Girls basketball: This week, Redondo is the place to be

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Last week gave us a very good championship game at the Brea Olinda Ladycat Classic, with City power Narbonne -- ranked No. 9 in the Southland in The Times’ preseason ranking -- beating No. 5 Brea from the Southern Section, 57-56, for the title.

The Colony tournament’s highlight came in the semifinals, where No. 4 Ayala posted a 47-46 victory over No. 19 Cajon in a game notable because Cajon has stepped-up its schedule this season to try to play some of the traditional powers rather than beating up on overmatched teams in San Bernardino County. That game was decided on two free-throws by Rebekah Gardner, pictured, with five seconds remaining.

My guess is that the Redondo tournament this week will provide some more great matchups involving the top Southland schools.

Now that the wheat has separated itself from the chaff in the first round, second-round games today/Wednesday include: No. 10 Chatsworth vs. Bishop Montgomery, 3 p.m.; No. 18 Windward vs. No. 8 Lynwood, 4:30 p.m.; No. 11 Redondo vs. Millikan, 6 p.m.; Folsom Vista del Lago vs. No. 2 Fontana Miller, 7:30 p.m.

It’s not exactly the lineup we expected. Bishop Montgomery came together a little quicker than expected to upset No. 13 Marlborough, 54-50. The other ‘upsets’ in the first round were Millikan’s 51-30 victory over No. 23 Brentwood, and Vista del Lago’s 64-60 overtime victory over Santa Monica.

Bishop Montgomery is a team worth keeping an eye on because the Knights have also beaten Brentwood, 48-43, in a nonleague game.

The semifinals are Friday night, and the tournament concludes Saturday. If I wasn’t at football championship games, I know where I’d be.

-- Martin Henderson

-- Image by Annie Wells/Los Angeles Times