Playoff pairings could get interesting

The five divisions of the state playoffs will largely be decided by games played this week.

By Eric Maddy, Special to The Times
February 27, 2007

It's tough to match apples and oranges.

Groupings for the Southern Section boys' and girls' basketball playoffs, which conclude with championship games this week, are based primarily on competitive equity this season.

Teams, and their respective leagues, were grouped in a clear pecking order, with the best in Division I-AA, followed by the next-best group in Division I-A, down to the weakest of its 10 divisions, V-A.

However, the five divisions of the state playoffs, which begin March 6 and conclude March 23-24 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, are based on school enrollment, with the largest schools in Division I and the smallest in Division V.

The Southern Section will send eight teams to the Division I state playoffs and four teams each in Divisions II through V. Berths will be awarded first to section champions, then finalists, then semifinalists, then quarterfinalists, until all berths are filled. A Southern Section special committee will meet March 4 to make any necessary decisions.

A look at state playoff qualifiers entering the section's semifinal games Tuesday night:

BOYS

Division I � Kaiser has already qualified for the state playoffs. The King-Los Alamitos and Pasadena-Murrieta Valley semifinal winners will qualify as well, and Arroyo Valley and Corona Centennial can qualify if they win their respective semifinal games.

If Arroyo Valley and Centennial each win, five berths will be accounted for, and three of four semifinal losers (King-Los Alamitos loser, Pasadena-Murrieta Valley loser, Perris, and West Valley) will advance.

If either Arroyo Valley or Centennial wins, four berths will be accounted for, and four of the five semifinal losers will advance.

If neither Arroyo Valley nor Centennial wins, three berths will be accounted for and five of the six semifinal losers will advance.

Division II � Seven teams are playing in semifinals Tuesday: Mater Dei, Compton, Dominguez, Redondo, Ramona, Norco, Camarillo.

Mater Dei plays Compton and Redondo faces Ramona. The distribution of berths will depend on how many of the other three teams (Dominguez, Norco, Camarillo) win.

If all three win, there will be a pool of five Division III teams in the Southern Section finals, and the teams that win their finals will have first priority for state berths.

If two of the three win, both will go on to state along with the Mater Dei-Compton winner and the Redondo-Ramona winner.

If only one of the three wins, it will go to state along with the Mater Dei-Compton winner, the Redondo-Ramona winner and one of the four semifinal losers.

If none of the three win, two of the five semifinal losers will be selected to join the Mater Dei-Compton winner and the Redondo-Ramona winner at state.

Division III � Twentynine Palms and Corona del Mar have advanced to the section finals. Four other teams (Artesia, Ocean View, La Canada, Oak Park) play in semifinals Tuesday.

If all four win, there will be six Division III teams in the section finals, and the teams that win their finals will have first priority for state berths.

If three win, there will be five Division III teams in section finals, and the teams that win their finals will have first priority for state berths.

�If two win, they will join Twentynine Palms and Corona del Mar in the state tournament.

If only one wins, it will join Twentynine Palms and Corona del Mar at state, and one of the three losing semifinalists will be chosen.

If none wins, two of the four losing semifinalists will join Twentynine Palms and Corona del Mar at state.

Division IV � Five teams (Buckley, Linfield Christian, Desert, Rosamond, Brethren Christian) have already qualified for section finals, and two more (St. Bernard, Campbell Hall) could with semifinal victories. Nothing will be decided in this division until after the section finals.

Division V � Pacific Hills, Price, Renaissance Academy and Desert Chapel have qualified for state as the only Division V teams to advance as far as the section semifinals.

GIRLS

Division I � Silverado has qualified for state. The Miller-Etiwanda semifinal winner will also qualify.

Long Beach Poly, Hart, San Clemente, Palmdale, Perris and Oxnard Pacifica all play semifinals Tuesday and all can qualify for state with semifinal victories.

If all six win, that will account for all eight of the section's berths; if any of those six lose, the losers will go into a pool with Indio and the Miller-Etiwanda loser, and all but two from that pool will be chosen to advance to state.

Division II � Colony has advanced to the Section finals. Brea Olinda, Redondo, Mira Costa, Norco, Ayala and Temescal Canyon all play semifinals Tuesday

If more than three of those six teams win, the teams that win their finals will have first priority for state berths.

If three of those teams win, those three will advance to state along with Colony.

If fewer than three of those teams win, the winners will advance to state along with Colony, and the losers will enter a pool of teams along with La Serna and Sierra Vista from which the remaining state qualifiers will be selected.

Division III � Costa Mesa and Laguna Hills have advanced to Southern Section finals.

Santa Margarita, Bishop Amat, Diamond Ranch and Magnolia all play semifinals Tuesday.

If more than two of those four teams win, the teams that win their finals will have first priority for state berths.

If exactly two of those teams win, those two advance to state along with Costa Mesa and Laguna Hills.

If fewer than two of those teams win, the winners will advance to state along with Costa Mesa and Laguna Hills, and the losers will enter a pool of teams along with Beaumont from which the remaining state qualifiers will be selected.

Division IV � Six teams (St. Mary's Academy, Flintridge Prep, Whittier Christian, Village Christian, Los Angeles Baptist, Bishop Conaty-Loretto) will play in section finals, and a seventh (Marlborough) may join them after its semifinal on Tuesday.

If Marlborough loses Tuesday, that would guarantee the Divisions V-AA and V-A champions state berths. If Marlborough wins Tuesday, Division IV teams will be playing for section titles in five divisions, and nothing will be determined until after the section finals.

Division V � Pacific Hills and Mesa Grande Academy have earned state berths as the only Division V teams to advance to the section quarterfinals.

Two of 10 second-round losers (Saddleback Valley Christian, Rio Hondo Prep, Boron, Lone Pine, Noli Indian, Orangewood Academy, West Valley Christian, Marywood-Palm Valley, Lake Arrowhead Christian, Calvary Baptist) will be selected to join them.

The scenario in the City is much simpler.

The four City Championship semifinalists qualify for the state playoffs in Division I, and the Small Schools finalists qualify in the division corresponding to their enrollment.

Fairfax, Westchester, Sun Valley Poly and Dorsey will enter the Boys' Division I state playoffs, and Taft, Washington, Dorsey and Grant qualified for the Girls' Division I state playoffs.

View Park's boys and girls teams will both enter the Division V playoffs, and Los Angeles CES has qualified both boys' and girls' teams for the Division IV playoffs.