The Santa Barbara High boys and girls basketball teams have distinguished themselves to earn spots on the CIF Southern Section “Open Division Watch List.”
The list is developed by an Open Division Selection Committee to identify teams as possible entrants to the Open Division for the CIF-SS playoffs.
“The schools on the Watch List have shown that they are among the elite basketball teams currently in the Southern Section, based upon their performance, so far this season,” said the CIF-SS in a press release.
The Santa Barbara boys are the No. 1-ranked team in Division 2A with a 17-1 record. The lone loss came against Crescenta Valley in the Simi Valley Tournament. The Dons went on to win the tournament, their first of three tourney titles during December. The open Channel League play Wednesday against Buena.
The Santa Barbara girls, who are ranked No. 6 in Division1AA, have a record of 16-1 going into Channel League play Tuesday at 14-3 Buena. Their lone loss came to 1AA top-ranked Chaminade. They have wins over Watch-List teams Corona Centennial and Ventura.
The Watch List will be updated every week to track teams through league play, leading up to final “Open” division selection, on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. A maximum of 16 teams may be selected for the boys and girls “Open” division playoff bracket.
The Open Division Committee is made up of current and former representatives of the CIF-SS Executive Committee, CIF-SS Basketball Coaches Advisory Committee, SCIBCA Executive Board, CIF State Basketball Coaches Advisory Committee and media members.
In this week’s boys CIF basketball polls, the 12-5 Dos Pueblos boys are ranked ninth in Division 2A. San Marcos (13-4) is eighth in 3AA, St. Joseph’s is No. 2 in 5AA, Bishop Diego is ninth in 5A, Providence is 9th and Valley Christian Academy of Santa Maria 11th in Division 6.
For the girls, Santa Barbara is 6th in the Division 1AA poll. The Dons open league play at Buena, which is third in the 2AA Division. Dos Pueblos (13-1) is ranked fourth in Division 2A, Righetti is fifth in 3A, Lompoc 11th in 4AA, St. Joseph 14th in 5AA and defending CIF champion Bishop Diego is seventh in the 5A Division.
OPEN DIVISION WATCH LISTS
GIRLS
In alphabetical order
Alemany, Brea-Olinda, Cajon, Chaminade, Corona Centennial, Etiwanda, Fairmont Prep, Harvard-Westlake, JW North, Long Beach Millikan, Long Beach Poly, Lynwood, Mater Dei, Oaks Christian, Orange Lutheran, Orangewood Academy, Patriot, Roosevelt, Santa Barbara, Serra, Sierra Canyon, St. Anthony, Troy, Valencia, Valley View, Ventura, Vista Murrieta, Windward
BOYS
Bishop Montgomery, Cantwell-Sacred Heart Cathedral, Centennial (Corona), Compton, Chino Hills, Crespi, Damien, Downey, Etiwanda, Gahr, Harvard-Westlake, Inglewood, JSerra, Los Alamitos, Lutheran (Orange), Lynwood, Maranatha, Mater Dei, JW North, Oak Park, Long Beach Poly, Riverside Poly, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Verde, Redondo Union, Roosevelt (Eastvale), Santa Barbara, Santa Margarita, Santa Monica
BASKETBALL POLLS
BOYS DIVISION 2A
1 Santa Barbara
2 Redlands East Valley
3 La Mirada
4 Lynwood
T5 Cerritos
