Four teams still alive in CIF playoffs

And then there were four. Four more Newport-Mesa teams left in the CIF Southern Section winter playoffs, that is.

The area’s two top girls’ water polo teams, Corona del Mar High and Newport Harbor, are joined in the deep rounds of the playoffs by the Sage Hill School’s girls’ basketball and girls’ soccer teams.

In the Division II semifinals, the Corona del Mar girls’ water polo team will face a surprising Palos Verdes squad that entered the playoffs as a wild-card team.

In the playoffs, Palos Verdes ? which shares the same nickname as Corona del Mar ? has won two games by one goal, including a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over Northwood and an 8-7 overtime victory over El Dorado. Palos Verdes beat Sonora (Freeway League champion) easily ? by its standards ? 7-5, in the quarterfinals.

“I don’t know much about them, except they’re a wild-card team that has won a few games in the playoffs,” Corona del Mar Coach Aaron Chaney said. “I guess they’re the Pittsburgh Steelers of the CIF playoffs.”

Palos Verdes (23-9), the third-place team out of the Bay League, may be this year’s Cinderella team in Division II, but No. 1-seed Corona del Mar (23-3) is looking to smash the designated host’s glass slippers in the semifinal at the William J. Woolett Center at Irvine High today at 5 p.m.

Chaney said he didn’t have enough bodies to scout every playoff team CdM might face. Since Palos Verdes wasn’t expected to make it this far, coupled with the fact it didn’t play in any Orange County tournaments, the team is a bit of a mystery to them.

“I’d just like to know a little more about them,” Chaney said.

The four-time CIF champion Sea Kings have had a much easier ride to the semifinals, beating La Habra, 16-2, in the first round and Peninsula, 13-4, in the second round.

Should Corona del Mar win, waiting in the championship game will be the Mira Costa-Villa Park winner. The Division II title game is slated for Monday at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach at 7:30 p.m.

The Newport Harbor girls’ water polo team, seeded No. 1 in Division I, has had two lopsided victories ? defeating Long Beach Poly, 18-3, in the first round, and Capistrano Valley, 21-7, in the quarterfinals.

Things should get tougher in a hurry for Newport Harbor (25-4), which takes on No. 4-seeded Santa Margarita in the semifinals at the William J. Woolett Center at Irvine High today at 5 p.m. ? the same time Corona del Mar plays Palos Verdes in the adjacent pool.

Santa Margarita, the Serra League champion, beat Dana Hills, 12-2, in the first round, and Los Alamitos (Sunset League champion), 6-4, in the quarterfinals.

Newport Harbor has taken two of three games from Santa Margarita this season. The Sailors won the first match, 8-4, and the third match, 7-6. Sandwiched in between was an 8-6 loss to the Eagles.

If the Sailors win, they will take on the Montebello-Foothill winner in the championship game at Belmont Plaza Pool on Tuesday at 8:15 p.m.

After a first-round bye, the No. 3-seeded Sage Hill girls’ basketball team defeated Linfield Christian, 50-40, in the second round, and then edged sixth-seeded JSerra, 32-28, in the quarterfinals.

Sage Hill takes on No. 2 seed Brentwood in the semifinals Saturday at 8 p.m. at Tarbut V’Torah School in Irvine. Last season, Sage Hill lost to Brentwood by 41 points in the quarterfinals.

Brentwood defeated New Community Jewish, 83-17, in the first round, Brethren Christian, 55-37, in the second round and Woodcrest Christian, 53-45, in the quarterfinals.

A victory would land the Lightning in the title game March 3 or 4 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach against the winner of Saturday’s game between Windward and Arrowhead Christian.

The Sage Hill girls’ soccer team hopes to make its second consecutive Division VI semifinal appearance, but first has to get past host Maranatha in the quarterfinals today at 3 p.m.

Sage Hill defeated Tarbut V’Torah, 4-1, in the first round, and Oakwood, 7-0, in the second round.