Top-Seeded Mater Dei Prepares for Yet Another Title Run : Prep basketball: Monarchs are favorites in I-A playoffs, while in I-AA it looks to be a Moore League affair.

There will be plenty of fingernail chewing and some hair pulling for coaches involved in the Southern Section Division I-A playoffs.

And that will just be over the coin tosses.

With so many quality teams and quality players jammed into one division, every little edge--like home-court advantage--will be magnified. So, “heads or tails” might become as important a decision as “zone or man.”

“Those things will be a factor in this division,” Marina Coach Steve Popovich said. “You win the coin toss, you don’t have to travel. That could be the difference between winning and losing.”

If that sounds like standard coach cliches, consider that a coin toss has already affected the playoffs and they don’t even begin until tonight.

San Bernardino, undefeated through its first 25 games, lost its finale Thursday against Cajon, which created a tie for first place in the San Andreas League. San Bernardino lost the coin toss and was the league’s No. 2 team.

As a result, the Cardinals (25-1) are seeded fourth, which puts them in the same bracket as No. 1-seeded Mater Dei (22-4)--winner of six section titles in the past nine seasons. Those teams were ranked 1-2 most of the season.

It makes for a difficult road to the championship.

“I don’t know about putting Mater Dei and San Bernardino in the same bracket,’ Santa Barbara Coach Bob Purdy said. “They have two of the best programs around. To me, that seems crazy.”

Mater Dei has won six section and two state titles since 1983. The Monarchs got off to a slow start--for them--this season, but have won 16 of their past 17 games.

However, the Monarchs might be without leading scorer J.J. Ballesteros, who has an infected hand. Ballesteros averages 14 points.

San Bernardino is led by Ray Owes, a 6-foot-8 center who has committed to Arizona. Owes is averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Cajon (21-4) is led by Shaun Battle, a 6-6 center, and Doneki Buckner, a 6-5 forward. Both are averaging more than 20 points.

Irvine (22-3), the South Coast league champion, is the No. 3-seeded team. The Vaqueros are led by 6-5 forward John Molle (San Diego State), who is averaging 27 points.

“In most divisions, you can reach the quarterfinals before you face a team that could beat you,” Irvine Coach Steve Keith said. “After the first round, it’s going to be a battle in this division.”

The toughest of the unseeded teams:

--Santa Barbara (21-5), the Channel League runner-up. The Dons are led by forward Matt Purdy (6-8), who averages 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

--Capistrano Valley (21-5), which finished second to Irvine. The Cougars have lost their five games by a total of 13 points.

--Marina (15-10), which has won eight of its past nine. The Vikings are led by the division’s top player, Cherokee Parks (28.8 points), a 6-11 center who will play at Duke.

“There are so many good teams that you have to play well every night or you’ll get beat,” Cajon Coach Bill Murray said. “You have to play good defense, execute on offense and stay healthy.”

And, possibly win a coin flip or two.

The I-AA playoffs will likely be little more than a Moore League affair. Long Beach Jordan (18-6) is the No. 1-seeded team and Millikan (20-4) is No. 2.

The league was so tough that Long Beach Poly, the defending division champion, could do no better than finish third. Any combination of those three teams should reach the final.

Orange County has four teams in the division--Fountain Valley, Saddleback, Santa Ana and Santa Ana Valley. All must play qualifying games tonight.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS: The Southern Section’s expanded format features 367 teams playing in 10 divisions; action begins tonight. C6-7

I-AA

Defending Champion: Long Beach Poly.

Top teams: Long Beach Jordan (18-6), Long Beach Millikan (20-4), Chaffey (18-6), Channel Islands (19-5).

Top players: Tracy Acquaah (Rowland), Tyus Edny (Long Beach Poly), Rodney Harris (Long Beach Jordan), Elzie Love (Perris), Lelan McDougal (Etiwanda), Mike Parisi (Arcadia), Dante Powell (Millikan), DeAndrae Smith (Long Beach Jordan), Pat Thacker (Millikan), Chris Young (Quartz Hill).

Dark horse: Perris. The best at-large team around. The Panthers are led by Love, who averages 25.5 points and 10.3 rebounds. Perris should reach at least the quarterfinals, where it will challenge Jordan.

Best draw: Long Beach Poly. A third-place finisher with 20 victories, the Jackrabbits will waltz into the semifinals for a rematch with Moore League rival Millikan.

Worst draw: Rowland. The Sierra League champion will get Poly in the second round.

Notes: This will most likely be an all-Moore League final. Any combination of Poly, Jordan and Millikan should vie for the title. Poly won the title last season and Millikan won it in 1989. Lynwood might have been able to crack the Moore League’s grasp, but had to forfeit 18 games. The Knights have also had injury problems.

I-A

Defending Champion: Mater Dei.

Top teams: Mater Dei (22-4), Cajon (21-4), Irvine (22-3), San Bernardino (25-1).

Top players: Ray Owes (San Bernardino), John Molle (Irvine), Cherokee Parks (Marina), Mark Flick (Cerritos), Damian Hyams (Diamond Bar), Telly Roberts (Oakwood), Chris Loll (Thousand Oaks), Reggie Geary (Mater Dei), Ryan Martin (Ocean View), Shaun Battle (Cajon).

Dark horse: Marina. The Vikings won eight of their last nine games and, in Parks, have the best player in the division. Parks is completely recovered from an ankle injury and appears determined to win one section title before heading off to Duke next season.

Best draw: Irvine. The Vaqueros, the No. 3 seed, should make the semifinals. Their toughest challenge could be Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals.

Worst draw: Capistrano Valley. After the first round, the Cougars will have to play Marina. If they win, they probably will play San Bernardino, which until last week was the No. 1-ranked team.

Notes: Mater Dei has won six section and two state titles since 1983. The Monarchs enter the playoffs as the No. 1-seeded team, but face the toughest playoff bracket in any division.