2013-14: Saints No. 1 Here, 18th in State

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).

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