Can Granite Hills crash the Pacific League Party? A CIF Division 4 semifinal preview
With two rounds of the CIF Division 4 playoffs in the books, four teams are left standing -- and three of them are very familiar with each other.
Top-seeded Tri-City Christian, No. 5 seed Escondido Charter and No. 6 seed Del Lago Academy all hail from the Pacific League. They are joined by Granite Hills, the No. 7 seed, to comprise the Final 4 of one of the playoff's most competitive brackets.
Do one of the Pacific League trio get the crown, or do the Eagles play the role of party crashers? Let's Dive in:
Semifinal 1: (1) Tri-City Christian (18-9, 7-1) vs (5) Escondido Charter (15-15, 4-4), 7 p.m. Feb. 25
Players to watch
Tri-City Christian: Jeramiah Turner, 6-2 Jr. G, David Turner, 5-10 Sr. G; Dre Cleaves, 6-2 Jr. W; Garry Dillard, 5-10 Sr. G; Caleb Williams, 6-1 So. G; Josh Patten, 6-0 Sr. G, Joel Valverde, 5-11 Sr. G; Jack Busch, 6-3 Sr. F
Escondido Charter: Max Mowrey-Pagano, 6-3 Sr. W; Joe Scates, 6-2 Sr. F; Boldyn Rimmer, 5-10 So. G; Christian Nguyen, 5-11 Sr. G; Izaak Elias de la Fuente, 5-9 So. G; Luke Ricciardi, 6-5 So. F, Blake Jurges, 5-11 So. G
Head to head record: Tri-City Christian 2-0 (53-40 on 1/17, 50-48 on 1/30)
How they got here
Tri-City Christian: Defeated (16) San Diego Jewish Academy 80-52; defeated (8) Foothills Christian 69-36
Escondido Charter: Defeated (12) Mar Vista 74-59; defeated (4) Army-Navy 54-53 (2OT)
Why Tri-City will win
Guard play. The Eagles have the best collection of guards remaining in the division, with the athletic and crafty Jeramiah Turner leading the way. Each of the guards brings something different to the table, from Dillard's stout on-ball defense and rebounding to David Turner's improved spot-up shooting and defensive versatility. Williams and Patten thrive in their reserve roles as confident scorers and underrated playmakers. Cleaves, who does the dirty work on the interior, is a mismatch for most teams.
Why Escondido Charter will win
Momentum. The White Tigers have done an excellent job of making adjustments against opponents they have played multiple times. Case in point, Army Navy beat them 70-52 on the eve of the playoffs. A week later, they were able to put the clamps on the Warriors defensively and pull off the road upset. After Tri-City Christian beat them by 13 in mid-January, the White Tigers nearly handed the Eagles their first loss in League, falling on the road by 2. This could be the game where Dave Vidosic and crew get over the hump.
Prediction
The White Tigers will hang tough for most of the game, but, ultimately, the Eagles will use their stifling pressure and timely scoring from Cleaves and Turner down the stretch to move on.
Tri-City Christian 60, Escondido Charter 54
Semifinal No. 2: (6) Del Lago Academy vs (7) Granite Hills, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25
Players to watch
Del Lago: Jose Galvan, 5-9 Jr. PG; Will Dunbar, 6-3 Sr. W; Kiernan Ramirez, 6-3 Sr. W; Dawere Tut, 6-4 So. W; Kyeler Burns, 6-6 So. F; Max Johnson, 6-5 Jr. F
Granite Hills: Andre Dankha, 6-1 Sr. G; Lathan Fry, 6-5 Sr. F; Jasen Hughes Jr. 6-5 So. F; Kris Mays, 5-9 Fr. G; Zedahn Smith, 5-11 So. G; Esteban Edwards, 5-11 Sr. G; Zak Benitez, 6-3 So. F
How they got here
Del Lago: Defeated (11) Morse 56-50; Defeated (3) Brawley 46-42
Granite Hills: Defeated (10) Calipatria 65-57; Defeated (2) Crawford 77-60
Why Del Lago will win
Defense. The Firebirds pride themselves on using their length and interchangeable wing and post defenders to stymie opponents, yielding 70 points only twice this year in losses to Ramona and Sage Creek. Dunbar, Ramirez and Tut are especially tough playing in the passing lanes, which leads to transition opportunities. Offensively, the Firebirds execute and have an underrated - and talented - point guard in Galvan, who gets the team into their sets and can get a bucket in late-clock possessions. Galvan also happens to be a feisty on-ball and team defender, truly the linchpin of their attack on both ends.
Why Granite Hills will win
Offense. This is an explosive offensive unit with three bona fide 20-point scoring threats in Dankha, Fry -- a UCSD Volleyball signee - and Hughes, who has averaged 16 points per game since joining the lineup after a transfer sit-out period. Dankha, a wizard with the ball with a flair for the highlight, scored 28 points in the first half of the Eagles win over two-seeded Crawford, and Hughes took over down the stretch, scoring 21 of his 29 in the second half. You'd be hard pressed to call Thursday's win an "upset," as the Eagles looked like the deeper and more talented team from tip-off to final buzzer.
Prediction
The Firebirds might come into this one the higher seed, but they face an Eagles team on a 13-game winning streak that is coming into this one with a ton of confidence. But Del Lago has been battled tested by one of the strongest schedules of any Division 4 team - the have wins over Westview, Point Loma and manhandled Valhalla on the road (they lead by as many as 30), a team that gave Granite Hills its closest games in league play. Del Lago prevails, but it won't be easy.
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