Expanded CIF Playoff System Begins Next Week

By Rob Fernas

Feb. 9, 1989 12 AM PT

Ignorance of the rules is no excuse.

That’s the message being passed along by the CIF Southern Section athletic office this week regarding the new basketball playoff groupings based on enrollment.

It has been estimated that as many as 96 additional teams will qualify for the playoffs next week under the new system, which will provide for champions in nine divisions, three more than last season.

But qualified teams could conceivably find themselves without postseason berths if they are not submitted for consideration.

Under the new format, here is how teams can qualify for the playoffs:

The top three finishers in each league automatically qualify.

Should the number of playoff entries fail to complete a full bracket (32 or 16 teams), it will necessitate the inclusion of at-large teams that finish below third in a league but have overall records of .500 or better.

Scott Cathcart, director of media and public relations for the Southern Section, said qualified at-large teams will be considered for playoff berths only if they are submitted by their leagues.

“League presidents better be in tune with the procedure,” he said. “If they do not put the teams up, we’re not going to look for them. It’s their responsibility. They should know, because they’ve been deluged with (playoff) information.”

Four teams in the South Bay have a chance to qualify as at-large entries.

Through Tuesday’s games, West Torrance (11-11) was tied for fourth place in the Ocean League, Mary Star (14-7) was in fourth in the Santa Fe League and Leuzinger (13-11) was tied for fourth in the Bay League. Miraleste (13-4), a free-lance team with no league affiliation, is another at-large candidate.

Depending on the number of teams that qualify for the playoffs in those divisions (West is 4-A, Mary Star is 1-A, Leuzinger is 5-AA and Miraleste is 2-AA), all could earn postseason berths.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” Cathcart said, “but anybody remotely qualified should get in.”

Teams with overall records below .500 will not be considered for at-large spots even if there are openings in a playoff bracket.

Cathcart said most divisions will have 32-team playoff brackets, with some teams drawing first-round byes if the number of entries is above 18 but below 32. Any exceptions, where 16-team brackets might be employed, would occur only in divisions where there is a small pool of qualified teams. That appears to be the case in the 2-AA, 2-A and 1-A divisions.

At-large teams will not be allowed to play wild-card games. For example, if there are 30 automatic playoff qualifiers in a division--first- through third-place finishers in a league--and six at-large candidates, the Southern Section office will pick two at-large teams to fill the bracket based on a series of criteria. Cathcart said this most likely will eliminate the need for any wild-card games Monday.

The Southern Section athletic office will establish the playoff pairings this weekend. First-round games will be played Wednesday.

“(The new format) creates a lot of additional pressure for this office,” Cathcart said. “The playoffs are usually a big grind, but it’s going to be like a bombshell going off here Saturday with all the additional work.”

The new playoff groupings were initiated this year in order to bring the Southern Section in line with the state championship tournament. To conform, the new groupings call for nine Southern Section divisions corresponding to the five state enrollment classifications: State Division I (5-AA and 5-A), Division II (4-AA and 4-A), Division III (3-A), Division IV (2-AA and 2-A) and Division V (1-A and Small Schools).

The system is not without its first-year flaws.

For example, 3-A has an abundance of qualified playoff teams, while 2-AA and 2-A will have trouble filling a 16-team bracket.

Cathcart said this could lead to changes next year, such as determining the enrollment classification of teams before the season instead of allowing teams to move up in the middle of the season, which was done this year.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “But I do know we’re going to be better off in the state playoffs. We’re going to have entries in every division.”

The Southern Section was under-represented in the state playoffs last year because it was not aligned with the rest of the state.

In four years under Coach Cliff Warren, the Rolling Hills basketball team has compiled several impressive marks:

- Four seasons of 20 or more victories.

- Three straight Bay League titles.

- A playoff record of 9-3.

- A home-court record of 33-1.

Those numbers are proof of the Titans’ success. But what’s the reason?

Aside from having a good blend of players, Warren says Rolling Hills has benefited from a remarkable streak of health.

In 110 games under Warren, the Titans have played without a starter only once because of injury or illness. That occurred two seasons ago, when guard Cameron Terry missed a game with a minor injury.

“We’ve been real fortunate,” Warren said. “That can change, but we’ve been lucky from sickness and those type of things. When it happens, you just have to fire away. But it’s a lot easier firing with all the cannons.”

Warren, with Rolling Hills headed to the Southern Section 3-A playoffs, says there is no clear-cut favorite for the 3-A title.

“It’s very competitive and very balanced,” he said. “I’ve seen every team that has been ranked (in the top 10) except for maybe one, and anybody can beat anybody. It’s like the Bay League.

“There are at least 12 teams that can win it all. It should be a lot of fun.”

The 3-A Division has the greatest number of qualified playoff teams in the Southern Section. Through Monday’s games, there were 32 teams either in first, second or third in their leagues and six teams that could qualify as at-large entries.

Warren rates Estancia of Costa Mesa, Savanna of Anaheim, Brea-Olinda and Morningside among the top contenders. As of last week, he still hadn’t seen second-ranked La Canada. Rolling Hills remained the top-ranked 3-A team despite losing to Inglewood last week.

Streak watch:

Center Lisa Leslie, a 6-5 junior, had 45 points and 28 rebounds to power Morningside’s girls basketball team to its 70th consecutive league win Tuesday with an 84-26 Ocean League victory over visiting Mira Costa.

The Lady Monarchs have the third-longest league winning streak in Southern Section history behind Riverside Poly (97 games, 1978-85) and San Gabriel (80, 1979-86).

Coach Frank Scott has upped his career record to 206-44, including 82-6 over the last three seasons.

Morningside, the top-ranked Division I team in the state, is 22-1 overall and 12-0 in league play.

PREP NOTES--The Ocean League wrestling finals will start today at West Torrance High and the Bay League finals at Hawthorne High, both at 3 p.m. West, ranked second in the Southern Section 3-A Division, is favored in the Ocean League meet while Torrance is the favorite in the Bay . . . Amy Rubin and Erica Henderson each scored two goals Tuesday to help the Hawthorne girls soccer team clinch the Bay League title with an 8-0 shutout over Leuzinger. The Cougars, ranked sixth in the Southern Section 4-A Division, improved to 20-1-3 overall and 10-1 in league play . . . Led by the defense of sweeper Danny Meyer, South Torrance clinched a tie for the Ocean League soccer title Tuesday with a 0-0 tie with West Torrance, the second scoreless deadlock the rivals have played this season . . . Morningside’s basketball team wrapped up the Ocean League championship, its fifth league title in the last six years, Tuesday with a 53-42 win over Mira Costa. The Monarchs, ranked fourth in the Southern Section 3-A Division, are 12-0 in league play and 18-4 overall.

South Bay’s Basketball Top 10

Selected by Times Sportswriters

Records Through Tuesday’s Games

Rank, School, League: Record

1 Westchester (Metro)): 14-4

2 St. Bernard (Camino Real): 21-4

3 Rolling Hills (Bay): 20-4

4 Morningside (Ocean): 18-4

5 Carson (Pacific): 12-7

6 Torrance (Bay): 14-8

7 Redondo (Ocean): 17-6

8 Inglewood (Bay): 13-8