 6-3 Jr. F; Cash Herrera, 6-3 Jr. F; Declan O'Donovan, 6-2 Sr. F
How they got here:
Mira Mesa
The Marauders were looking like a solid Division 2 team in the summer, but still struggled against the upper echelon of the Division. Then, just before the start of school, the program got a huge boost with the transfer of Tim Dorn, whose family was transferred from Hawaii to San Diego (father is in the military). The addition of the wiry, long and athletic forward with a penchant for blocking shots and creating mismatches with his skill set immediately changed the outlook and trajectory of the season. It was evident early on, as the Marauders defeated Mission Hills by 40 and won their first 13 games before dropping the championship game in the Mt Carmel Holiday Tournament to the same Mission Hills team. The Marauders only other losses were to Cathedral Catholic, Mission Bay and twice to Madison, which stunned them to take the City League title. Mira Mesa has one of the most potent collection of shooters in the county, and electric point guard play in Diego Ortiz, who can score it off the bounce and hits shots from well beyond the college three, and Jeremiah McCaleb, who is one of the fastest players in the county. The team thrives when they are able to pressure opposing ball handlers and get running in transition, but struggle at times when forced to play a more deliberate, physical style in the half court.
Bishop's
The Knights are historically one of the more unheralded basketball programs, but this year, they had their deepest and most talented roster in recent years, as roster mainstays Jacob Tsai, Owen Turner, Lucas Myer and Romeo Wright gelled and were an impressive 16-6 outside of the Coastal League, including wins over Madison, La Jolla and Norte Vista, the latter which capped off a third-place performance in the Mayor's Division of the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic. The Coastal League was a different story, as the Knights struggled at 1-7, but played Santa Fe Christian to within a basket on the road and gave La Jolla Country Day and Francis Parker all they could handle in a few tight contests. The development of sophomore Josiayah Bryant, Zack Chen and sharpshooter Tristan Vuong have given the Knights some badly needed depth too. Outside of Olympian, no remaining D2 team tested themselves more, as the Knights have the second strongest strength of schedule of the remaining field. In close contests, that will matter.
Why Mira Mesa will win
Pressure. It bursts pipes, and the Marauders are effective at applying it. If there is one area where the Knights have been susceptible, it's been against teams that apply ball pressure. Look for Mira Mesa's back court to try to make the Knights as uncomfortable as possible, and when they do get past the first level of the defense, expect a lengthy Dorn ready at the rim to return shots to sender.
Why Bishop's will win
Coaching: Nick Levine might be arguably the most underrated coach in the county (or at least up there with Brooks Barnhard of Maranatha Christian), as he's been able to cobble together winners over the years despite roster constraints and a stingy admissions policy at the La Jolla campus. His teams are skilled, dictate tempo, and defend in the half court, all things that help you win in playoff situations.
Prediction
Bishop's upperclassmen have done a great job rebounding from a 13-15 campaign last season and making out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season. But they run into a Mira Mesa team equipped to exploit their weaknesses.
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