St. Augustine is top-ranked in the final UT-San Diego regular-season poll and is the defending state champion in Division III as playoff teams enter the homestretch of the season.

Coach Mike Haupt’s team,  29-4 a year ago, take a 26-2 record into this season’s playoffs and are ranked 18th in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.

St. Augustine finished 10th overall in the state in 2012-13.  The Saints  defeated San Francisco Sacred Heart 59-52 in overtime for the championship after Trey Kell buried three consecutive free throws to forge a tie in the final three seconds of regulation.

The two teams with victories over the Saints are Chino Hills (24-4), ranked seventh, and Lakewood Mayfair (23-5), ranked 17th.

Chino Hills holds a 66-55 win over the Saints and Mayfair beat them, 62-61, in late December in the  Torrey Pines tournament.

Should St. Augustine win the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs there is no guarantee it would revert to D-III in the Southern California alignment.  The Saints may be placed in the Open Division and be grouped with a maximum of four Southern Section Open clubs.

El Camino is 15th in D-1, Mater Dei Catholic eighth in D-II, St. Augustine third in D-III, Sweetwater sixth and Kearny ninth.  Francis Parker is “on the bubble” in D-II.  La Costa, No. 10 a week ago, dropped out of the D-II Top 10.

Cal-Hi Sports does not follow the San Diego model in identifying teams’  divisions.

**Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

Others receiving votes: San Marcos, 12;  Mission Bay, 5; Steele Canyon, 3; Calvin Christian, 1.

Thirteen sportswriters, sportscasters and CIF representatives from throughout San Diego County vote in the weekly poll:
John Maffei, Craig Malveaux and Don Norcross (U-T San Diego correspondent); Terry Monahan (U-T San Diego correspondent); Bill Dickens, Andrew Smith (eastcountysports.com); Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions); John Kentera, Jack Cronin (The Mighty 1090);
John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section office);
Rick Smith (Partletonsports.com);
Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com);
Aaron Burgin (fulltimehoops.tumblr.com).

Seventeen teams with losing records and three .500 squads  made the San Diego Section playoffs.

It doesn’t look as ridiculous as in previous years.

Pairings announced Saturday promise good games, even  in early rounds, especially considering size of brackets and number of divisions.

Only in Division II is there virtual mediocrity. Seven of the eight, first-round visiting clubs have losing records, some real bad (see Hills, Granite 7-19).

D-II clubs have a combined .503 winning percentage and overall record of 198-196.  The others reflect more success:  Open–157-65, .707; I–251-173, .592; III–260-148, .637; IV–216-166, .565; V–108-55, .662.

OPEN IS OPEN

The eight-team Open Division promises big matchups in later rounds.  Only Vista (7-20) and Lincoln (13-12) look out of place.

St. Augustine (26-2) and El Camino (26-3) are the  1-2 seeds and could meet in a blockbuster final at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion on March 8.

Eastlake (23-5) and Mission Bay (13-8) are top-ranked D-I entries, but that division looks wide-open.

San Marcos (18-8) is dangerous.  In-an-outers Poway (17-11), Carlsbad (17-11), Escondido (19-8), Westview (17-10), Helix (16-12), and Cathedral (15-10) all could make runs.

‘DEI AND PARKER

Mater Dei (24-2) and Francis Parker (22-4) should  ride to the D-II final.

Teams in the Mater Dei half of the bracket are a combined 80-103. Teams in Parker’s half are 94-92.

Sweetwater (25-0) and Kearny (21-2) are at the top of D-III, but questions persist over Kearny’s less-than-robust list of opponents.

Foothills Christian could meet Sweetwater in  the semifinals in the division’s most appealing contest.

D-IV lacks pizzazz, although Orange Glen (22-5) has emerged after years in the tank.  Second seed behind the Patriots is Tri-Christian (18-8), which has dropped two to D-V  7 seed Pacific Ridge.

D-V is the smallest of the small.  Escondido Adventist (18-6) is top seed.

Selection Saturday is just five days away.

League play wraps up this week, but all eyes are on the postseason and the ensuing rounds that lead to the state championships in Sacramento next month.

