Plenty of intrigue in Southern Section playoff openers

Here are some of the more interesting opening-round games in the Southern Section boys’ basketball playoffs that begin Wednesday:

Alta Loma (13-13) at Huntington Beach Edison (16-10). This Division II-AA game features two of the top junior players. Alta Loma’s 6-foot-6 J.J. O’Brien is averaging 27 points. Edison’s 6-1 Kyle Boswell is averaging 21.6.

Compton (10-16) at Simi Valley (20-6). This Division II-A game has Brad Lewis of Simi Valley, a senior guard averaging 24.3 points. Compton comes out of the competitive Moore League, though it’s just not the same team without DeMar DeRozan.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (9-18) at City of Industry Workman (19-5). The standout in this Division IV-A opener is Cezar Guerrero, a sophomore point guard who transferred from Bellflower St. John Bosco and is averaging 27.3 points for Workman. Notre Dame comes from the tough Mission League, where three schools -- Los Angeles Loyola, North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake and Encino Crespi -- are section title contenders.

--

-- Eric Sondheimer

--

latimes.com

/sports

It’s playoff time

Get caught up on all the playoff pairings for winter sports for the City and Southern Section high schools on the Varsity Times Insider blog and at latimes.com/highschool.