Santa Clara Set for More Clear Sailing

Santa Clara High has waltzed to the Southern Section Division V-AA championship game the last two seasons, encountering little resistance along the way.

This year appears to be no different for Santa Clara (21-3), which boasts UC Santa Barbara-bound guards Nick Jones and B.J. Ward. The Saints likely will play Flintridge Prep and Faith Baptist in the first two rounds.

“Worse teams than them have beaten better teams than Santa Clara,” cautioned Coach Lou Cvijanovich of Santa Clara. “The potential’s always there.”

Jones and Ward led the Saints to a share of the Frontier League title with a strong second-half finish.

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Simi Valley guard Branduinn Fullove has a sprained ankle and is questionable for the Pioneers’ game Friday against Saugus in the first round of the Division I-A playoffs.

Fullove, averaging 16.8 points and five assists for the Pioneers (25-2), was injured in the first half of the regular-season finale Friday against Agoura.

GIRLS’ NOTES

Congratulations, Reseda girls’ basketball team. You clinched the program’s first league title since 1991-92. . . . How are you going to celebrate?

“We got our heads kicked in at the seeding meeting,” Coach Mike Wagner said. “We’re going to Bell.”

Reseda (9-12), East Valley Leage champion, was ranked above Bell, a third-place finisher in the Southeastern Conference, by the seeding committee yet ended up with a lower seeding, sending the Regents on the road and Wagner into a tirade.

“What’s the purpose of winning the league title if you’re not going to have a home game in the playoffs,” Wagner said.

“My girls deserved better. They deserved a home game. They did what they were supposed to do.”

Bell will host Reseda at 7 p.m. Friday in a first-round game in the City Division playoffs.

“I will say this, it’s given [Reseda players] a motivational factor,” Wagner said.

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Moorpark (22-2) had a 27-game league winning streak broken in a 68-57 loss to Royal on Friday, but the Musketeers will be shooting for their 43rd consecutive victory at home when they play Los Amigos (9-14) in a first-round game of the Division II-AA playoffs tonight.

Moorpark’s last home loss was to Calabasas on Jan. 6, 1994.

Staff writers Paige A. Leech, John Ortega and correspondent Mike Bresnahan contributed to this notebook.