Seedings and pairings for the San Diego Section playoffs, to be waged in 5 divisions,  will come out of  Section commissioner Jerry Schniepp’s office sometime Saturday, depending on the length and volume of discussions.

With the new, Open Division format, several teams are on a collision course, including St. Augustine, El Camino, La Costa Canyon, and Torrey Pines, the favorites in an eight-team bracket that also includes Mission Hills, Hoover, Lincoln, and Vista.

Vista, at 5-20, should exit very early, but the others can make things interesting.

Eastlake is the highest ranked Division I team.  The other 15 squads essentially are lying in the weeds.  Mission Bay might be a factor. The Buccaneers are only 12-7 but hung with St. Augustine last week, ending with a flurry of 3’s that cut the final deficit to 54-53.

D-II features Mater Dei, Francis Parker, and Steele Canyon.

Sweetwater and Kearny headline D-III, with Foothills Christian, Del Norte and Calvin Christian gaining some cred.  Calexico Vincent Memorial and Orange Glen may have the edge in D-IV.

El Camino is still fourth in this week’s UT-San Diego poll, but  the Wildcats of coach Ray Johnson have lately positioned themselves for a postseason run.

**Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

Others receiving votes: San Marcos, 10; Escondido, Mission Bay, 8; Del Norte, 5; Steele Canyon, 4; Calvin Christian, 1.

Thirteen sportswriters, sportscasters and CIF representatives from throughout San Diego County vote in the weekly poll:
John Maffei, Craig Malveaux and Don Norcross (U-T San Diego);
Terry Monahan (U-T San Diego stringer);
Bill Dickens, Andrew Smith (eastcountysports.com);
Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions);
John Kentera and Jack Cronin (The Mighty 1090);
John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section office);
Rick Smith (Partletonsports.com);
Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com);
and Aaron Burgin (fulltimehoops.tumblr.com).

Echoes of Gary Zarecky’s fast-breaking teams of the 1980’s are being heard at Sweetwater, where the Runnin’ Red Devils now are 16-0 and inching higher in the UT-San Diego weekly poll.

An 82-66 victory over Morse last week was preceded by five games in which coach Jesse Aguirre’s team scored at least 90 points and 100 twice.

Sweetwater defeated San Diego  Southwest, 116-30, recently, but that scoring total is only fifth all-time at the National City school, made famous by Zarecky’s relentless offensive teams.

The Red Devils defeated Coronado, 136-48, and Mar Vista, 123-54, in 1984-85, rolled a 123-48 number against San Diego Southwest and ran past Marian, 122-91, in 1983-84.

This Red Devils squad is averaging 83.7 points a game, while Zarecky’s clubs averaged 92.3 in ’84-85, 91.7 in ’82-83, and 88.4 in ’83-84.

St., Augustine and Mater Dei are running 1-2 in this week’s poll, with La Costa Canyon third.

The 18-2 Saints lost to Chino Hills, which is 17-4, and to Lakewood Mayfair, now 16-5. A more relevant evaluation of the Saints may come Wednesday night when Chino Hills meets 18-3 La Verne Damien, a 73-63 loser to St. Augustine.

Mater Dei’s two losses were in a tournament in Phoenix, where it was outscored by Capistrano JSerra, 63-48, and West Hills Chaminade, 55-47.

JSerra is 11-7 and lost its most recent game to Santa Ana Mater Dei, 69-39, ranked No. 1 in the country today by USA Today. Chaminade is 17-3 and holds a 73-61 win over Loyola, ranked twelfth nationally.

**Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

Others receiving votes: Foothills Christian, 9; Grossmont, 8; Kearny, Mission Hills, Westview, 2 each.

Thirteen sportswriters, sportscasters and CIF representatives from throughout San Diego County vote in the weekly poll:
John Maffei, Craig Malveaux and Don Norcross (U-T San Diego);
Terry Monahan (U-T San Diego stringer);
Bill Dickens, Andrew Smith (eastcountysports.com);
Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions);
John Kentera and Jack Cronin (The Mighty 1090);
John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section office);
Rick Smith (Partletonsports.com);
Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com);
Aaron Burgin (fulltimehoops.tumblr.com).

