Playoffs

CORONA DEL MAR - One of the first things an opponent notices when it walks into the Corona del Mar High gym is the dozens of CIF Southern Section championship banners on the walls. Five belong to the boys' basketball team at the school. The Sea Kings tried to earn the right to play for another on Friday. Their opponent was La Verne Damien and its players looked up and saw all the banners. Never had Damien played for a section title in its history. Damien will now. A sophomore point guard named Jeremy Hemsley led second-seeded Damien to a 61-53 win in a Division 3AA semifinal road game against third-seeded CdM. He ended the game the same way he started it, strong.

Kevin Rakestraw said he has seen the photo on Twitter. The photo isn't of the 7-foot center from Newport Harbor High. The photo just has his name written inside a large pizza box, with the words "Newport Sucks" in big letters and his last name in smaller letters just below. A player from the Edison boys' basketball team posted the photo on his Twitter account. The night before a game against Newport Harbor in late January, the tweet read "Team Dinner #rakestraw" followed by a link to the photo.

NEWPORT COAST — In the visiting stands at Sage Hill School, a man kept yelling, "Ánimo!" Ánimo was the boys' soccer team Sage Hill played in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs on Wednesday. Ánimo is a Spanish word meaning to have courage. There is no doubt the school from Inglewood played with a lot spirit on the field, especially on the offensive end. Sage Hill first-year coach Luis Turcios said he was well aware that Ánimo was a top-notch team that could score goals in bunches.

True Tamplin just wrapped up practice with his Newport Harbor High boys' soccer team on Thursday. While he gathered his belongings, one third of the team waited for him near his car. "I don't know why there are so many of them," said Tamplin, who looked at his eight teammates and then laughed. "Only four of them [fit]. They, like, fight each other out for [a spot in the car]. " Tamplin is more than willing to be their chauffeur. This is the routine after practice. Four jump in and four walk home.

RIVERSIDE - The Newport Harbor High boys' basketball team went to its big man to earn its first playoff win since the 2006-07 season. Kevin Rakestraw, the Sailors' 7-foot senior center, had 35 points, 26 rebounds and seven blocks to lead Newport Harbor to a 66-62 win at Patriot of Riverside in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2A playoffs Friday night. Rakestraw, who is bound for Stanford to play volleyball, had season-highs for points and rebounds against Patriot (16-12)

The Corona del Mar High and Newport Harbor girls' water polo teams won easily on Wednesday and continued on their quest to meet in the title match of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Costa Mesa lost and was eliminated in the first round of Division 1. * GIRLS' WATER POLO Corona del Mar 17, Ventura 4 CORONA DEL MAR - Senior Stephania Haralabidis had five goals, two assists and three steals for the Sea Kings in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 first-round match Wednesday at CdM. Seniors Ally McCormick and Ioanna Haralabidis each scored three goals for No. 3-seeded CdM (24-4)

CORONA DEL MAR - Around this time of the season, Coach Ryan Schachter calls up players to join the Corona del Mar High boys' basketball team. They have names most fans haven't heard of all season, names the PA announcer has never uttered during a varsity game. Rarely do these players from the lower-level programs get to play around this time of the season, in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. That changed Wednesday in the Sea Kings' Division 3-AA first-round game. Four youngsters entered with six minutes left to play against Rancho Alamitos.

COSTA MESA — In its second CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff appearance in three years, the Estancia High girls' water polo team lasted just one round again. The Eagles lost at home to Huntington Beach, 18-3, in a wild-card game on Tuesday. Senior Ilene Umansky recorded two goals and Danielle Ridge had one goal for Estancia (15-13). Goalie Alexis Paul made 13 saves. "It was nice," Coach Jennifer Broderick said of leading the Eagles back to the postseason. "We really had to fight for it after there was a three-way [in the Orange Coast League for an automatic playoff berth]

The Estancia High and Corona del Mar girls' soccer teams have spent the season sharing the field at Jim Scott Stadium. The teams will share the field once again to open the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Both squads received home matches in Thursday's first round, as the brackets were released on Monday. CdM (15-3-4), the Pacific Coast League champion, will have the field first. The Sea Kings play against Los Osos at 3 p.m. in a Division 1 first-round match. Los Osos (14-7-4)

The Corona del Mar High boys' soccer team bounced back nicely from two straight losses with two consecutive wins to end the regular season. The Sea Kings are hoping to carry that momentum into the postseason. CdM is the only Newport-Mesa area team to have a home game in the first round of the CIF playoffs. The brackets were released Monday. The Sea Kings (11-6-6), which finished second in the Pacific Coast League, will play host to California (8-6-4) on Friday at 5 p.m. at Estancia High in a Division 3 first-round game.