There's something about Division IV and the state basketball playoffs. For the second straight year, the only boys basketball team left from Kern County as we reach the Southern Cal semifinal (state quarterfinal) round is in Division IV with a star at guard andis  traveling to the Southland to battle a Division I recruit and his top-ranked team.

Granted, this doesn't quite have the ring of Stephon Carter vs. Jrue Holiday, which is what last year's trip to Campbell Hall brought, but this should be fun anyway. Bakersfield Christian, newly moved up to D-IV, is traveling to Torrance to take on Bishop Montgomery. The stars in question are BCHS' Marcus Hall, who has averaged better than 25 points in the last four games of the Eagles' playoff run — including 36 in the section final against Kingsburg and 33 in the first round of state against West Hills-Chaminade — and Bishop Montgomery's Justin Cobbs.

Cobbs isn't as highly touted as Holiday, but he might be just as good of a player. He's verbally committed to Minnesota, choosing Tubby Smith and the Golden Gophers over teams like Cal, USC, Washington State and Iowa. I read a scouting report on him that described him as mega-talented but in need of some decision-making skills — he's the guy who likes to jack up shots too early in the shot clock, only sometimes they go in.

There's no doubt Bakersfield Christian is the underdog here. The Eagles are facing a team that beat Lawndale-Leuzinger — the same squad that pounded a Carter-less Garces team in the D-II playoffs last night — and has played tough teams throughout the year. But BCHS is rolling — it's won 18 games in a row and about 15 of those by more than 20 points. And Hall is a great talent (word is CSUB wants him to join Carter on the 'Runners team next year) who can elevate his game and possibly counterbalance Cobbs.

No way I'd pick the Eagles to win this game, but it should be quite the D-IV show in SoCal again.

For the record, here are the state basketball scores from last night's SoCal quarterfinals (yeah, this is where the opponents get really tough):
Boys
Lawndale-Leuzinger 108, Garces 73
North Hollywood-Harvard-Westlake 70, Ridgeview 47
Bakersfield Christian 67, West Hills-Chaminade Prep 48
Girls
Long Beach-Poly 76, Stockdale 47
Santa Ana-Mater Dei 85, Garces 26