WESTERN STATE CONFERENCE BASKETBALL PREVIEWS : Valley, Moorpark Seek to Repeat as Champions : Women: Both teams enter division play as favorites.

There are plenty of dark horses in the Western State Conference Southern Division race, but as usual Valley College has most of the thoroughbreds.

Five of the division’s six teams are solid contenders for state playoff berths with only Glendale a certain also-ran. The WSC Southern Division may be the strongest grouping in the state--five of its six teams are in the top 20--but Valley, which has won four consecutive conference titles, remains the favorite. Division play will begin Wednesday.

Valley (19-3) is deeper than a bottomless pit. When regulars Ericka Miller and Stacie Toon went down with injuries, Coach Doug Michelson merely turned to his bountiful bench. Michelson calls the development of sophomore Roz Linton and freshmen Falicia Stanley, Katina Mines and Wendy Bruse a “blessing in disguise” amid the injuries.

Toon, a center, is out for the season because of ligament damage in her left knee, Michelson said, and Miller is playing 10 to 12 minutes per game while recovering from a severe ankle sprain.

An ensemble troupe last season, Valley still has balanced scoring but has added an outstanding soloist, Tisa Rush. Rush dominates not so much with her offense (18.1 points per game) as with her ballhawking defense.

After qualifying for the state final eight last season, Canyons will struggle to return to the tournament. Canyons (11-9) played a rough early-season schedule and opens division play with road games against Valley, Santa Monica and Pierce.

Point guard Keira Irwin leads a perimeter-oriented team. Canyons has a strong starting five but lacks depth.

Pierce Coach Rob Di Muro sat in the stands at the state tournament last season and hopes to have a better vantage this time. Pierce (15-4) has shot into contention in only its second season under Di Muro. Forward-center Lisa Little is one of the three top players in the area along with Rush and Moorpark’s Kerrie Marshall. Forwards Melanie Sapon and Yolanda Davidian are double-figure scorers.

Pierce and Canyons likely will battle Bakersfield and Santa Monica for the wild-card berths in the tournament. Look for two to four Southern Division teams to be chosen for the 16-team Southern California regional.

The Northern Division race should be a struggle among Moorpark, Cuesta and Ventura, with Moorpark (21-3) the overwhelming favorite for its fourth consecutive division championship.

Marshall, a forward, is smoother than a Warren Beatty pickup line and just as effective, averaging 19.7 points a game. Moorpark forward Angie Long leads the conference in rebounding at 14.1 per game and point guard Amy Chandler averages a WSC best 7.8 assists.

Ventura’s hopes of knocking off Moorpark were hobbled, literally, when Nicole Ellis sprained her left ankle Tuesday against Bakersfield. Ellis, Ventura’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, is out for two to three weeks. Venessa Hackett will have to carry the load for Ventura (12-9).

Nicole Force leads the WSC with a 25.4-point average and is one of the few bright spots for Oxnard.