SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW : Ocean View Sees Trouble on the Horizon

Ocean View Coach Ollie Martin didn’t like what he saw on his draw sheet for the Southern Section Division II-AA girls’ basketball playoffs.

Brea-Olinda.

If Ocean View (14-11) manages to defeat Rosemead (8-10) in the first round tonight, the top-seeded Ladycats await in Round 2.

“This is the worst draw we’ve had in some time,” Martin said.

Edison Coach Phil Abraham said the good-natured Martin joked about the bad draw.

Said Abraham: “He told me, ‘Hey, we’ll forfeit our two league victories over you guys and trade spots with you.’ ”

Edison (13-11), the Sunset League’s fifth-place team, earned an at-large entry and will travel to play Century League runner-up Canyon (14-8), in the first round. Second-seeded Cerritos will most likely await the winner in the second round.

Although Martin cringes at the thought of facing Brea-Olinda, Ladycat Coach Mark Trakh wasn’t thrilled at the prospect, either.

“That’s a quarterfinal-caliber game,” Trakh said. “But for us, this is definitely a no-lose situation. Even if we lose, we have all our players back next season.”

Trakh said at the outset of the season it was going to be a rebuilding year for Brea-Olinda, what with no seniors on the roster and without Jody Anton, The Times Orange County’s player of the year last season, who starts for USC.

But with juniors Nicole Erickson, Colleen Hudson and Sarah Beckley leading the way, Brea-Olinda finished 24-2. Suddenly, a fifth-consecutive section championship seemed more likely.

“I’ll take that kind of rebuilding season any day,” Trakh said.

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For Troy Coach Brad Sand, rebuilding meant transforming a team only two seasons removed from a 1-16 campaign into a Division II-A fourth-seeded squad.

“I have to give all the credit to the kids,” Sand said. “They were hungry for someone to give them instruction. I just did what I always did with the boys’ teams I had coached.”

Troy (20-4) hopes to improve upon last season’s first-round loss to North Torrance.

“We stayed close to North Torrance for a half, then we watched them advance all the way to the semifinals,” Sand said. “This season, we wanted to see what that next level is like.”

Sophomores Jennie Gadd and Dinah Shah have helped Troy, which will play host to Magnolia (10-13), an at-large entry from the Orange League, in a first-round game Saturday.

Kennedy (17-6) plays host to El Modena (10-10) in another first-round game with the winner facing the Troy-Magnolia winner in the second round Feb. 24.

Division II-A at a Glance

Defending champion: Mission Hills Alemany (moved to Division III-AA).

Top teams: Hacienda Heights Wilson (22-1), Troy (20-4), Ventura (19-4), San Bernardino (18-4).

Dark horse: Katella (18-4). The Empire League champion should get a chance to upset top-seeded Wilson in the quarterfinals.

Top players: Ember Brown (Ventura), Chris Carillo (Katella), Jennie Gadd (Troy), Jennie Griffin (La Puente Bishop Amat), Celeste Gude (San Bernardino), Becky Hantgin (Ventura), Martha Hernandez (La Habra), Latonya Kindle (San Bernardino), Lynly Matsumoto (Kennedy), Stephanie Melton (San Bernardino Pacific), Katie Minor (Hacienda Heights Wilson), Leslie Mukogawa (North Torrance), Laurie Shimizu (West Torrance), Jamie Shine (El Modena), Tiffany Williams (Redondo Union), Sara Works (Savanna).

Best draw: Wilson, ranked fourth in the state’s Division II poll.

Worst draw: Trabuco Hills. The Pacific Coast League’s at-large entry faces an early exit with a first-round game at top-seeded Wilson.

Notes: Ventura and San Bernardino stepped down to Division II-A this season, and both earned seedings. San Bernardino, the third-seeded team, lost in the second round of the Division I-A playoffs last season. Ventura, seeded second, lost to Tustin in the Division II-AA semifinals last season. . . . Kennedy, El Modena, Troy and Magnolia are all in the same bracket, so at least one Orange County team will reach the quarterfinals.

Division II-AA at a Glance

Defending champions: Cerritos Gahr.

Top teams: Brea-Olinda (24-2), Riverside J.W. North (22-2), Woodbridge (20-5), Cerritos (19-7).

Dark horse: Gahr (17-8), which finished third in the San Gabriel Valley League behind Lynwood, the second-ranked team in the state, and Cerritos.

Top players: Yanik Clay (Inglewood), Angela Darnell (Hemet), Nicole Erickson (Brea-Olinda), Shannon Gale (Gahr), Elena Gomez (Moreno Valley), Maggie Gorska (Mission Viejo), Sarah Hagman (Crescenta Valley), Colleen Hudson (Brea-Olinda), Tricia Lindquist (Ocean View), Florencia Luppani (Woodbridge), Michol Murray (Garden Grove), Joan Paje (Edison), Shannon Perry (Cerritos), Sara Pickering (Corona), Maureen Skehan (Villa Park), Jennifer Stanley (University), Farrah Wynne (Cerritos).

Best draw: Cerritos, which won’t face a league champion until the semifinals.

Worst draw: Tustin and Mission Viejo. Tustin beat Corona del Mar, 48-40, in a playoff qualifying game, but as a reward the Tillers received a first-round game at fourth-seeded Cerritos. Mission Viejo, an at-large entry from the South Coast League, will play at second-seeded Gahr in a first-round game.

Notes: If Brea-Olinda and Cerritos meet in the semifinals, they might meet again in the playoffs next season. Neither team has a senior. . . . Third-seeded Woodbridge earned a first-round bye.