The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by John Ross, Class of 2013.
The Jordan boys’ basketball team is trying to advance to its first CIF-SS boys’ basketball championship since 1996. The Division 4A semifinal will take place tonight against Pacifica Christian at St. Bernard High at 7pm.
Tickets can be purchased here.
The Panthers have been on a roll in the playoffs so far, comfortably beating Montclair (79-30) and Cate (89-74) as well as winning a close one in the second round. Tonight they face a Pacifica Christian team that’s 25-5.
Jordan coach Chris Francis and his Panthers are already in territory the school hasn’t reached since the retirement of Jordan coaching legend Ron Massey in 2009.
“Coach Massey, he and I had a great relationship,” said Francis. “I spoke at his retirement party. I don’t want to take credit for any of this–it’s the community. It’s the Northside. I’m doing it the same way he did it, with Northside kids. Our kids went to Lindbergh and Lindsey and Hamilton and Hughes (middle schools). We’ve got Northside kids and we’ve got a Northside outcome.”
The key for Jordan will be its pressure, and applying it to Pacifica Christian without also applying it to themselves.
“We just feel like in this division, we probably have the best athletes on the floor,” he said. “It plays a big part. We like to play fast, we like to speed people up. But sometimes we can speed ourselves up.”
If Jordan prevails, they’d face the winner of Littlerock and Sage Hill in the championship, after Littlerock’s shocking upset of top-seeded Leuzinger.
