St. Bernard Hoops Teams Net High Seeds

Last year was a magical one for the St. Bernard High School varsity basketball programs. Both the boys and girls teams reached the state finals in Sacramento and now their quests for a return trip begins.

The boys squad won 26 games and finished undefeated in the Camino Real League a year ago under first-year coach Reggie Morris, and this season the Vikings picked up right where they left off. Once again, they finished 10-0 in league play and at 19-7 overall they earned the No. 1 seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 5AA playoffs. 

St. Bernard has a first-round bye Wednesday and will host Cate or 16th-seeded San Gabriel Academy in the second round Friday. A potential semifinal matchup could pit the Vikings against Mission Prep and if seedings hold St. Bernard would face No. 2 Village Christian in the finals. 

The Vikings ended the regular season with 13 consecutive victories. Their last loss was to Lakewood Mayfair on Dec. 29 at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego. They are led by junior guard Brandon Randolph (18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 steals per game), who was an All-CIF and All-State selection after scoring 18.7 points per game as a sophomore last winter.

Click here to view the 2011-12 CIF-SS boys basketball playoff brackets.

As for Coach Bo Corona's girls squad, this season has been about improvement. The Lady Vikings were 4-4 in Del Rey League play last year, finishing fourth out of five teams. This year they went 7-1 and shared the league title with Gardena Serra. The teams split their two head-to-head meetings this year, each winning in its own gym, but the Vikings won a coin flip and were given the higher spot.

Fourth-seeded St. Bernard (21-7 overall, 7-1 in league) will host Costa Mesa in the first round of the Division 4AA playoffs Thursday. The winner advances to a second-round matchup Saturday against either Nordhoff or 13th-seeded Morro Bay. Defending Division IV state champion L.A. Windward is the No. 1 seed, followed by Oaks Christian and Chaminade. 

The Vikings won six of seven games to close out the regular season, losing only at Serra. They share no common opponents with Costa Mesa, which came in second behind Godinez in the Orange Coast League. St. Bernard is paced by sophomore center LaJahna Drummer (16.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.2 steals per game) and guard Chyanne Butler (11.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.4 steals).

Click here to view the 2011-12 CIF-SS girls basketball playoff brackets.