Four teams open CIF playoffs

cif boys hoops pairingsNewport Harbor, making 10th straight postseason appearance, is joined by Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar and Estancia boys.Three seniors who began their varsity careers as freshman, have already left their mark on mark Costa Mesa High boys’ basketball history. But Scott Knox, Brian Molina and Tony Krikorian are hoping to add to their legacy in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, for which pairings were revealed Sunday.

The Mustangs (17-9), who shared the Golden West League championship, earned a first-round bye in Division III-A. Mesa, ranked No. 13 in the final Division III-A regular-season poll and seeded No. 13 in the 24-team draw, will play host to either El Segundo (17-9) or Banning (11-15) in the second round Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Estancia (13-13), also competing in Division III-A, opens its postseason Wednesday at Marshall of Pasadena (20-5). Marshall boasts the leading scorer in the Southern Section in 6-foot-3 junior guard Derrick Strings, who is producing 33.6 points per game.

Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor also represent Newport-Mesa in the postseason.

The Sea Kings (16-10), who shared second place in the Pacific Coast League, visit Gahr (17-9) for a Division III-A first-round clash Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Newport Harbor (20-6), making its 10th straight trip to the postseason under Coach Larry Hirst, plays host to El Dorado (15-11) in a Division II-AA first-round contest Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Costa Mesa’s league title was only the second in the program’s 46 seasons. Last season, they earned the program’s first playoff victory in 42 years.

But, Coach Ryan Schachter said Sunday that the perception of his program may be lagging behind the reality of how far it has come.

“I’m not happy with our draw,” Schachter said. “There are some teams I see who did much better, but finished second or third in their league. El Segundo is a very good team with some very athletic kids.”

Schachter, however, said the Mustangs’ are prepared for their quest to earn another playoff victory.

“We have a veteran club and I think we definitely feel like we belong,” Schachter said. “We’ll get a chance to scout [the El Segundo-Banning] game Wednesday and we’ll be ready to play Friday.”

The Mustangs are led by seniors Scott Knox and Brian Molina, as well as junior Larry Puente.

Knox, a 6-2 guard who earned first-team All-CIF Division III-A recognition as a junior, averages 15.3 points per game. Molina, a 5-8 point guard, averages 8.8 points, while Puente, a 6-2 forward averages 11.3 points and is the team’s leading rebounder. Schachter said Puente averaged eight rebounds per game during league, including around 10 per contest during the second round of Golden West play.

Krikorian averages 7.1 points for the Mustangs, who lost to Centennial of Compton, 67-30, in the III-A quarterfinals last season.

“There is a lot of pride in winning a league championship, but our guys want to go far in he playoffs, too,” Schachter said. “So they’re not going to sit back and enjoy that league title too much.”

Newport Harbor, the runner-up in the Sea View League, is led by senior guards Dennis Heenan and Tony Yaghjian, as well as emerging 6-7 sophomore Kyle Caldwell.

The Sailors, ranked No. 15 in the final regular-season poll, but seeded No. 13 in the 37-team bracket (including six wild-card games), were eliminated in the Division II-AA second round by Pasadena last season.

Should they win Friday, they would face either No. 4-seeded Ayala (23-3) or Kennedy (15-9) in the second round Feb. 21.

CdM Coach Ryan Curry said he was happy to have his team back in the postseason after missing the playoffs the last season.

The Sea Kings are keyed by 6-1 senior guard Ryan Lance (15.6 points per game), 6-7 sophomore Stefan Kaluz (14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game), 6-8 senior Scott Slaughter (6.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest) and sophomore guard Erik Rask (5.7 points per game).

If victorious, CdM would likely meet No. 2-seeded Santa Margarita (22-3), which opens in the wild-card round Wednesday for a chance to meet Pomona in Friday’s first round.

Estancia enters the postseason having won five of six and Coach Jason Simco, who guided the Eagles to the Division III-A semifinals last season in his first year, believes his team has what it takes to extend their season.

“Last year, we had guys who really didn’t know what to expect,” Simco said. “Now, we have seniors who don’t want it to end.”

Seniors Mike McDaniels, a second-team All-CIF choice last season, Dallas Kopp, a 6-6 center, and junior Blake Pinto are the primary weapons for the Eagles.

Seniors Shaun and Scott Markley have also been productive. Simco credits the defensive intensity provided by Scott Markley, who recently became a starter, for helping create the late-season surge.