Girls basketball: Schedule shift irks Weeks

Barry Faulkner

CERRITOS - Costa Mesa High coach Jim Weeks and his players are in

serious scramble mode today, thanks to a scheduling anomaly which

requires them to open the CIF Southern Section Division III-AA girls

basketball playoffs Tuesday, two days ahead of schedule.

And Weeks was less then pleased about the news Sunday at the Southern

Section Office.

The Mustangs (16-10) will visit Diamond Ranch (18-8) Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

for the chance to advance to Thursday’s second-round game at Azusa

(21-3).

All other III-AA teams, including Estancia (16-9), which opens Thursday

at home against South Pasadena (10-11), will play no sooner than

Thursday.

Corona del Mar (21-5), which edged Mesa in the final seconds in the

Pacific Coast League finale Thursday to earn its first league title in

recent memory, is one of five teams to receive a first-round bye. Coach

Elbert Davis’ Sea Kings will open Saturday at home against Thursday’s La

Canada-Banning winner.

Mesa’s schedule was adjusted because Azusa’s gym is being used for

individual section wrestling finals Friday and Saturday.

“We were told we would not play until Thursday, so I have a problem with

this,” said Weeks, who waged his protest, to no avail, with section

administrators Sunday.

“I don’t understand why we’re the ones stuck having to play Tuesday,”

Weeks said. “And I can’t imagine Diamond Ranch is too pleased about it,

either. It’ll be a miracle if I can find anything out about Diamond Ranch

I can use for (today’s) practice to prepare for them. All I can do is try

to work on information about Asuza and hope we can get past the first

round.”

Weeks attempted to get section officials to force Azusa to use an

alternate site Saturday, allowing Mesa to open at Diamond Ranch Thursday.

Section Commissioner Jim Staunton and interim basketball administrator

Hal Harkness, though sympathetic to Weeks’ concerns, said doing so would

penalize Azusa for volunteering to host wrestling.

“We can not disenfranchise basketball teams from schools who host

wrestling, or we would never get anyone to offer their gym for

wrestling,” Harkness said.

“You got us,” Staunton told Weeks. “But we made a determination we had to

make.”

The same conflict affected the boys basketball team at Rancho Cucamonga,

where the gym is also being used Friday and Saturday for wrestling

competition.

Section officials said a disclaimer, noting the possibility of scheduling

changes due to wrestling/basketball site conflicts, should and will be

included in next year’s playoff information.

Weeks was somewhat relieved to learn Diamond Ranch, in only its third

year, does not have a senior class.

Estancia Coach Paul Kirby, as well as Davis, were happy with the playoff

picture awaiting their teams.

CdM, ranked No. 6 in the final III-AA coaches’ poll, is anxious to begin

its first postseason in four years. But, Davis said, the week-long break

will help junior scoring and rebounding leader Kristin McCoy (15.5 points

per game and 10.1 boards per game) recover from a bruised knee sustained

against Costa Mesa.

“She’ll be OK, but a few days off are a big help,” Davis said. “We just

want to ride the wave out and see how far we can go.”

If victorious Saturday, CdM could collide with No. 3-seeded

Harvard-Westlake (18-7) in the Feb. 23 quarterfinals.

Kirby, whose team won its final seven regular-season games to capture

second place in the PCL, said he is happy to be opening at home.

“It’s great not to be traveling and our girls really like playing at

home,” Kirby said. “We hope we’re peaking at the right time.”

If victorious Thursday, Estancia would play Saturday at Ganesha (24-5),

which drew a first-round bye.

Alemany (21-5) is top-seeded in III-AA, Bishop Montgomery (21-3) No. 2

and Immaculate Heart (14-8) No. 4.

The championship game would be held March 3 or 4 at Long Beach State’s

Pyramid.