The Martin Luther King Day doubleheader at Francis Parker produced the best game of the season, St. Augustine’s 79-74 victory over La Costa Canyon, and the Saints are unanimous choices as San Diego’s top team in the UT-San Diego poll.

Trey Kell was brilliant for the winners and scored  37 points, but the tough Mavericks hounded Kell into four turnovers in a highly-charged game in which bodies resounded as they hit the floor and the two game officials “let them play.”

St. Augustine jumped to a 27-15 lead early in the second quarter and was up 48-34 midway in the third, but  La Costa Canyon kept coming and narrowed the gap to 62-61 in the fourth.

Coach Mike Haupt’s team held serve.  The  Saints came up with  late steals and hit most of their free throws in the stretch run.

A full house at Parker included head coach Steve Fisher and assistants Brian Dutcher,  Justin Hutson, and David Valenzuela of San Diego State, and many of the local basketball cognoscenti.

TORREY WINS UNDERCARD

Torrey Pines coach John Olive sauntered along the edge of the court in front of his team’s bench,

seemingly at ease despite’s Francis Parker’s  opening a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

Olive obviously knew better things were in store for his squad.  The Falcons got rolling and were up by 25 points in the second half, then geared down and cruised in with a 62-47 win over the host Lancers.

**Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

Others receiving votes: Foothills Christian, Grossmont, 8 each; Cathedral, Kearny, Mission Hills, 3 each; Steele Canyon, Morse, 2 each.

Thirteen sportswriters, sportscasters and CIF representatives from throughout San Diego County vote in the weekly poll:
John Maffei, Craig Malveaux and Don Norcross (U-T San Diego);
Terry Monahan (U-T San Diego stringer);
Bill Dickens, Andrew Smith (eastcountysports.com);
Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions);
John Kentera and Jack Cronin (The Mighty 1090);
John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section office);
Rick Smith (Partletonsports.com);
Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com);
Aaron Burgin (fulltimehoops.tumblr.com).

Lincoln could have used Norman Powell last night at St. Augustine, but Powell is busy rising  at UCLA under first-year coach Steve Alford.

It should have been expected. There’s a connection between Powell and Alford.

That was apparent three years ago at a Lincoln-St. Augustine game in the Saints’ old Daugherty Gym.

The date, Feb. 15, 2011.

Alford, then coaching New Mexico, arrived in town for a game the next day at San Diego State.

The coach first took in the afternoon contest between the Hornets and Saints.

Alford was there to see Powell, who didn’t disappoint,  dunking and breaking away for 35 points on 14 of 19 shooting from the field, harassing the Saints on defense, and leading Lincoln to an 85-53 victory.

Powell didn’t go to New Mexico. He chose UCLA, but it wasn’t until Alford’s arrival on the Westwood campus this season that the 6-foot, 4-inch junior emerged.

Powell scored a season high 19 points earlier this week and was a stout defender as the No. 25 Bruins scored a 69-56 victory at No. 21 Colorado and put themselves firmly in the hunt for Pac-12 Conference and postseason honors.

“I don’t hang my hat on the offensive end,” Powell told a Los Angeles Times reporter. “Defense, defense, defense, defense.  That’s what coach tells us every time we go out to play a game.”

Alford had another view:  “Norman is a load when you give him freedom in the post and on drives to the basket.”

Meanwhile, Lincoln was woeful  in the Western League rivals’ first 2013-14 meeting.  The Saints entertained a full house  of mostly purple-clad fans and dismissed the Hornets, 70-45, after running to a 45-17 halftime lead.

BARNBURNER IN CARLSBAD

Tommy McCarthy drained a three-point looper with 1.3 seconds remaining to give La Costa Canyon a 54-52 victory over visiting Torrey Pines in a battle of North County squads.

La Costa Canyon, ranked third in the U-T San Diego poll, and top-ranked St Augustine will meet Monday evening at Francis Parker in the feature of many Martin Luther King holiday games around the San Diego Section. The undercard  matches  No. 4 Torrey Pines and the host  No. 8 Lancers.