The CIF-Southern Section released its brackets for the boys and girls basketball championship tournament today. Loma Linda Academy placed in the top half of both brackets.
The boys team (16th seed) will play Chadwick (10-13) at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, February 13 at home. The last time a Roadrunners team faced the Dophins was several years ago in the second round of the boys volleyball tournament. Chadwick, a very well-endowed school in Rancho Palos Verdes, edged LLA in 5 games. The home court advantage may be significant as the trip between the two schools easily takes two hours with traffic. Almost certainly, Chadwick parents who make it will not find an extraordinary Italian restaurant waiting for them at this end!
The Dolphins basketball team is led by two juniors. Kevin Doi is a 5-9 guard who is averaging 19.1 points per game shooting including 36% from beyond the arc. He has also had 140 assists versus 104 turnovers. Cole Freeman is a 6-4 post player who averages 13.7 points and 9.6 boards a game. The Dolphins are ranked 18th by the MaxPreps computer rankings of Division 5AA teams whereas LLA is ranked 15th.
The girls team (seeded 3), champions of the Ambassador League, will host Pacifica Christian (10-12) on Valentines Day, February 14 at 7 PM. The Lady Sea Wolves face the same daunting trek starting on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Team parents making the trip probably didn't make any Valentines Day plans anyway.
The exact nature of a sea wolf remains unclear as the team logo features a land canine with a green wavy mane trailing off. Nevertheless, junior center Shannon Volpis leads the pack with 10.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Both Pacifica Christian and LLA annihilated common opponent Glendale Adventist Academy during the regular season.
Please come and support the LLA Roadrunners for each of these games!
