It’s Not Perfect at the Top

Two is better than one, it’s safe to say, even for the upcoming Southern Section boys’ basketball playoffs.

The teams expected to compete for titles in Divisions II-AA and II-A beginning today and Friday own a distinct edge in head-to-head competition over those in Divisions I-AA and I-A this season. Even the top teams in Division III-AA and III-A would be favored to win a championship if they played in the highest enrollment-based divisions.

Santa Ana Mater Dei and Compton Dominguez, two of the Southland’s most decorated programs with a combined 28 section titles since 1983, are the top two seeded teams in Division II-AA, but even the division’s third-seeded team, Villa Park, has twice defeated Los Alamitos, the top-seeded team in Division I-AA.

And Gardena Serra, seeded third in Division IV-AA, has a victory over Long Beach Jordan, seeded second in I-AA.

Pasadena, the top-seeded team in Division I-A, was handily beaten by Lakewood Artesia, the top-seeded team in Division III-A, and barely slipped by lower-division teams Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, Santa Barbara and La Canada.

Not a good sign for the Southern Section, which has been represented in the state Division I finals by only one team -- Mater Dei -- in the last 10 years.

Here’s how the playoffs break down:

DIVISION I-AA

2005 champion: Etiwanda.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Los Alamitos, No. 2 Long Beach Jordan, No. 3 Temecula Valley, No. 4 Lawndale Leuzinger.

Others to watch: No. 7 Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos and Lynwood.

Outlook: In perhaps the most wide-open division, four of the top five seeded teams have never played for a section title and Jordan’s last appearance was in 1996. At least one of the two winners from the last two seasons will be eliminated in the second round. Among the potential second-round matchups will be No. 6 Etiwanda against No. 12 Long Beach Poly in a rematch of the Division I-AA final of two years ago and a quarterfinal last season.

DIVISION I-A

2005 champion: Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Pasadena, No. 2 Lake Forest El Toro, No. 3 Ventura, No. 4 Thousand Oaks.

Others to watch: No. 7 Glendora and No. 9 Oxnard.

Outlook: Pasadena and El Toro each are 0-2 in championship games this decade, but the Bulldogs are entering the playoffs as a top-seeded team for the first time since 1977, when Coach Tim Tucker was a player. Ventura has 10 seniors and advanced to the Division I-A quarterfinals last season. The Cougars could play a first-round game Friday against visiting Newhall Hart, which scored a string of upsets to reach the final last season.

DIVISION II-AA

2005 champion: Dominguez.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Mater Dei, No. 2 Dominguez. No. 3 Villa Park, No. 4 Chino Hills Ayala.

Others to watch: No. 6 Huntington Beach Edison and No. 7 Lakewood Mayfair.

Outlook: Mater Dei and Dominguez might have to battle familiar foes if they are to meet in a much-anticipated championship game. The Monarchs face a potential quarterfinal against Capistrano Valley, a former rival when the Monarchs played in the South Coast League for eight seasons in the 1990s. The Dons face a potential quarterfinal against Mayfair, where their standout guard, Patrick Christopher, played for three seasons before transferring.

DIVISION II-A

2005 champion: Mater Dei.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Ontario Colony, No. 2 Paso Robles, No. 3 Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon, No. 4 Riverside Ramona.

Others to watch: No. 10 Calabasas and No. 13 Irvine Woodbridge.

Outlook: This division opened up when Mater Dei was moved into Division II-AA. That was especially good news for Colony, which was blown out by the Monarchs in last season’s Division II-A final. The Titans have already secured double-digit victories over Temescal Canyon and No. 5 Anaheim Canyon this season. Paso Robles, about 250 miles from Colony, hasn’t ventured far from home, but does own a 19-point victory over Ventura, seeded third in Division I-A.

DIVISION III-AA

2005 champion: Santa Margarita.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Artesia, No. 2 Santa Margarita, No. 3 La Canada, No. 4 Pomona Diamond Ranch.

Others to watch: No. 7 Cerritos Gahr.

Outlook: Artesia has emerged as the clear favorite to win this division, but Santa Margarita remains the two-time defending champion and starts one of the Southland’s best players in UCLA-bound forward James Keefe. La Canada wasn’t challenged in league play but showed it can play with the Southland’s top teams when it lost by two points last month to Pasadena.

DIVISION III-A

2005 champion: North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Compton Centennial, No. 2 Harvard-Westlake, No. 3 Oak Park, No. 4 Orange Lutheran.

Others to watch: No. 9 West Hills Chaminade.

Outlook: Centennial is 9-0 in games decided by five points or less, including a 56-53 victory over Harvard-Westlake at the Huntington Beach Ocean View tournament. Oak Park upset Centennial in the semifinals last season before suffering a one-sided loss to the Wolverines in the championship game. Orange Lutheran is riding an 11-game winning streak and received one of eight byes.

DIVISION IV-AA

2005 champion: North Hollywood Campbell Hall.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Campbell Hall, No. 2 San Juan Capistrano Serra, No. 3 Gardena Serra, No. 4 Whittier Christian.

Others to watch: No. 7 Los Angeles Verbum Dei and No. 8 Pasadena La Salle.

Outlook: After finishing unbeaten last season, Campbell Hall will have difficulty getting through the division unscathed. San Juan Capistrano Serra stepped up the level of its competition, moving up from Division V-AA, and lost close games to Long Beach Poly and Huntington Beach Edison but defeated San Clemente and Temecula Chaparral. The Lions also own a 10-point victory over Gardena Serra, which owns a 28-point victory over Long Beach Jordan, seeded No. 2 in Division I-AA.

DIVISION IV-A

2005 champion: Van Nuys Montclair Prep.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Montclair Prep, No. 2 San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s, No. 3 San Pedro Mary Star, No. 4 Ontario Christian.

Others to watch: No. 13 La Canada Flintridge Prep.

Outlook: Montclair Prep rolled past St. Margaret’s and Ontario Christian en route to the section championship last season and returns the division’s player of the year, Craig Partovich, this time around. Mary Star is riding the momentum of its first league title in 17 years. Oxnard Santa Clara, which finished third in the Frontier League to qualify for the playoffs for the 34th consecutive season, could meet Montclair Prep in the quarterfinals.

DIVISION V-AA

2005 champion: Granada Hills Hillcrest Christian.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Hesperia Christian, No. 2 San Juan Capistrano Capistrano Valley Christian, No. 3 Hillcrest Christian, No. 4 Murrieta Valley Calvary Chapel.

Others to watch: No. 7 Long Beach St. Anthony and No. 9 Irvine Tarbut V’Torah.

Outlook: Hesperia Christian earned the top seeding in the division despite not having a player averaging more than 11.5 points. Capistrano Valley Christian split two one-point games against St. Margaret’s, seeded second in Division IV-A. Hillcrest Christian has one of the best players in the division in sophomore guard Dallas Rutherford.

DIVISION V-A

2005 champion: L.A. Price.

Top-seeded teams: No. 1 Price, No. 2 La Canada Renaissance Academy, No. 3 Palm Springs Desert Chapel, No. 4 Lake View Terrace Delphi Academy.

Others to watch: No. 11 Hemet Baptist Christian.

Outlook: Price will be trying for a record eighth consecutive section title and the path became easier when L.A. Adventist, ranked second in the division at the end of the regular season, was not submitted for playoff consideration by Mulholland League representatives after forfeiting most of its games for using an illegal player.