BOYS’ 3-A DIVISION BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Weakened Field Provides Several Teams Shot at Title

Coaches preparing for the Southern Section 3-A division playoffs can be certain of one thing: They won’t have Trabuco Hills High School to kick them around anymore.

Trabuco Hills, the defending champion, moved up to 3-AA, along with four of the other seven 3-A quarterfinalists, when the division was split this year by the Southern Section.

“When you take out those teams, (the quality) really does drop,” said Tom Hofman, coach of La Canada, the 3-A’s fourth-seeded team. “When you get to the final eight it’s going to be solid. Last year, the last 16 teams were great.”

What remains in the 3-A is a diluted field, including Mayfair (0-22), the only winless playoff team in the Southern Section, and some interesting facts: Only 12 of 28 teams in the division have won more games than they have lost. No team was ranked in the Times’ Southern Section top 15 this season and only one team, Harvard (21-2) of the San Fernando Valley League, got through its league schedule undefeated.

Pacifica, one of four Orange County teams to qualify for the 3-A playoffs, is in postseason play for the first time since 1973. The Mariners (11-11), who will play Monrovia (2-17) at 7:30 tonight, qualified as the third-place team in the Garden Grove League.

“Last year we were 15-8 and didn’t make it, so it’s kind of strange,” Pacifica Coach Rhett Heckel said.

Without any dominating teams and claiming little knowledge of each other’s programs, the division’s coaches are wary of picking a favorite. The consensus is that the winner will likely be one of the top-ranked teams in the division--Harvard, the top-seeded team; Rancho Alamitos (20-3), the second-seeded team which won the Garden Grove League championship; Corona del Mar (16-9), the third-seeded team and champion of the Sea View League, or La Canada (18-6), the fourth-seeded team and Rio Hondo League champion.

Harvard, with its fast-breaking offense (85 points a game) and pressure defense (65 points a game) and La Canada, which lost to San Luis Obispo in the quarterfinals last year, are both solid. La Canada appears headed for a rematch with San Luis Obispo in the second round and if it survives, a game against St. Bernard (13-11). The Vikings, who lost in the second round of the 5-AA playoffs last year, are led by Wyking Jones, a 6-6 forward who replaced Ed Stokes, now a starter at the University of Arizona.

“Teams like St. Bernard don’t look like great teams, but they play in a good league,” Hofman said. “If they were playing in a traditional 3-A league they would have a much better record.”

Corona del Mar, which returned two starters from the team that lost to Trabuco Hills in the 3-A finals last season, might have had the toughest schedule of the division’s seeded teams. The Sea Kings, the only 3-A team in the Sea View League, finished league play tied for first with Newport Harbor.

“Every game in that league has a CIF playoff atmosphere and that helps to get them ready for the playoffs,” Rancho Alamitos Coach Eric Hamamoto said.

Rancho Alamitos--along with five other teams--was given a first-round bye and will not play until Friday. The extra days of preparation should allow the Vaqueros time to heal. Leading scorer David Green (about 16 points and 11 rebounds a game) was scheduled to practice Monday for the first time since dislocating his thumb against Pacifica Wednesday.

Chris Singletary, a junior who was expected to be one of the Vaqueros’ best players before breaking two bones in his lower leg in Rancho Alamitos’ first football game last season, also was to have practiced Monday for the first time since the injury.

3-A PREVIEW

DEFENDING CHAMPION-- Trabuco Hills (moved to 3-AA division).

TOP TEAMS-- Harvard (21-2), Rancho Alamitos (20-3), Corona del Mar (16-9).

DARK HORSE-- St. Bernard (13-11), which lost in the second round of the 5-A playoffs last year.

BEST DRAW-- Harvard. The top-seeded Saracens won’t play a team with at least a .500 record until the quarterfinals.

WORST DRAW-- Costa Mesa. If the Mustangs (2-19) manage to get past St. Paul of the Angelus League, they meet Corona del Mar, last season’s 3-A runner-up.

KEY PLAYERS-- Wyking Jones (St. Bernard), David Green (Rancho Alamitos), Warren Johnson (Corona del Mar) and Rick Osterloh (Harvard).

NOTEWORTHY-- Five of the eight quarterfinalists from the 3-A division last season have moved to the 3-AA. Only 12 of 28 teams have won more games than they have lost.