Yorba Linda team grew up in a hurry

Yorba Linda has its first senior class and the Mustangs are in the CIF-SS Division 3AA quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.

Top-seeded Yorba Linda plays host to ninth-seeded Yucca Valley on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with a chance to earn its first berth in the semifinals.

"To have back-to-back undefeated league championships in our first two years of varsity play has been an outstanding accomplishment for our team," Mustangs coach Marc Hill said. "In my memory, I don't think any Orange County school has ever achieved this. We got beat last year in the quarterfinals, so we are looking to improve on that and make to the semifinals."

Yucca Valley is coming off a 55-54 victory over eighth-seeded Jurupa Valley.

"Yucca Valley is a well-coached, scrappy team that plays with a lot of heart," Hill said. "They are 'battle-tested' having played in several close games this season. They play solid half-court man defense and on offense they look to get the ball into their 6-2 center Whitney Rodriguez.

"It will be an interesting matchup between our 6-1 center Courtney Vaccher and Rodriguez. I think the guard play from the two teams might determine the outcome because it might be an even battle between the two centers."

BIG MATCHUP

The most interesting game on Wednesday's schedule could be the Division 1AA second-round game between fifth-seeded Brea Olinda and 12th-seeded Orange Lutheran at Orange Lutheran. The Lancers have been hit by injuries all season, but they have managed to battle most teams and pull off some upsets.

"Playing Brea is going to be a great challenge for us, and our girls are excited about the opportunity," Orange Lutheran coach Tom Howard said. "Brea has great players and athletes, and (Brea Olinda coach) Kim (Cram-Torres) and Johnny (Torres') teams always play with a lot of passion and intensity.

"It is going to be critical for us to match Brea's level of intensity and physicality that they will bring, and to limit our turnovers versus their pressure. Brea is also capable of going on long scoring runs at any point, so it will also be really important to control the tempo of the game and limit those runs."

SANTA MARGARITA SURGING

Don't let Santa Margarita's 10-17 record fool you. The Eagles didn't pick up sophomore transfer Zaire Williams until the end of the season and Basia Klein is coming off a great performance to lead Santa Margarita to a 58-56 victory over Sea View League-champion Capistrano Valley in the first round.

"In a game like that it comes down to who has more heart, and whose team leaders are going to lead," Eagles coach Matt Houser said. "We defended at the end and made them turn over twice. Basia hit two free throws to win the game."

The Eagles play host to sixth-seeded Riverside Poly in a Division 1A second-round game on Wednesday.

NOTES

Edison's top two scorers, Karlie and Katie Lou Samuelson, are out for the remainder of the Division 1AA playoffs with mononucleosis, but Monay Lee and Geena Gomez stepped up for the Chargers in their 74-44 victory over Quartz Hill. Lee scored 25 points and Gomez had 23 points for Edison, which plays at 13th-seeded Cajon of San Bernardino in a second-round game on Wednesday. ...

Mariah Durian is a big reason why eighth-seeded Esperanza is a team to watch in Division 3AAA. Durian had 19 points and seven rebounds in the Aztecs' 72-41 victory over Hemet and she followed up that performance with 27 points and 10 rebounds in a 61-36 victory over Norwalk. Next up for Esperanza is top-seeded West Torrance in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at Esperanza High. ...

Senior point guard Jenny Tedori has St. Margaret's rolling. Tedori had 20 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in a 67-47 victory over Saddleback Valley Christian and she had 15 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists in a 53-33 victory over Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara to lead the Tartans to the Division 5AA quarterfinals. Fifth-seeded St. Margaret's plays host to fourth-seeded Templeton on Wednesday. ...

Division 1AA, aka the WNBA Division, is heating up this week. Here are some potential matchups for the quarterfinals on Saturday: Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 4 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, vs. No. 19 Etiwanda; No. 12 Brea Olinda vs. No. 11 Edison; No. 7 Santiago of Corona vs. Troy; and No. 2 Mater Dei vs. Rialto.