The Times’ preseason girls’ basketball rankings

The Times’ preseason girls’ basketball rankings by Melissa Rohlin:

Rk.; Team (2008-09 Record, Section-Division); Comment

1; MATER DEI (32-1, SS-Div. 2A); The defending Trinity League and CIF Division 2A champions return three players from the 16-under national team that won the gold medal in Mexico in August.

2; BREA OLINDA (32-2, SS-Div. 2AA); The defending Division 2 state champions are loaded with talent, including Justine Hartman, Kelsey Harris and Jeanier Olukemi.

3; LONG BEACH POLY (32-2, SS-Div. 1AA); The Jackrabbits have six players capable of scoring 20 points on any given night and have won four consecutive state titles.

4; SANTA MONICA (23-8, SS-Div. 1A); The Vikings are led by UCLA-bound Thea Lemberger and have two very skilled junior transfers from Arizona.

5; SUMMIT (26-5, SS-Div. 1A); The Skyhawks graduated a lot of players, but this year’s team featuring Arizona State-bound Adrianne Thomas is going to make an impact.

6; INGLEWOOD (19-17, SS-Div. 3AA); The Sentinels are stacked with three highly talented players who have already signed, including point guard Hazel Ramirez.

7; HARVARD-WESTLAKE (22-10, SS-Div. 4AA); The defending CIF Division 4A champions return their whole squad.

8; BELL-JEFF (34-1, SS-Div. 4A); The defending CIF Division 5A champions acquired three transfers and return three starters -- and look better than ever.

9; CORONA SANTIAGO (23-7, SS-Div. 1AA); The Lister twins led the Sharks to the semifinals at the prestigious San Diego Classic summer tournament.

10; CANYON SPRINGS (25-8, SS-Div. 1A); The Cougars have a very fast, athletic team.

11; TROY (30-3, SS-Div. 1AA); The Warriors have added five new players to an already talented roster featuring All-CIF and All-State standout Alex Sanchez.

12; VILLA PARK (22-7, SS-Div. 2AA); The Spartans are rumored to be the surprise team of the O.C. and are expected to make a big impact this season.

13; BISHOP ALEMANY (19-10, SS-Div. 4AA); New Coach Bethel Trice, who is in two basketball halls of fame, has a strong team led by her daughter Trinidee and Angelica Sahagun.

14; AYALA (22-9, SS-Div. 1A); UCLA-bound Rhema Gardner just returned from an ACL injury, and the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, Ariel Marsh, is expected to be fully recovered from her ACL tear in a month.

15; WOODBRIDGE (28-4, SS-Div. 2A); The defending CIF Division 3AA champions have eight seniors.

16; LYNWOOD (18-8, SS-Div. 1AA); The Knights held their own against top-rated teams during preseason basketball tournaments.

17; VENTURA (22-7, SS-Div. 2AA); The Cougars have three skilled seniors, but their success depends on whether the underclassmen step up.

18; ETIWANDA (21-8, SS-Div. 1AA); The Eagles have scoring power in Jasmine Bernard and Natalia Hawthorne.

19; BISHOP MONTGOMERY (21-9, SS-Div, 4AA); The Knights return 12 players and expect big things from sophomore Devon Brookshire, who is ranked on ESPN Hoopgurlz Top 100 Sophomores list.

20; WASHINGTON (26-5, City); Reshanda Gray, who is 6 feet 3, leads the best team in the City Section.

21; BEVERLY HILLS (24-10, SS-Div. 2A); The Normans won their first playoff game in 31 years two years ago, made their first CIF championship appearance last season and are looking to go even farther this year.

22; EDISON (25-6, SS-Div. 2AA); The Chargers are led by one of the best shooters in the nation in 6-2 Bonnie Samuelson.

23; AGOURA (25-4, SS-Div. 3AA); The Chargers could be CIF title contenders with Brittany Oster, Kylie Cunningham and Sasha Borenstein.

24; SAN CLEMENTE (20-8, SS-Div. 1AA); USC-bound Cassie Harberts is unstoppable.

25; CAJON (32-3, SS-Div. 1AA); The Cowgirls are this season’s wild-card team; they are equally capable of defeating or losing to any of the teams on this list.