To help place more teams in the...

To help place more teams in the postseason state tournament, the Southern Section revamped playoff groupings by placing schools in divisions based on enrollment, which is how the state tournament does it.

But the Southern Section also allowed schools the opportunity to move up in classification for playoff competition, hoping to encourage some of the smaller schools with strong basketball teams to face tougher competition.

These are the schools that chose to move:

Boys: From division 2-A (enrollment 400-749) to division 2-AA (750-999): Aquinas, Bell-Jeff, Cathedral, El Segundo, Laguna Beach, Daniel Murphy. From 2-A to 5-AA (2,400 and up): Pius X, St. Monica, St. Bernard. From 3-A (1,000-1,499) to 4-AA (1,750-1,999): Crespi, Servite. From 5-A (2,000-2,399) to 5-AA Loyola, Mater Dei, Santa Barbara. From 3-A to 4-A (1,500-1,749): St. Paul.

Girls: Bell-Jeff, Louisville and St. Joseph Santa Maria moved from 2-A to 2-AA; El Toro from 5A-5AA and Morningside from 3A-5AA.

Prep Notes

Inglewood High’s Lisa Leslie, a 6-5 junior, has averaged 25 points and 14.1 rebounds in 12 games this season. . . . Latest entries in the Sunkist Invitational Jan. 20 at the Sports Arena are Brian Grosso of Walled Lake, Mich., who won the Kinney national cross-country meet last month at San Diego, in the 2-mile event and Andy Samuelson, of Lampert High in Colorado Springs, Colo. one of the top three returning prep milers in the nation.