3 locals set for playoffs

Sage Hill School, tri-champion of the Academy League, tops three Newport-Mesa schools competing in the CIF Southern Section girls’ basketball playoffs that will tip off Thursday night.

Coach Lou Silverman’s Lightning (16-8) shared the league title with St. Margaret’s and Whitney and emerged from a coin flip with the league’s No. 1 playoff designation. That locked up a Division V-AA first-round home game against No. 4-seeded Valley Christian of Cerritos (15-11), an at-large entry from the Olympic League, at 7:30 p.m.

Corona del Mar and Estancia are the other two local schools competing.

Coach Mark Decker’s Sea Kings (18-9), who settled for an at-large berth in Division IV-AA, after losing a playoff game for third-place in the Pacific Coast League with Irvine Friday, will visit No. 6-seeded La Canada (20-6) at 7:30.

Estancia (14-10), the third-place team from the Orange Coast League, is at home against No. 6-seeded JSerra (17-9) in a first-round Division IV-A contest. Tipoff is at 7:30.

The Lightning are led by senior forward Tierney Danner (14.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game). She was a first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA performer and made the Newport-Mesa Dream Team as a junior.

Sage, which reached the quarterfinals of the Division IV-AA playoffs last season, also relies upon senior guard Morgan Hembarsky (9.9 ppg).

CdM is led by 5-foot-5 sophomore guard Kayla Marolt (15.2 ppg).

Estancia, coached by Xavier Castellano and Judd Fryslie, is paced by sophomore guard Kassie Stratton (16.3 ppg) and junior point guard Erika Soto (9.7 ppg).

— From staff reports