FRIDAY’S GAME

DIVISION 5A

Arroyo (16-11) vs. Rosemead (16-12) at Azusa Pacific, 6 p.m.: Arroyo and Rosemead, which finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Mission Valley League, will each be playing their first CIF-SS boys basketball championship. The teams split their two league games. Arroyo won the first encounter, 52-47, and Rosemead the second contest, 51-48. The player to watch is the Panthers’ Rhys Anderson, who scored a game-high 21 points in their victory over the Knights. Anderson, who averages 22 points a game, has carried the team on his shoulders in the playoffs. In their 44-33 semifinal victory over South El Monte, Anderson poured in 26 points to go with 13 rebounds. Arroyo advanced to the final when Kamren Dorantes hit a jump shot with less than a second to go to lift the Knights to a 60-58 victory over Saddleback in the semifinals Johhny Vargas also hit big shots for the Knights in the win. This is a tough matchup, but the way it should be. After splitting in league, it’s winner take all.

The pick: Rosemead

SATURDAY’S GAMES

DIVISION 3A

Aquinas (16-16) vs. San Dimas (20-11) at Toyota Center, 11:15 a.m.: The Saints are going for their first championship since legendary former coach Gary Prestesater, who still attends Saints games, guided them to the 1999 Division III-A championship. The Saints tied for second in the Hacienda League and got hot in the playoffs. After narrowly escaping with a 65-64 win over Burbank Providence in overtime to reach the quarterfinals, the Saints advanced to the finals with a 74-65 win over Norte Vista. Andrew Diep and Nathan Yearout played well in the victory, each finishing with 17 points. Both players were hot from distance, hitting four 3-pointers apiece. Aquinas will be a tough opponent. It crushed Keppel 62-38 in the semifinals and has played a tough schedule. They’re led by 6-1 guard LJ Hall, who averages 14 points a game. The Falcons have won every playoff game by nine points or more, but the Saints are playing as well as they have all season. And this one is for Prestesater, who will probably be in attendance.

The pick: San Dimas

DIVISION 4A

California (17-15) vs. Citrus Hill (19-12) at Edison HS, 4 p.m.: The Condors, who finished third in the Del Rio League, have an opportunity to win the school’s first sectional championship. They dominated in the semifinals, beating Alhambra 81-61. The Condors’ Jair Linares finished with a game-high 18 points. During the regular season, Kenny Renfrow led the Condors with 13 points per game and Edgar Beltran averaged 11. Citrus Hill, an at-large team from the Inland Valley League, defeated Wilson 47-45 in the semifinals. Citrus Hill was nearly knocked out in the first round, slipping past Mesrobian 67-66. The Condors will have to contain Citrus Hills’ AJ Hayes, who averages 17 points a game. This game could go either way, although Citrus Hill has probably faced a tougher road to get here.

The pick: Citrus Hill

DIVISION 5AA

Kaiser (20-10) vs. Diamond Ranch (19-13) at Edison HS, noon: The Panthers finished fourth in the Mt. Baldy League and needed an at-large berth to make the playoffs, but here they are making their first trip to the finals since winning the Division 3A title in 2016. The Panthers’ Devin Turner has been playing well. He scored a game-high 23 points in their 74-65 semifinal victory over La Puente. The Panthers had several big contributors in the semifinals. Michael Salazar scored 20 points with 13 rebounds and Jaiden Pulian had 15 points and 10 boards. Kaiser knocked off Sierra Vista, 48-43, in the semifinals and has won nine straight. The Panthers have looked good to this point, but so has Kaiser.

The pick: Kaiser

— Fred Robledo