Leuzinger, Redondo receive top-four seeds in CIF-SS playoffs
The Leuzinger girls basketball team had spent the past few weeks on the watch list for the CIF-Southern Section Open Division.
The Olympians didn't make the final eight for the top division when the list was released Friday.
The Olympians (24-4) found out Sunday, with the release of the brackets for all of the divisions, that they are the No. 2 seed in Division 2A and will have a firstround bye.
First-round games are Thursday for Division 1 through Division 5A, and secondround games are Saturday.
Leuzinger, the Ocean League champion, will host Desert Empire League champion Shadow Hills in the second round Saturday. Shadow Hills also has a first-round bye.
The Olympians breezed through the Ocean League. They lost three consecutive games to start the season before transfer Madison Watts (22 ppg) was cleared to play.
Bishop Montgomery (20-6) is the only South Bay team that made the Open Division. The Knights are the eighth seed and will be on the road for all three of their pool play games. The Knights will open Saturday at No. 1 Sierra Canyon, then face
No. 4 Sage Hill (Feb. 15) and No. 5 Ontario Christian (Feb. 18).
Bay League champion Redondo (15-10) is the No. 4 seed in Division 2AA. The Sea Hawks have a first-round bye and will play Saturday in the second round against South Pasadena or Long Beach Wilson. Redondo went 10-0 in the Bay League. Rolling Hills Prep (17-9) has a home game against San Marcos in Division 2AA in the first round.
St. Mary's Academy (19-9) has a firstround bye in 2A. The Belles will host Portola or Tesoro in Saturday's second round.
In the first round of Division 1, there is a good local matchup. Pioneer League champion North Torrance (18-7) will host Peninsula (13-12), led by senior Jadyn Lee. The teams didn't play during the regular season.
Also in Division 1, West Torrance (199) will host St. Paul and Mira Costa (179) will visit No. 2 seed Chaminade (16-12).
In Division 3A, South Torrance (1612) will be on the road against Temescal Canyon, Torrance (19-9) will be at Hillcrest and Hawthorne (16-8) will be home against Campbell Hall.
Vistamar (12-7) will be at Edgewood in Division 5AA.
Animo Leadership (3-4) is the lone South Bay team in the wild-card round. The Aztec Eagles will host Alhambra on Tuesday.
A pack of cars race through Turn 4 during one of the four opening heat races of the NASCAR Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday night.
place second.
“I saved it three times, was working the brakes all night,” Dillon said. “I had a shot at Truex at the end, so that was nice.”
Kyle Busch, who finished second last year and qualified second this year, was spun by last year's race winner Joey Logano with 64 laps to go and send to the back of the pack, but battled all the way back to finish third.
“It was a battle all night long. You can't count us out. You can't bet against us,” Busch said. “Everyone would get bottled up and start bumper tagging and I'd just go around them on the outside.”
Alex Bowman was fourth and Kyle Larson took fifth.
In all, there were four lead changed among six drivers.
William Byron was the only driver to lead a heat race from start to finish to top Heat No. 4. He ran as high as third but finished 10th.
Ty Gibbs, whose car caught fire Saturday during practice and left him unable to qualify, made it to the main event via “Last Chance Qualifier No. 2” but was only able to complete 81 laps before crashing out.
“I guess it's called `The Clash' for a reason. It (stinks),” Gibbs said.
Justin Haley, who had the top car in qualifying on Saturday, was running eighth when he was spun with 44 laps to go and finished 11th.