COUNTY OUTLOOK

Orangewood Academy. The Spartans (15-11) have been in the division rankings all season and played a challenging schedule.

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SEEDED TEAMS

1. Renaissance Academy. The Wildcats (19-6), who finished third in the Harbor League, don’t have much momentum, with a three-game losing streak, but are considered the class of the division.

2. Hesperia Christian. The Patriots (20-6) went undefeated in the Agape League.

3. California Lutheran. The C-Hawks (15-3), who went 12-0 in the Arrowhead League, take a 12-game winning streak into the playoffs.

4. Los Angeles Adventist. The Eagles (13-8) finished second in the Mulholland League.

AT-LARGE TEAMS

Orangewood Academy (San Joaquin League); Mesa Grande (Victory).

DARKHORSE: Orangewood Academy. The Spartans (15-11) finished fourth in a good small-schools basketball league, the San Joaquin League.

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME

Eastside Christian at North County Christian. Good games often come from matchups of third-place teams, and that’s we have here as the Eagles travel to Atascadero.

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COUNTY OUTLOOK

Capistrano Valley Christian. The Eagles (20-6), the only county team in this division, have the scoring versatility to make a run in this division.

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SEEDED TEAMS

1. Providence: The Pioneers cruised to an undefeated run through the Liberty League and have won seven in a row.

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COUNTY OUTLOOK

Saddleback Valley Christian: The Warriors, with former Mater Dei great and JSerra coach Tom Lewis at the helm, went 10-0 in the San Joaquin League and have won eight in a row.

Brethren Christian: The Warriors, led by 7-5 junior Mamadou Ndiaye, were 10-0 in the Academy League and have an 11-game winning streak.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Mamadou Ndiaye, Brethren Christian, 7-5, Jr., C, 23 ppg

Billy Bryson, Brethren Christian, 5-11, Sr., G, 11 ppg

Alpha Ndaw, 6-7, Jr., C, 18 ppg

Nick Worrell, 6-3, Jr., F, 18 ppg

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SEEDED TEAMS

1. St. Bernard. The Vikings (19-7), long a force in Southern California basketball, went 10-0 in the Camino Real League and take a 13-game winning streak in ot the playoffs.

2. Village Christian. The Olympic League champion Crusaders (24-2) are averaging 68 points a game.

3. Ribet Academy: The Fighting Frogs (15-9) finished second in the tough Harbor League.

4. Mission Prep: The Royals (21-5) lost by one point to Servite earlier this month.

AT-LARGE TEAMS

Vistamar (Coastal League); Santa Clara (Tri-Valley); Arrowhead Christian (Ambassador); Yeshiva (Liberty); Bellarmine-Jefferson (Santa Fe).

DARKHORSE: Brethren Christian. If the rest of the division does not know about him yet, the other teams might have to reckon with Warriors’ 7-foot-5 junior Mamadou Ndiaye soon enough.

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME

Animo Leadership at Brethren Christian. Animo (14-5) played some good competition in the Harbor League, which could have them ready to go against the Warriors (22-5).

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COUNTY OUTLOOK

Fairmont Prep: The Huskies (22-4) kept winning, and finished second in the San Joaquin League, after Clay McKnight abruptly vacated his coaching position at mid-season.

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SEEDED TEAMS

1. Pacific Hills. The Bruins (23-4) ended the regular-season with an Alpha League loss to Windward, leaving them and Windward tied for the Alpha League championships. Pacific Hills, which had a 17-game winning stream, is No. 16 in the state rankings.

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COUNTY OUTLOOK

Laguna Beach: The Breakers (16-10) are better with senior Tyler Masukawa returned from injury; of their 10 losses nine happened when Masukawa was out.

JSerra: The Lions (15-10) had a tough week, last week, with two losses to Orange Lutheran and one to Mater Dei. They are good enough to win a couple of games in this very challenging division.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Devon Pflueger, JSerra, 6-7, Sr., G, 16 ppg

Jamal Aytes, JSerra, 6-7, Jr., F, 15 ppg

Jake Dalke, Laguna Beach, 6-3, Jr., G, 13 ppg

Brandon Lewis, Laguna Beach, 6-3, Sr., G, 12 ppg

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SEEDED TEAMS

1. Serra of Gardena: The Cavaliers (24-2), ranked No. 11 in California, won the Del Rey League championship.

2. La Verne Lutheran: Led by 6-foot-10 Arizona signee Grant Jerrett, the Trojans (19-6) lost to Mater Dei by five points then beat Price of Los Angeles by two.

3. Bishop Montgomery: The Knights (21-4) finished second in the Del Rey League to Serra.

4. Price: A 3AA finalist last year, the Knights (19-7) beat division top-seeded Serra this season.

AT-LARGE TEAMS

Don Bosco Tech (Camino Real League); JSerrat (Trinity); La Salle (Del Rey); Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (Mission); Blair (Rio Hondo); Morningside (Ocean); Sierra Canyon (Alpha); Chaminade (17-9).

DARKHORSE: JSerra. The Lions open at Laguna Beach, and might run into semi-namesake Serra of Gardena in the quarterfinals.

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME

JSerra at Laguna Beach. It’s a shame that a league champion like Laguna Beach, a small public school, is in a division with so many strong small privat-school programs. Being at home gives Laguna Beach a shot.

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COUNTY OUTLOOK

Corona del Mar: The Sea Kings (15-10), not as good as they have been the past couple of years, finished second to Woodbridge in the Pacific Coast League.

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SEEDED TEAMS

1. Alemany: The Indians (23-4) are ranked No. 5 in the state and considered a top contender for the state Division 3 championship, too.

2. St. John Bosco: The Braves (17-6) finished second in the Trinity League to the only league team to beat them, Mater Dei.

3. Oak Park: The Tri-Valley League champion Eagles (19-6) lost to two weeks ago to St. Bonaventure, a team it previously had beaten by 39 points.

4. Santa Margarita: In the last of Jerry DeBusk’s 20 seasons coaching the team, the Eagles finished fifth in the six-team Trinity League and qualified as an at-large team.

AT-LARGE TEAMS

Artesia (Suburban League); Tahquitz (Mountain Pass); Rubidoux (Mountain Valley); Laguna Hills (Sea View); San Luis Obispo (PAC-7); San Dimas (Valle Vista); Santa Margarita (Trinity); Littlerock (Golden); Pioneer (Del Rio); St. Francis (Mission); Cathedral (Del Rey); Jurupa Hills (Mountain Valley).

DARKHORSE: It might seem odd to call a seeded team a darkhorse, but Santa Margarita did finish fifth in a six-team league and got into the playoffs as an at-large team. Getting out of the Trinity League and into this playoff division could give the Eagles quite an opportunity.

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME

Laguna Hills at Corona del Mar: Two teams that have endured inconsistent seasons look to get a jump start in the playoffs.

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