CIF-SS DIVISIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEWS

Valley Christian girls basketball gets top four seed, receives first round bye
By Loren Kopff
Editor’s note: Some of the area teams may have already been eliminated by today.

The defending California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Division V-AA runner ups in girls basketball, Valley Christian, was rewarded for another strong season by claiming the fourth seed in Division IV-A as the winter playoffs began this past Wednesday for the boys and on Feb. 17 for the girls. Listed below is a preview of seven of the eight opening round basketball games.
• BOYS BASKETBALL
• DIVISION II-A
• Indio (17-9, tied for third place, Desert Valley League) @ #7 Gahr (19-7, second place, San Gabriel Valley League)
• Probable starters for Gahr: Sr. Davon Potts (20.2 points per game), Sr. Javonte Sales (13.2 ppg.), Jr. Michael Alvarez (7.0 ppg.), Jr. John Benson (5.4 ppg.), So. Brian Nebo (6.2 ppg.)
• The Gladiators began the season as the second ranked team in the division and was in line for one of the top four spots in the middle of January. But a three-point home loss to Lynwood and a two-point home loss to Downey dropped the team to seventh. Still, it’s going to be a competitive road to the finals for whoever makes it there.
• “It’s a pretty tough division,” said Gahr head coach Rick Roper. “Not to look past Indio, but Ayala is playing real well right now. It would be an awful tough game. There are a lot of tough teams but I think it’s pretty wide open too.”
• Gahr has been riding the hot hands of Potts and junior Anthony Martinez, who had been averaging 14 points until getting injured on Feb. 2 at Dominguez. But the Gladiators are stockpiled with talent and should get by the Rajahs. Johnny Flores leads Indo in scoring with a 24.4 average. Indio began the season on a four-game losing streak and at one point was 3-7. A win would see Gahr most likely playing 10th ranked Ayala tonight.
• “Since [Martinez] has been gone, I’ve been talking about how everyone has to step up,” Roper said. “We’re going to have to tighten up our defense. The plays where he had the ball, someone else will just have the ball and will have to make good decisions.”
• Norwalk (15-12, third place, Suburban League) @ #14 Camarillo (second place, Pacific View League)
• Probable starters for Norwalk: Sr. Manuel Castaneda (18.0 ppg.), Sr. Cammie Lewis (12.7 ppg.), Jr. Angel Arevalo (5.7 ppg.), Jr. Armando Holguin (1.8 ppg.) Jr. Terrence Traylor (12.0 ppg.)
• After hosting a pair of playoff games last season, the Lancers hit the road against the Scorpions on the western edge of the Conejo Valley. The opponent came as little surprise to head coach Jim Webster as he his making his third straight trip to the playoffs.
• “We kind of narrowed it down to three teams and Camarillo was definitely there because we knew they were going to be a second place team,” he said.
• Norwalk has been led by the big three of Castaneda, Lewis and Traylor all season long. Lewis had a pair of 20+ scoring games in the past three games. Camarillo split its first eight games while Norwalk was never more than two games below .500 all season.
• “We were hoping we could split with Mayfair but then Artesia was going to be tough and Cerritos was going to be tough,” Webster said. “We were hoping to get eight wins again [in league] and we came close to that. We’re kind of where we thought we would be.”
• A Norwalk win would mean a second round home match-up tonight against third ranked Foothill barring a major upset by Baldwin Park.
• DIVISION III-A
• Artesia (12-13, fourth place, Suburban League) @ #7 Palm Desert (17-8, second place, Desert Valley League)
• Probable starters for Artesia: Sr. Patrick Hart (8.4 ppg.), Sr. Micah Kahawaii (15.9 ppg.), Jr. Santiago Fajardo (8.1 ppg. in 12 games), Jr. James Floyd (5.7 ppg.), Jr. Brandon Hunt (17.8 ppg.)
• The Pioneers lost their first four games of the season but turned it around when it mattered the most and survived a tough league season that saw the team go from 3-1 to 3-5 to 6-6. Fajardo, slated to be the top returning player, was seriously injured in a car accident in late November but returned just in time for league action. Hunt and Kahawaii have picked up the slack in his absence through the first 13 games.
• The Aztecs had a subpar non league slate despite opening the season with seven straight wins but went 10-2 in the Desert Valley League. The winner of this contest will draw the victor of the Rio Mesa-Torrance game.
