Eyes on the prize

Five local girls’ basketball teams begin the final leg of the 2008-09 season at 7:30 tonight when they play first-round games in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

On Friday, one area boys’ hoops team begins its drive for a Southern Section championship. Three others — Edison, Huntington Beach and Marina — opened postseason play Wednesday.

Girls’ Basketball

Division IA

Marina, the No. 3 team from the Sunset League, opens tournament play hosting Mission Viejo. The Diablos, the third-place team from the South Coast League, earned a No. 7 seed for the tournament.

The teams previously met this season at the University Tournament, where Mission Viejo earned a 70-59 victory Dec. 13.

The Diablos are 18-8 overall. Marina comes in at 17-9.

“We’re a better team defensively than what we were earlier in the season,” Marina Coach Butch Fredlow said. “We will need a big defensive effort and some good guard play in order to be successful. They have a real legit player in Kaitlyn Petersen, who has a full ride to Gonzaga. She has one of the quickest releases I’ve been in a girls’ basketball player and is averaging nearly 26 points a game.

“We not only have to respect her as a player, but we also will have to lock down on their complimentary players, as well.”

Fredlow said that Marina guard Noelani Viloria is scoring nearly 20 points per game.

Should Marina prevail tonight, it would advance to a 7:30 p.m. second-round game Saturday. The Vikings would play the winner of tonight’s first-round game between Yucaipa and Chino Hills.

Also in the division, Fountain Valley was granted an at-large bid and will represent the Sunset League in a first-round game at Walnut. The Mustangs are champions of the San Antonio League and the No. 16 seed in the tournament.

A win by Fountain Valley would put the Barons in a 7:30 p.m. second-round game Saturday against the winner of tonight’s Chino-Canyon Springs game.

Division IIAA

Sunset League champion Edison begins its bid for a division title by hosting Sunny Hills. The Chargers are 20-4 overall and bring a 12-game win streak into tonight’s game.

They are the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

Sunny Hills is an at-large entry from the Freeway League. The Lancers lost three of their final four games to close out the regular season at 16-10.

The winner advances to a second-round game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against the winner of tonight’s El Dorado-Westminster first-round game.

Despite being the No. 6 seed in the division, Huntington Beach will begin postseason play in Fontana against Kaiser. The Oilers, 19-7 overall, are the No. 3 team from the Sea View League. The Cats are the No. 3 team from the Sunkist League.

“I don’t know much about Kaiser but I do know are girls are excited about the playoffs,” Huntington Coach Russell McClurg said. “I think we’re playing pretty well right now and everyone is starting to get healthy.”

Senior guard Noelani Viloria and freshman guard Kelsey Minato average double figures in scoring with Viloria, who has been playing with a stress fracture on her right foot, leading the Oilers in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Junior center Meghan White averages 11.2 rebounds a game.

A Huntington win tonight sends the Oilers on to a 7:30 p.m. second-round game Saturday against the winner of tonight’s Coachella Valley/Centennial (Corona) game.

Division IV

Golden West League champion Ocean View (16-9) has a first-round home date against Buena Park. The Seahawks are the overall No. 14 seed in the division. The Coyotes are another at-large entry from the Freeway League and went 14-12 in regular season play.

“They are kind of a mystery to us, although we have one common opponent this year in Pacifica,” Ocean View Coach Kim Morris said. “We beat Pacifica pretty handily and they beat Buena Park by five (points). But that was earlier in the season and teams are playing differently right now.”

The winner of tonight’s game will play the winner of tonight’s Littlerock/Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) game in a 7:30 p.m. second-round game Saturday.

Boys’ Basketball

Division IVAA

The Division IVAA playoffs began Wednesday but Ocean View, the No. 3 seed in the division behind No. 1 Bishop Montgomery and No. 2 Serra, makes its postseason debut at home Friday. The Seahawks, who had a first-round bye, will host the winner of a Wednesday first-round game between No. 14-seed Ontario Christian and Yucca Valley, in second-round action.

Ocean View brings a 20-7 record into Friday’s game. The Seahawks won 12 of their final 13 games, the only loss during that stretch a 78-72 setback to ML King, which is the No. 2-ranked team in Division I-AA.

“We have been playing pretty well, but we’re still trying to clean-up our team defense and rebounding,” Ocean View Coach Jimmy Harris said.

Quarterfinal round games will be played Tuesday.

Wednesday games

Edison, Huntington Beach and Marina all played Division IIAA first-round games Wednesday. Those results weren’t available at press time.

Edison, the No. 3 team from the Sunset League, is the No. 9-seed in the division. The Chargers hosted Baseline League No. 3 Alta Loma. The winner of that game advances to a 7:30 p.m. second-round game Friday against either Burroughs of Burbank or Vista del Lago.

Huntington Beach, which earned a share of the Sea View League championship, was home to El Dorado, an at-large entry from the Century League. The Oilers are 21-5 overall and the No. 4-seed in the tournament. The winner of tonight’s game moves on to face the winner of the Burbank-Redondo Union game in a 7:30 p.m. second-round game Friday.

Marina, the Sunset League runner-up and the No. 5-seed in the tournament, Righetti, the No. 4 team from the PAC 7 League. The winner of that game will take on the Valley View-Patriot winner at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Division II-AA quarterfinals are Tuesday. A potential quarterfinal game would pit Marina against Huntington.

MIKE SCIACCA covers sports. He can be reached at (714) 966-4611 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.