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Orange County girls basketball was well-represented throughout most of the playoff brackets released Tuesday by the CIF Southern Section.

From three teams in the high-profile Open Division to two high seeds in Division 5AA, the county appears to have several title contenders. Orange Lutheran (Division 2AA), Pacifica Christian (Division 4A) and Capistrano Valley Christian (Division 5AA) each earned No. 1 seeds.

Trinity League co-champions Mater Dei (21-4) and Rosary (15-7) grabbed the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively, in the Open Division and will square off for the third time Saturday at Mater Dei in Pool A.

“Playing a league opponent is never ideal for either of us but it is what it is,” said Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan, whose team is the two-time defending Open Division champion. “We go play who and where they tell us.”

Mater Dei and Rosary are in the same pool as No. 1 Etiwanda (24-0) and No. 8 Windward (18-7).

Sixth-seeded Orangewood Academy (20-7) opens Pool B at No. 3 Centennial Corona (23-5) on Saturday. The group also includes No. 2 Sierra Canyon (23-1) and No. 7 Bishop Montgomery (17-3).

The Open final is scheduled for Feb. 26 at the school of the highest remaining seed.

In Division 1, only one county team — Esperanza — finished ranked in the top 16. The No. 7 Aztecs, the Division 1 runner-up last season, open Saturday by playing host to West Torrance (16-9).

Division 2AA could be the county’s marquee division. Orange Lutheran (19-8), Sage Hill (18-9) and Crean Lutheran (21-5) are seeded first, second and fourth respectively. Santa Monica (17-5) claimed the No. 3 seed.

The county also has contenders in Sonora (19-6) and Brea Olinda (21-5), ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the division.

Sonora and Crean Lutheran both received first-round byes and could meet in the quarterfinals.

Sage Hill, the Division 3AA champion last season, plays host to Tesoro in the first round Saturday.

Orange County also produced a high seed in Division 2A. Santa Margarita (14-6), the third-place team from the Trinity League, earned the No. 3 seed behind Ontario Christian and Santiago Corona.

The Eagles open at Xavier Prep on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Division 2A features strong depth. Newport Harbor (19-8), the Division 4A champion last season, plays host to Brentwood (18-10), the fifth-ranked team in the division, in a challenging first-round game.

Calvary Chapel (17-1), the Orange Coast League champion, earned the No. 2 seed in Division 4AA to Lawndale.

In Division 5AA, Laguna Beach (17-10) took the No. 3 seed as an at-large entry from the Wave League.

TOUGH MISSES

JSerra (10-12) and Los Alamitos (14-8) were among the CIF-ranked squads that didn’t make the draw.

The Lions, ranked seventh in Division 2A after placing fifth in the Trinity League, weren’t eligible for an at-large berth because their overall record was below .500.

Coach Geoffrey Clayton said his team tried to schedule a few more games after losing six due to COVID-19 protocols. “We will be back better than ever next year,” said Clayton, who started two freshmen and two sophomores.

Los Alamitos, ranked fifth in Division 3A after placing third in the Surf League, didn’t crack its bracket. There were no at-large entries in Division 3A, which featured 33 automatic qualifiers for a 32-team bracket. “We are disappointed because we believe we have one of the better teams in Division 3A and that our 14-8 record shows that,” Griffins coach Maya Kennedy said.

Buena Park (14-11), tied for fourth in the Freeway League, also applied for an at-large berth in Division 3A. Irvine (13-12) also was a 3A at-large candidate.

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