Marching Into the Madness

Southern California boasts the top three boys’ basketball teams in the state in Compton Dominguez, Westchester and Lakewood Artesia.

And all are favored to win a Southern Section or City Section title.

First-round games for both sections are Friday. The City 4-A final will be played March 6 at the Sports Arena. The 3-A final is March 7 at Cal State Los Angeles.

Southern Section championship games will be played March 5, 6 and 7 at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center and the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Here is a division-by-division look at the tournaments:

CITY SECTION

4-A DIVISION

Transfer-laden Westchester (22-3), champion of the Coastal Conference, is the heavy favorite to win the 16-team tournament. Southeastern Conference champion Fremont (25-4) is seeded No. 2, followed by Southern Pacific co-champions Washington (17-6) and five time-defending champion Crenshaw (17-3).

3-A DIVISION

Top-seeded San Fernando (23-2), No. 2 Narbonne (12-12), No. 3 Hamilton (13-10) and No. 4 Van Nuys Birmingham (15-9) are the teams to beat in the 16-team tournament.

SOUTHERN SECTION

DIVISION I-AA: Long Beach Poly (21-6) is the defending division champion, but the Jackrabbits are seeded second behind Artesia (25-1), which moved up to the largest division after finishing second to Dominguez in II-A last season. Etiwanda (20-6), a Division I-A finalist last season led by senior guard Gary Colbert, is No. 3.

DIVISION I-A: Glendora (25-1) lost only to Etiwanda this season when the Tartans were without their best player, junior Casey Jacobsen, posing a major obstacle for No. 2 Pacific (18-8), No. 3 Riverside Arlington (22-5) and No. 4 San Bernardino Cajon (23-3).

DIVISION II-AA: Compton (23-5) is the top-seeded team in this 16-team tournament. The Tarbabes, who finished second to Long Beach Poly in the Moore League, will be challenged by No. 2 Santa Margarita (24-2), which won its first 22 games, No. 3 Inglewood (19-5) and No. 4 Brea Olinda (22-4).

DIVISION II-A: Second-seeded Redondo Union (24-2), led by sophomore center Andrew Zahn, has been waiting for a shot at top-seeded Dominguez (20-4), the top-ranked team in the state and the two-time division and state champion. The Seahawks will get their chance in the final if the 32-team tournament plays to form. Cathedral City (22-4), which moved up from III-AA, is No. 3 and No. 4 Paso Robles (23-0) is dreaming of an unbeaten season.

DIVISION III-AA: Huntington Beach Ocean View is the top-seeded team in this 16-team division. Second-seeded Barstow (22-3) is a threat, third-seeded La Canada (22-5) a perennial contender.

DIVISION III-A: West Hills Chaminade (23-1) lost only to Simi Valley in the first week of the season and has supplanted Harvard-Westlake as the top team in the division.

DIVISION IV-AA: Twentynine Palms (22-3) was the division runner-up last season and the Wildcats intend to take care of unfinished business. Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (20-6), Pasadena Marshall (17-5) and Santa Maria St. Joseph (17-8) are the best of the rest.

DIVISION IV-A: Defending champion Santa Monica Crossroads (17-6) is still the team to beat in this 16-team bracket. Del Rey League-champion Gardena Serra (19-8), Burbank Bellarmine-Jefferson (14-12), led by Arizona-bound guard Ruben Douglas, and Verbum Dei (15-5), coached by former UCLA standout and NBA player David Greenwood, are the other seeded teams.

DIVISION V-AA: Van Nuys Montclair Prep (23-3) played as a freelance team this season, but the Mounties are the top-seeded team in the 32-team bracket. Prep League champion Palos Verdes Chadwick (12-14), Tri-Valley League champion Bishop Diego (18-5) and Pacific Hills (19-6), the 1997 V-A champion, are other seeded teams.

DIVISION V-A: Rolling Hills Prep (17-1), champion of the Express League, is the top-seeded team in the 32-team bracket. Condor League champion Laguna Blanca (18-4) is No. 2, followed by Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep (19-1) and Price (19-3).