Postseason arrives for local high schools
Basketball, soccer and girls' water polo on tap this weekend
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SECOND SEASON- Westlake's Matt Mazarei tries to dribble around Kyle Olandt during Tuesday's practice. WHS hosts Downey Friday night at 7:30 in the first round of the CIF-SS Division IAA playoffs.

Several area high school sports teams qualified for the CIFSouthern Section winter playoffs. The action in basketball, soccer and girls' water polo is expected to be intense during the next few weeks. Here's a look at the local teams who'll be vying for championship glory:

Boys' basketball

Despite finishing second in the Marmonte League, Westlake (197) received no love from the schedule makers.

The Warriors host Downey (16-12) Friday night at 7:30 in a Division IAA tilt. If WHS gets past Downey, they would likely play top-seeded Mater Dei in the second round on Tuesday. Mater Dei is ranked No. 1 in the state by CalHiSports.com.

Seniors Allen Scott and Mauro Ormedillo must play well for Westlake to be successful on offense. There are four other seniors on the Warrior roster- Ryan Campbell, Andrew Stefatos, Nathan Hayes and Jeff Schwalbach.

Junior forward Keith Thompson leads Downey in points (19.1) and rebounds (10.3) per game. Limiting him will be a key.

In other Division IAA action, Calabasas (14-12) is on the road to play Harvard-Westlake. The Coyotes finished fourth in the Marmonte League. HarvardWestlake (21-5) won the Mission League title.

Calabasas will have its hands full guarding the Wolverines' scoring tandem of Renaldo Woolridge (19.3 ppg) and Jabari Trotter (15.5 ppg). Seniors Matt Field and Sean Foster, as well as sophomore Evan Smith must step up for the Coyotes to pull off an upset.

Two local schools- Oak Park and Oaks Christian- qualified for the Division IIIAA playoffs. Oak Park (20-6) won the Tri-Valley League championship, while Oaks Christian (14-12) tied for third.

The Eagles are driven by 6foot-6 Princeton-bound center Kareem Maddox, Oak Park's leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots.

"For us to be successful," OPHS head coach Ed Chevalier said, "Kareem just has to do the little things he does so well- rebounding, defending, getting in position and taking up space. That allows things for our other guys. Kareem gets double and tripleteamed all the time."

Oak Park opens at home Friday night against Morro Bay (1114). Should the Eagles advance, Schurr or Monrovia would await in Round 2.

With the Oaks Christian football team playing well into December, the Lions' basketball roster wasn't even complete until nearly halfway through the season when guys like Duke Lemmens and Chris Owusu joined the squad.

The team struggled at times, and on Dec. 23 Oak Christian lost its best player- 6-foot-7 guard Matt Johnson- to a broken wrist. The good news, according to OCHS head coach Tom Roanhaus, is that Johnson returned to practice this week and could be available for the Lions' first-round matchup at Montview League champion La Puente (15-9).

"I'm going to be very, very careful with him," Roanhaus said. "But he's ready to go. He's chomping at the bit to play."

If Oaks Christian can pull out a road win against La Puente, the Lions would likely play topseeded Campbell Hall in the second round.

"I'm not even thinking about that right now," Roanhaus said. "Right now my energy is 100 percent focused on how prepared can we be for Friday."

Viewpoint (189), secondplace finishers in the Liberty League, hosted Chadwick (9-14) last night in the opening round of Division IVA. The final score wasn't available prior to press.

Girls' basketball

The Agoura Chargers are returning to the postseason for the first time since 2003. Agoura (1214) finished tied for fourth in the Marmonte League with Thousand Oaks. The Lancers had the tiebreaker over AHS and received the league's fourth seed, while the Chargers qualified for the Division IAA field as an at-large team.

Agoura will play at Ventura Saturday night at 7:30. The Cougars (21-5) are champions of the Channel League.

Junior center Taylor Lord, the Chargers' leader in points, rebounds and blocks, needs to be at the top of her game vs. Ventura. AHS also must get a bigtime performance from senior guard Lauren Wells.

"Taylor Lord is the kind of kid that under these circumstances she plays her best," Agoura head coach Kenny Golub said. "She's up to the challenge. They all are."

Although they tied for the TriValley League championship with Nordhoff, Oaks Christian (14-9) lost a coin flip and was seeded in Division IIAA as the league's second-place team.

The Lions host Los Osos (1410) Saturday night. Los Osos is led by 6foot3 center Cierra Warren, who's averaging 17.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Oaks Christian counters with sharp-shooting guards Michelle Clark and Chelsea Carlisle. The Lions enter the contest riding a nine-game winning streak.

"The direction we've been going will give us the best chance to succeed at this level," OCHS head coach Don McMaster said. "That means we have to stop the other team from scoring."

Girls' soccer Westlake, the Marmonte League's No. 3 seed, opened the Division II playoffs at home yesterday afternoon against Pasadena. The final score wasn't available prior to press. The same holds true for Oaks Christian, who played at Crossroads in a Division V wild-card matchup. The Lions are threetime defending Division V co-champions.

Tri-Valley League champion Oak Park hosts Marlborough Friday at 3 p.m. The winner plays either South Torrance or Warren on Tuesday. The Eagles finished the regular season 17-4-4 overall. They're led by Lauren Kawamoto, Ashley Umann, Tayler Johnson, Melanie Gaball and Brooke Mandell.

Viewpoint School finished atop the Liberty League standings. The Lady Patriots scored 88 goals and allowed only 19. VHS has won eight consecutive contests entering Friday's Division VI opener.

"Our mindset this year has been to take each game for what it is," Viewpoint head coach Travis Kikugawa said. "As long as we take care of our business and play the way we've been playing all year, we're looking forward to making a big playoff run."

Boys' soccer

Agoura qualified for the Division I playoffs as the Marmonte League's third seed. The Chargers were 9-9-4 this season and will play at Bell Gardens Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Chargers' offense was led by Sam Myerson's 15 goals and 10 assists. Marshall Lucas added seven scores while goalkeeper Brandon Sampson posted three shutouts.

Westlake, the Marmonte's fourth-place finisher, played a wildcard match at Cabrillo yesterday. The final score wasn't available prior to press.

Tri-Valley League champion Oaks Christian hasn't lost since Jan. 12. They're 8-0-1 during that stretch. The Lions will host either Sierra Vista or Campbell Hall Saturday.

Oaks Christian head coach Sebastian Alvarado said the return of senior goalkeeper Daniel Auten, who missed time earlier in the season, has provided stability for his young squad. "Auten gives the guys in front of him so much confidence," Alvarado said.

Viewpoint, the Liberty League title holders, hosts Pilgrim or Villanova Prep. in the opening round of Division VI play. The Patriots are ranked third in their division.

Girls' water polo

Agoura earned the second seed in Division II and will host Ventura Friday at 3:15 p.m. The Chargers advanced to the Division IV title match last year before losing to Santa Barbara. It was AHS' second straight championship appearance. A potential showdown with Santa Barbara looms in the semifinals this time around.

"Santa Barbara beat us earlier this year by one," AHS head coach Jason Rosenthal said. "Unless somebody comes along and surprises someone, it'll probably be either us or them going to the final."

In its first postseason match in program history Tuesday afternoon, Westlake lost to El Dorado 15-4.

Oaks Christian, a second-place entry in Division IV, was defeated by Alemany 15-6 on Tuesday.