Girls’ basketball: Home-court advantage could decide who moves on in I-AA

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Talk about intriguing. What’s not to like about quarterfinals in the Southern Section Division I-AA quarterfinals on Saturday that do not involve teams from Long Beach.

One one side, perennial power and fifth-seeded Lynwood (22-6) is playing at fourth-seeded Mater Dei (25-3). I’d have to take Lynwood in this game -- except that the game is at Mater Dei, which is playing very well right now.

You can’t always compare scores to determine a winner, but one of the teams that beat Lynwood this season is Mira Costa, 49-43. Three weeks later, Mater Dei beat Mira Costa, 51-47. The only difference in this game might be its location.

Home-court advantage might also be the difference in the other quarterfinal. Sixth-seeded Ventura (26-2) must play at third-seeded Brea Olinda (25-3). There’s something about Ventura. Coach Ann Larson’s team seems to be getting so much out of so little offense, and is playing terrific defense that’s allowing only 32.5 points a game. The Cougars aren’t flashy.

Whether it has enough offense to outscore Brea is the real question, because Brea plays good defense, too. Brea’s lowest-scoring game of the season was 43 points in a 46-43 loss to Marlborough on Dec. 21. Coincidentally, Ventura beat Marlborough, 59-51, on Feb. 2.

My hunch is the Ladycats advance by pulling away in the fourth quarter. Unlike the other games in the division that begin at 7:30 p.m., this one tips off at 7 o’clock.

These are extraordinarily intriguing matchups.

-- Martin Henderson