Boys’ basketball: Prediction on 16 teams for Open Division

On the eve of the Southern Section 1 p.m. announcement on Friday of the teams that will be selected for the new Open Division, here’s my prediction if the committee decides to pick 16 teams.

Mater Dei, Loyola, Etiwanda, Corona Centennial, Chino Hills and Long Beach Poly from 1AA. Riverside North and El Toro from 1A. Redondo and St. John Bosco from 2AA. Compton from 2A. Cathedral from 3A. Bishop Montgomery and Gardena Serra from 4AA. Sierra Canyon from 4A. That’s 15.

The last team will be Mayfair, Rancho Cucamonga or Chaminade.

And wait until the first-round matchups are revealed on Sunday. They’re going to be so good that if someone put together a doubleheader or tripleheader at a big facility, they’d pack in fans in droves.

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