Girls’ Basketball

Fourth-seeded Mater Dei (21-6) and top-seeded Ventura Buena (24-2) take their playoff rivalry into its fourth year with a game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ventura High. There’s actually more at stake this time than either of their three previous meetings in the championship--this is the Division I-A semifinal, so the loser won’t get a chance to continue on in the Southern California Regionals.

The teams have split four games during that span, in which the Monarchs outscored Buena, 197-194. Mater Dei was beaten in last year’s section finals, 56-51, but defeated Buena in the regional championship, 48-40, to advance to the state title game--which Mater Dei won.

The game’s dominant player is UC Santa Barbara-bound Nicole Greathouse (18.7 points, 11.7 rebounds), Buena’s 6-foot-2 center. If she is content to post up, which she is inclined to do, the Monarchs will be happy to oblige.

Brea Olinda (25-3) has averaged 89 points in its first three Division II-A playoff games, but fourth-seeded La Puente Bishop Amat (27-3) figures to be a different animal when the teams play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sonora. Lancer opponents have scored only 87 points in their three playoff games combined.

The game was moved to Sonora from Esperanza High Monday by the Southern Section office.

Brea has perhaps the county’s most balanced scoring attack, but in the last five games, guard Jennifer Saari has averaged 17 points--seven more than her average.

Anchored by 6-foot-4 center Shannon Wosman, a sophomore averaging 12.3 points and 9.3 rebounds, Allison Box (12.1 points, 64 three-pointers) and Kelly Chavez (11 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 steals).

Second-seeded Capistrano Valley Valley Christian (22-5) makes its first Division V-AA semifinal appearance at 7:30 tonight at St. Margaret’s against third-seeded Lone Pine (25-2), which has reached the finals three times (1988, ‘90, 93) but has not won.

Capistrano Valley Christian escaped with a 54-53 overtime victory over Palos Verdes Peninsula Chadwick in the quarterfinals. To be effective, Hayley Hall and Co. must handle Lone Pine’s full-court press.

Lone Pine, which starts four juniors and a sophomore, is led by Marina Cervantes (20 points), Stacy Christensen (10 points) and Kim Smith (10 points, 10 rebounds). Lone Pine won’t be intimidated if things don’t go well early, either--it overcame a nine-point first-quarter deficit in the quarterfinals against Santa Clara, and won, 54-50.