Girls’ Basketball: CdM on the move

No good deed shall go unpunished.

That is the sometimes harsh reality for those who have enjoyed extended playoff success at the high school level.

Corona del Mar’s girls’ basketball team had achieved to that extent. The Sea Kings had been to the CIF Southern Section semifinals in each of the last three years. They qualified for the state tournament in each of those campaigns, winning a first-round game the last two seasons.

But just like a good hand in poker, Lady Luck may choose another side the next time the cards are dealt.

And she did.

After CIF-SS reshuffled the deck, Corona del Mar made a huge jump in the new playoff groupings. The Sea Kings were placed in Division 1AA, the highest level, after spending last season in Division 3A.

“We had success, and with success sometimes comes these things,” Sea Kings coach Brason Alexander said. “I’m not super familiar with the process at this point, but it is what it is. There’s no perfect system.”

The formula for placing teams in their respective division looked at a two-year window of performance. The most recently completed season was given a 67% weighted score, with the year prior making up the other 33%.

More specific factors included strength of regular season schedule results and playoff performance, as well as whether or not a team earned an automatic bid into the postseason.

Over the last three years, Corona del Mar has done well in that respect, but the issue at stake is that players matriculate out of high school.

The Sea Kings lost 6-foot-4 Natalia Bruening (UC Santa Barbara) and 6-foot-2 Krista Anderson to graduation, two pillars that helped Corona del Mar to new heights.

Alexander will be entering his first year as the Sea Kings’ coach after spending the last two years as an assistant with the team under Mark Decker.

The first-year coach said that his team’s divisional placement is nice for a couple of reasons. For one, it rewards the work of the girls over the past couple of years. Secondly, it takes the pressure completely off of his current group of players.

“The nice thing is that we’re playing a little bit with house money,” Alexander said. “People aren’t going to expect much, but I have my expectations for our kids.”

In all, five area teams were promoted to a higher playoff division (also Edison, Ocean View, Estancia, and Laguna Beach).

Fountain Valley, Newport Harbor, and Los Amigos were moved down.

Pacifica Christian will join the field of playoff eligible teams in its first year of varsity competition.

Area Girls’ Basketball Teams by Division:

Division 1AA

Corona del Mar (up from Div. 3A)

Division 1A

Huntington Beach

Edison (up from Div. 2AA)

Division 2A

Ocean View (up from Div. 3A)

Fountain Valley (down from Div. 1AA)

Division 3AA

Estancia (up from Div. 4AA)

Division 3A

Marina

Newport Harbor (down from Div. 2AA)

Laguna Beach (up from Div. 4AA)

Division 4A

Sage Hill

Los Amigos (down from Div. 3AA)

Costa Mesa

Division 6

Brethren Christian

Liberty Christian

Not Placed Yet

Pacifica Christian (to be determined following review of schedule and league)