SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW : Mission Viejo Bares Its Teeth in Underdog Role

Upsets have become routine for the Mission Viejo boys’ basketball team as it prepares to meet top-seeded Trabuco Hills tonight in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division II-A playoffs.

Mission Viejo (9-17) won only six games during the season but surprised Cypress, Savanna and Los Amigos with pressure defense and high-percentage shots that remind some of the formula Corona del Mar has used successfully over the years in postseason play.

Mission Viejo’s record is deceiving. The Diablos have lost to some of the section’s best teams, including Lynwood, Long Beach Jordan, Pomona, Estancia, Woodbridge, Capistrano Valley (twice), Irvine (twice) and Trabuco Hills.

“I think we’re finally playing teams that we can compete against,” Mission Viejo Coach Bob Minier said. “Give the kids the credit. They didn’t quit. We could have packed it up with only six wins and rolled over in the playoffs, but we didn’t.”

Trabuco Hills (22-5) defeated Mission Viejo, 56-50, in a nonleague game in early January. Mission Viejo limited Trabuco Hills guard Brett Poulos (15.2 scoring average) to one field goal in the game.

“We match up pretty well with them, with the exception of their big guy (6-foot-11 center Gavin Vanderputten),” Minier said. “I think this team has risen to a certain level and is finally playing to its potential.”

Mission Viejo has allowed an average of only 48.3 points per game in the playoffs with guard Jeff Carr leading the team in scoring (14 points), rebounds (7.2), assists and steals.

In other Division II-A games:

Ridgecrest Burroughs (16-6) vs. Valencia (15-9) at Esperanza High: Guards Scott Hansen (15.1 points) and Dave Bartels (11.1 points, three assists) lead a young Burroughs team that has two juniors and a sophomore in the starting lineup. Forwards Adolfo Gomez (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Marc O’Brien (12 points, seven rebounds) lead Valencia.

Pomona (17-8) vs. Kennedy (20-6) at Los Alamitos High: Pomona, the defending Division III-AA champion, is led by forward Dedrique Taylor (15.5 points, 13.2 rebounds) and center Damion Morbley (11.5 points, 9.4 rebounds). Jeff Cummins scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter in Kennedy’s 54-47 victory over Troy in the second round.

In Division I-AA:

Capistrano Valley (25-3) vs. Alhambra (19-7) at San Gabriel High: Capistrano Valley survived a scare while Alhambra scored the biggest upset in any division in the second round. Capistrano Valley survived a missed three-point shot in the final seconds in a 58-54 victory over Esperanza. Guard Hon Trieu averages 17 points and four assists for Alhambra.

In Division I-A:

Compton Dominguez (19-7) vs. Mater Dei (28-1) at Ocean View High: This is a matchup of talented athletes. Forward Chris Blanton (11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds) and guard Larry McGlothin (11.2 points, nine rebounds) lead Dominguez. Mater Dei has won 14 consecutive games behind the play of two-time Angelus League MVP Reggie Geary, who averages 14.5 points and 6.3 assists.

Los Alamitos (19-9) vs. San Bernardino Cajon (24-2) at San Bernardino High: Los Alamitos made six of seven free-throw attempts in the final 90 seconds of its 55-48 victory over Irvine. Los Alamitos has won 16 of its last 18 games with forward Jason Cunningham averaging 22.1 points and 11.8 rebounds. Cajon’s Shaun Battle, who has signed with UC Irvine, is the school’s career leader in points, rebounds, field-goal percentage, free throws, blocked shots and steals.

Riverside J.W. North (25-2) vs. Huntington Beach (18-10) at Edison High: Second-seeded J.W. North has won 20 consecutive games behind the play of guard Quincy Brewer. Brewer, who has signed with Arizona, averages 15.8 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Huntington Beach defeated West Covina with a slow-paced attack and posted fast-paced victories over University and Indio.

In Division II-AA:

Pasadena Muir (20-8) vs. Tustin (21-7) at Foothill High: This is a rematch of last season’s division semifinal game that Tustin won, 72-57. Muir has won 12 consecutive games behind junior point guard Jacque Vaughn, who averages 21 points and 6.5 assists. Tustin is coming off a remarkable comeback in which the Tillers erased a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes of play to earn a 50-48 victory over Gahr.

Woodbridge (18-6) vs. Rio Mesa (12-13) at Camarillo High: The teams met in the quarterfinals of the Division II-A playoffs last season in the same gymnasium, with Woodbridge gaining a 61-49 victory. Center Jade Peterson (7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds), who is 6 feet 8, and guard Jason McLean lead Rio Mesa. Guard Todd Loewe (14.7 points, 7.3 assists) paces Woodbridge.

In Division III-AA:

Servite (15-11) vs. South Torrance (20-6) at Redondo High: Servite is playing its best basketball of the season and has beaten two playoff opponents by an average margin of 18.5 points. Guards Jason Anthony (16.9 points) and Jim Williamson (12.6 points, nine assists) lead South Torrance.

Western (18-7) vs. Compton Centennial (19-8) at Compton College: Western limited high-scoring Crespi to 13 points in the first half and scored a 56-54 upset in the second round. But it’s doubtful Western can slow third-seeded Centennial. Guard Levi Watson (16.5 points, 5.3 assists), center Will Weir (14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds) and forward Len Walton (11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds) lead Centennial.

Newbury Park (14-10) vs. Estancia (21-6) at Corona del Mar High: Newbury Park gets a taller order against second-seeded Estancia. Newbury Park’s tallest starter is 6-4 center Sean McKeown, who averages 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds. Forward Matt Fuerbringer (19.5 points), who is 6-7, and 6-4 center Jim Faulkner (11.3 points) lead Estancia.

In Division III-A:

Santa Paula (19-5) vs. Rancho Alamitos (15-10) at Bolsa Grande High: Rancho Alamitos refused to “let the lights go out” in a 72-48 romp over third-seeded South Hills Tuesday. Marshall Brown had 16 points and teammate Ed Taylor added 15 points in the upset. Santa Paula counters with 6-8 center Terry Bell (11 points, eight rebounds) and guard Joey Ramirez (22 points).

In Division IV-AA:

Downey Pius X (20-5) vs. Laguna Beach (16-10) at Laguna Hills High: Forwards Michael O’Quinn (22.2 points, 7.5 rebounds) and Jacobi Thompson (17 points, six rebounds) lead third-seeded Pius X. Guard Darren Gravley is Laguna Beach’s best player, averaging 18.3 points and five assists.

In Division IV-A:

Burbank Bell-Jeff (20-4) vs. Orange Lutheran (15-12) at Christ College Irvine: Second-seeded Bell-Jeff is led by forward Brian Lee (16 points, 5.6 rebounds) and guard Bryan Camacho (13.3 points, 7.2 assists). Orange Lutheran is coming off an 86-81 upset over Calvary Chapel.

In Division V-AA:

Carpinteria Cate (16-3) vs. Brethren Christian (25-2) at Cypress College: Cate is on a 14-game winning streak behind the play of forward Stan Watkins (17.9 points) and center Jonah Egenolf (14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds). Brethren Christian has won 15 consecutive games behind the play of forward Chiron Hart (17.4 points).

In Division V-A:

Liberty Christian (17-6) at La Canada Ribet Academy (17-6): Two of the section’s top scorers--Ribet Academy’s Orville Turner and Liberty Christian’s Toby Curto--will be featured in this game. Turner averages 22 points and 13.1 rebounds; Curto averages 28.3 points.