It’s a phrase you’ll hear more and more as March approaches, and it’s a motto basketball coaches tend to live by when the fate of their team’s season is dictated by the next 32 minutes of action: survive and advance.
Eight of the 12 CIF-SS divisions have reached the quarterfinals stage, meaning only eight teams in those divisions are still alive in their quest for a CIF girls basketball championship.
Three quarterfinal matchups Wednesday will pit county teams against one another. In Division 4AA, Estancia will travel to take on top-seeded JSerra for a spot in Saturday night’s semifinals, while El Dorado will also hit the road to face off against Northwood in a 3AA game, with the same stakes on the line.
Because Division 3AA’s bracket featured 11 county teams upon its release, it’s no surprise it’s the division with the most county teams still alive at this point. In addition to the Golden Hawks and Timberwolves, Esperanza also has a shot at the final four if it can find a way to upset North Torrance.
The division’s most interesting game, however, will pit fourth-seeded Sonora against fifth-seeded Corona del Mar in what’s sure to be a clash of contrasting styles.
“They do pretty much everything that we don’t do,” Raiders coach Melissa Barajas said of the Sea Kings. “They’re huge down low and like to go inside to their bigs. They’re going to try to slow the game down, and it’s our job to speed it up and make it fast-paced.”
The Raiders, who finished second in the Freeway League behind Troy, are winners of five in a row, and have done so with its defense. Sonora (22-6) has limited its last five opponents to an average of 31 points per game.
With only one player on its roster listed at 6-feet tall, Sonora will be at a significant size disadvantage against CdM, whose most effective player is 6-4 center Natalia Bruening.
“We’re going to have some of the boys from the lower level teams come and practice with us this week to simulate what we’re going to see (against CdM),” Barajas added. “I can’t teach the girls on the bench how to be taller.”
What they lack in size, the Raiders make up for in speed. Sophomore guard Meghann Henderson will be looked upon to push the pace offensively, and harass the Sea Kings defensively from baseline to baseline.
“Whichever team can impose its will is going to be the one that survives,” Barajas said.
NO. 1 VS. NO. 2
When the Open Division bracket was released, all eyes shifted to a potential second-round matchup that would pit the county’s top-ranked team, Mater Dei, against the second-ranked team, Brea Olinda.
Local fans will get what they hoped for when the Monarchs and Ladycats square off Tuesday at Brea Olinda High at 7 p.m. for their first meeting in three seasons.
“I’ve been coaching for 30 years,” Monarchs coach Kevin Kiernan said after his team’s first-round playoff victory over J.W. North. “Brea has always been in my rear-view mirror, or we’re in their rearview mirror. It’s always there.”
Making tonight’s game even more intriguing is the on-court matchup between Mater Dei’s Katie Lou Samuelson and Brea’s Reili Richardson, two of the county’s most dynamic players. The UConn-bound Samuelson scored 28 points in the first round, while Richardson scored 18 points in the Ladycats’ victory over Centennial of Corona.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
