Prep basketball: Five Newport-Mesa hoop teams chase league titles

Barry Faulkner

The Corona del Mar High boys and girls basketball teams can earn

outright league titles, while the boys and girls squads from Costa Mesa,

as well as Newport Harbor’s boys unit, are also gunning for a share of

the crown, when play concludes this week in the Pacific Coast and Sea

View leagues.

The CdM girls, with wins at University tonight and against visiting Mesa

Thursday, will wrap up the PCL championship.

The CdM boys host fellow-league-leading Uni tonight, then visit Mesa

Thursday. Two CdM victories would give Coach Paul Orris his first

outright crown since 1987. The Sea Kings were co-champions of the Sea

View League in 1990.

But those are the simplistic scenarios.

If the Mesa boys sweep Laguna Beach and CdM, they would share the crown

with tonight’s CdM-Uni winner. The Mustangs have never won or shared a

league title. They are also one win away from tying the 1965-66 team’s

school single-season record of 18.

If CdM beats Uni’s boys, then loses to Mesa, it could wind up in a

three-way tie with both, should Uni fall at Estancia Thursday and Mesa

knock off Laguna Beach Wednesday.

In the PCL girls race, Estancia, which visits Uni Thursday, is in

position to move into a three-way tie for first, should Mesa beat CdM

Thursday after the Mustangs and Sea Kings, as expected, take care of

business tonight against Laguna Beach and Uni, respectively.

The Newport Harbor boys, who gave up control of their fate with a pair of

league losses last week, need to handle visiting Aliso Niguel Friday,

then hope Woodbridge loses to either Aliso (Wednesday at Aliso), or

Irvine (Friday at Woodbridge), or both. One Warrior loss and a Harbor win

would make them co-champs. Should Woodbridge drop a pair, the Tars can

take the title outright with a win over the Wolverines.

Regardless of what happens this week, including potential playoff games

Friday, every Newport-Mesa team with 10 wins (all but the Harbor girls)

will advance to the CIF playoffs.

Playoff pairings will be announced Sunday.