4-A Division : Capistrano Valley Routs Redondo, 72-44

Being the top-seed in the CIF basketball playoffs can be a nightmare, but it can also have its benefits.

And the biggest benefit of being the No.1 seed is that it allows you to open the playoffs against one of the division’s weaker teams.

Friday, top-seeded Capistrano Valley (25-2) played host to Redondo, one of only two teams to reach the CIF 4-A playoffs with a losing record. And, as expected, the South Coast League champions dominated play from the outset, rolling to a 72-44 win before a near-sellout crowd at Saddleback College.

“Everybody guns for you when you’re No. 1,” Capistrano Valley Coach Mark Thornton said. “But I’d much rather be the No. 1 seed than the No. 32 seed.”

Redondo was about as close to a No. 32 seed as there was in the 4-A playoffs. The Seahawks placed third in the Bay League, but with Friday’s loss, their overall record fell to 9-16.

Redondo turned the ball over 26 times against the Cougars’ 1-3-1 trap press. In the first quarter, Capistrano Valley forced eight turnovers en route to an 18-8 lead.

“We played a very strong game defensively,” Thornton said. “We trapped them, and they just couldn’t adjust to what we were doing.”

The Cougars put the game away early in the second quarter by running off eight straight points to take a 26-10 lead. They increased the lead to 25 points early in the third quarter.

Shawn Reed paced the Cougar attack, scoring 9 of his team-high 15 points in the first half. Jason Trask, Scott McCollough and John Waikle also scored in double figures for the Cougars.

Redondo, which scored just 14 first-half points, was led by 6-7 center Steve Florentine’s 26 points. Florentine scored 10 of the Seahawks’ first 12 points.

Capistrano Valley next meets Eisenhower, a 51-49 winner over Woodbridge Friday night.