Despite Graduation Losses, Costa Mesa Has Rolled Right Along

Heading into the first round of the Division IV-AA playoffs Saturday, Costa Mesa girls’ basketball Coach Lisa McNamee says there’s no pressure being a defending Southern Section champion.

“All along people have picked us as underdogs,” McNamee said. “We lost Olivia DiCamilli, who was the leading scorer in the county last season and was the Division III player of the year. We’ve taken advantage of (the underdog status). We knew all along we were a good team.”

A good team indeed. The Mustangs finished the regular season 16-7 and won the Pacific Coast League championship with a 10-0 record.

All this despite losing six seniors, including four starters from last season’s section III-A and Southern California Division III championship team.

The Mustangs dropped one division in the off-season because of a drop in enrollment.

“Winning league proved everybody wrong,” McNamee said. “Our goal all year was to go undefeated in league and make the playoffs.”

And though only four regulars return from last year’s team, seven will have playoff experience entering Saturday’s game against La Puente Bassett (16-7), the third-place team from the Montview League.

Erin Cotten, Debbie Brown and starter Corri Lurmann were called up from the junior varsity to compete in the playoffs last year and saw substantial time in each of the Mustangs’ 10 postseason games.

McNamee plans to do the same thing this year, and to that end, she has called up Betty Fukumoto, Song Kim, Katy Grogan and Jenny Curtis to add depth to the Mustangs’ bench. McNamee expects them to contribute.

“The frosh-soph and JV teams lost fewer games combined than the varsity team,” McNamee said. “We have had such tremendous success in the lower levels that the girls are already winners when they get (to the varsity).”

The Mustangs’ leading scorer, Heather Robinson, is coming back from a stress fracture in her ankle that kept her out five games. Robinson, the only returning starter, averaged 14.7 points.

Also expected to produce are freshman Koo Kim, senior Doan Do and sophomore Lurmann.

McNamee said the Mustangs should be considered contenders for the division title, and expects the two top-seeded teams to challenge as well.

St. Bernard (20-4), the defending Division IV-AA champion, is seeded No. 1, and Santa Ynez (21-4), last year’s Division IV-AA runner-up, is No. 2.

Costa Mesa earned the third seeding, and Los Angeles Notre Dame Academy (15-3) is No. 4.

“We’ve got a good shot,” McNamee said, “if we play hard and get a little lucky.”

Division IV-AA at a Glance

Defending champion: Playa Del Rey St. Bernard.

Top-seeded teams: St. Bernard (20-4), Santa Ynez (21-4), Costa Mesa (16-7), Los Angeles Notre Dame Academy (15-3).

Dark horse: Inglewood St. Mary’s Academy. The Belles have the second-highest victory total in the division and open against Santa Fe Springs St. Paul (13-11). They could sneak into the semifinals and surprise the seeded teams.

Top players: Asa Axelsson (Blythe Palo Verde Valley), Grace Bae (Cerritos Whitney), Sherry Bjorklund (Santa Ynez), Kim Carter (Los Angeles Marlborough), Shannon Colby (Banning), Luz Maria (Palo Verde Valley), Taryn Reynolds (Notre Dame Academy), Melissa Ridge (St. Paul), Heather Robinson (Costa Mesa), Kristi Rohr (Santa Ynez), Olympia Scott (St. Bernard), Deborah Sternlight (Marlborough), Judy Vera (La Puente Bassett).

Best draw: Notre Dame Academy. The Regals (15-3), the fourth-seeded team in the division, play host to Los Angeles Sacred Heart of Jesus (10-7) in the first round and would play an 11- or 13-game winner in the quarterfinals.

Worst draw: Alhambra Ramona Convent. The Tigers (15-5) are the first-place team from the Horizon League and, after a first-round game against a wild-card winner, would have to face top-seeded St. Bernard.

Notes: Santa Ynez has been to a division final in each of the past five years, and appears to be a strong candidate to end up there again this year. The Pirates’ only section title came in 1990, when they won the Division II-AA championship. . . . The lower half of the bracket could find four league winners battling each other in the quarterfinals. Costa Mesa (Pacific Coast), Flintridge Sacred Heart (Sunshine), St. Mary’s (Camino Real) and Santa Ynez (Los Padres) could square off in the second round.

Division IV-A at a Glance

Defending champion: Cerritos Valley Christian.

Top-seeded teams: Valley Christian (22-2), Sun Valley Village Christian (21-1), Burbank Bellarmine-Jefferson (20-5), Rosamond (20-2).

Dark horse: Santa Monica Crossroads. The Roadrunners (18-3), winners of the Delphic League, should breeze through the first round.

Top players: Veronica Cortez (Huntington Park St. Matthias), Ebony Davis (Rosamond), Alisa Doran (Ventura St. Bonaventure), Krissy Duperron (Riverside Notre Dame), Julie Flentie (Sierra Madre Maranatha), Cathy Flores (Bellarmine-Jefferson), April Godfrey (St. Bonaventure), Lindy James (Village Christian), Lindsey Kelly (Riverside Notre Dame), Alana Kempton (Whittier Christian), Shirley Lalicker (Montebello Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary), Blythe Linsey (Calvary Chapel), Lori Neville (Los Angeles Baptist), Jodi Parriott (Valley Christian), Veronica Quezada (Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary), Jamie Smith (Bishop Union), Sherrise Smith (Crossroads), Christina Ticsay (Bellarmine-Jefferson), Maxine Unverferth (Lancaster Paraclete), Aisha Veasley (Valley Christian), Kristin Weddick (Orange Lutheran), Yasmeen Yamini-Benjamin (Crossroads).

Best draw: Crossroads. The Roadrunners (18-3) face a wild-card winner in the opening round before facing fourth-seeded Rosamond.

Worst draw: Los Angeles Baptist (12-6). They’re the second-place team from the Alpha League, yet only earned a wild-card berth.

Notes: Valley Christian is the two-time defending division champion and should meet second-seeded Bellarmine-Jefferson in the final. It’s the same Bell-Jeff team the Lions beat last year, 66-52, for the title . . . Doubtful, but it could work out that two Olympic League teams could square off in the semifinals. The two wild-card teams, Orange Lutheran and Whittier Christian, would meet in the quarterfinals, with the winner possibly facing top-seeded Valley Christian.