Poly @ Knight, 7pm

A thirty-point win in round one signaled that Poly’s as good as the Southern Section thought they were in giving them the two-seed, but things get much tougher from here on out.  The Knight Hawks that await the Rabbits have very little in common with the Great Oak team Poly bumped out of the gym on Wednesday.

For one thing, they have more height, with five players of 6’5 or taller on the roster, as opposed to Great Oaks’…one.  One of those players, Larry Slaughter (#1) is the best Poly will have to deal with, a senior forward captain that’s aggressive, though perhaps not used to the redwoods he’ll be dealing with in Poly’s Ryan Anderson, Roshcon Prince and Shelton Boykin.

Poly’s greatest advantage, as usual, will likely be their defense—Knight doesn’t shoot that well, and they’ve scored 70 points or more only four times in 26 games.  Usually teams score more than ten points below their average when they play Poly.  For Knight, that would mean 49 points…and that won’t get it done against the Rabbits, unless they stumble in a big way.

Jordan vs. Mater Dei, @ Jordan, 7pm

The biggest show in town is undoubtedly at Jordan, where fans will want to arrive early if they’re hoping to find a seat among the Monarch faithful.  Mater Dei is heavily favored, as the bracket’s top-seed, the top-ranked team in the state, and a team with a record of 25-1.  But Jordan has the athleticism, and the ability—if everything goes right for them (that means Raynard Tyler knocking down defense-stretching shots, sophomore Isiah Hicks not trying to do too much, and Darius Williams staying out of foul trouble) they can definitely challenge the would-be champs, especially if the Jordan gym is raucous.

The biggest concern for Jordan has to be total team defense, an area their focus has caused some trouble in.  Mater Dei scores prolifically, and from all angles—they average 88 points a game, and have scored 90+ in 12 of their 26 contests.  Looking at the Monarchs, it’s hard to figure out who to focus on, since everyone scores well; the top trio are Tyler Lamb, who averages 18 ppg; Gary Franklin, who averages 16; and Keala King, who averages 15.  King is a complete player, leading the team with 9 rebounds per game, and if Jordan wants to contain him, Darius Williams has to have a great game.

Lakewood vs. Rancho Verde, @ Lakewood, 7pm

Lakewood already pulled off one upset, with a win on the road against 13-seed Redlands, and now they come home needing to pull off an even bigger one if they want into the quarterfinals, as they host the no. 4 Rancho Verde Mustangs.

Rancho Verde has won 14 in a row, and haven’t lost since 2009—they’re 24-3, and very, very good.  If they have an Achilles heel, it’s athleticism; all three of their losses came to teams that outran them, including Poly, who tired the Mustangs out and then pounded it inside, getting 32 points in the paint.  If Lakewood wants a win, it comes down to athleticism, discipline, and of course, Jared Garber.  He had a huge game against Redlands, and he’ll need another one tonight to keep his team going.

Compton vs. Valencia, @ Compton, 7pm

Compton’s overwhelming athleticism gave them an easy win in round one, and if they want to keep it going against Valencia tonight, all they have to do is turn it into another track meet.  The Tigers are good, but they’re a physical team, and not that fast.  Greg Hammond, the leading scorer, is a versatile player, and center Junior Gauta is a talented bruiser—but if Compton stretches them out they’ll wear the Tigers down.  And of course, they need a big night from the three-headed monster of Alan Guei, Anthony January, and Cliff Sims.

St. Anthony @ Desert Christian, 7pm

The Desert Christian Conquerors could pose a problem for the Saints, if they can’t contain Quynten Po and Josh Curci, who together score about half of their teams’ points.  Desert Christian is a short, speedy team, and the Saints hold the advantage in the athleticism department—a win would put them in the quarterfinals, and make the Saints community proud.  If they can shut down Po and Curci, that should be no problem.