PREP BASKETBALL GIRLS’ PLAYOFF PAIRINGS : Southland’s Top 3 Teams Go Their Separate Ways

The top three high school girls’ basketball teams in the Southland won’t face each other in this year’s Southern Section tournament.

Palos Verdes Peninsula (26-0), Thousand Oaks (23-1) and Brea-Olinda (24-2) were placed in separate divisions for the tournament, which will begin Wednesday with the qualifying round. First-round play will be Saturday.

Peninsula, ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section by The Times and No. 1 in the nation by USA Today, is the top-seeded team in Division I-AA, the most elite of the 10 playoff divisions. Peninsula defeated Thousand Oaks and Brea-Olinda during the regular season.

Thousand Oaks is top seeded in I-A, and Brea-Olinda is the No. 1-seeded team in III-AA. Thousand Oaks handed Brea-Olinda its only other loss of the season. during The schools were placed in their respective divisions based on student enrollment. Thousand Oaks and Brea-Olinda had the option to move up, but decided to stay put.

Thousand Oaks and Brea-Olinda are the defending champions in I-A and II-AA, respectively. Peninsula is a new school, a consolidation of Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Miraleste. Palos Verdes won the III-AA title last season.

Peninsula could meet Lynwood (22-1) in the championship. The Knights are led by 6-foot-5 center Janet Davis. Davis, who led Inglewood Morningside to the I-AA championship last year, is averaging 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Morningside, which finished 14-10 during the regular season, is the No. 2-seeded team in III-AA.

The tournament is scaled back from last season, when a record 332 teams were paired. The field was reduced 12% to 294 schools. Title games will be March 6-7.

Other top-seeded teams:

Cerritos Gahr (21-4), II-AA; Riverside Rubidoux (23-0), II-A; West Covina South Hills (21-2), III-A; Santa Ynez (20-2), IV-AA; Burbank Bell-Jeff (20-4), IV-A; Victor Valley Christian (21-3), V-AA, and Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep (22-0), V-A.

All but three divisions will use a 32-team bracket.