Most local coaches like their CIF draw

Barry Faulkner

First-year Corona del Mar High girls basketball coach James Barkalow

is new to Southern California and the CIF Southern Section. But,

after playoff pairings were released Sunday at the section office,

Barkalow likes what he has seen, so far.

“On paper, it looks like a vey good draw,” Barkalow said of

Thursday night’s Division III-A first-round matchup against visiting

San Marino.

Though the Sea Kings tied for second in the Pacific Coast League,

they were listed as the league’s No. 3 representative. To get a home

game is rare feat indeed for a No. 3 team, let alone against another

No. 3 representative in the Titans from the Rio Hondo League.

Golden West League champion Estancia was less giddy with its draw

in Division III-A.

Costa Mesa Coach Jim Weeks had no complaints with his placement in

the III-A bracket, while Newport Harbor, an at-large participant in

Division II-AA, was pleasantly surprised, Coach Jen Thompson said, to

be invited to its first postseason since 1999.

Sage Hill, embarking on the program’s first CIF playoff experience

in its second varsity season, was in no position to squawk about it’s

Division IV-A placement.

Estancia (17-8), which won its final 12 regular-season games to

claim its second league title in as many years (it shared the PCL

crown last season), gets a first-round bye and an automatic home game

in Saturday’s second round. But Coach Tami Rappa’s squad, ranked No.

9 in the final III-A poll, will most likely face a huge challenge in

perennial power Harvard-Westlake, ranked No. 5 in the final poll.

“Fortunately, we have a lot of preparation time to get ready (for

Harvard-Westlake, which opens Thursday against visiting San Dimas),”

Rappa said. “Hopefully, I can get ahold of some videotape of

Harvard-Westlake and we can start beaking it down. At least I’ll be

able to see (the 22-5 Wolverines) play in the first round.”

Costa Mesa (15-11), the No. 3 team from the Golden West League,

will open its 14th straight playoffs, the longest streak among

Newport-Mesa basketball teams, boys or girls, at La Canada Thursday.

The Spartans (19-5) are the No. 2 representative from the Rio Hondo

League and possess a strong tradition of success.

“We’ve had worse draws,” said Weeks, who was pleased to not be

playing another team from Orange County.

CdM (12-12), which defeated Northwood Thursday to tie the

Timberwolves for second place in the PCL, returns to the playoffs

after a one-year absence. San Marino enters Thursday’s clash with an

8-13 record.

Should the Sea Kings get past San Marino, they would probably face

No. 4-seeded Rosary (18-8). Despite being seeded, Rosary, which

finished third in the four-team Serra League behind Santa Margarita

and Mater Dei, will open on the road Thursday against Montview League

champion Bassett.

Newport Harbor (13-14) visits Sunset League champion Edison (20-5)

in the first round, prompting a quick end to the vacation plans of a

handful of Sailor players, some of whom had already left town to take

advantage of the “ski week,” break in the Newport-Mesa Unified

District that begins today, Thompson said.

“I’ll have to ask them to come back, because we’re practicing

(today),” Thompson said. “I don’t the think the girls were expecting

to get the at-large berth.”

All schools with the required 11 wins that petitioned for an

at-large berth were admitted, the third straight year no petitions

have been denied.

“We thought we’d be playing a very good team (Edison was No. 9 in

the final II-AA poll),” Thompson said. “But this is a reward for our

girls, who have worked hard all year and improved tremendously. Each

year, we set team goals and one of those was to make it to CIF this

year.”

Sage Hill, which lost a third-place playoff game in the Academy

League Friday, but earned an at-large berth with a 13-7 record, will

visit Connelly in Thursday’s first round.

Coach Shanna Renkin’s Lightning has two wins this season over the

Anaheim-based Koalas, champions of the San Joaquin League, by a

combined margin of 103-49.

If victorious, Sage Hill could face Calvary Chapel of Downey,

ranked No. 7 in the final IV-A poll, in Saturday’s second round.