THE PREPS : Tonight’s Southern Section Basketball Playoff Games : Top-Seeded Saddleback Faces a Quick Draw in the Quarterfinals

Saddleback High School has won 20 consecutive games, sits atop the Southern Section’s 5-AA division bracket sheet as the top-seeded team, yet appears to be ripe for an upset at 7:30 tonight when it meets Long Beach Jordan in the division quarterfinals at Lakewood High.

Long Beach Jordan (18-8) is the quickest team that Saddleback has faced this season. The Panthers are a good rebounding team that plays an up-tempo game with pressure, man-to-man defense.

“They match up real well with us,” said Pat Quinn, Saddleback’s coach. “They have size, depth and quickness. One of my biggest concerns is that we haven’t played a team that compares with Jordan’s quickness.”

Saddleback (25-1) was in a similar situation last season as the top-ranked team going into the 3-A division quarterfinals. Kennedy ousted Saddleback, 58-55, en route to the 3-A title.

“When you get to this point, you’re concerned about every opponent,” Quinn said. “I worry about any team coming out of the Moore League. They hammered each other every night, which makes them tough for the playoffs.”

Saddleback’s closest victory in league play was 58-55 over Estancia in the opening round of league play. The Roadrunners won 10 league games by an average margin of 13.8 points.

Center Malru Dottin averages 16.8 points and 9.4 rebounds for Saddleback. Guard Craig Marshall averages 12.9 points and is an excellent defensive player.

“They went through the playoffs last year and remember how it felt to lose in the quarterfinals,” Quinn said. “This game has become a focal point for them.”

Long Beach Jordan hasn’t advanced this far in the playoffs since its 1961 team went to the 4-A semifinals. Guard David Mitchell and forward Chuck Morris, both honor students, are the team leaders.

Mitchell averages 19.4 points a game and has scored 43 points in two playoff games. Morris averages 11.2 points and 7 rebounds per game.

“The kids are very loose and are excited about playing the No. 1 team,” said Ron Massey, Jordan’s coach. “They love challenges.”

Jordan has had a penchant for blowing big leads in critical games. The Panthers had a 22-point halftime lead, but wound up losing to Long Beach Millikan in the league finale.

“They like to make the games exciting,” Massey said. “Seriously, I play three sophomores and sometimes they make sophomore mistakes. Fouls have hurt us.”

Is Jordan capable of pulling off an upset? Ernie Carr, Saddleback College’s coach, offered this insight: “It will be a bigger adjustment for Saddleback to match Jordan’s quickness than it will be for Jordan to match Saddleback’s quickness.”

In another 5-AA division game:

St. Monica (21-5) vs. Mater Dei (25-2) at Rancho Santiago College: St. Monica is one of the top underclassman teams in Southern California. Juniors John McFarland (15.7 points and 12.5 rebounds), Cleveland Jackson (15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds) and Mark Jackson (10.9 points) are the team’s top players.

Guard Dylan Rigdon and forward Mike Morris lead Mater Dei’s quest for its fifth consecutive large-school title. Rigdon averages 18.8 points and shoots 88% from the free-throw line. Morris averages 14.8 points and is shooting 54% from the field. Coach Gary McKnight’s record in the Southern Section playoffs is 26-1 in seven years.

In the 5-A division:

Pasadena (22-2) vs. Edison (15-12) at Marina High: Top-seeded Pasadena has won 13 games in a row and among its victories include wins over 5-AA powers Millikan, Jordan and Lakewood. Guard Idris Jones, who has signed with UC Santa Barbara, averages 20.6 points and is shooting 46% from the field. Pasadena rarely has a close game with 19 of its 22 victories coming by 10 points or more.

Edison’s top player is 6-9 junior center Bill Martineau, who averages 13.3 points. Bryan Murphy, a 6-4 forward, averages 9.9 points. Edison’s record may be deceiving because the Chargers play one of the toughest schedules in the county, but they do have victories over El Dorado, Santa Clara and Ocean View.

Irvine (22-5) vs. Canyon Springs (20-4) at Moreno Valley High: Canyon Spring’s basketball team is attempting to follow the lead of its championship football team in only its third year of existence. Canyon Springs has won 14 consecutive games after losing to Brea-Olinda and Esperanza in the Irvine World News tournament. Center Derrick Gregory (6-9) and forward Jamey Lemken are the Cougars’ top players.

Irvine is making only its second playoff appearance in the school’s history, qualifying two years in a row under Coach Steve Keith. Guard Bryan Allred averages 16.5 points per game and made 59 three-point shots in the regular season. Brothers John (14.4 points) and Ralphael Molle (12.1 points) were both all-league selections.

Buena (20-4) vs. Ocean View (19-8) at Fountain Valley High: Buena is a fine three-point shooting team with junior point guard Jeff Oliver averaging 16.8 points per game. Oliver scored 27 points in a 72-69 win over Arroyo Grande. Power forward Adan averages 16 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

Ocean View center Todd Norman scored 41 points in 75-67 second-round victory over Etiwanda and should have another big night against Buena’s 6-5 junior center Darren Shearer. Norman averages 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Moreno Valley (21-6) vs. Capistrano Valley (21-4) at Saddleback College: Moreno Valley is a quick team which could spell trouble for Capistrano Valley. Center Eric Kubel is the team’s top player, averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game. Forward Chopin Scott, who averages 19 points and eight rebounds, is a three-year starter.

Capistrano Valley struggled to a 64-54 victory over Diamond Bar in its first playoff game. Forward Scott McCorkle averages 24.1 points and point guard Chris Kostoff averages 15 points and 8.4 assists. The Cougars are attempting to reach the semifinals for the sixth time in the past eight years.

In the 3-A division:

Rolling Hills (24-4) vs. Corona del Mar (17-9) at Estancia High: The teams met in the division’s semifinals two years ago with Rolling Hills gaining a 56-54 victory. Three-year starter John Hardy averages 28 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Guards Steve Clover (18.4 points) and Mark Tesar (14.8 points) are excellent three-point shooters.

Corona del Mar has allowed an average of only 52 points in two playoff games. Center Brian Spratt and guard Matt Cwiertnia have become offensive threats in the playoffs. Spratt averaged only seven points in the regular season, but has averaged 19 points in postseason play. Cwiertnia has boosted his average from 10.5 to 16 points in the playoffs.

Morningside (20-4) vs. Brea-Olinda (21-7) at Sonora High: The teams met in the division’s quarterfinals three years ago with Brea taking a 78-55 victory. Morningside has won 18 consecutive games with forward Eddie Scott, cousin of Lakers’ guard Byron Scott, averaging 16 points and seven rebounds and 6-7 center Chris Vance averaging 12 points and nine rebounds per game.

Keith Walker, younger brother of UCLA center Kevin Walker, leads Brea with a 23-point scoring average. Brea has averaged 67 points in two playoff games with Walker, an excellent pure shooter, scoring 64 points.

Trabuco Hills (19-6) vs. Estancia (21-5) at Corona del Mar High: It could be a long evening for Estancia with 6-10 center Rick Swanwick dominating inside. Swanwick averages 20.3 points and 13.5 rebounds, and Estancia doesn’t have a starter taller than 6-4 Tim Kjar.

Point guard Augustin Heredia has scored 35 points in two playoff games, including a pair of free throws with 9 seconds remaining to lift Estancia to a 65-62 victory over Norte Vista. Guard Mike Curtis is Estancia’s top player with a 21.4-point average.