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Postseason arrives for local high schools
That's right, the CIF-Southern Section postseason starts this week for boys' basketball and soccer, as well as girls' basketball, soccer and water polo. Here's a look at the local teams that will be battling for a championship. Boys' basketball Division IAA Thousand Oaks- T.O. is the Marmonte league champion after going 11-1 the past month. The Lancers will play the winner of the wildcard game between Bellflower and El Segundo, and either way should be the favorite Friday at home. "This week we are going to run our normal practices," head coach Rich Endres said. "On Thursday we will review tapes of the game on Wednesday and look for individual tendencies of the opposing team. By then we should be ready to play on Friday." For Thousand Oaks to go far in the postseason, it will need the stellar play of Jake Poppen and Bobby Macias to continue. According to Endres, the team will also need some good fortune. "I think we need to stay consistent on defense, but we also need a little luck," Endres said. "We need to get some breaks and maybe have some of the opposing team's players get caught up in foul trouble." Westlake- On Jan. 26 the Warriors lost at home by two points to Thousand Oaks. Since then the Warriors haven't lost a game, but those two points turned out to be the difference in the Marmonte League. The way the brackets are set up, the Warriors could possibly meet up with their rivals one more time in the championship game on March 3 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. For Westlake to do their part, though, they'll have to get standout performances from Nick Slezak, Matt Pino, Allen Scott and Erick Schneider. Tom Donahue's squad opens at home against Downey Friday night. Division IIIAA Oaks Christian- The Lions finished the season tied for third place in the Tri-Valley League and has drawn a tough opening matchup against Montview League winner La Puente. In order for OCHS to pull off an upset, guard Bryce Brady will have to be on his game. Brady led the team in scoring by averaging 14.5 points per contest. OCHS also welcomes back 6-foot-7 guard Matt Johnson, who'd missed time with a broken wrist. Division VA Newbury Park Adventist- After earning a No. 3 seed in the Omega League, NPA hosted Los Pinos High last night. As of press time the score wasn't available. Girls' basketball Division IAA Newbury Park- Even though NPHS had a remarkable 19-7 overall record, the Panthers will be heading into the playoffs on a down note, having lost their last three league games after not losing one for nearly two years. Arlene Harris, arguably the team's best player, has been sidelined since late December and will not play in the postseason. However, if any coach can rally her troops to success it's longtime Panther leader Nori Parvin. The team opens up against Dos Pueblos at home on Saturday. Thousand Oaks- The Lancers begin the postseason by visiting Long Beach Poly after finishing fourth in the Marmonte League. Kathleen Luft, the Lancers leading scorer, shot blocker and rebounder, will have to play well for TOHS to pull off a huge upset. Division IIAA Oaks Christian- The Lions will play Saturday at home against Los Osos after finishing the season with a 14-9 record. OCHS got into the postseason on fire by winning its last nine games while holding opponents under 35 points in all but two games during the stretch. Look for Michelle Clark, the Lions' leader in scoring and assists, to be a big factor. Division VAA La Reina- The Regents have won their last six games and have earned a bye in the first round. Darren Burge's squad will play either Oakwood or South Bay Lutheran on Friday night at home. Expect senior Lauren Carson, the Regents' leader in scoring and assists, to help lead La Reina. Newbury Park Adventist- Greg Meager guided his squad to a 12-5 record this season and earned a No. 3 seed in the Omega League. NPA will play at Villanova Prep today. JP Tan, the Gators leader in points and assists has led the team's offense all season. Girls' soccer Division II Thousand Oaks- The Lancers ride high into the playoffs after winning the Marmonte League. Tomorrow night TOHS will play at home against the winner of the wildcard game between Valencia and Knight. Westlake- Westlake earned a wild-card berth into the playoffs by finishing third in the Marmonte League. They played Pasadena last night, but as of press time the score was unavailable. If they won, the Warriors will play on the road against Highland tomorrow afternoon. Division V Oaks Christian- After finishing fourth in the Tri-Valley League, the Lions earned a wildcard berth into the postseason. They played at Crossroads Wednesday afternoon, but as of press time the score was unavailable. Boys' soccer Division I Thousand Oaks- The Lancers finished second in the Marmonte League and will play at home against Lancaster on Saturday. Westlake- The Warriors played yesterday at Cabrillo but as of press time the score was unavailable. If they won, WHS would next play at Loyola. The Warriors have been playing well of late on offense, scoring 21 goals in their last six games, according to head coach Bill Propster. Division V Oaks Christian- The Lions won the Tri-Valley League this season and by doing so will have to wait and see who they play in the first round. OCHS will play the winner of the wild-card game between Sierra Vista and Campbell Hall. Girls' water polo Division II Thousand Oaks- The Lancers drew a very tough openinground matchup vs. top-seeded Santa Barbara, whom they will play today on the road. TOHS finished the season tied for second place in the Marmonte League while SBHS finished as the Channel League champion. Lancer head coach Mike Giles realizes his team will be heavy underdogs, but said they won't give the Dons anything. "We're going to still go out there and play," Giles said. "If anything, it will be a good learning experience for our sophomores on the team, seeing as we have a lot of younger kids this year." Westlake- The Warriors earned a wildcard berth after finishing fourth in the Marmonte League. In the program's first postseason appearance in school history on Tuesday, the Warriors lost to El Dorado 15-4. Division IV Oaks Christian- OCHS finished second in the Tri-Valley League and hosted Alemany on Tuesday. The Lions lost 15-6. |
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