DIVISION III-A

Defending champion: San Luis Obispo.

Top teams: Inglewood Morningside (22-3), Ojai Nordhoff (17-8), Estancia (20-5), Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (17-6).

Dark horse: Costa Mesa (14-12). The Pacific Coast at-large team is led by Koo Kim, averaging 14.5 points. The Mustangs finished fourth in a tough league, dominated by Laguna Hills and Estancia. Costa Mesa opens with fourth-seeded Nordhoff. Both teams faced Fountain Valley early in the season; Costa Mesa lost by 35 points, but Nordhoff lost by 51. If Costa Mesa can get past the opening round, it could easily face Estancia or Rosary in the semifinals.

Top players: Erin Barker (Nordhoff), Sarah Belavic (Rosary), Jill Black (Estancia), Jennifer Gardner (Corona del Mar), Alva Gutierrez (Azusa), Dana Hunter (Morningside), Gina Kendrick (Azusa), Jennifer McCartin (Estancia), Lauren Murphy (Rosary), Chanel Neal (Morningside), Marissa Perez (Rosary), Kejanna Stanford (Nordhoff), Antoinette Thompson (Morningside), Jessica Waltz (Estancia), Lindsay Warmington (Corona del Mar).

Notes: Top-seeded Morningside will be tough to beat, just ask Beverly Hills, which lost, 120-3, to the Monarchs. Except for last season, Morningside has either won or tied for the Ocean League championship since 1977. Last season, it finished second to Redondo Union but went on to the Southern Section final, where it lost, 63-56, to San Luis Obispo. . . . Estancia, the second-seeded team, will host Rosary in the opening round. Rosary was the third-place team from the Golden West League, behind Ocean View and Westminster, ranked eighth and ninth in the county. Estancia Coach Russ Davis is not thrilled with his first-round matchup, feeling that the teams are equal and that Rosary should have been seeded. “Rosary is one of the top four teams in the division,” Davis said. “Whoever wins our game has a great chance to advance a long way.” Estancia has Waltz, averaging 15 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists and Black with 11 points and nine rebounds. Rosary has Murphy, averaging 17 points and six rebounds, and Belavic with 10 points and seven assists. Estancia’s only advantage in this matchup may be the home court. . . . Corona del Mar may have easiest first-round game, facing Azusa (15-5). Azusa’s leading scorer is 6-2 Kendrick, averaging 13 points. Gardner, 6-1, should be able to keep her in check. Gardner averages 14 points and 11 rebounds, along with shooting better than 50% from the field and 35% from beyond the three-point arc. The downfall for Corona del Mar is after a first-round victory, it would have to face third-seeded Notre Dame.