Boys and Girls Are Getting Ready for Basketball Playoffs : Palos Verdes to Depend on Team Height

Palos Verdes High School girls basketball Coach Wendell Yoshida admits he’s not a good prognosticator. So Saturday, when his team takes on Magnolia in the first round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs, Yoshida will have his team prepared for everything.

“I have a hard time predicting things,” Yoshida said. “So we’re not going to set up for one certain idea. Because most of the time, things don’t happen the way you think they will.”

Yoshida is certain about one thing. Palos Verdes’ 7:30 p.m. game at home against Magnolia (12-10), the 3-A Division’s third seed from the Orange League, will be a physical affair played far above the floor.

Both have a lot of height, although Palos Verdes (20-7) boasts more bulk than most teams entering postseason play. The Sea Kings feature identical twins Heather and Heidi Burge, who at 6-4 tower over most opponents. Each is averaging 19 points per game.

The Sentinels from Anaheim will counter with two physical inside players, Dawn Borum (5-11) and Rena Rossol (6-0). And Yoshida said he thinks the game could be decided on which team’s big girls get into foul trouble first.

“We’re going to take the ball and go right at them and hope we can make them foul out,” Yoshida said.

Palos Verdes has more height so Yoshida can afford the luxury of a few extra fouls. Anglesey Thomas, a 6-0 senior, and Mary Maloney, a 6-0 sophomore, are strong rebounding forwards. Thomas has been battling the flu and may not start, but sophomore Katrina Stager is an adequate replacement.

Yoshida said the game might be decided in the back court. The team that hits the most outside shots, he said, could offset the trade-off of scoring underneath. Yoshida promoted a freshman guard, 5-8 Karen Iverson, to be his ace in the hole in outside shooting situations. She’ll join sophomore point guard Susan Wilhite, 5-5.

Wilhite would “run through a brick wall if you asked her to.” Yoshida said. And he stressed that’s the attitude Bay League champions Palos Verdes needs to advance further than last year when they lost in the quarterfinals to Louisville of the San Fernando Valley.

“When it comes down to playoff time, records mean nothing,” Yoshida said. “It all boils down to desire. If a team’s not mentally ready by now, it never will be.”

Other playoff match-ups Saturday in 4-A, all at 7:30 p.m.:

Camarillo (13-8) at Morningside (25-1)--It will probably be a long night for the Scorpions, the third seed from the Marmonte League, who must travel to face Morningside Coach Frank Scott’s top-ranked Monarchs.

“I don’t think Camarillo can match up with us sizewise or speedwise,” Scott said. “We like the fast-paced, fast-breaking transition game, but if we pull up and swing it inside, we’re also hard to stop.”

The Pioneer League champion Monarchs are led by senior forward Shanda Greene (6-0), most valuable player of the Artesia and Santa Barbara tournaments. Greene, a preseason All-American, is averaging 26 points and 11 rebounds.

She’s flanked by 6-5 center Lisa Leslie, who Scott said is “still growing.” If that’s the case, Morningside’s opponents are in trouble for a few years. Leslie averaged 13 rebounds per game, 23 points and 6 blocked shots.

The Monarch back court is composed of 5-6 point guard Carla Gladden, a penetrating passer who is averaging 10 assists and 15 points, and speedy junior JoJo Witherspoon.

Camarillo has a deluxe scorer in 5-5 sophomore guard Nichole Victoria (20-point average) and a solid inside player in 5-9 forward Angie Long (14 points, 12 rebounds). But the Scorpions appear to be overmatched in this game. Morningside was a 12-point victor over the Marmonte League’s top seed, Thousand Oaks.

Hawthorne (13-10) at Buena (21-2)--The Cougars, under Coach John Wheeler, will have their hands full with solid Buena, the Channel League’s second seed and the 4-A fourth-ranked team.

Hawthorne, the Ocean League runner-up, has made the playoffs for the last six years, and this is its fourth postseason appearance since being promoted to 4-A. Last year’s Cougars lost, 72-53, to Buena in the second round. This year’s Cougars don’t score much but have won a lot of close games with a rugged man-to-man defense.

“We’re going to have to limit our mistakes,” Wheeler said. “Last year we had a lot of them and Buena took advantage of it.”

The Cougars are led by 5-7 senior guard Kim Bly (14-point average), who is quick on the fast break and also is Hawthorne’s best defender. Her back-court partner is junior Niesha Williams, a good outside shooter, and the Cougars have decent height inside with 5-11 sophomore center Nicole Butler (10 rebounds) handling the boards.

The Bulldogs from Ventura are led by outstanding guard Mary Klemm and post player Gia Giordano.

Canyon (15-8) at Redondo (15-5)--Redondo lost its starting center, 6-2 junior Vanessa Vogelsang, halfway through the season when she slammed a finger on her shooting hand in a car door. Vogelsang was averaging 15 points.

She may play in the second round if the Sea Hawks make it past solid Canyon of Anaheim, the second seed from the Century League. But until Vogelsang returns, 5-10 senior Janeen Guinn, a converted forward, will continue to fill in. She is averaging 14 points.

Redondo also has senior guard Marlo Correa, an outside shooting threat who has topped 20 points in three straight games, and 5-9 senior forward Lisa Wenker, a tough man-to-man defender in the front court.

Wenker will likely draw the assignment of guarding 5-10 senior forward Lisa Iino, who is averaging 14 points for the Comanches. Canyon also features junior center Keri Erkenbrack (12.5 points, 10 rebounds), and 5-4 senior guard Randi Pankratz.

