PAIR OF ACES

They crossed paths briefly on the hardwood, one senior winning, the other losing, before they returned home, sharing only the common bond that they are the best girls’ basketball players in the region on two of The Times’ top 10 teams.

And that they can beat the warm-up sweats off of most boys.

Jaline Bradley is the dishing and swishing guard at Channel Islands High, the youngest of eight kids and easy to spot on the court by her trademark Cat-in-the-Hat, red-and-white striped sock on her left leg.

Damaris Hinojosa is the oldest of four kids, the center-forward-guard, everything-but-distribute-the-water-bottle leader at Moorpark High whose life is deeply rooted in the Christian faith and corresponding youth-group activities.

Bradley chose to attend UCLA next season, signing with a top-20 women’s program serving a sprawling campus of 34,000 students located a basketball toss from the hustle and bustle of Beverly Hills, Century City and the traffic-snarled 405 freeway.

Hinojosa opted to play next season at cozier Pepperdine, nestled on a bluff overlooking serene Malibu, with 7,800 students and a stunning view of the ocean.

As different as they appear to be, Bradley and Hinojosa can hang with the boys.

Bradley not only took UC Santa Barbara-bound B.J. Ward of Santa Clara High to her prom, she almost took him to the basket during a recent pickup game.

“I almost ripped [the ball from] him and all the guys were like, ‘Whoa,’ ” Bradley said. “He scrambled and ran for the ball, so I let it go. I didn’t want anybody to get hurt--he’s too important to his team.”

Bradley--who sometimes prepares for games by watching Michael Jordan videos, slowing them down frame by frame so she can study his moves--began playing organized basketball in the fifth grade.

She quickly became a starter at Hathaway Elementary in Oxnard. On the boys’ team.

She asked for basketballs on her birthday, on Christmas, on all holidays, stockpiling enough around the house to supply a sporting-goods store.

As a sophomore at Oxnard High, she helped the Yellowjackets win the Southern Section Division I-AA championship before transferring to Channel Islands, in part to be reunited with her former club coach, Pat Bell.

The transfer raised red flags in the Oxnard School District and Bradley was barred from playing varsity basketball as a junior at Channel Islands. Her solution: play on the junior varsity team, where she averaged 30 points against overpowered freshmen and sophomores.

“It was pretty much practice for me,” Bradley said of the lackluster competition. “I just worked on my jump shot and my left hand [for dribbling].”

It paid off.

She is averaging 20.5 points and 5.2 assists this season for the No. 10-ranked Raiders (19-7, 6-2 to tie for Pacific View League championship) entering a Division I-AA wild-card game tonight at Santa Maria.

The 5-foot-9 Bradley and Channel Islands emerged victorious against Hinojosa and Moorpark in the Rio Mesa tournament championship game in December.

“That first step she has just kills people on defense,” Hinojosa said of Bradley. “She really does draw a lot of fouls.”

The 5-10 Hinojosa knows plenty about drawing contact on the way to the basket.

She honed her skills in the eighth grade, joining a boys’ club team in Moorpark and silencing the chuckles of skeptics.

“They think you can’t play, but it’s funny when you blow by them with a nice cross-over and score,” Hinojosa said. “Their chins just drop. They can’t believe it.”

She later played in a men’s recreation league, by which time the snickers had subsided, but not the rough play.

“Even though I was a girl, they didn’t care,” Hinojosa said. “They made me scrap for every ball. It was so competitive. If anything, it brought out my aggression. I really had to work.”

In her freshman year, she had to make a difficult decision: soccer or basketball.

Her father, Rico, is a lifelong soccer fan and her mother, Les, favors penalty shots over foul shots.

Hinojosa said she simply chose the sport she loves.

“Once I picked basketball, [my parents] were like, ‘Oh, is it the right thing?’ ” she said. “Once I started, they knew it was my thing. Little by little, they learned to love it. I don’t think they could see me playing soccer now.”

Not with Hinojosa averaging a region-best 26.5 points and 6.3 steals to go along with 12.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. The No. 3-ranked Pioneers (22-2, 11-1 as Marmonte League champions) open play tonight by hosting Los Amigos in a first-round Division II-AA game.

She misses soccer and, earlier this season, suited up for three soccer games when there was a lull in the basketball schedule. She scored four goals.

“She’s just a phenomenal athlete,” said Moorpark girls’ basketball Coach Brent Milburn, who might as well have been speaking of Bradley, too.

“She’s just a tremendous person.”