Playoff push in effect
Local teams on the hunt for CIF glory
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers AIRBORNE- Royal High's Kenton Boswell leaps high above the Highland High defense during Wednesday's 2-0 RHS victory at home in the first round of the CIF-SS Division I playoffs.

Over the past few months, many local high school teams have played well enough to get into the playoffs. Here is a list of the teams that made the postseason, and what lies ahead for them this weekend.

In girls' basketball, Royal High had a stellar season, going 22-4 overall and 13-1 in the Marmonte League, good enough for a league title.

RHS comes into the CIFSouthern Section Division IAA playoffs having won its last eight games. Despite the success, Highlander head coach Mike Kohl wasn't pleased with his team's overall seeding.

Royal plays at home Saturday night vs. Jordan High.

"I'm real upset," Kohl said. "In my opinion, the CIF committee got it wrong this time. For the life of me, I can't figure out why we got a lower ranking than Buena."

Buena went 17-9 overall and 6-2 in the Channel League, but unlike Royal, failed to win a league title.

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers ON TARGET- Senior Erika Ward and the Royal High girls' basketball team opens the CIF-SS Division IAA playoffs at home Saturday night against Jordan High. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

"Jordan is a No. 4 seed out of the Moore League, but the top two ranked teams overall are also out of that league (Poly/Long Beach and Millikan)," Kohl said. "So it's not like Jordan is a bad team. And then if we happen to beat Jordan, we get matched up with Mater Dei, the No. 4 ranked team, in the second round."

Royal is led by seniors Erika Ward, Kris King and Shana Moore. Ward led the team in points per game (14.5), total assists (152) and steals (75). King and Moore tied for the team's rebounding title with 6.5 boards per game.

What potentially sets Royal apart from others in the playoffs is the team's depth. Aside from Ward, King and Moore, seniors Rose Lioy and Kelsey Voorhes, as well as freshmen Chelsea Jacoby, Kaity Lykins and King's younger sister Gabbi, have all contributed this year.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers CIRCLE OF TRUST- The Simi Valley High boys' basketball team enters the CIF-SS Division IAA playoffs with a 25-1 overall record.

Kohl said the players aren't feeling any added pressure heading into the postseason.

"We have a lot of seniors that have been here before, so they know what to expect," Kohl said. "And the freshmen are so young they don't know how to feel yet. Overall, they're a very confident team right now."

Royal's game against Jordan is set for 7:30 p.m.

Across town, Simi Valley High is making noise with its boys' basketball team. The Pioneers may have had a perfect season in the Marmonte League by going 14-0, but they know they're still five wins away from their ultimate goal, a CIF title.

SVHS, who gained the Division IAA No. 3 ranking with an overall record of 25-1, will host Servite, who beat Lawndale in a wild-card game Wednesday.

The Pioneers are fueled by senior guard Lorne Jackson, the Marmonte League's leading scorer with 22.6 points per game. Jackson also led the Pioneers in assists (171), rebounds (176) and steals (112).

Simi Valley has received major scoring contributions from Michael Meza (19.9 ppg) and Brad Lewis (17.8 ppg) as well.

If there's one thing the Pioneers have going for them, it's experience, as the team has nine seniors.

"Right now, we're just playing for the seniors," SVHS head coach Christian Aurand said. "Although there's been a lot of pressure on them, I don't sense they feel it, which is good. I know I feel it."

Although the Pioneers have won 12 games in a row, Aurand said there are still some things the team must improve on in the postseason.

"We need to keep the bigger teams off the glass," Aurand said. "We also can't have anymore stupid fouls. We'll get an opponent trapped in a corner, and instead of stealing the ball, we foul them. We can't do that anymore."

In boys' soccer, Royal High won its wild-card game against Highland 2-0 Wednesday at RHS.

Joe Acevedo and Paris Figueroa scored for Royal. The Highlanders, however, may have suffered a big blow when Jonathan Decker suffered an ankle injury late in the match. His status remains uncertain.

Things don't get any easier for Royal from here on out. They'll play on the road today at 3 p.m. against the Division I second seed, Millikan.

Grace Brethren's girls' soccer team also played Wednesday. The Lancers won their Division VI wild-card game 2-0 against Oakwood.

Up next for GBHS is a Saturday matchup on the road against Mary Star, the Camino Real League's top seed.

The Royal High girls' water polo squad played Thursday afternoon, but as of press time the score wasn't available.