CIF-Southern Section boys, girls basketball: Top 5 title games, full 20-game schedule, how to watch all of them

After three weeks, the nation's largest and most watched boys and girls basketball tournaments culminate with 20 doozies, highlighted by these

At this point, the matchups are all good. Beyond good, in fact. 

The Southern Section's basketball tournaments started almost three weeks ago and featured 20 divisions (10 in boys, 10 in girls), 18 of them with largely 32-team fields. The premier Open Divisions in boys and girls featured eight elite teams that battled through pool play. 

Overall, that's almost 600 teams (592) that began this journey. 

Each division is down to their top two teams — or at least the two that have clawed, scratched and survived the gauntlet. All the championship games are Saturday.

• CIF-SS GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFF BRACKETS

• CIF-SS BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFF BRACKETS

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY SCHEDULE/SITES

Here are the 20 games at four sites, all on Saturday: 

Honda Center (Anaheim)

1 p.m. — Girls Division 1:  No. 4 seed Marlborough (22-8) vs. Orange Lutheran (23-7)

3 p.m. — Boys Division 1: No. 1 Etiwanda (25-4) vs. No. 2 Mater Dei (26-6)

6 p.m. — Girls Open Division: No. 1 Sierra Canyon (29-0) vs. No. 2 Etiwanda (29-2)

8 p.m. — Boys Open Division: No. 1 Corona Centennial (28-3) vs. No. 6 St. John Bosco (26-5)

Colony High School (Ontario)

Noon — Boys Division 3AA: No. 1 St. Pius X-St. Matthias (28-4) vs. No. 3 La Serna (27-5)

2 p.m. — Girls Division 3A: No. 1 Rancho Christian (24-6) vs. Chino (24-5)

4 p.m. — Boys Division 2A: No. 1 Rancho Christian (22-10) vs. No. 3 La Mirada (24-8)

6 p.m. — Boys Division 5A: No. 1 Blair (22-10) vs. Santa Paula (13-9)

8 p.m. — Girls Division 3AA: No. 1 Los Osos (24-4) vs. No. 2 Flintridge Prep (28-2)

Edison High School (Huntington Beach)

Noon — Boys Division 5AA: No. 1 Lynwood (22-10) vs. No. 3 Bosco Tech (26-6)

2 p.m. — Girls Division 4AA: No. 1 Buena Park (24-6) vs. No. 2 Rialto (27-2)

4 p.m. — Boys Division 4A: No. 4 Sage Hill (15-11) vs. No. 2 Long Beach Jordan (20-12)

6 p.m. — Girls Division 5AA: No. 1 St. Margaret’s (26-6) vs.  No. 3 Gahr (25-6)

8 p.m. — Boys Division 2AA: Orange Lutheran (20-10) vs. No. 3 Tesoro (28-4)

Mira Costa High School (Manhattan Beach)

10 a.m. — Girls Division 5A: No. 1 St. Monica (22-3) vs. No. 2 Oak Park (19-11)

Noon — Girls Division 2A: No. 1 Brentwood School (26-6) vs. No. 2 Leuzinger (27-4)

2 p.m. — Boys Division 4AA: No. 1 Valencia (21-10) vs. St. Bonaventure (23-8)

4 p.m. — Girls Division 2AA: No. 1 La Salle (29-3) vs. No. 2 Hart (28-3)

6 p.m. — Girls Division 4A: Notre Dame Academy (18-7) vs. Oakwood (18-10)

8 p.m. — Boys Division 3A: San Gabriel Academy (18-4) vs. No. 3 Oakwood (21-8)

TICKETS TO GAMES

To attend games live: 

• TICKETS THROUGH GOFAN FOR ALL 20 GAMES

WATCH GAMES VIA STREAM/TV

If you can't get to game, here are other options to watch: 

• CIF-SS GIRLS BASKETBALL STREAMING/TV SCHEDULE

• CIF-SS BOYS BASKETBALL STREAMING/TV SCHEDULE 

TOP 5 GAMES TO WATCH

5. Girls 2A: No. 1 seed Brentwood School (26-6) vs. No. 2 Leuzinger (27-4), Noon at Mira Costa: Everything you want to know about this game was previewed in the latest CIF-SS This Week Show with Brentwood School coach Charles Solomon and his players Payton Sugar and Emma Dudley. According to SBLive national girls basketball editor Lance Smith, Brentwood Academy is the slight favorite, though Solomon believes it's the other way around. The seedings have it the other way.

