The Chargers began the week by knocking off Independence 51-37 and then closed out division play with a solid 60-45 thumping of Gunderson. Those wins, combined with one the week before over Prospect, gave Leland a three-game winning streak and some momentum heading into postseason play.

Leland (11-14) was seeded No. 15 in Division II of the CCS playoffs and was scheduled to go up against No. 2 Mitty (18-8) on Feb. 23 in a first-round game. The winner advances to a quarterfinal game set for Feb. 26 at 2:45 p.m. at Santa Clara High School. The Division II semifinals are scheduled for March 2 at Santa Clara.

In the win over Gunderson "everyone contributed a strong defensive effort, especially guards Jimi Kogura and Kyle Yoshioka who stuffed their guards," coach Dave Frandsen said. "Also, our team defense was outstanding."

The Chargers' game plan was to pound the ball inside, which opened the door for Logan Foos to have a monster game. He poured in a game-high 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for a double double and added three assists.

Two other Chargers broke the double-digit barrier with David Farsai popping in 12 points and Danny Hamouie tossing in 11. Brennan Walker knocked down two threes in the second quarter that helped the Chargers explode to a big lead they never relinquished.

Leland put together a balanced offensive effort against Independence and played good team defense. Iasias Asfaha and Kyle Walker led the attack, dropping in nine points each with Walker bagging three from behind the arc. Farsai followed closely with seven.

Pioneer tuned up for CCS by splitting a pair of BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division contests last week. The Mustangs finished with a 7-5 division mark and in a third-place tie with Westmont.

Pioneer (13-13) received a No. 6 seed in the CCS Division III playoffs. The Mustangs were to face No. 11 Terra Nova (11-14) on Feb. 23. The winner advances to a quarterfinal game against No. 3 Monterey (22-2) at Piedmont Hills set for Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. The Division III semifinals are scheduled for March 2 at Piedmont Hills.

Early in the week, Pioneer hammered Santa Teresa 74-51. The teams actually went into intermission knotted at 27-27 but the Mustangs exploded for 31 points in the third and outscored the Saints 47-24 in the second half.

Four Mustangs popped the cords for double figures with Mark Bundlie leading the way and working his magic for 22 points. Mike Kaufmann dumped in 16, primarily from under and around the basket. Robbie Nelson and Joe Montelongo tossed in 12 each.

Pioneer met division champion Piedmont Hills in its final regular season game and fell 57-45 to the Pirates. The Mustangs stayed close for three quarters before Piedmont Hills pulled away in the fourth to secure the win.

It was Bundlie and Kaufmann leading the way once again as each put up 15 points. Brent Osborn contributed eight from in the paint while Nelson had four and Montelongo three.

Branham closed out its season by battling Oak Grove down to the wire before the Eagles slipped away with a 54-53 win. Anthony Pizano was tops for the Bruins, firing in 12 points. He was closely followed by Craig Ryan with 11 and Derek Fletcher with 10. Kai Kawahara and Dan Chilcott contributed seven points each and Tom Walias added four.

It was a challenging maiden voyage for the Bruins in the tough Mt. Hamilton Division competition.