To no one’s surprise, Archbishop Riordan earned the section’s top seed in the Open Division. The Crusaders not only won every West Catholic Athletic League game, they did it in historic fashion.

Riordan went 14-0 and defeated league opponents by an average of 38 points. Riordan’s dominance has certainly put the Crusaders in the conversation as one of the best high school basketball teams to come out of the Bay Area.

The San Francisco school is stacked at every position. Texas A&M commit Jasir Rencher leads Riordan along with four-star junior point guard Andrew Hilman and shooting guard Ryder Bush.

Riordan will be familiar with this year’s Open Division bracket. Six of the division’s eight teams came from the WCAL. At this point, the question is not whether Riordan will win the Open Division, but by how much?

— Nathan Canilao

GIRLS OPEN DIVISION: CAN PINEWOOD KNOCK OFF MITTY? >> True to their nickname, the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs have lorded over girls basketball in the Central Coast Section for years. Typically, the drama is limited, and speculation moves to which teams Mitty will face in the CIF NorCal bracket or the state championship.

That has changed this year. Without star junior forward McKenna Woliczko, who suffered a torn ACL in January and is out for the season, the Monarchs are more vulnerable than usual.

Could Pinewood swoop in and usurp the throne?

The Monarchs’ deep stockpile of excellent players has kept them competitive, but without Woliczko, they are not the same team. Pinewood, at 20-3, shares nearly the same record as Mitty (21-3). The Los Altos Hills-based Panthers defeated Mitty for the CCS title in the spring of 2021, ending a run of five consecutive section titles for the Monarchs. Could history repeat itself in 2025?

— Christian Babcock

BOYS: WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE OTHER DIVISIONS >> The South Bay’s top public schools are assorted throughout the Division I bracket, except for Milpitas, which qualified for the Open. Top-seeded Palo Alto leads the Division I group, followed by No. 2 Los Gatos and No. 4 Mountain View.

Led by senior Jorell Clark, Palo Alto finished the regular season 20-4 and came in second in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division. No. 5 Leigh, No. 6 Santa Teresa and No. 7 Homestead all have explosive offenses that could pull an upset in the later rounds. …

Division IV has the potential to be the most exciting playoff bracket out of the bunch. The King’s Academy (20-4) was awarded the top seed after winning the West Bay Athletic League title. The Knights are led by freshman sensation Boss Mhoon, scoring big man Claxton Ladine and shifty guard Xavier Barnett. No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep, No. 3 Half Moon Bay and No. 2 Carmel all have potential to make a run to the Division IV title. ...

Menlo-Atherton (18-6) and Milpitas (21-3) were the only public schools to make the Open Division. M-A won the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division and had an impressive win over Valley Christian, which is also in the Open. Milpitas surprised many after winning the SCVAL De Anza Division. …

Despite winning just seven games, St. Francis was awarded the No. 4 seed in Division II. The Lancers struggled this year and will have a tough slate should they move on to the semifinals. If seeds hold, the Mountain View school will play top-seeded Christopher.

— Nathan Canilao

GIRLS BUZZER-BEATERS >> No. 1 Los Gatos (16-8) is poised for a deep run in the Division I tournament. The Wildcats were an Open Division team in 2024 and could have been again this year. Instead, they’ll have an excellent shot to chase a CCS title. The Wildcats are led by senior center Nicole Steiner, who recorded the first triple-double in school history earlier this year. …

The Open Division is all private schools. Six of eight hail from the West Catholic Athletic League, while Pinewood and Priory come from the West Bay Athletic League. …

Bay Area teams occupy the top seed in all six CCS brackets: No. 1 Mitty (21-3) in the Open, No. 1 Los Gatos in Division I, No. 1 Hillsdale (20-4) in Division II, No. 1 Notre Dame-San Jose (10-9) in Division III, No. 1 Menlo School (14-8) in Division IV and No. 1 Castilleja (18-3) in Division V.

— Christian Babcock