Six locals earn berths

The CIF Southern Section girls’ basketball playoff party, which starts this week, includes six local schools on the invite-only list.

Ocean View and Brethren Christian get a jump on the other four locals by starting postseason play Thursday. Edison, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Marina make their postseason debuts Saturday.

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Division 3A

Firebaugh (13-7) vs. Ocean View (11-15), 7 p.m. Thursday at Ocean View High: Ocean View carries the No. 13-seed into this first-round game against the Falcons of Lynwood.

The Seahawks enter the playoffs as the No. 3 team from the Golden West League. They finished league play behind league co-champions Westminster and Segerstrom and ended the regular season Feb. 9 with a 49-35 loss to Segerstrom.

Firebaugh is an at-large entry from the Harbor League. The Falcons dropped their final two games of the regular season last week.

“As a No. 13-seed coming into the playoffs, I could not have asked for anything more,” Ocean View Coach Kim Morris said. “We are a third-place team playing an at-large team at home and if we get past the first round, we run into the fourth-seed (St. Lucy’s).”

Second-round games in the division playoffs are at 7 p.m. Saturday. Quarterfinal round games are at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

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Division 5AA

Hamilton (13-8) vs. Brethren Christian (18-9), 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Liberty Christian School: Brethren Christian parlayed a victory Friday into a into a third-place finish in the Academy League to earn an automatic playoff berth. The Warriors knocked off host Sage Hill, 40-28, in a league playoff game that determined the third-place finisher.

Junior forward Brooke Hernandez led BC with 14 points and the Warriors’ balanced attack saw senior guard Diannia Demazeliere post eight points and senior post Kate Jensen and junior guard Sara Hodges each added six points.

The Warriors, the No. 14-seed in the division, take on a Hamilton of Anza squad that finished fourth in the Arrowhead League. The Bobcats are led by senior captain and forward player Katherine Barajas, who is averaging 12 points a game.

The Bobcats lost three of their final four regular-season games.

“Hamilton presents a good challenge for us in the opening round,” BC Coach Jeff Wallace said. “We will need to continue with our complete game effort from last week’s playoff game in order to do well against them on Thursday.”

The winner of Thursday’s game advances to Saturday’s second round. The division quarterfinals are Wednesday.

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Division 1AA

Quartz Hill (16-6) at Edison (21-3), 7 p.m. Saturday: Edison begins its quest for a second straight Southern Section championship when it hosts Quartz Hill.

The Chargers shared the Sunset League title with Huntington Beach and are the No. 4-seed in the division, one year after capturing the Division 1A crown.

Quartz Hill is the No. 3 team from the Golden League. The Rebels wrapped up third place by winning four of their final five league games.

Second-round games in the division are at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

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Division 1A

Dana Hills (10-16) at Huntington Beach (21-4), 7 p.m. Saturday: Co-Sunset League champion Huntington, the No. 3-seed in the division, starts its playoff run against a Dana Hills team that finished fourth in the South Coast League.

The Oilers wrapped up a 9-1 league season on Feb. 9 by defeating Marina, 64-37. Senior guard Kelsey Minato led all scorers with 22 points and senior guard Maya Kennedy posted 13 points as the Oilers finished atop the league standings for the first time since 2007.

Dana Hills, an at-large entry, is led by senior forward Laura Johnson and junior forward Katie Underwood, who average close to nine points each per game. The Dolphins come into the game having lost their last three games.

“I feel really confident in my girls and hope that we can stay healthy,’ Huntington Coach Russ McClurg said. “We will take Dana Hills very seriously. I am very proud of the way the girls represented their school this season, winning the Sunset League title. I believe in these girls and I hope that we can go far in CIF.”

Second-round games in the division are at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Fountain Valley (13-13) at Burbank (16-11), 7 p.m. Saturday: Fountain Valley made the playoffs as an at-large entry and meets a Burbank team that is the division’s No. 13-seed.

The Barons closed out Sunset League play Feb. 9 with a 56-28 drubbing of Newport Harbor. Senior forward Carly Ducat and junior guard Jasmine Matar both scored 10 points for the Barons.

Burbank is the runner-up from the Pacific League. The Bulldogs are led offensively by senior small forward Damarie Gonzalez at 11.7 points per game.

Marina (8-17) at El Toro (23-2), 7 p.m. Saturday: Marina faces the task of taking on the division’s No. 2-seed.

The Vikings are an at-large entry to the playoffs under first-year Coach Dean Katayama. They completed Sunset League play Feb. 9 with a 64-37 loss to Huntington Beach, getting eight points from junior guard Lauren Dorame and seven points from sophomore guard Melissa Lindquist.

El Toro tied Laguna Hills for the South Coast League title and is riding a six-game win streak into the postseason. The Chargers offense is paced by junior guard Whitney Williams (16.6 ppg.) and senior forward/center Alyson Doherty (15 ppg.).

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca