Time Is Crucial for Teams Hoping for Playoff Plunge

As the girls’ water polo season regular season concludes this week, more than half of the region’s 21 Southern Section teams already clinched playoff berths and will stay in the pool at least another week.

First-year programs Flintridge Prep’s are happy just to have made it to the playoffs, while veteran teams such as Harvard-Westlake High won’t be satisfied unless they bring home a title.

Playoff pairings will be announced Sunday. Wild-card games will be played on Feb. 17 and first-round games on Feb. 20. Championship matches will be played March 2 at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

A look around the leagues:

Channel: Three of the top five teams in Division II compete in this league.

Santa Barbara, top-ranked in the division, went undefeated in league play and likely will receive the top-seeding in the playoffs.

Third-ranked San Marcos and fifth-ranked Ventura earned berths as the Nos. 2 and No. 3 teams.

Frontier: Rio Mesa went from worst-to-first in one season under first-year Coach Laura Reardon.

Winless in league play last season, Rio Mesa has lost one league game and will share the league title with Oxnard.

Rio Mesa and Oxnard will meet on Friday at 3:15 p.m. at Ventura College to determine the league’s top billing for the playoffs.

Third-place Malibu already qualified.

Marmonte: If Agoura beats Royal today at 3:15 p.m., the Chargers will be the first undefeated team in league play.

Thousand Oaks had a chance to go undefeated last year, but was upset by Royal in the regular-season finale.

Agoura, Royal and Newbury Park--in that order--all clinched playoff berths.

Mission: Harvard-Westlake is probably much better than its No. 4 ranking in Division II.

“[The pollsters] are holding us prisoner because we lost a game early to Ventura,” Coach Rich Corso said. It was the only loss for the Wolverines in 20 games.

Harvard-Westlake, led by Jeanine Jackson’s 5.0-goal average, has clinched the title.

Louisville, ranked No. 9 in Division II, and La Canada are tied for second and clinched playoff berths.

Pacific: Crescenta Valley, ranked No. 8 in Division II, finished 5-0 in league games, but a league tournament that concludes Thursday will determine the league champion.

Crescenta Valley and Muir clinched playoff berths.

Arcadia or Glendale will advance as the No. 3 team from the league.

Others: Flintridge Prep of the Prep League clinched a playoff berth in its first season, finishing third behind Chadwick and Pasadena Poly.