“Sizewise our match-ups look pretty good,” said Redondo Coach Tim Ammentorp, whose Sea Hawks finished second in the Pioneer League behind Morningside. “We’ll just try to do the things we like to do, like run when we can, and hope that’s good enough.”

Inglewood (13-7) at Santa Barbara (21-2)--Santa Barbara is one of the tallest teams in the Southern Section, so first-year Inglewood Coach Arnold Blalark’s Sentinels could have a tough time with the Dons, the second-ranked team in the division.

Inglewood, the third draw from the Ocean League, is led by 5-5 senior guard Charlotte Griffin (13 points, 5 assists per game), a three-point shooter who could be dangerous if Santa Barbara sits in a zone.

The Sentinels have outstanding defensive players in 5-9 senior forward Rhonda Jackson and 5-8 senior guard Yvette Spain.

But the Dons, the Channel League champions, lost only by three points to top-ranked Morningside in the Santa Barbara tournament, and their average size is 5-11.

“We’re going to press a lot to try to limit the height factor,” said Blalark, whose Sentinels are riding a five-game winning streak. “We’re going to play a transition game and hope that can force Santa Barbara into making mistakes we can capitalize on. Hopefully we can make all the easy shots.”

In 3-A division, besides Magnolia at Palos Verdes:

North Torrance (15-8) at Bell-Jeff (13-11)--The last time North Torrance made the Southern Section playoffs it ran into the Riverside Poly steamroller driven by Cheryl Miller.

Bell-Jeff (Bellarmine Jefferson), the San Fernando Valley League runner-up, is a less ominous opponent. But the Guards from Burbank ran up their 13-11 in a tough league that includes 20-3 Alemany.

Coach Richard Rosato’s North team is led by 5-7 senior swing player Jade Hiramoto (19.8 points, 7 rebounds). Hiramoto is a hustler who shoots best inside the paint. She’s joined on the back court by senior guard Darcy Okamoto, who averaged 8 points but was primarily a ball handler.

The best inside player for the Saxons, the Bay League runner-up, is 5-10 sophomore center Laura Collins (14.6 rebounds, 13 points).

“We’re going to have to control the boards and move the ball around for wing shots,” said Rosato, whose Saxons have been struggling of late. “We’ll just have to be patient and look for the good shot. Then we can try to press them and run with them.”

West Torrance (12-8) at Schurr (20-6)--West Torrance, third seed from the Bay League, drew a tough opponent. Foothill League champion Schurr from Montebello is a scrappy but undersized team that is quick and aggressive.

That suits West Coach Kevin McManus just fine, because Schurr is almost a mirror of his team.

The Warriors are led by 5-5 sophomore point guard Rosa Olloqui (15 points, a talented ball handler. Stephanie Abe (11 points), a 5-8 senior guard, is West’s best outside shooter. Tanya Kong, a 5-8 forward, is the Warriors’ best defensive player.

“If comparative scores mean anything, it should be a great game,” said McManus, whose Warriors split their league games against North, which has defeated Schurr. “We’ll rely on moving and pressing and we’ll use our speed. But it’ll still probably come down to whoever shoots better from the foul line.”

In 2-A:

St. Mary’s Academy (16-8) at San Marino (11-9)--St. Mary’s fortunes will probably rest in the hands of senior guard Tammy Booker (21 points, 8 rebounds), a dangerous outside shooter who led the Camino Real League in three-pointers. Booker is a floor leader and a sure-bet Division I prospect who has been recruited by USC, Arizona and San Jose State.

Booker is the Belles’ primary scoring threat, but should San Marino, second seed from the Rio Hondo League, try to defend her with a box-and-one, it could be in trouble. Five-foot-five sophomore guard Katrina Ramalho is also a dangerous outside threat.

The Belles have size with 5-10 senior forward Erin Banks (13 points) and 6-1 junior center Shunde Thompson (10 points, 12 rebounds). Banks, who led the South Bay in rebounding last year, is averaging 16 boards and St. Mary’s Coach Cedric Hurt said she “plays like she’s 6-4.”

San Marino is led by a pair of 5-8 forwards, senior Karen Cranston (15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds) and sophomore Pauline Mu. The Titans can’t match St. Mary’s in height but have a fine post player, 5-10 Jocelyn Rothbord.

“I hope it’s a high-scoring game,” Hurt said. “We’ll be aggressive on the boards. If we control the boards, we control the game.”

Artesia (16-8) at St. Bernard (17-5)--Camino Real League champion St. Bernard will play host to Artesia. The Pioneers from Lakewood are the second seed from the Suburban League.

The Vikings are led by senior forward Demetra Smith (13 rebounds, 12 points). Senior point guard Crystal Nettles makes it happen for St. Bernard, pushing the ball up court in the Vikings’ potent fast-break offense.

“We’ll try to keep the pace fast, the way we like it,” said St. Bernard Coach Monica Westhead. “We can outrun a lot of teams in the Camino Real League. I don’t know about Artesia.”

In the City Section:

Granada Hills (wild card) at Westchester (17-2)--Westchester is the top seed in the City Section by virtue of its perfect record in 10 Mid-City League games.

The Comets are led by senior center Trisha Stafford, who is averaging 20 points. Joining Stafford on Westchester’s front line are sophomore forward Relinda Reed and senior forward Tammie Sadler.

Westchester’s back-court consists of junior point guard Dana Johnson and senior shooting guard Tammy Story.

“We have an explosive offense in the open court,” said Westchester Coach Bev Pendleton. “But we also have the advantage of having a very good set offense.”