• South Torrance (12-14, tied for fifth place, Pioneer League) @ #9 Cerritos (15-12, second place, Suburban League)
• Probable starters for Cerritos: Sr. Phillip Kim (9.9 ppg.), Sr. Chimdi Nnoli (8.1 ppg.), Sr. Bryan Williams 8.2 ppg.), Sr. Aaron Wright 18.1 ppg.), Jr. Terrence Fulton (16.6 ppg.)
• For the second straight season, the Dons were rewarded with a first round home game. Cerritos is seeking a berth in the second round for the first time in well over 10 years. Like Artesia and Norwalk, the Dons had an up and down season and ended the with a 3-3 mark over the past two and a half weeks.
• “We just play and we’ll see,” said Cerritos head coach Jonathan Watanabe. “I’ve been happy with my draw before and every time I’ve been happy with my draw, it doesn’t turn out too well.”
• The Dons utilized a much smaller team in terms of numbers than in recent years but got stellar play from their starting crew. Watanabe said that Nnoli, in his first year at the varsity level, is the most improved player. Cerritos scored at least 70 points in seven league games.
• “I still say this is one of the most talented teams I’ve coached,” Watanabe said. “It’s just a matter of can we put it together and become one of the best teams.”
• The Spartans went 3-7 in league action. The winner will face either Diamond Ranch or eighth ranked Calabasas tonight.
• GIRLS BASKETBALL
• DIVISION III-AA
• #15 Gahr (13-13, third place, San Gabriel Valley League) @ Los Amigos (16-8, Garden Grove League co-champions)
• Probable starters for Gahr: Sr. Symone Brown (20.2 ppg.), Jr. Zaneta Agu (3.6 ppg.), Jr. Alii Salone (7.0 ppg.), So. Jasmine Gates (5.5 ppg.), So. Jewelyn Sawyer (14.1 ppg.)
• Even though Gahr’s opponent claimed a share of the Garden Grove League, it should get past the Lobos. The Gladiators played a tough non league schedule that included Inglewood, Long Beach Jordan, Long Beach Wilson, North Torrance, Valley Christian and Whitney, among others. Brown and Sawyer have been the top two players but Salone has the ability to reach double figures and Gates had a solid month of December. Cindy Guerrero (19.6 ppg.) leads the Lobos. The winner will play second seeded Serra, the defending Division V-AA champion on Saturday.
• DIVISION III-A
• #16 John Glenn (19-8, second place, Suburban League) @ Northview (16-10, second place, Valley Vista League)
• Probable starters for Glenn: Sr. Arlene Gomez (9.4 ppg.), Sr. Sharae Moten (10.7 ppg.), Sr. Mariam Perez (2.4 ppg.), Sr. Sarai Robles (9.3 ppg.), Jr. Kimberly Orozco (4.9 ppg.)
• The Lady Eagles had one of their finest seasons but despite being a top 16 team, will be on the road against the Vikings. Glenn has been winning games with basically six players who have scored all but only 10 of Glenn’s points all season. The first player off the bench is junior Moshannae Summerise who can crash the boards. Claudia Ramirez led Northview with a 10.6 ppg. scoring average. Both teams went 9-3 in their leagues but the Vikings went through a six-game losing streak in December. The winner will face top ranked Orange Lutheran.
• DIVISION IV-A
• #13 Santa Ynez (14-11, Los Padres League co-champions) @ #4 Valley Christian (17-9, Olympic League champions)
• Probable starters for Valley Christian: Sr. Jelissa Holder (9.5 ppg.), Sr. Jamie Perez (8.0 ppg.), Jr. Nia Archer (3.2 ppg.), Jr. Kari Korver (25.1 ppg.), Jr. Lianna Tanis (2.8 ppg.)
• After getting a first round bye, the Lady Crusaders will get underway on Saturday. Valley Christian has been ranked anywhere from fourth to sixth all season and is on a collision course with top ranked Oaks Christian for a possible semifinal meeting. But first, the Lady Crusaders must get past the Pirates, which went 10-2 in league action. V.C. has been led by Korver, who has accounted for 45 percent of the team’s scoring. Santa Ynez is led by Hailey King (14.8 ppg.). A win by V.C. will put the team in Wednesday’s quarterfinal game against either fifth ranked Duarte or 12th ranked Marymount.