Local eight still alive
Eight of the nine local high school boys’ basketball teams advanced out of the first round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs on Wednesday.
It was almost a perfect nine.
Costa Mesa High came close to joining Edison, Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor, Huntington Beach, Ocean View, Laguna Beach, Sage Hill and Pacifica Christian in the second round on Friday. The Mustangs lost the Division 4AA opener at Santiago, 52-50, marking their fifth straight first-round exit.
The contest was one Costa Mesa had a chance to win, unlike the previous opening-round games against private schools JSerra, Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Studio City Harvard-Westlake.
One school in the area who won its first postseason game in quite sometime was Sage Hill.
Dominic Sadeghi scored a season-high 31 points, leading the Lightning past Palos Verdes Chadwick, 63-56, in a Division 4A opener at home, giving the program its first playoff victory since the 2009-10 season.
In his first full season at the helm of the Lightning, Coach Billy Conlon has done a quality job. Sage Hill (18-7), ranked No. 9 in the final Division 4A poll, travels to No. 8 Romoland Heritage (18-8) on Friday for a second-round game at 7 p.m.
Randall Walker’s knee must be OK.
After missing Edison’s regular-season finale last week with a knee issue, the senior guard returned for the school’s Division 1AA opener. He finished with 36 points in the Chargers’ 86-79 win at home against Inglewood.
Walker and the co-Sunset League champion Chargers (23-4), ranked No. 2 in the final Division 1AA poll, head to No. 8 Hemet Tahquitz (23-4) on Friday. The Titans, the Mountain Pass League champions, had a first-round bye.
If Edison gets by Tahquitz, it will most likely see No. 2-seeded St. John Bosco in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Edison would be at home as it won the coin flip.
The two programs met in the finals of the Corona del Mar Beach Bash on Dec. 10, when St. John Bosco won, 75-68.
Newport Harbor earned its first playoff win since the 2012-13 season by edging host Northwood, 61-60, in a Division 2AA opener.
Collin Pipkin, who led the Sailors with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, will try to get Newport Harbor to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1998-99. The Sailors (17-12) play host to Buena Park (23-5) in the second round.
In other second-round games, Laguna Beach and Ocean View will look to reach the quarterfinals for the second straight season. Both are in Division 3AA this season, and the Breakers (19-10) play at No. 2-seeded Crean Lutheran (22-6), while the Golden West League champion Seahawks (22-6) play host to Almont League champion Montebello Schurr (21-7).
CdM (21-7) has a tough Division 1A second-round contest at Compton Dominguez (19-7), which split the San Gabriel Valley League title. The Pacific Coast League champion Sea Kings are likely going out in the second round for the second straight season.
In Division 1A, Huntington Beach (18-11) heads to Los Angeles Loyola (17-9) for the second round. The last time the Oilers moved on to the quarterfinals was in 2008-09.
Pacifica Christian has never been to the quarterfinals. This is the tiny private school’s first playoff run, coming in its debut varsity season. The Tritons should keep it going under Coach Jeff Berokoff.
The No. 2-seeded Tritons are at home for the second time in the Division 6 playoffs, facing Santa Maria Valley Christian Academy (13-6).
There are eight programs in the area left in the postseason. After Friday, there will probably be only half that many standing.
Twitter: @ByDCP
