What James Escarcega is watching, Feb. 22
Five semifinal games on tap for Tuesday which includes Village Christian at Los Altos.
Freshmen sensation Julien Gomez leads La Mirada on the road in a CIF-SS semifinal game against Edison. (Escarcega)
Each day, I will send you a morning/afternoon email with the games that I will be watching closely. Make this your personal “cheat sheet” to keep track of all the action tonight.
This is “Super Tuesday” in the valley and so many attractive games on the menu. The only team that would have a home game if they won today in the sectional final would be La Mirada (BTW – very impressed with their new gym. Baseball coach Jimmy Zurn calls it “Matador Gardens” can’t fault with that).
Village Christian (25-4) at Los Altos (23-5), Div. 2AA: The more you research this game, the more attractive becomes… When I talked to an area coach about this matchup, the response was swift, “Village Christian will crush them…” Yikes… Crusaders were very impressive in defeating Serra last week, 61-45 with Noah Williams scoring 15 points… The player that scouts love is Thomas Luczak… 6-2 low-post player who is a big-time rebounder… But don’t be mistaken – he can shoot, too… Another player that you’ll want to keep your eye on is crafty point guard Immanuel Taylor… Only 5-9, but he is elusive and is a pass-first guard… It was nice to see Jazz Gardner doing “Jazz Gardner things” on Friday night and C.J. Bellamy has been nothing more than sensational this postseason… It’s also been nice to see Aaron Hernandez make an impact in the postseason… This is a tough game to pick, but I think I had to side with the road team here. Prediction: Village Christian by 5. GAME STREAMED ON NFHS Network.
St. Paul (22-9) at San Juan Hills (25-4), Div. 2A: Love this matchup! Doubtful that San Juan Hills will face a team as athletic as the Swordsmen… Sidy Diallo has a huge season and will be a factor in the low post because of his 7-foot frame… Allen Moser has been exceptional all season along with Jordan Williams and Dorian Tate… Swordsmen don’t mind that taking the 405 to head down South OC and facing off against a solid SJH team… Scouts love Mark Reichner (calling him “super productive”) ... They like that he moves well away from the ball and is “underrated.” … Thomas Hattan, a 2022 prospect and team captain, is also a shoot well… Many will like the Stallions here – I’m not one of them… Look for St. Paul to emerge as the upset winner. PREDICTION: St. Paul by 3. GAME STREAMED ON NFHS NETWORK.
La Mirada (17-13) at Edison (26-4), Div. 2A: La Mirada’s Julien Gomez was simply awesome in the Matadors win over Calabasas last Friday night… He took over the game and carried his team to victory… Now comes another huge assignment for LM and it’s on the road… The player to watch is Trey Wilborn, ranked #64 for prospects in Southern California for the class of 2022 by prephoops.com… Scouts like how fluid he shoots from behind the 3-point arc… Parker Strauss is another impact player for the Chargers… Observers note that he is a crafty scorer with a high-basketball IQ… Edison is a system team that if not scouted properly, can make good teams look bad… It would be nice to have a St. Paul vs La Mirada all-area final – just don’t think it’s going to happen. Prediction: Edison by 7… GAME STREAMED ON NFHS NETWORK.
Western (17-9) at Edgewood (25-5), Div. 4A: I’ll be at this game tonight… Need to see the Lions in person after hustling to make sure that we got their info for the nightly roundups… D.J Hills and Nick Dien have been the most consistent players on the scoring sheet but don’t overlook Jaelin Brown who scored 20 points in Friday night's win… Western is led by the duo of Ahmad Hammouri and Jameson Labasan… If there is one area team poised to go to the finals, this is the team and it’s my BEST BET of the night. Prediction: Edgewood by 8. GAME STREAMED ON NFHS NETWORK.
Chaffey (19-11) at Northview (19-11), Div. 5AA: What can be written about Northview that hasn’t been written since Friday night’s win?... I simply called it “From the Outhouse to the Penthouse.” … Nick Peoples had been sensational this postseason and came up huge in Friday night’s win with 17 points… Chaffey comes from the rough and tumble Mt. Baldy League where they finished in second place… The “step-up” losses include Lake Elsinore (61-44), Alta Loma (54-44), and Sunny Hills (65-42) … Doesn’t the Alta Loma game jump off the page?... You can call this reverse psychology, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to go against the Vikings once again tonight… BTW, it’s the only game not being streamed tonight… Prediction: Chaffey by 7.