La Quinta Girls Among Teams Seeking Shifts

The La Quinta High School girls’ basketball team, ranked sixth in The Times’ preseason poll of the top teams in Orange County, has petitioned the Southern Section office to move from the 3-AA to 4-A division for the 1989-90 playoffs.

La Quinta has won eight consecutive Garden Grove League titles and has eight of its top nine players from last season returning, including the state’s leading scorer, Amy Jalewalia. She averaged 31.2 points per game as a junior.

Schools desiring to move up had to notify the Southern Section office in writing by Friday. Moves were only allowed from one section division to a higher section division.

The Morningside girls’ team, the defending state Division I champion, petitioned to move from the 3-A division to 5-AA. Brea-Olinda, the defending state Division III champion, will remain in the 3-AA division.

In boys’ competition, three parochial schools petitioned to change divisions.

St. Monica, which upset Mater Dei in the quarterfinals of the 5-AA division last year, will move from the 2-A to 5-AA division again this season.

Crespi petitioned to move from the 3-A to 4-AA division and St. Anthony will move from the 2-AA top 5-AA division.

Schools are placed in divisions based on enrollment figures from the ninth to 12th grades or grades 10 through 12 at three-year schools, with the 10th-grade figure doubled.

All-boys’ or all-girls’ schools have their enrollment figures doubled for classification.