T5 Northwood
7 Simi Valley
8 Hart
9 Dos Pueblos
10 Mayfair
11 Western
12 Royal
13 Agoura
14 Silverado
T15 Whittier
T15 Torrance
DIVISION 3AA
1 Gahr
2 Oak Park
3 Calabasas
4 Cathedral
T5 Colony
T5 Dominguez
7 Esperanza
8 San Marcos
9 Bonita
10 Los Altos
11 Buena Park
12 Palm Desert
13 Arlington
14 Pasadena
T15 Hesperia
T15 El Dorado
DIVISION 5AA
1 Sierra Canyon
2 St. Joseph/Santa Maria
3 Saddleback Valley Christian
4 Flintridge Prep
5 Brentwood
6 Blair
7 Woodcrest Christian
8 Chadwick
9 St. Margaret’s
10 Yeshiva
T11 Oakwood
T11 Providence
13 Santa Clara
14 Temecula Prep
15 Linfield Christian
16 Pasadena Poly
DIVISION 5A
1 Rancho Christian
2 Capistrano Valley Christian
3 St. Bernard
4 Shalhevet
5 Valley Torah
T6 Aquinas
T6 Santa Clarita Christian
8 Orangewood Academy
9 Bishop Diego
10 Holy Martyrs
11 Rolling Hills Prep
12 Brethren Christian
13 Thacher
14 Tarbut V’Torah
15 Ribet Academy
16 Pilibos
DIVISION 6
1 Renaissance Academy
2 Price
3 Hesperia Christian
4 Lone Pine
5 Christa McAuliffe
6 Rio Hondo Prep
7 Apple Valley Christian
8 Bell-Jeff
9 Providence/Santa Barbara
10 Desert Christian Academy
11 Valley Christian/Santa Maria
12 Trona
13 Lancaster Baptist
14 Joshua Springs
15 California Lutheran
16 Besant Hill
GIRLS POLLS
DIVISION 1AA
1 Chaminade
2 Mater Dei
3 Long Beach Poly
4 Windward
5 Sierra Canyon
6 Santa Barbara
7 Troy
8 Vista Murrieta
9 Alemany
10 Serra
11 Etiwanda
12 Valencia/Valencia
13 Ventura
14 Orangewood Academy
15 Roosevelt
16 West Torrance
DIVISION 2AA
1 Canyon/Canyon Country
2 JW North
3 Buena
4 Woodbridge
5 Foothill
6 Oak Hills
7 Chino
8 Alta Loma
9 Newbury Park
10 Mark Keppel
11 North Torrance
12 Ontario
13 Burbank
14 Saugus
15 Tesoro
T16 Arroyo Grande
T16 Garden Grove
DIVISION 2A
1 Canyon/Anaheim
2 Norco
3 Rowland
4 Dos Pueblos
5 Redlands East Valley
6 Lawndale
7 Agoura
8 La Habra
9 Temescal Canyon
10 Whittier
11 Hart
12 Torrance
13 Tustin
T14 Temple City
T14 El Modena
15 Mayfair
DIVISION 3A
1 Oaks Christian
2 Antelope Valley
3 La Canada
4 Corona del Mar
5 Righetti
6 Cabrillo
7 Burroughs/Ridgecrest
8 Barstow
T9 South Pasadena
T9 San Luis Obispo
11 Palos Verdes
12 Leuzinger
13 South El Monte
14 Tahquitz
15 Ocean View
16 Jurupa Valley
DIVISION 4AA
1 Harvard-Westlake
2 St. Monica Catholic
3 St. Paul
T4 Marymount
T4 Rosary
6 Duarte
7 Covina
8 Flintridge Sacred Heart
T9 El Segundo
T9 St. Joseph
T11 Lompoc
T11 Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks
13 Estancia
14 Foothill Tech
15 St. Lucy’s Priory
16 Yucca Valley
DIVISION 5AA
1 Aquinas
2 Santa Clara
3 Oxford Academy
4 Flintridge Prep
5 Loma Linda Academy
6 Mission Prep
T7 Providence
T7 Village Christian
9 Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana
10 Sherman Indian
11 Rio Hondo Prep
12 Desert
13 Silver Valley
14 St. Joseph/Santa Maria
15 Western Christian
16 Calvary Chapel/Downey
DIVISION 5A
1 Bloomington Christian
2 Faith Baptist
3 Holy Martyrs
4 Avalon
5 Shalhevet
6 Calvary Murrieta
7 Bishop Diego
8 Tarbut V’Torah
9 Trinity Classical Academy
10 CSDR
11 Capistrano Valley Christian
12 Valley Christian/Santa Maria
13 St. Bernard
14 Yeshiva
15 Pilibos
16 Boron
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.