DIVISION II : Valencia Coach, Players Happy to Be Competing

When the Southern Section Division II boys’ basketball playoffs begin Friday, there will be some stark contrasts in the opening round for Orange County teams.

First-year Coach Dean Yoshimura and Orange League champion Valencia will play host to a Division II-A first-round game Friday against Katella. Yoshimura’s counterpart is Coach Tom Danley, who has won 513 games during his 27-year career and seen many playoffs.

“The whole thing has been real exciting for us,” Yoshimura said. “This school has only won three league championships in 60 years. It’s a big deal.”

Unseeded Valencia (14-10) tied Magnolia (18-7) for the league championship with a victory Friday over the Sentinels. Magnolia is the fourth-seeded team in Division III-AA.

The Valencia-Katella winner will play the Tustin-Los Amigos winner in the second round, Feb. 22, so at least one county team will make the quarterfinals.

Tustin (19-7), the fourth-seeded team that tied Santa Margarita for the Sea View League championship, plays host to Los Amigos (11-14) Friday.

The Tillers are led by Coach Andy Ground, who was an assistant coach when the Tillers won a Southern Section and State championship in 1991, and junior Doug Gottlieb, one of the best point guards in the county.

In 1982, Don Grable helped Los Amigos reach the Southern Section semifinals; now he is in his first year as the Lobos’ coach. This year, the Lobos finished fourth in the Garden Grove League after a 7-16 record last season.

Troy won the Freeway League championship for the first time since 1986, but the Warriors have a tough draw.

In the first round, the Warriors will play host La Mirada, a team that defeated Troy this season, 79-54. If Troy advances, second-seeded Bellflower St. John Bosco and 6-foot-6 point guard Jelani Gardner, one of the top players in the state, loom in the second round.

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In Division II-AA, four of the five Orange County teams are grouped in a bracket with second-seeded Inglewood.

Friday, Trabuco Hills plays host to Woodbridge and Huntington Beach plays host to Loara in the lower half of the draw. The two winners meet in the second round, Feb. 22, and the second-round winner qualifies for the quarterfinals.

Ocean View is in the top half of the draw and travels to El Monte Mountain View for the first round.

“We’re glad we don’t have to play Mater Dei,” Huntington Beach Coach Roy Miller said. “We played them enough last season.”

The Oilers, who finished second in the Sunset League, dropped from Division I-A where they lost to the Monarchs last season in the Southern Section regional playoffs.

PLAYOFF PAIRINGS, C13

Division II-AA at a Glance

Defending champion: Riverside J.W. North.

Top-seeded teams: J.W. North (24-0), Inglewood (22-3), Santa Barbara (24-2), Glendora (24-2).

Dark horse: Riverside Arlington (18-8). The second-place Ivy League team could sneak into the semifinals for another rematch with J.W. North.

Top players: Chilavo Anderson (J.W. North), Luke Buffum (Beverly Hills), Brent Burnett (San Bernardino Cajon), Oscar Castillo (El Monte Mountain View), Scott Davis (Loara), Tony Gonzalez (Huntington Beach), Demond Jackson (J.W. North), Kevin Johnson (Ocean View), Ryan Karnoff (Trabuco Hills), Victor Lesley (La Verne Damien), Cameron Murray (Glendora), Leif Nelson (Arlington), Paul Pierce (Inglewood), Ken Rogers (Claremont), Tony Saldana (Riverside La Sierra), Sam Turks (Inglewood), Rob Warnick (Trabuco Hills).

Best draw: Inglewood. Must hurdle the Orange County bracket before reaching the semifinals.

Worst draw: Loara (11-13). The Saxons face Huntington Beach (17-9) in the opening round, and if they survive, runnin’-gunnin’ Trabuco Hills probably awaits in the second.

Notes: Murray, a 6-foot guard at Glendora, is the younger brother of Portland Trail Blazer forward Tracy Murray. He averaged 26.2 points and 5.6 assists and made 71 three-pointers. . . . Saldana averaged 24 points and made 88 of 252 three-pointers in La Sierra’s first 22 games. . . . Pierce, a 6-4 swingman who averages 23 points and nine rebounds, should help Inglewood advance to a showdown with J.W. North in the final.

Division II-A at a Glance

Defending champion: Pasadena Muir.

Top-seeded teams: Compton Dominguez (23-2), Bellflower St. John Bosco (23-2), San Bernardino Pacific (22-3), Tustin (19-7).

Dark horse: Muir (17-11). The defending champions won the Pacific League and should meet fourth-seeded Tustin in the quarterfinals.

Top players: Greg Abbott (Troy), Kenny Brunner (Dominguez), Mike Carson (Chino Don Lugo), Kevin Chaney (Artesia), Anthony DeLoach (Pomona Garey), Jelani Gardner (St. John Bosco), Jamie Gillin (Dominguez), Joey Gorini (La Mirada), Doug Gottlieb (Tustin), Chris Johnson (Pacific), Adam Libby (Woodbridge), Floyd McGill (Brawley), Derek Mitchell (Cypress), Thomas Prince (Dominguez), Jeron Roberts (Covina Charter Oak), Nick Roditis (Katella), Jamaal Turner (Whittier La Serna), Shane Willis (Manhattan Beach Mira Costa), Chris Yu (Los Amigos), Max Zamora (Valencia).

Best draw: Dominguez. The top-seeded Dons should cruise into the semifinals.

Worst draw: Cypress (12-11). What is the Centurions’ reward as an at-large entry? A first-round game against Dominguez.

Notes: Gardner, a 6-foot-6 point guard at St. John Bosco who averages 24 points and seven assists, is being recruited by California and UCLA, among others.