"City boys teams won the state's top division five times in six years from 1993-98 and seven times in nine years from 2002-10. However, since the Open Division debuted in 2013 only two City teams have advanced to the regional finals in that division - Westchester in 2014 and Fairfax in 2015 - and the last time a City team made the Open bracket was five years ago when Birmingham lost in the first round."
"The City dominated back in the day. His Dolphins lost a heartbreaker, 59-57 at Bakersfield Christian, falling a win short of a trip to Sacramento for the state finals. Eleven days earlier Palisades captured the City Open Division crown, going undefeated against section opponents, and with 10 players - including all five starters - returning next season, Bryant not only has his sights set on a repeat, he wants to reverse a 15-year trend during which City teams have struggled to compete at the highest level."
The Los Angeles City Section once produced top-tier basketball programs that regularly competed for state championships, winning the state's top division five times between 1993-98 and seven times between 2002-10. However, a significant decline has occurred over the past 15 years. Since the Open Division debuted in 2013, only two City teams have advanced to regional finals in that division—Westchester in 2014 and Fairfax in 2015. The last City team to compete in the Open bracket was Birmingham five years ago. Despite this trend, current Palisades coach Jeff Bryant aims to reverse this decline, having won the City Open Division title with 10 returning players. Birmingham and Sylmar represent recent City teams benefiting from regional playoff expansion.
#los-angeles-city-section-basketball #state-championship-competition-decline #high-school-basketball-regional-playoffs #palisades-dolphins-basketball-program
Read at Los Angeles Times
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