St. Joseph Lives Up to Billing

The Santa Maria St. Joseph boys’ basketball team was not overlooked in its march to the Southern Section Division IV-AA championship game, where it will meet Playa del Rey St. Bernard at 8:30 tonight at Loyola Marymount.

Much to the surprise of Coach Ed Torres, the Knights (26-3) were ranked No. 1 in the division in the section as well as the state midway through the season. They have remained atop both polls.

“We’re so far north,” Torres said, “sometimes I think we’re forgotten about.”

But St. Joseph has been on the radar ever since it lost in a semifinal last season to eventual Division IV-AA champion Westlake Village Oaks Christian.

St. Joseph returned starters Stewart Kussler, Joe Tilley, Andrew Schmalbach and Brandon Merlo this season, and Ryan Adlesch also earned significant playoff experience last season. Kussler, Tilley, Schmalbach and Adlesch each are averaging double figures in scoring.

“We seem to have the right chemistry this year,” said Torres, who led the Knights to their second section title in 1998 with an overtime victory over Santa Ana Calvary Chapel.

The top-seeded Knights defeated Oaks Christian, 84-62, in a semifinal on Friday, and unseeded St. Bernard (20-10) rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to beat second-seeded Brentwood, 70-67.

In earlier championship games today at Loyola Marymount:

* Los Angeles Verbum Dei (17-9) will try to win its third consecutive Division IV-A title when it plays second-seeded La Canada Flintridge Prep (19-8) at 6:30 p.m.

* Los Angeles Price (20-6) will try to win its sixth consecutive Division V-A title when it plays third-seeded Lancaster Antelope Valley Christian (21-6) at 4:45 p.m.

* Palos Verdes Estates Rolling Hills Prep (17-7) will try for its third consecutive title when it plays third-seeded Granada Hills Hillcrest Christian (21-7) in a Division V-AA final at 3 p.m.

Dan Arritt

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Girls’ Soccer

Kandice McLaughlin has 34 goals this season, but the Woodland Hills El Camino Real senior midfielder said her most recent one was easily her favorite.

In her final home game, McLaughlin scored on a free kick from just outside the box in the 39th minute to lead the top-seeded Conquistadores (22-4-1) to a 1-0 victory over fourth-seeded San Pedro (15-1-5) in a City Section semifinal Wednesday afternoon.

“I saw that their wall was setting up to one side, so I went around them,” said McLaughlin, who will attend Michigan in the fall.

The Conquistadores will face sixth-seeded Chatsworth in the title game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at East Los Angeles College.

Chatsworth (12-7-1) defeated Granada Hills, 1-0, in the other semifinal when Shawna Williams scored in the 45th minute with an assist from Mia Swafford.

El Camino Real defeated Chatsworth twice in West Valley League play this season, 3-0 and 7-0.

It’s the fourth consecutive championship game appearance for the Conquistadores, who won the previous three. But it will be only the second title game for McLaughlin.

After playing in the game her freshman season, she sat out the next two -- her sophomore year because she received a red card in the semifinals and her junior year because of national team obligations.

-- Elia Powers