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Playoffs underway for local high school teams
That's right, the CIF-Southern Section playoffs start this week for boys' basketball and soccer, as well as girls' basketball, soccer and water polo. Here is a look at the local teams that will be battling for a championship: Boys' basketball Division IIA Camarillo- The Scorpions come into the playoffs having won 10 of their last 11 games and are Pacific View League champions. Camarillo will begin its postseason tonight at home against Santa Ana, who was third in the Golden West League. For Camarillo to go far in the tournament, the team will have to take advantage of its height. Seniors Dan Rasp and Gordon Galloway both stand 6-foot-6, and Cal Berkeley-bound forward Bryan Anger is 6-foot-4. Guard Mike Tobin is 6-foot-3. Santa Ana counters with an inside force of its own in junior Rick Mares. Mares led the team in rebounds (210) and blocks (51). Although Mares may be the Saints' biggest force in the paint, their biggest offensive weapon is senior Brandon Stephenson. Stephenson led the team in points per game with 11.8 and steals with 66. Stephenson's 193 assists also were tops on his squad. Rio Mesa- The Spartans finished third in the Pacific View League and will face off against Atascadero tonight on the road. If the Spartans win, chances are it'll be because of their offense, which has the potential to run some teams off the court. Rio Mesa has only one victory this season when scoring fewer than 60 points. Leading the RMHS offensive is senior guard Ryan McLucas, whose shooting range goes into NBA 3point territory. McLucas led the team with an average of 20.4 points a game. He also led the Spartans in steals (74) and assists (69). Head coach Chris Ruffinelli said that if Rio Mesa is to go far in the postseason, everyone has to pick it up offensively. "Over the last couple of weeks we have done a good job of playing unselfish basketball," Ruffinelli said. "We've been moving the ball around very well, getting everyone involved on offense." Atascadero comes into the game on a roll, winning 11 of its last 13 games. According to Ruffinelli, the Spartans will have to stop the Greyhounds' top two scorers, Danny Thomas and Andrew McMillian. Thomas averaged 18 points per game while McMillian led the team in rebounding. "We need to do a good job of blocking them out," Ruffinelli said. "They have big, footballtype guys on their team, and we need to find a way to hold them to one shot and out." Ruffinelli also said the Spartans must play their own style of game to win tonight. "We are going to put pressure on them since we have heard that has hurt them in the past," Ruffinelli said. "We want to play our style of basketball, and if we can do that, we should be okay." Division VA Cornerstone Christian- Cornerstone Christian earned a playoff berth Wednesday night against Laguna Blanca but failed to advance when it lost by a score of 76-54. Girls' basketball Division IIIAA Rio Mesa- Like the boys' team, the RMHS girls travel to Atascadero tonight with game time set for 6 p.m. (8 p.m. for the boys). Atascadero's girls went undefeated in the PAC-7 League and 22-3 overall. The Greyhounds have won nine in a row. During its winning streak, Atascadero has held its opponents to under 37 points in all but one contest. For that trend to end, the Spartans will need to have their offense clicking on all cylinders, particularly from Michelle Santizo. The senior guard has been playing well lately, scoring 47 points combined in her last two games. Division VA Cornerstone Christian- CCHS will play Alverno High tonight at home after receiving the No. 2 seed in the Majestic League. Alverno is the No. 3 seed from the Horizon League. Girls' soccer Division IV Camarillo- Camarillo finished the season in second place in the Pacific View League and will play at Lompoc today. Lompoc finished first in the Los Padres League, having won four of its last five games. Rio Mesa- The Spartans played at home Wednesday night against St. Joseph's and lost 2-1. Boys' soccer Division V Camarillo- Jesus Duran's squad comes into the playoffs on a roll after winning the Pacific View League with a 1273 overall record. ACHS opens today against South Torrance, who finished No. 3 in the Pioneer League. For ACHS to win, it will need top scorers Brian Gershater and Raymond Petri to continue to finish well. Camarillo has won its last three games, scoring seven goals during that stretch. Girls' water polo Division IV Rio Mesa- The Spartans won the Pacific View League championship and by doing so have earned the right to play Lompoc today at home. Lompoc comes into the game fresh off a 6-5 win against Nipomo in the wild-card round. Lompoc finished the year in third place in the Los Padres League. Camarillo- The Scorpions ended their playoff drought this year by placing third in the Pacific View League. Camarillo's first game in the postseason was a success, as they beat Paso Robles on the road 10-7. If ACHS wants to continue to advance, it will need senior goalkeeper Kristen Prosser to be huge in the net. Look for seniors Heather Webster and junior Michelle Nunn to be factors, too. Camarillo plays at Malibu this afternoon. Malibu finished first in the Tri-Valley League. |
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