DIVISION III-A

Defending champion: Torrance Bishop Montgomery.

Top teams: North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (20-5); Santa Ynez (20-4); Inglewood Morningside (21-5); Ojai Nordhoff (20-6).

Dark horse: San Dimas (20-7) has two players who know how to finish: Burgundie Porter, a 5-7 guard averaging 24.2 points and 10 rebounds, and Jocilyn Veal, a 5-11 swing player averaging 23.6 points and 10 rebounds. They would go through Nordhoff.

Top players: Erin Barker (Nordhoff); Acheve Barre (Morningside); Nell Becker (Nordhoff); Kamesha Bell (Morningside); Kelly Chapin (Costa Mesa); Julie Collett (Costa Mesa); Tracy Hager (Covina); Katie Pyle (Santa Ynez); Nicci Quiroz (Azusa); Corrie Roberts (Harvard-Westlake); L’Tanya Robnett (Harvard-Westlake); Angie Thomas (Pomona Ganesha); Omelego Udeze (Harvard-Westlake); Amber Williams (Banning).

Notes: Bishop Montgomery defeated Ojai Nordhoff, 54-35, in last year’s final. . . . Bishop Montgomery also won the state title, defeating Acalenes.. . . Costa Mesa missed a chance to win the Pacific Coast League outright. It was beaten by Laguna Hills in the next-to-last game, but the Mustangs still entered the playoffs as a league champion because Laguna Hills followed with a victory over Aliso Niguel, creating co-champions between Aliso and Costa Mesa.