SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : DIVISIONS I-A, I-AA : Marina Puts Its Streak on Line in First Round

Orange County’s best, and perhaps only chance for a championship in the Southern Section Division I girls’ basketball playoffs rests with Marina.

Out-of-county schools dominate the top seeded spots in Division I-A, where Buena, Thousand Oaks, Marina and Rubidoux are Nos. 1-4, respectively.

Marina (21-4) won its first Sunset League championship this season, going undefeated in league play. The odd thing is, the Vikings’ four losses came against league teams in tournaments before league play began.

Marina takes a 12-game winning streak into Friday’s first-round game against the winner of tonight’s Los Alamitos-Montclair qualifying-round game.

Gillian Bean, a 5-foot-9 senior, came on strong to lead Marina down the stretch, leading the Vikings in scoring in the final four games. Her 21-point performance helped Marina beat Huntington Beach, 65-56, to clinch the league title last week.

However, the Vikings don’t have a player taller than 6 feet on the roster, and that could hurt in the later rounds.

Top-seeded Buena (21-2), with Lianne Ishikawa and Mia Palkie leading the way, has won two section championships and been runner-up four times since 1978 under Coach Joe Vaughan. Last season, Buena lost to Hart, 49-45, in the V-A championship game.

Michelle Palmisano, a 5-9 junior guard, averages 24.7 points for second-seeded Thousand Oaks (23-3).

Fourth-seeded Rubidoux is 23-3 and the Citrus Belt League champion.

Division I-AA figures to be yet another opportunity for Morningside to showcase its greatness. Lisa Leslie, who once scored 101 points in a half and led the Monarchs to the state Division I and section V-AA championships last season, is playing at USC, but the team keeps winning without her.

Morningside (top-seeded and 24-2) lost only to Ocean League rival Palos Verdes. But Palos Verdes plays in the III-AA division.

Fountain Valley (17-9) is the only county team to make the I-AA main draw. Santa Ana Valley (7-14) plays at Santa Monica (8-17) and Santa Ana (4-12) is at Paramount (12-9) in qualifying-round games tonight.

DIVISION I-A

Defending champion: Hart.

Top teams: Buena (21-2), Thousand Oaks (23-3), Marina (21-4), Rubidoux (23-3).

Top players: Gillian Bean (Marina), Anjanette Dionne (Hart), Lianne Ishikawa (Buena), Tracy Heiser (El Toro), Michelle Palmisano (Thousand Oaks), Megan Rehwoldt (El Toro), Melissa McDonald (Mater Dei), Alisa Farr (Capistrano Valley), Mia Palkie (Buena).

Dark horse: Hart (21-5).

Best draw: Thousand Oaks (23-3) wouldn’t have a tough game until possibly facing El Toro (17-6) in the quarterfinals.

Worst draw: El Toro (17-6) plays West Covina (16-9) in the first round.

Notes: Hart, the division’s defending champion, went 21-5 and won the Foothill League but didn’t earn one of the four seeded berths. Go figure. Watch out for the Indians, though. Dionne averages 20 points. Buena lost to Hart, 49-45, in last season’s championship game. Palkie averages 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds for Buena. Thousand Oaks’ Palmisano averages 24.7 points.

DIVISION I-AA

Defending champion: Morningside.

Top teams: Lakewood (23-1), Morningside (24-2), Lynwood (21-3), Chino (24-3).

Top players: Janet Davis (Morningside), Princess Murray (Morningside), Tamika Phillips (Chaffey), Charon Johnson (Lakewood), Melissa Gower (Lakewood), Shanna Wilson (Fountain Valley).

Dark horse: Redlands (22-3).

Best draw: Lakewood (23-1) is almost a cinch to reach the quarterfinals.

Worst draw: San Gabriel (20-2) probably will face Morningside in the quarterfinals.

Notes: Morningside’s 90-game Ocean League winning streak--second longest in section girls’ history behind Riverside Poly’s 97 in 1978-85--was stopped Jan. 9 at Palos Verdes, 62-52. Davis and Murray were key figures on Morningside’s state championship team last season. Fountain Valley (17-9) is the only county team to be selected for the main draw.