Morningside Girls Take 7-0 Record Into S.B. Tournament of Champions

With a 7-0 record and two tournament titles under its belt, Morningside’s girls basketball team will begin play Monday in the prestigious Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara High.

The Lady Monarchs, led by 6-5 junior center Lisa Leslie and senior guard Jo Jo Witherspoon, face St. Joseph of Santa Maria at 4 p.m. in the first round of the 16-team tournament. The field includes 11 schools that were ranked No. 1 in their respective state, section or divisional preseason polls.

Morningside, the defending champion, is seeded third behind Southern High of Louisville and Santa Barbara. In USA Today’s preseason rankings, Southern was rated No. 2, Santa Barbara No. 3 and Morningside No. 8.

Palos Verdes is the only other South Bay team entered and begins play at 2:30 p.m. Monday against Hanford. The Sea Kings are led by 6-5 twins Heather and Heidi Burge.