4: Boys 2A: No. 1 Rancho Christian (22-10) vs. No. 3 La Mirada (24-8), 4 p.m. at Colony: Rancho Christian is blessed with three Top 50 California senior recruits in 6-foot-6 forward Kevin Patton (San Diego commit), 6-5 forward Rodney Brown (Cal signee) and 6-11 post Martin Gumwel (Pepperdine). They appear to have too much firepower, but La Mirada features super sophomore shooter Julien Gomez, who is averaging 26 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

3. Boys D1: No. 2 Mater Dei (26-6) vs. No. 1 Etiwanda (25-4), 3 p.m. at the Honda Center — Ranked No. 13 (Etiwanda) and No. 14 (Mater Dei) in the latest SBLive state rankings, this should be a fantastic showdown. The teams have faced off 11 times since 2009 with Mater Dei winning seven, including a 60-47 tilt in 2021. Etiwanda won the previous two, however. The Eagles feature top senior recruit Curtis Williams, a 6-6 forward, but Jimmy Baker and Carrington Pierce combined for 35 in a 67-57 semifinal win over Canyon. This is a rematch of a 2010 D1-AA final at the Honda Center, a 68-65 Mater Dei win, but Etiwanda got revenge in 2013 with a 54-51 win. Mater Dei, led by the state's winningest coach Gary McKnight, trailed Mira Costa by 17 at the half in the semifinals, but came storming back to win 60-54 behind freshman Brennan Martinsen and senior Zack Davidson. 

2. Boys Open: No. 1 Corona Centennial (28-3) vs. No. 6 St. John Bosco (26-5), 8 p.m. at the Honda Center: Centennial, the defending state Open Division champion, is ranked No. 6 in the country and they've played the part, the only team that went unbeaten in the rugged Open pool play at 3-0. The Huskies feature at least five Division 1 players, led by Duke-bound point guard Jared McCain. Bosco shocked most by winning Pool B, but has been a force throughout the season playing a rugged schedule out of the Trinity League. The Braves feature super sophomores Kade Bonam (6-7) and Elzie Harrington (6-5) but have loads of capable double-digit scorers including junior Jack Turner and 6-3 senior guard Delye Williams. Centennial has defeated Bosco three times since 2015, but all down to the wire: 62-56 in 2021, 75-71 in 2019 and 69-66 in 2015. 

Junior guard Eric Freeny (13) has been a scoring machine for Centennial. Photo: Nick Koza

1. Girls Open: No. 1 Sierra Canyon (29-0) vs. No. 2 Etiwanda (29-2), 6 p.m. at the Honda Center: The boys normally take center stage at the No. 1 spot, but this one is too good to ignore or slight. Sierra Canyon, led by the incomparable Juju Watkins, the nation's No. 1 senior recruit headed to USC, is likewise ranked No. 1 in the country. They polished off three quality Pool A opponents by a 243-98 count. Etiwanda, No. 13 nationally, looked very sharp in a 71-58 victory over Mater Dei to close pool B play. They are led by 6-1 junior Kennedy Smith and sophomore point guard Aliyahna "Puff" Morris. What makes this so much more fun is there is massive history with Etiwanda shocking Sierra Canyon last season in the section finals (see highlights at top of page), but Sierra Canyon returning the favor at regionals en route to a CIF State Open Division title (see highlights below) It doesn't get much better than this.

Sierra Canyon wins 2022 Southern Regional Open title over Etiwanda