Column:  The idea of challenging high school basketball’s best seems to be catching on

There’s a positive trend in high school sports that should be embraced by coaches, players and parents.

In 2014, when the Southern Section created the Open Division in prep basketball, putting together the best 16 teams regardless of enrollment, there was speculation that teams might lose games on purpose to avoid being one of the teams selected.

Some believed that putting up a championship banner in the gym for winning a weaker division was more important than earning an invitation to play against the best.

Now there are signs that the concept of wanting to test yourself against the best is gaining momentum.

Encino Crespi Coach Russell White was lobbying this past weekend to have his team selected for the Open Division state playoffs instead of being the No. 1 seed in Division I. He wanted the opportunity to challenge 31-0 Chino Hills, a team that has scored 100 or more points 17 times this season and has been dismantling opponents.

Did White suddenly lose his sanity?

“Let’s see how good we are or aren’t,” he said.

It helps that Crespi won a state Division IV title last season, so there’s already one banner in the gym. But even his players endorsed the idea of taking on a higher challenge.

“Playing against the best is more fun, in my opinion, to at least get a shot to know what we’re capable of,” USC-bound De’Anthony Melton said.

Then there was Chatsworth Sierra Canyon Coach Ty Nichols saying with a straight face Saturday night after his team was routed by Chino Hills, 105-83: “Our mind-set is we want to play the best. Chino Hills is the best and we want to play them again.”

The Southern California Regional pairings were announced Sunday, and Chino Hills is the No. 1 seed in the eight-team Open Division bracket. Crespi didn’t make it. The Celts are the No. 1 seed in Division I. The lucky team that gets to face Chino Hills in a playoff opener on Friday is Reedley Immanuel (25-5). Sierra Canyon could get its rematch. It opens against San Diego Cathedral Catholic.

Harbor City Narbonne Coach Anthony Hilliard is another who believes that having his team face the best is the right way to go, but his team was placed in Division I and won’t get to face Chino Hills.

“You’re playing the No. 1 team in the nation and you’re going to be at a game where everyone is watching,” he said. “For a real basketball player, it’s a chance to show your ability. A real basketball player will accept the challenge.”

If only this growing acceptance of wanting to play against the best can also be adopted among football coaches. Many still are reluctant to be part of the top division in the Southern Section, because there’s little chance to win a title when competing against the likes of Corona Centennial and Bellflower St. John Bosco. Some feel their jobs might be on the line if they fail to win a title. And there’s truth to that. Parents love trophies and banners and will celebrate no matter what division is won.

If a top athlete wants to know how truly good he or she is, playing against the best will answer the question.

And it appears that a growing number of coaches are coming around to that conclusion. They’re scheduling tough opponents, which might ruin their glittering win-loss records and even force them to experience what it’s like to be blown out in a game. But imagine the thrill of competing against the best and even winning.

On Sunday, the 12-win Lakers beat the 55-win Warriors, providing a reminder that in sports, anything is possible.

“If you want to be known as the best, you have to go against the best,” Melton said.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSondheimer