Ed Martin called his team’s opponents in the CIF state basketball playoffs “the worst possible draw.”
Chris Kroesch called his team’s draw “totally frustrating.”
Martin’s Montgomery High School boys team, the San Diego Section Open Division champion, is seeded No. 6 in the Southern California Regional Open Division and will play Wednesday at No. 3-seeded Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
Kroesch’s Mission Hills girls team, the San Diego Section Open champion, is seeded No. 5 in the Southern California Regional Open Division and will play Wednesday at No. 4-seeded Sierra Canyon.
All other divisions open play Tuesday.
“I feel Ed’s pain,” Kroesch said. “I don’t have any problem playing Sierra Canyon. We played them earlier in the season, didn’t have two starters, and they smacked us.
“But we’re champions of the San Diego Section, and I feel we deserve a home game. I think Montgomery, as our boys Open Division champion, should have a home game. It’s not fair that teams in our section that lost in the quarterfinals get to play at home, but the champions are on the road.”
Montgomery beat Notre Dame earlier this season, but the Knights have added 6-foot-7, do-everything Tyran Stokes since the Montgomery game.
Stokes, a five-star recruit by 247Sports.com, grew up in the South Bay.
“He might make a difference,” Martin said. “I get it. The Open Division is tough. But I’m a little frustrated that we have to go to Sherman Oaks. When do I get the kids out of school? Do we stop and feed them on the way up or do sack lunches on the bus? It’s tough.”
St. Augustine coach Mike Haupt, whose team is the San Diego Section Division 1 champion, is seeded No. 8 in Division 1 and hosts Canyon Country Canyon.
“And I’m OK with that,” Haupt said. “The seedings never make sense, but I’m good with our draw. I feel the pain of the teams that have to go on the road as champions. We’ve been there. But I think we have a chance to win a couple of games.”
The San Diego Section has 36 teams in the state playoffs — 18 boys teams and 18 girls teams.
Carlsbad, Santa Fe Christian, Francis Parker, Olympian, Maranatha Christian, Mira Mesa, Southwest-San Diego and Pacific Ridge have home games on the boys side. Cathedral Catholic doesn’t have to leave town, playing at Carlsbad in a rematch of the San Diego Section Open Division semifinals. And Victory Christian plays at Santa Fe Christian.
On the girls side, Francis Parker, El Capitan, Cathedral Catholic, Rancho Bernardo, Mater Dei Catholic, Christian, Otay Ranch and Bishop’s have home games.
El Capitan hosts Rancho Buena Vista. Carlsbad hosts Escondido Charter in a doubleheader with the Lancers boys.
