SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW : Thousand Oaks, Lynwood Preparing for Their Feasts

They are the predators.

They are the teams that show up in the gym and opposing teams adjust to them instead of the other way around.

Thousand Oaks (26-0).

Lynwood (23-0).

They are ranked first and second in the state and they are the favorites to win the Southern Section girls’ basketball Division I-A and I-AA titles when the finals are played March 6 at Loyola Marymount.

There are teams standing in their way, of course, but they are the ones adjusting. It’s like fighting a big puncher like Mike Tyson or George Foreman or Riddick Bowe. Don’t adjust and you take a seat on the canvas.

Consider Thousand Oaks. The first Orange County team that will get a chance--if it reaches the quarterfinals--is Santiago (17-6). If America Robledo scores 22 points and hands out nine assists, will it be enough to overcome a team that features Marion Jones, who is averaging 22.6 points and 14.1 rebounds?

Probably not. If it is, you have your fairy tale.

No, the pressure’s on Marina, the three-time Sunset League champion. The Vikings are seeded fourth in the division and should meet Thousand Oaks in the semifinals. They won the Cypress tournament title. They have a consistent big girl inside in Jessica Trippet (11.8 points, 11.6 rebounds) and a solid floor leader in Aimee Periolat (4.9 assists, 32% from three-point range). They were, at one time, ranked eighth overall and sixth in the division in the state rankings.

Marina Coach Pete Bonny’s approach is somewhat cavalier.

“When you get to the semifinals, you’re going to play somebody tough anyway,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. . . . It could be a lot worse.”

Where?

It’s not as bad on the other side of the draw, where Huntington Beach sits. The Oilers defeated Marina once this season and shared the Sunset League title but lost a coin flip to the Vikings for the right to be the league’s No. 1 representative.

Sure, there’s an unbeaten team there, too--Perris (25-0), ranked 16th in the state--which beat up on teams like Hemet, Moreno Valley and Temecula Valley. It is the only other unbeaten team outside of Division V, but it is a lot less intimidating than Thousand Oaks to Century, Los Alamitos and San Clemente.

Huntington Beach, in fact, is the highest-ranked team (12th in the state) in the lower part of the bracket.

Consider Lynwood. And if you’re an Orange County team, consider your good luck. Capistrano Valley (21-3), which is ranked 13th in the state, is the second-seeded team and can’t face Lynwood until the finals. Neither can the other county team, Fountain Valley (14-11), which must win a wild-card game tonight at Lakewood for the opportunity to face Capistrano Valley in the first round Saturday.

And schools have to reach the section finals to be considered for the State playoffs.

“We wanted to be seeded two or three to be opposite Lynwood,” Capistrano Valley Coach Harlan Peet said. “I don’t think (ours) was the easiest seed in the tournament. We’re going to play a good team in our first game. But I’m not complaining.”

Division I-A at a Glance

Defending champion: Thousand Oaks.

Top teams: Thousand Oaks (26-0), Perris (25-0), Buena (19-2), Marina (20-4).

Dark horse: San Clemente (14-10) won six of its last eight games and would meet second-seeded Perris in the second round. Perris, ranked 16th in the state, played only two games decided by fewer than 10 points; one wonders how it will react if the Tritons can stay close.

Top players: Nina Alexander (Century), Deana Itow (Huntington Beach), Marion Jones (Thousand Oaks), Michelle MacIntyre (San Clemente), Maylana Martin (Perris), Leticia Oseguera (Mater Dei), Aimee Pena (Chino), Aimee Periolat (Marina), America Robledo (Santiago), Jessica Trippet (Marina), Clare Walker (Huntington Beach), Cindy Yamasaki (Los Alamitos).

Best draw: Huntington Beach (23-3), the highest-ranked team in the state (12th) on its side of the bracket, wouldn’t face third-seeded Buena (19-2) until the quarterfinals.

Worst draw: El Monte (8-11) faces Palmdale (17-6) in the first round. The winner gets Thousand Oaks, the state’s top-ranked team.

Notes: Thousand Oaks and Perris are unbeaten. Huntington Beach has a 13-game winning streak. . . . Perris’ front line goes 6-2, 5-11, 5-10 and averages 35 points and 35 rebounds. . . . Arroyo Grande (20-4) is one of three teams that beat I-AA power Capistrano Valley, and should get a rematch with Buena in the second round; Buena won the last meeting, 63-37.

Division I-AA at a Glance

Defending champion: Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Top teams: Lynwood (23-0), Capistrano Valley (21-3), Long Beach Poly (20-3), Long Beach Millikan (16-7).

Dark horse: Peninsula (16-7) is the defending State champion.

Top players: Nancy Evans (Glendale Hoover), Amy Heaton (Lakewood), Shauntell Hendrix (Chaffey), Stacey Howes (Capistrano Valley), Tiffany Maxwell (Millikan), Mimi McKinney (Peninsula), Julie Murdent (Fountain Valley), Marsha Randle (Lakewood), Susan Scott (Capistrano Valley, Angie White (Capistrano Valley), April Williams (Lakewood).

Best draw: Long Beach Poly, which opens against Nogales (12-8), would likely play Apple Valley (21-1) and then, barring an upset, get a week to prepare for the Lynwood-Peninsula winner.

Worst draw: Peninsula. The defending state champion opens with Alhambra (20-4), then would face Lynwood, the state’s second-ranked team.

Notes: Only two Orange County teams are competing in this division. . . . Fountain Valley (14-11) has its work cut out. It must beat Lakewood (15-9), the third-place team from the tough Moore League (behind Poly and Millikan) in a wild-card game for the opportunity to face the state’s 13th-ranked team, Capistrano Valley, in a first-round game. . . . Second-seeded Capistrano Valley and third-seeded Millikan have a common opponent in Mater Dei. Millikan defeated the Monarchs 53-45 and 52-48; Capistrano Valley beat them by scores of 63-49 and 40-37.