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The CIF-SS girls basketball playoffs begin Thursday with a plethora of intriguing storylines for Orange County. From exciting first-round games to dark horses to clashes between top players, there will be plenty of action.
Here are a few of the top scenarios to follow:
Who will win the Esperanza-Santa Margarita clash in Division 1?
Esperanza (19-9) plays host to Santa Margarita (17-10) in a Division 1 first-round game Thursday loaded with plotlines.
The Aztecs have climbed to No. 5 in the Orange County rankings after claiming an undefeated Crestview League title. The No. 10 Eagles beat Esperanza 66-54 in early December and feature former Aztecs guard Madi Lam.
The Esperanza-Santa Margarita winner could face Villa Park in the second round Saturday. The No. 6 Spartans (21-7) play host to Palos Verdes (20-4) on Thursday.
Villa Park is a combined 0-3 against Esperanza and Santa Margarita with the losses by a combined 10 points.
Will Beckman and Orange Lutheran win to set up a second-round showdown?
In Division 1, keep an eye on No. 7 Beckman (23-5) and No. 8 Orange Lutheran (18-8) as they play host to Marlborough (17-11) and West Torrance (17-9), respectively, in the first round.
If Beckman and Orange Lutheran both win, they would square off Saturday at Beckman in another pairing of Top 10 teams in Orange County.
Also in Division 1, No. 9 Troy (20-8) plays at Los Osos (19-9). Troy lost to the Grizzlies 69-51 in early December before its sit-out transfers Lexi Joko, Kaidyn Kiernan and Riley Almendarez were eligible.
In his second tenure at Troy, Kevin Kiernan will coach the Warriors in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. That winter, Troy lost to Santa Margarita 44-42 in the Division I-AA quarterfinals and Kiernan later became the coach at Mater Dei.
What happens when top scorers collide in the first round?
In Division 2, No. 15 San Juan Hills (16-12) plays host to No. 21 Pacifica Christian (17-11) in a matchup that pits the Stallions’ Adelyn Boberg against the Tritons’ Vivian Villagrana. Boberg averages 18.1 points per game while Villagrana averages 20.3.
Villagrana is one of six Orange County players averaging at least 20 points. The others are: Rylee Bradley of Marina (23.6), Lenzy Turner of El Toro (22.7), Sophia Rangel of Loara (22.4), Amalia Holguin of Sage Hill (21.7) and Vivian Grenald of JSerra (20.0).
The San Juan Hills-Pacifica Christian winner will face the Los Alamitos-Dos Pueblos winner in the second round Saturday. The Griffins (20-7) captured their second consecutive Sunset League title.
What’s the outlook for reigning CIF-SS champions El Toro and Tesoro?
El Toro (19-8) opens Division 3 at top-seeded Lynwood (12-15), which recently set a state record by winning its 30th consecutive league title under coach Ellis Barfield. Last season under O.C. coach of the year Pat Nunez, El Toro captured Division 3A.
Tesoro (16-12) earned the top seed in Division 5 and plays host to St. Paul (20-7). Last season, the Titans claimed Division 4AA. Tesoro’s Charlotte Marvin averages 13 rebounds per game.
What teams are dark horses for the playoffs?
Watch for San Clemente (Division 2), St. Margaret’s (Division 3), Savanna (Division 6) and Kennedy (Division 7).
San Clemente (15-12) finished 11th in the Division 2 rankings after reaching the Division 1 quarterfinals last season. Standout juniors Izzy Sims and Kiley Husbands didn’t play in a 63-61 loss to Segerstrom last week due to injuries, Tritons coach Kerri Husbands said.
St. Margaret’s (21-7), ranked seventh in Division 3, finished the regular season strong after the return of Annika Tufo (Tuffs commit) from injury.
Savanna (13-13), the Coast League champion, played a tougher schedule after reaching the Division 4AA semifinals last season.
Kennedy, co-champion of the Golden West League with Fullerton, features versatile freshman La’Niya Paul.
INJURY UPDATES
Fairmont Prep coach Josh Lozano said forward Mathis Dritz (ankle) is “day to day” as the Huskies (16-12) head toward their Open Division game at Etiwanda (27-2). …
Yorba Linda senior guard Kelsey Ikemoto, the daughter of Mustangs coach Teiko Ikemoto, is out for the season with a knee injury. Yorba Linda (14-10) plays host to Quartz Hill (21-7) in Division 4. …
Canyon has lost one starter and three reserves with season-ending injuries, coach Sara Brown confirmed. The Comanches (12-16) play host to Moorpark (9-15) in Division 4.