Girls’ basketball: It pays to be seeded (but not 13th)
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If you could be correct 90% of the time, you could make a fortune in Las Vegas. If you could be correct 84% you would do quite well, too.
Those are the kinds of spot-on percentages the Southern Section has after 191 girls’ basketball games involving seeded teams.
Although second-round games are to be played Wednesday in the top three divisions, the lower seven have already eliminated half their fields as they play for section championships.
In first-round games, teams seeded Nos. 1 through 16 went 122-13 (.904). No more than two seeded teams were beaten in any division. Among the 13 losers, five were seeded No. 13.
In second-round games, teams seeded Nos. 1 through 8 went 46-8 (.852) and higher-seeded teams as a whole went 47-9 (.839). Among those nine losers, eight were playing road games. Three were seeded No. 8.
Among higher-seeded teams playing on the road Wednesday in the top three divisions:
- In Division I-AA:
- No. 1 Long Beach Poly at No. 10 JSerra
- No. 8 Bishop Montgomery at No. 16 Long Beach Wilson
- No. 4 Mater Dei at Long Beach Jordan
- No. 3 Brea Olinda at Orange Lutheran
- In Division I-A
- No. 1 Redondo at No. 14 Woodbridge
- No. 8 Hart at Riverside North
- No. 5 Foothill at Burbank
- No. 4 San Clemente at No. 13 Palos Verdes
- No. 3 Mira Costa at No. 12 Huntington Beach
- No. 6 Canyon Springs at Mission Viejo
- No. 6 King at Dana Hills
- No. 2 Muir at No. 15 Cerritos
- In Division II-AA
- No. 1 Miller at Rancho Cucamonga
- No. 7 Esperanza at No. 8 Inglewood
- No. 4 Etiwanda at Oaks Christian
- No. 3 Santa Monica at Blair
- No. 6 Los Osos at No. 12 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
- No. 2 Edison at Beverly Hills
Given the numbers, I’d say Bishop Montgomery and Hart -- a pair of No. 8s who are playing on the road in the second round -- shouldn’t take anything for granted.
-- Martin Henderson
-- Image from www.library.dtcc.edu