With up to 32 teams competing in 12 divisions in both the boys and girls basketball CIF Southern Section/Ford Championships, many teams with less than a handful of league wins and a sub .500 winning percentage are yet rewarded an opportunity — albeit a long shot — to fulfill their dreams of becoming a CIF champion.
Of the 12 boys and girls basketball teams in the Bay League, only the winless girls basketball squad from Leuzinger (0-18) failed to reach the post season.
Peninsula (26-1) swept the Bay League in boys basketball and earned the highest seed among South Bay basketball teams. The Panthers are ranked No 1. in Division 2A bracket and trounced Troy 62-28 Wednesday to run its winning streak to 24 games.
Peninsula plays at No. 16 Rowland (17-11) in the second round on Friday.
All games leading up to the semifinals are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Second-round action will take place Friday, quarterfinals played Tuesday and semifinals held on Friday, Feb. 25. Finals are scheduled for March 2-5.
Redondo (6-4, 14-13) tied Leuzinger (6-4, 17-9) for second place in the Bay League after defeating the Olympians 62-51 in the league finale. Jacquise Bates scored 17 points, Martyre Demarco added 16 points, six rebounds and three assists and Brandon Boyd contributed nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the win.
While Leuzinger was losing 71-62 at No. 13 Chino Hills in a Division 1AA contest on Wednesday, Redondo traveled to face No. 16 Katella in the first round of the Division 2AA playoffs.
The Sea Hawk’s balanced attack earned coach Tom Maier and his squad a 59-52 win. Martyre Demarco scored a team-high 15 points, Mwelu Mataya recorded 13 points and 15 rebounds, Brandon Boyd added 11 points and seven rebounds and Brian Frew contributed 10 points and six rebounds.
Redondo (15-13) will host second-seeded Mission Viejo (26-1) in the second round Friday. Mission Viejo escaped with a 41-39 win over visiting Burbank on Wednesday.
Despite a 61-56 loss to Palos Verdes to conclude Bay League action, Mira Costa (2-8, 10-16) earned an at-large berth in the Division 2A playoffs and traveled to No. 6 San Bernardino Wednesday. The Mustangs pulled off a 62-54 victory behind Elliott Ozer’s 25 points and five rebounds.
Cole Feaster added 12 points, Thomas Johnson recorded 11 points and four rebounds and Karl Acres had 10 points and eight rebounds for Mira Costa who will host Royal (18-10) on Friday. Royal upset No. 11 Righetti 70-63 in its first-round game.
Palos Verdes (3-7, 17-11) beat Estancia 52-42  in its opening-round game and will host No. 6 Bishop Amat (20-7) on Friday.
West (4-6, 12-15)Â traveled to face La Canada (24-3)Â in the first round of Division 3AA action but lost to the third-seed 55-47.
Joining Mira Costa and Peninsula in the Division 2A playoffs was Hawthorne (12-15), who earned an at-large bid from the Ocean League but fell to No. 8 Mark Keppel 61-55.
In Division 3AA, Del Rey champion Bishop Montgomery (19-6) earned a sixth seed and defeated Tustin 64-34. The Knights will travel to Culver City (20-7) on Friday.
Pioneer champion North Torrance (19-8) is seeded eighth and ran over visiting La Mirada 85-51 Wednesday. The Saxons host ninth-seeded La Habra (15-12) in the second round.
In Division 3A, Ocean League champion Inglewood (20-5) is seeded third and defeated Lawndale (10-17) 65-36. South Torrance (12-15) fell to No. 9 Cerritos 78-59 and Torrance (11-17) lost at No. 10 Rio Mesa 64-57 in the opening round.
Pioneer runner-up El Segundo (19-10) earned the seventh seed in Division 4AA and defeated Lompoc 88-53, advancing to play at No. 9 Servite on Friday.
With a third-place finish in the Prep League, Chadwick (13-9) qualified for the post season and knocked off No. 14 Bellarmine-Jefferson 58-56. The Dolphins host third-seeded Montclair Prep (20-8) in the second round.
Girls Basketball
Surging Redondo (10-0, 21-8) is riding a 12-game winning streak and is seeded 11th in Division 1AA. After an undefeated Bay League season, the Sea Hawks downed Millikan 56-44 Thursday.
Redondo christened its new gym with the Sea Hawk’s first playoff win in three years, using the strength of the team – its defense – to force 26 turnovers.
With its balanced offense, Redondo overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit. Annie Park scored a team-high 15 points, Riki Murakami added 10 and Ashiana Antar, Michelle Lowery and Shayna Stuart each tallied eight points. Lowery also grabbed six rebounds and had four steals.
The Sea Hawks must now travel to take on No. 6 Etiwanda (23-3) in the second round on Saturday.
Games prior to the semifinals are slated to start at 7 p.m. Second-round action takes place on Saturday with the quarterfinals scheduled for Wednesday. Semifinals will be held Tuesday, March 1 with the finals held March 2-5.
Bay League runner-up Mira Costa (8-2, 19-9) is also competing in Division 1AA and eliminated Moore League runner-up Long Beach Jordan 56-51 on Thursday.
Joelle Herron led the way scoring 21 points, Kylie Nakamine had 14 points and six assists and Ashley Reese added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Mustangs.
Nakamine, the nation’s most accurate free throw shooter at 94%, was perfect on all seven of her attempts.
Mira Costa hosts top-seeded Brea Olinda (26-0) in the second round Saturday. Brea Olinda is the No. 1 team in the nation in the maxpreps.com rankings.
West (5-5, 20-10) defeated Palos Verdes 59-48 for third place in the Bay League, earning a No. 8 seed in Division 3AA.  The Warriors annihilated Santiago/Garden Grove 76-17 in the opening round and will face Torrance (15-9) in an all-city match up Saturday.
Torrance, the co-champion in the Pioneer League, is ranked No. 9 and defeated Rowland 52-43 in its opening-round game.
Peninsula (2-8, 13-15) is seeded 14th in the same division and dismantled Mission Valley champion Rosemead 59-18, advancing to host fourth-seeded Arroyo Grande (20-5) in the second round.
North Torrance (20-7) had little trouble beating Norwalk 56-12 and will find a tougher test when the Saxons travel to No. 6 Diamond Bar (16-10) on Saturday.
Serra (22-5) is seeded second in Division 3AA and beat Claremont 76-27, advancing to play at No. 15 Gahr (14-13).
South Torrance (12-16) earned an at-large bid but fell to Camarillo 57-39.
Despite its fourth-place finish, Palos Verdes (5-5, 14-14) is seeded 7th in Division 3A and defeated Hesperia 53-27. The Sea Kings host Citrus Hill (19-6) in the second round.
In Division 4AA, Bishop Montgomery (19-9) earned a second seed and a first round bye. The Knights will host La Canada (8-19) in the second round on Saturday. Lawndale (9-16) gained an at-large bid from the Pioneer League and upset No. 14 Ocean View 55-54 for its first playoff victory in girls basketball since the reopening of the school.
Despite winning only once in Pioneer League play, El Segundo (11-17) earned an at-large bid in Division 4A but lost at No. 5 Duarte 64-41Â in the first round.
For updated brackets, visit www.cifss.org. ER
