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The CIF-SS semifinals in girls basketball and girls soccer are Saturday. Here are five O.C. teams competing that can be considered underdogs or making unexpected runs:
Orange girls basketball: Panthers coach Sara Esparza isn’t surprised by her team’s run to the semifinals but the squad can be considered under-the-radar in Division 8, the second-lowest division in the section.
Orange (14-11) plays host to University Prep of Victorville (13-12) after placing second to Bolsa Grande in the Grove League, the middle grouping in the Orange Grove Conference.
The Panthers are seeking their first trip the finals but need to beat University Prep, a semifinalists last season in Division 4A.
Orange is led by guard Aubrey Macedo, who is averaging 17 points and 4.5 steals. The 5-foot-7 junior scored 39 points against El Modena earlier this season.
Laguna Hills girls basketball: The Hawks (16-10) play at Patriot of Jurupa Valley (16-13) in Division 7 after earning an automatic playoff entry by edging Tustin in a playoff for third place in the Golden West League.
Laguna Hills beat Tustin 43-42 in overtime. With three at-large candidates ranked ahead of Laguna Hills that didn’t make the playoff draw, it was a must-win game for the Hawks.
Laguna Hills will attempt to reach its first final since 2012 and fifth under coach Jim Martin, who is in his 28th season.
A senior-heavy team, the Hawks have received strong play off the bench senior Marisol Bahena-Torres, who has scored 15 points in each of the past two games.
El Dorado girls basketball: Golden Hawks coach Matthew Raya isn’t surprised by his team’s run but the squad needed a late surge to reach the playoffs.
El Dorado (17-14) won its final two games of the regular season to secure a .500 record to become eligible for an at-large berth.
The Golden Hawks secured the No. 3 seed and play host to No. 2 Marina in Division 4 (18-13) in an exciting O.C. matchup Saturday. The game is at 7 p.m.
Under Raya, in his fourth season, El Dorado emerged from the challenging Crestview League after graduating Bianca Carter (playing at Orange Coast College) and having two other key players not return.
El Dorado junior guard Riley Morikawa, Raya said, has stepped up to support seniors Delaney Shiring (Pomona-Pitzer commit) and Kennedy Wood.
Savanna girls soccer: The Rebels (21-4-2) are another team from the middle league in the Orange Grove Conference.
Savanna, the champion of the Grove League, plays host to Pacifica Christian of Santa Monica (15-2-2) at Western High at 5 p.m. in Division 7. The Rebels didn’t reach the playoffs last season from the Coast League.
Savanna has retooled with sophomore midfielder Samantha Alvarado and junior goalkeeper Kimberly Lopez. The Rebels are young after graduating 10 seniors last year.
Ocean View girls soccer: The Seahawks (12-6-3) play host to Palmdale Aerospace Academy (9-1) in the Division 6 semifinals at 3 p.m. after finishing winless last season at 0-16-2.
This winter, Ocean View placed second in the Orange Coast League, the lowest group in the Golden Empire Conference.
With former high-scorer Isis Salazar now at Cal State Bakersfield, Ocean View features another multi-sport standout in Sydnie Enriquez. The junior also plays volleyball.