DIVISIONS III-A, III-AA : Estancia Has Best Chance of Stopping Palos Verdes

Armed with three distinct advantages, top-seeded Palos Verdes should cruise through the Division III-AA girls’ basketball playoffs this year. The pluses are, in no particular order:

--Kristen Mulligan.

Mulligan, a 5-foot-7 junior guard, transferred to Palos Verdes from Santa Margarita when her parents moved last summer. With Mulligan, Palos Verdes (25-2) gained its leading scorer (12.4 points per game). Without her, Santa Margarita finished 2-15.

--Depth.

Palos Verdes has five players averaging in double figures--including 6-3 post player Monique Morehouse and 6-5 post Jeffra Gausepohl--and a bench full of talented reserves. Sea King Coach Wendell Yoshida uses a 10-player rotation.

“Their 10th kid could start for me,” said Estancia Coach Lisa McNamee, whose team is seeded second.

--Title game experience--and a title winner gone by.

Last year, Palos Verdes lost the III-AA championship game, 50-33, to Brea-Olinda. That won’t happen this year; Brea has moved up to Division II.

Estancia (23-1) has the best chance of spoiling Palos Verdes’ fun. The Eagles, who were eliminated by Palos Verdes in last year’s semifinals, have yet to peak, McNamee says.

Plus, the team should benefit from the recent return of 5-6 junior guard Jennifer Brazel, who injured her back in an automobile accident Dec. 21 and played last Tuesday for the first time since the accident.

Melody Earle (21.7 points) and Patrice Lumpkin (14.4 points, 11 rebounds) have led the Eagles to their first 20-victory season in 10 years.

“Our goal is to make it to the finals,” said McNamee, whose team will play Saturday against the winner of tonight’s La Quinta/Santa Fe game. “But can we beat Palos Verdes? I don’t know.”

If Estancia can’t, maybe Savanna can.

The 1990-91 season has been a historic one for the Rebels. At 19-5, Savanna set a school record for victories, and 5-5 senior guard Carrie Frederick became its all-time scoring leader with 1,230 points.

Savanna, which plays Sonora in tonight’s qualifying round, is led by Frederick and 5-5 sophomore guard Stacey Aliff. Both average 17 points.

The III-A division has Rancho Alamitos (24-0), the only undefeated team in the county, seeded No. 1.

Rancho Alamitos, which won its first Garden Grove League title this year, has four players whose scoring averages in the low double-figures--Melinda Lira, Marlene Rodriguez, Anita Stecker and Shannon James.

The Vaqueros, who play a tough man-to-man defense and love the three-point shot, made it to the finals last year but lost to Costa Mesa, 51-49.

Costa Mesa (16-7) hopes for a similar result this season.

Sophomore Olivia DiCamilli (23 points) and senior Rachel Ward (11 points) give the Mustangs their zip, and point guard Rachel Thomas runs the offense. Costa Mesa finished second in the Pacific Coast League to Estancia, losing to the Eagles by three- and 10-point margins.

“(Costa) Mesa’s pretty tough,” McNamee said. “I don’t see (Rancho Alamitos) getting by Mesa.”

Costa Mesa might be tough as long as the Mustangs aren’t compared to Palos Verdes. In a nonleague game in December, Palos Verdes won, 84-32.

DIVISION III-A

Defending champion: Costa Mesa.

Top teams: Rancho Alamitos (24-0), La Canada (21-2), South Hills (17-6), Costa Mesa (16-7).

Top players: Olivia DiCamilli and Rachel Ward (Costa Mesa), Anita Stecker and Melinda Lira (Rancho Alamitos), Melissa Lord (La Canada), Nicki Manzo (Lompoc).

Dark horse: St. Bernard.

Best draw: La Canada plays winner of San Luis Obispo (6-13)-Notre Dame (5-14).

Worst draw: Fourth-seeded South Pasadena meets winner of St. Bernard (20-6) and Century (4-14) in the first round.

Notes: Top-seeded Rancho Alamitos is the only undefeated team in the division--and the county. Costa Mesa defeated Rancho Alamitos, 51-49, in last year’s title game.

DIVISION III-AA

1990 Champion: Brea-Olinda (now in Division II-AA).

Top teams: Palos Verdes, Estancia, Lompoc.

Top players: Kristen Mulligan (Palos Verdes), Melody Earle (Estancia), Patrice Lumpkin (Estancia), Heather Brannan (La Quinta), Carrie Frederick (Savanna).

Dark horse: Savanna.

Best draw: Estancia would not meet a team with a record better than .500 until the semifinals.

Worst draw: If Savanna (19-5) beats Sonora (10-12), it plays No. 1 Palos Verdes in the first round.

Notes: Coaches in the division breathed a sigh of relief when Brea-Olinda moved up to Division II-AA this season. Brea beat Palos Verdes, 50-33, in last year’s final. Other Orange County schools competing: El Dorado, Foothill, La Quinta, Laguna Hills, Los Amigos, Magnolia, Newport Harbor, Trabuco Hills, Troy and Western.