Playoffs Have a Familiar Look

Familiar teams are atop the seedings for the Southern and City section playoffs. The Southern Section begins playoffs Thursday, and the City Section begins Championship Division play Friday.

A division-by-division preview:

CITY SECTION

CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION

Last season’s champion: Harbor City Narbonne.

Seeded teams: 1. Narbonne (21-3), 2. Westchester (17-8), 3. Chatsworth (19-7), 4. Gardena (21-4).

Dark horse: Palisades (14-11) closed the season with a victory against Westchester.

Outlook: Narbonne seems more susceptible than last season, but the Gauchos have too much depth for City teams to overcome.

SOUTHERN SECTION

DIVISION I-AA

Last season’s champion: San Clemente.

Seeded teams: 1. Lynwood (24-0), 2. Long Beach Poly (28-0), 3. Chino Hills Ayala (23-4), 4. Anaheim Esperanza (21-4).

Dark horse: Rialto Eisenhower (23-3) gave Poly one of its closest games, 48-38, and is on the same side of the bracket.

Outlook: Lynwood was the I-AAA champion last season, but that division has been dissolved. Anything less than a Lynwood-Poly final will be a major disappointment.

DIVISION I-A

Last season’s champion: Fullerton Troy.

Seeded teams: 1. San Clemente (22-3), 2. Westminster (21-4), 3. Newhall Hart (22-4), 4. San Bernardino (19-4).

Dark horse: Edison (17-8) has a victory against Hart and comes through San Bernardino’s quarter of the bracket.

Outlook: San Clemente has been the most consistent team in the division, and it’s a failed season if Tritons don’t win the title.

DIVISION II-AA

Last season’s champion: Brea Olinda.

Seeded teams: 1. Troy (24-2), 2. Ventura (24-2), 3. Irvine Woodbridge (24-3), 4. Ventura Buena (17-8).

Dark horse: Alhambra Keppel (23-2) lost to Woodbridge, 43-40, and is athletic enough to present a challenge for Ventura in quarterfinal.

Outlook: The toughest division from top to bottom, 10 of the 27 teams have been ranked in The Times’ top 25.

DIVISION II-A

Last season’s champion: Artesia.

Seeded teams: 1. Brea Olinda (19-6), 2. Santa Margarita (21-4), 3. Redondo Union (18-7), 4. Torrance North (20-6).

Dark horse: Santa Ana Mater Dei (20-6) lost three of its last four games but at one point was very good.

Outlook: Brea is no shoe-in, but the Ladycats’ struggles offensively are offset by division’s best defense. Brea held Lynwood to its season-low 53 points, and San Clemente to its second-lowest, 49.

DIVISION III-AA

Last season’s champion: North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

Seeded teams: 1. Artesia (20-5), 2. La Puente Bishop Amat (21-7), 3. Apple Valley (21-4), 4. Newbury Park (22-5).

Dark horse: Rim of the World (21-4) has beaten Newbury Park and Apple Valley and comes through Newbury Park’s quarter of the bracket.

Outlook: Division got a lot more interesting after Artesia’s Lauren Ervin, a 6-3 center, quit last week.

DIVISION III-A

Last season’s champion: None.

Seeded teams: 1. Torrance Bishop Montgomery (20-5), 2. Pasadena Muir (21-4), 3. Inglewood Morningside (19-7), 4. Fullerton Rosary (15-13).

Dark horse: Santa Ynez (21-4), in Rosary’s quarter of the bracket, has won 12 in a row. Its last three losses were by a combined nine points.

Outlook: Bishop Montgomery has won back-to-back state titles and shouldn’t have any problems winning another section championship.

DIVISION IV-AA

Last season’s champion: Oak Park.

Seeded teams: 1. Playa del Rey St. Bernard (16-7), 2. Oak Park (16-10), 3. Cerritos Valley Christian (20-5), 4. Orange Lutheran (19-6).

Dark horse: Santa Fe Springs St. Paul (20-7), in Valley Christian’s quarter of the bracket, is an at-large team from the tough Del Rey League and has one of the division’s top players, Crystal Erwin.

Outlook: St. Bernard is the most complete team in the division.

DIVISION IV-A

Last season’s champion: Playa del Rey St. Bernard.

Seeded teams: 1. Brentwood (23-1), 2. Cypress Brethren Christian (21-3), 3. Montclair Prep (16-5), 4. Oaks Christian (18-8).

Dark horse: Capistrano Valley Christian (17-5) isn’t as well-rounded as Cate or Windward, but guard Bethany Thom is capable of helping her team score an upset, as she did in a 54-50 against Brethren Christian.

Outlook: Brentwood is the team to beat. It won its last meeting against Montclair Prep, 70-54.

DIVISION V-AA

Last season’s champion: Montclair Prep.

Seeded teams: 1. Palos Verdes Rolling Hills Prep (18-6), 2. Encino Holy Martyrs (16-7), 3. Granada Hills Hillcrest Christian (13-9), 4. Saugus Scott Academy (16-6).

Dark horse: Boron (15-7), which comes through the Scott Academy quarter of the bracket, could be especially dangerous with homecourt advantage.

Outlook: Title chase should be wide open. Holy Martyrs needed fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Scott earlier this season.

DIVISION V-A

Last season’s champion: Los Angeles Pilgrim.

Seeded teams: 1. Pilgrim (22-3), 2. Hemet Baptist Christian (19-0), 3. Santa Clarita Christian (18-3), 4. Huntington Beach Liberty Christian (16-4).

Dark horse: Santa Maria Valley Christian (16-4) reached the quarterfinals last season and is coming through Santa Clarita’s quarter of the bracket.

Outlook: Pilgrim is favored to win its third consecutive section title.