Tall task for Musketeers
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers UNDERDOGS- Kathy Ceja, center, and the Moorpark High girls' basketball team will play top-seeded Long Beach Poly Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the opening round of the CIF-SS Division IAA playoffs.

Apparently, somebody thinks the Moorpark High girls' basketball team doesn't have much of a shot in the CIF-Southern Section Division IAA postseason. The Musketeers don't agree.

When the playoffs begin Saturday for MHS, the Musketeers' opponent will be Long Beach Poly, the division's No. 1 seed. Since the top-ranked team always begins the playoffs at home against the lowest seed, it means the CIF doesn't think too highly of Moorpark.

Although Moorpark head coach Dave Murphy wasn't angry about his team's placement, he did seem a little confused.

"There are some teams ahead of us that don't even have winning records," Murphy said. "I don't really care. Either way we still have to win five games to win a championship.

"But if I look at this from Long Beach's point of view, I'm a little upset. They've worked hard all year to get a top ranking, and instead of finding out they are playing an at-large team, they're playing us."

Some of the questionable seeds ranked ahead of Moorpark include Long Beach Wilson (1214 overall, 66 in the Moore League), Orange Lutheran (fourthplace finishers in the Trinity League) and Canyon of Anaheim (1214 overall, 2-8 in the Century League).

Although the Musketeers have a tough first-round foe, the team remains confident.

"I don't know why everyone doubts us," senior Molly Carson said. "Apparently everyone thinks we are the worst team in the playoffs. I guess we're just going to have to go out and prove them wrong by winning this game."

For Moorpark to pull off the upset, Carson will have to continue to shoot at an unbelievable rate. On Feb. 4 against Calabasas, Carson set a Ventura County record when she made 10 3pointers. The old record was nine, set earlier this season by Brittany Cabriales of Simi Valley High, Murphy said.

"When it's on, it's on," Carson said about her jump shot. "I've shot 13 3-pointers in a game before. I just usually don't hit 10 of them."

While Carson is the Musketeers' premier outside shooter, the team's best player in the paint is senior Lauren Carter. Carter leads MHS in points (17.5) and rebounds per game (11.9).

Other players that will need to step up include senior Megan Natelson, the team's leader in assists and steals, and Jessica Kidder, the team leader in blocked shots. Kathy Ceja, Amanda Sedo, Keely Murphy and Jenna Cirillo will also need to play well.

Although Moorpark believes they aren't the division's bottom dweller, they seem to agree that Long Beach Poly (21-2 overall, 11-1 in the Moore League) is very tough.

"In order to win, we're going to have to play very well on our end," Carson said.

"We're not going to win by them playing poorly. They don't make many 3-pointers, but they get a lot of points off steals and layups, which means we're going to have take care of the ball."

The Jackrabbits' biggest star is senior Jasmine Dixon. Dixon leads the team in nearly every statistical category, including points (291), rebounds (226), assists (66) and steals (95).

As a team, Poly's defense has been stellar. Seven times this year, LBP has held its opponents under 30 points. The Jackrabbits come into the postseason having won their last 12 games.

"They have several kids that are very athletic," Murphy said. "They're very good defensively. We're going to have to play hard and execute.

"They may be a good team, but if we execute perfectly, I think we can win. So does the team. I asked them in practice if there was anybody who didn't think we could win. If there was, I asked them to leave. Nobody left."

Saturday's tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Long Beach Poly.