Basketball Playoffs: Where San Gabriel Valley Teams Stand

All season long Pasadena boys basketball coach Tim Tucker said that he felt his team belonged in the CIF-Southern Section’s toughest division — Division 1AA.

"We’re just as big, we shoot the ball well, we’re just as fast," Tucker said Sunday. "We have all the necessary ingredients."

Well, now the Bulldogs finally get the opportunity to prove it on the court.

The CIF-SS released its boys and girls basketball postseason brackets Sunday, and Pasadena drew a No. 6 seed in the 1AA tournament.

The Bulldogs host Trabuco Hills of the Sea View League in the first round Friday at 7 p.m. Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo) went 16-10 during the regular season and tied for second in the SVL. 

“When I did my homework I kind of thought that’s where we would be,” Tucker said.

Overall, Tucker was pleased with the Bulldogs’ draw. If Pasadena defeats Trabuco Hills, it would face either No. 11 Upland or Santa Monica on Friday.

The Pacific League champion Bulldogs enter the playoffs with a 14-game winning streak and are fresh off a 75-54 rout of rival Muir in their season finale. Tucker said the win over Muir was big considering how his team struggled in a 45-41 victory over Burbank last Tuesday.

“Now we’re ready to go,” Tucker said.

They better be. An early exodus from the playoffs would cast doubt as to whether CIF was justified in bumping up the Bulldogs to Division 1AA from Div. 1A last year.

“This will be a good measuring stick to see just how good Pasadena is,” Tucker said. “We like to call ourselves the elite program in the San Gabriel Valley — this is our chance to prove it.”

The Bulldogs aren’t the only area squad set to embark on a playoff journey this week, nor are they the only team with high expectations.

Flintridge Prep was awarded the No. 1 seed in the Division 5AA bracket; the Rebels face St. Paul on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“It’s huge,” Rebels coach Garrett Ohara said of the No. 1 seed next to his team’s name. “It hasn’t happened in the school’s history. We’re excited about it and we’re embracing it.”

The top ranking isn’t a surprise for the Rebels, who sat atop the Div. 5AA coaches’ poll for most of the season. But Ohara was quick to point out that a high seed didn’t guarantee a deep playoff run for Flintridge Prep last year, as the third-seeded Rebels lost in the first round to Santa Clara.

Key for a Rebels title run will be there ability to maximize Kenyatta Smith's impact. Smith, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 20.2 points and 14.8 rebounds per game during the regular season.

Muir drew the No. 3 seed in the 5AA playoffs, and Mustangs coach Dr. Gamal Smalley said he feels the experience of competing in the tough Pacific League has prepared his squad for the postseason. The Mustangs host Oxford Academy in the first round Wednesday night.

“We feel like we’re battle tested and ready,” Smalley said.

While Muir stumbled into the postseason, losing its last three games and enduring the departures of Deshawn Hayes and Tevin Polk from the team, Smalley said his rebuilt squad is steadily improving.

He pointed to a recent overtime loss at Arcadia and how the Mustangs hung tough with Pasadena for three quarters last Thursday as evidence that his club isn’t stumbling into the playoffs.

“We still see ourselves improving,” Smalley said. “We’re getting better and better, and yet you might not see it in the win column.”

Two other noteworthy draws on the boys side are third-seeded La Cañada  vs. West Torrance in Division 3AA action, and seventh-seeded Crescenta Valley vs. Quartz Hill in Division 1A.

The girls brackets are highlighted by Monrovia and Muir. The Wildcats, who won the Rio Hondo League with a perfect 10-0 record, earned the No. 12 seed in Division 3A. Monrovia hosts La Mirada on Thursday at 7 p.m.

“They’re happy,” Monoriva coach Eliazar Diaz Jr. said of the Wildcats. “It’s been many years that they took a league like that.”

Muir is the No. 7 seed in Division 3AA, and the Mustangs host Arlington on Thursday night.

It’s been an up and down season for the Mustangs, who endured a number of injuries and three losses in Pacific League play this year. But Muir won its final six games of the season, and Mustangs coach Gary Johnson likes his squad’s chances at making some noise in the tournament.

“I really like what division we’re in,” he said. “I think we really have a chance to take this.” 

First round boys match ups (all games Wednesday at 7 p.m.):

No. 6 Pasadena vs. Trabuco Hills (Div. 1AA)

No. 7 Cresenta Valley vs. Quartz Hill (Div. 1A)

Arcadia at No. 16 Highland (Div. 1A)

No. 3 La Cañada  vs. West Torrance (Div. 3AA)

South Pasadena at Gabrielino (Div. 4AA)

No. 10 St. Francis at Sierra Vista (Div. 4AA)

Monrovia vs. No. 3 Alemany (Div. 4AA)

No. 14 La Salle at Cabrillo/Lompoc (Div. 4A)

No. 1 Flintridge Prep vs. St. Paul (Div. 5AA)

No. 3 Muir vs. Oxford Academy (Div. 5AA)

First round girls match ups (all games Thursday at 7 p.m.):

No. 16 Arcadia at Santa Fe  (Div. 1A)

Crescenta Valley at No. 15 Marlborough (Div. 1A)

No. 7 Muir vs. Arlington (Div. 3AA)

No. 12 Pasadena vs. Godinez (Div. 3AA)

No. 12 Monrovia vs. La Mirada (Div. 3A)

Flintridge Prep vs. No. 12 Paso Robles (Div. 4AA)

La Cañada  at No. 15 St. Lucy’s (Div. 4AA)

South Pasadena at Costa Mesa (Div. 4A)

San Marino at No. 13 Santa Ynez (Div. 4A)

No. 9 La Salle at Notre Dame Academy (Div. 4A)

No. 8 Flintridge Sacred Heart at Alverno (Div. 5AA)