The Acorn's 2008 Basketball Playoff Preview
It's postseason basketball time and we've got all the local hardwood teams covered. Read below to see which schools have a shot at CIF-Southern Section glory.

Photos by JANN HENDRY and IRIS SMOOT POSTSEASON PUSH- Clockwise, Oaks Christian's Chelsea Carlisle gets a screen and heads toward the hoop. Agoura center Kevin Graff is all over Royal's Sahir Santos as he drives to the basket. Oak Park boys' standout Bobby Hillard takes it strong to the rim, while Eagle Brett Hall has an open layup.

Boys

Agoura Chargers

Marmonte League No. 3 (tie) Season record: 16-10, 9-5 league

Division IAA

Impact player: Ben Ricard First-round opponent: Loyola,

Mission League No. 1

Outlook: Of Agoura's five Marmonte League defeats, four came to Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, both of whom are perennial area powerhouses. AHS lost once to Westlake.

The Chargers are led by a pair of seniors- forward Ben Ricard (15 points, 8.9 rebounds per game) and point guard Doug Shumway (10 points, 4.3 assists).

Junior center Michael Hatch (9.3 rebounds per game) is a monster on the boards, while fellow 6-foot-6, 300-pound center Kevin Graf can clog the lane in a hurry.

Their draw: The Chargers are at Loyola High Friday at 7:30 p.m. Loyola went 19-7 overall during the regular season, winning the Mission League.

The Cubs' top player is 6foot8 junior guard Hollis Thompson, who's averaging 18.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest. The winner plays Tuesday night.

Westlake Warriors

Marmonte League No. 3 (tie) Season record: 17-9, 9-5 league

Division IAA

Impact player:

Andreas Svennefiord Wild-card opponent: El Segundo,

Pioneer League at-large

Outlook: Westlake tied Agoura for third place in the final Marmonte League standings but landed the league's fourth playoff seed.

The Warriors, led by senior guard Kyle Olandt and senior guard/forward Adam Kolodney, had to play a wild-card game Wednesday night at home against El Segundo. The final score wasn't available prior to press time.

Their draw: The winner of Wednesday's contest plays at Harvard-Westlake Friday night.

HarvardWestlake, secondplace finishers in the Mission League, beat Westlake 64-60 on Dec. 8 in the Moorpark Tournament. Renaldo Woolridge, the 6foot8 forward who will attend Tennessee, leads the Harvard-Westlake attack with 19.7 points per game.

Oak Park Eagles

Tri-Valley League No. 1 (tie) Season record: 19-6, 11-1 league

Division IIIAA

Impact player: Bobby Hillard

First-round opponent: Rolling

Hills Prep, Harbor League No. 3

Outlook: Another year, another Tri-Valley League title for Oak Park, as the Eagles split the championship with Santa Clara for their seventh consecutive league crown.

Oak Park, winners of 11 of its last 12 games, is strong in the frontcourt with senior forward Bobby Hillard (18.7 points, eight rebounds per game) leading the charge. Senior point guard Andy Winningham (11.9 points, 5.4 assists) is the team's triggerman.

Their draw: OPHS hosts Rolling Hills Prep (15-9) Friday night. If they get past the Huskies, the sixthseeded Eagles will play either Schurr or Anaheim Tuesday in the second round.

Oaks Christian Lions

Tri-Valley League No. 3 Season record: 20-6, 8-4 league

Division IIIAA

Impact player: Matt Johnson

First-round opponent: Ribet

Academy, Harbor League No. 2

Outlook: After opening the season with 15 wins in their first 17 games, the Lions came back down to earth and finished 5-4 in their final nine outings.

Columbia-bound guard Matt Johnson does it all for OCHS. He's averaging 11.9 points, six rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest. Junior guard Tyler McGrath is the team's leading scorer (15.6 ppg).

Their draw: OCHS, seeded ninth in its division, hits the road Friday for a showdown at Ribet Academy (13-13). The winner plays either St. Joseph or Alhambra.

Viewpoint Patriots

Liberty League No. 3

Season record: 18-7, 6-4 league

Division IVA Impact Player: Brandon Gumaer

First-round opponent: Poly

Pasadena, Prep League No. 2

Outlook: The Patriots will go as far as their two top scoring threats- senior wingman Brandon Gumaer (16.1 ppg) and senior forward Hunter Carlin (13.9 ppg)- take them.

Their draw: The winner of last night's Viewpoint/Poly game plays Mesrobian or Big Bear Friday.

Girls

Oaks Christian Lions

Tri-Valley League No. 1 (tie) Season record: 18-4, 10-2 league

Division IIAA Impact player: Chelsea Carlisle

First-round opponent:

Chaminade,

Mission League No. 2

Outlook: Officially, Oaks Christian tied Fillmore for the TVL title but was given the league's No. 2 postseason seed.

The Lions' defense has been outstanding this season, allowing only 41 points per contest.

Senior guard Chelsea Carlisle leads the Lions with, on average, 22.5 points and 5.2 assists.

Katie Brooks (11.9 points, 10.6 rebounds) and Christine Escoto (9.8 ppg) are key contributors, too.

Their draw: Oaks Christian hosts Chaminade (18-8) Saturday night. Chaminade has won five of its last six games. The winner will likely take on fourth-seeded Etiwanda on Wednesday.

Oak Park Eagles

Tri-Valley League No. 4 Season record: 10-14, 6-6 league

Division IIAA Impact player: Lauren Varney

Wild-card opponent: San Marino, Rio Hondo League

at-large

Outlook: Oak Park's biggest win of the year came in its regular-season finale at Fillmore, where a 46-37 victory prevented the Flashes from claiming an outright league championship.

Oaks Christian, who benefited most from the Oak Park victory, probably owes its crosstown rival a thank-you card.

Their draw: The Eagles host San Marino (12-14) tonight. The winner plays at Notre Dame Sherman Oaks on Saturday. Notre Dame/SO (19-8) won the Mission League title.

Viewpoint Patriots

Liberty League No. 2 Season record: 16-9, 7-3 league

Division VAA

Impact player:

Samantha Borenstein

First-round opponent: San Fernando Valley Academy,

Omega League No. 3

Outlook: Viewpoint's offense is strong, and the team has played several close games in recent weeks, making them battle-tested.

Their draw: The Patriots host San Fernando Valley Academy (811) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. A win sets up a potential showdown with La Reina in the second round.

- By Stephen Dorman