Playoffs Open Tonight for Girls’ Basketball Teams

Talk of girls’ high school basketball championships begins with the top-ranked Morningside and Palos Verdes teams, but it certainly doesn’t end there.

Other South Bay teams expected to contend for titles in the L.A. City Section and CIF-Southern Section playoffs, which begin tonight and Saturday, include Carson, Bishop Montgomery, West Torrance and Inglewood.

One of the season’s biggest success stories belongs to Bishop Montgomery, the No. 2-seeded team in CIF Division II-A. The Knights (20-4) will bring a four-game winning streak into their playoff opener at 7:30 Saturday night against La Mirada (4-16) at Bishop Montgomery.

First-year Bishop Montgomery Coach Cedric Hurt, who guided St. Mary’s Academy of Inglewood to three league titles in four seasons from 1986-89, says the Knights are playing their best basketball of the season.

“I think we’re beginning to peak at the right time,” Hurt said. “We set two goals at the beginning of the season. No. 1 was to take the Mission League (title). Our next goal is the big one, CIF.”

Bishop Montgomery fell short of its first goal, finishing second to Alemany of Mission Hills in league play. But the Knights are considered contenders for the title in Division II-A, where the favorite is top-seeded La Habra. Bishop Montgomery upset La Habra, which boasts an imposing front line that averages 6-foot-2, in the second round of the playoffs last season.

“I’d say Bishop Montgomery, Woodbridge and Los Altos are all going to be tough,” La Habra Coach John Koehler said.

Bishop Montgomery relies on a balanced lineup featuring three starters who played on last season’s quarterfinalist team--All-CIF guard Lily Cabaleiro (18 points, 6.2 assists), sophomore guard Natalie Graham (10.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists) and 5-10 forward Stacie Smith (12.8 rebounds).

The other starters are junior point guard Mirlen Martinez (11 points, 4.6 assists), whose emergence allowed Cabaleiro to move from point to off-guard, and forward Tashima Mack (9.4 rebounds), a 5-7 senior who “plays like she is 6-3,” according to Hurt.

The Knights’ first-round opponent, La Mirada, advanced Tuesday with a 56-35 qualifying-round victory over Whittier.

Following are other playoff openers featuring select South Bay teams:

L.A. CITY SECTION

Jordan at Carson (21-4), 5:30 tonight--The Colts captured their fourth consecutive Pacific League title last week and are seeded second behind Washington in the City 4-A Division. Center Bernice Alafua, a 6-0 junior, leads Carson with averages of 19.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. Jordan took third place in the Central League.

SOUTHERN SECTION

Antelope Valley (8-11) at Morningside (24-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday--The Lady Monarchs are gunning for their fourth consecutive CIF major division title and third consecutive state championship. They no longer have Lisa Leslie, now a standout at USC, but 6-4 junior Janet Davis has filled in admirably. She leads the South Bay in scoring with a 22.8 average, and ranks third in rebounding at 11.7. Other Morningside standouts include forward Akiba Flanagan (18 points, 10 rebounds) and guard Princess Murray (10.6 points, 7.1 assists). Antelope Valley qualified for the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs with a 56-41 victory Tuesday over Long Beach Jordan.

Downey (13-10) at Inglewood (15-6), 7:30 p.m. Saturday--Inglewood has been overshadowed by its cross-town rival, Morningside, but the Sentinels had quite a season of their own. They open the Division I-A playoffs after sweeping to the Bay League title with a 10-0 record. Kelly Bryant and Stevana Richards are two of Inglewood’s top players. Downey is an at-large playoff entry.

San Marcos (9-17) at West Torrance (17-4), 7:30 p.m. Saturday--This was expected to be a rebuilding season for West. The Warriors were breaking in a new coach (Kathy Yam) and graduated their top two players (Rosa Olloque and Mary Litzenberg) from last season’s team that lost in the Division II-A final. But West has thrived with a young team led by sophomore guard Laurie Shimizu (17.4 points) to win the Pioneer League title and become the fourth-seeded team for the playoffs. San Marcos of Santa Barbara earned entry into the first round with a 65-48 qualifying-round victory Tuesday over Redondo.

Laguna Hills (7-14) at Palos Verdes (24-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday--Without question, Palos Verdes is the team to beat in the Division III-AA playoffs. The Sea Kings boast perhaps the most balanced lineup in the state, led by 5-7 junior point guard Kristen Mulligan (12.4 points, 5.1 assists). Up front, juniors Monique Morehouse, a 6-3 forward, and Jeffra Gausepohl, a 6-5 center, combine for 23 points and 17 rebounds a game. Palos Verdes’ average margin of victory is 74-35, including three games with Morningside. The Sea Kings won two of three meetings, splitting in league play, and shared the Ocean League title with Morningside. Laguna Hills downed La Serna, 43-34, in the qualifying round Tuesday.