SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Three County Teams Shooting for Successful Semifinal Debuts

The Ocean View, La Quinta and Rancho Alamitos girls’ basketball teams will find themselves in unfamiliar positions when the Southern Section playoffs continue Saturday night: Each will be making the school’s first appearance in the girls’ playoff semifinals.

Ocean View (26-2) will play Buena (25-0) in a 5-A game at Ventura High School; La Quinta (25-3) will meet Palm Desert (25-2) in a 4-A game at College of the Desert, and Rancho Alamitos (20-3) will play San Dimas (16-6) at Bolsa Grande High School.

Ocean View, the fourth-seeded team in the 5-A division, faces a difficult task for several reasons. Buena, the top-seeded team in 5-A, has plenty of playoff experience. Last year, the Bulldogs lost in the semifinals. They have been semifinalists four times before in the 4-A division, finalists five times, champions in 1979 and ’84 and state champions in Division I in ’83 and ’84.

The Bulldogs have advanced to the playoffs in each of Coach Joe Vaughan’s 16 years. Vaughan has the best record (351-29) in the state among girls’ coaches.

Buena has lost only twice at home in the past 10 years, to Santa Barbara two seasons ago and to state champion Brea-Olinda last season.

The good news for Ocean View is that although the game is a home game for Buena, at least it won’t be played in Buena’s gym. All semifinal games are at alternate sites. The game will be played at Ventura High School.

Ocean View has a definite height advantage with 6-2, 185-pound Jennifer Sullivan (17.4 ppg, 14.6 rebounds) and 5-11 Tracy Wolfe (13.3 ppg, 9.5 rebounds).

In the 4-AA:

Ventura (18-9) vs Loara (16-10) at Savanna High School--Loara has come on strong in the playoffs, upsetting Mission Viejo in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Woodbridge in the second round. Loara is led by 6-1 junior center Tracy Titus (16.6 ppg, 10.9 rebounds). Jennifer Leonard, Liz Redman and Kristin Thibodeau provided strong support, and senior guard Lisa Nakazono runs the point.

Ventura, like Loara, is unseeded. The Cougars upset third-seeded Westlake in the second round before eliminating Edison. They are led by 5-7 junior guard Cori Herman (16.45 ppg), an adept three-point shooter, and 5-9 sophomore forward Denise Rea (9.5 ppg).

In the 4-A:

La Quinta (25-3) vs Palm Desert (25-2) at College of the Desert-- La Quinta has dominated the not-so-tough Garden Grove League, winning nine straight titles. But in the past, the Aztecs have faltered when they met tougher competition in the playoffs.

Not so this season.

The Aztecs are led by Amy Jalewalia (33.4 ppg, 11.8 rebounds), a 6-1 guard-forward-center who last year led the state in scoring. Heather Brannan, a 5-11 senior forward, averages 15.0 points and 11.8 rebounds a game.

Second-seeded Palm Desert starts a good-sized lineup including leading scorers Tisa Read (5-10) and Brenda Joyce (5-10) each of whom average about 12 points. Senior guard Christie Dammer, whom coach Randy Housken calls the best defensive guard in Southern California, will attempt to stop Jalewalia.

In the 3-AA:

Brea-Olinda (28-0) vs Alemany (20-6) at Esperanza High School--Top-seeded Brea-Olinda has trounced two playoff opponents. The Lady Cats, the defending division champions, are led by state player of the year Aimee McDaniel and all-state guard Tammy Blackburn.

Alemany, the fourth-seeded team in the division, is led in scoring by 5-2 sophomore Rachel Corelli (10 ppg).

Palos Verdes (26-4) vs. Estancia (14-12) at University High School--Unseeded Estancia has come on strong in the playoffs, upsetting third-seeded Lompoc in the quarterfinals, thanks to a school-record 42-point performance by junior guard Melody Earle.

Patrice Lumpkin, a 5-10 forward, averages 12.6 points a game. Forward Monique Sweet also provides some solid play.

Palos Verdes has won the Bay League title and reached the playoffs the past three seasons, advancing to the 4-A semifinals last year. The Sea Kings have a definite height advantage with three starters at least 6 feet tall.

Lisa Humphreys, a 5-10 senior forward leads the Sea Kings in scoring with 15.2 points.

In the 3-A:

San Dimas (16-6) vs Rancho Alamitos (20-3) at Bolsa Grande High School--Rancho Alamitos, the top-seeded team in the division, is led by Jenny Newsome, a 5-9 senior who averages 24 points and 12 rebounds a game. San Dimas relies heavily on inside scoring, which should contrast strongly with the Vaqueros up-tempo style.

Natalie Kramer, a 5-11 senior center, and Shelly Baughn a 5-11 junior post player each average 15 points a game.

South Hills (19-5) vs. Costa Mesa (15-11) at Estancia High School--Costa Mesa is undoubtedly the Cinderella team of the division. The unseeded Mustangs were third in the Pacific Coast League, but they are in the semifinals after upsetting third-seeded Bellflower convincingly and defeating Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the quarterfinals.

The Mustangs are led by Orange County’s best freshman--Olivia DiCamilli.

DiCamilli (5-10) averages 14.8 points and 11.8 rebounds but she’s scoring more points in the playoffs. Junior forward Rachel Ward averages 10.8 points and senior guard Thuy Nguyen, a three-point threat, averages 11.1 points. Senior Michele Bryant runs the point and junior Robin Nichols is the fifth starter.

Second-seeded South Hills defeated at-large Yucca Valley by 14 points in the second round, then edged Cabrillo, another at-large team, by six points in the quarterfinals.

In the 2-AA:

Santa Ynez Valley (20-3) vs Santa Margarita (20-6) at Saddleback College at 7 p.m.--Santa Margarita, the fourth-seeded team in the division, meets its stiffest competition in top-seeded Santa Ynez Valley.

The Eagles are led by sophomore Kristen Mulligan, the only Santa Margarita player who averages in double figures (22.1 ppg).

Santa Ynez Valley has plenty of height. Amy Kisling (5-11) leads Santa Ynez Valley with 14.2 points a game, followed by 5-11 Amy Gillingham (11.2 ppg) and 5-2 Jenifer DeMatteo (11 ppg).