Experience counts on the basketball court, and it doesn't hurt to have been there before if you're looking for a friendly seeding position in the Southern California Regional playoffs, either.

Teams well-known outside San Diego for their prowess, such as La Jolla Country Day's girls and Horizon's boys, fared well when the pairings were announced yesterday. LJCD and Horizon earned the No. 1 and No. 2 berths, respectively, in the playoffs, which start today in Division I and in selected games in other divisions.

The majority of games start tomorrow in the five-division playoffs leading to the state championships March 14-15 in Sacramento.

Additionally, the section commissioners for the first time set up the Southern California Soccer Championships and the San Diego girls programs got glowing reviews.

Torrey Pines was seeded No. 1 in Division I and Cathedral Catholic the same for Division II. Westlake Village Oaks Christian prevented a sweep of the top spots by edging Bishop's in Division III.

The boys did not get the same consideration, however. The only top seed in the four divisions, which begin play tomorrow, was Cathedral Catholic in Division II.

While there is no state championship for soccer, there is for basketball and those seedings reward successful programs that are ranked high.

“In the past the selection committee has gone pretty much according to CalHiSports' rankings and recommendations, and since we're No. 1 in their Division IV rankings, that's where I expected us to be,” LJCD coach Terri Bamford said after her team won its eighth straight section title Saturday.

That's eight straight times the playoff committee has heard about the Torreys, who open their state bid at home tomorrow at 7 p.m. against the winner of a play-in game tonight between Visalia Exeter and Santa Monica Crossroads.

The fact LJCD has made it to the Regional finals for all seven previous appearances and the state championships four times doesn't hurt, either.

“We always line up a tough schedule in the preseason to prepare us for this,” said Bamford. “Teams like San Clemente, Narbonne and Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas that always make the playoffs.”

Likewise, despite losing 10 games this year, Horizon's boys, led by University of Arizona signee Jess Withey, a 7-foot center, got home games for all the division IV games but the championships, which this year will be held at Santa Ana Mater Dei's new gymnasium.

Waheed Mitchell's team is seeded behind another well-known program, North Hollywood Campbell Hall.

Conversely, the fates are not kind to unknown programs.

This is Maranatha Christian's first year of boys basketball and despite a 21-7 record, Rle Nichols' team will have to go to La Verne Christian for a play-in game tonight at 7. If it wins, it must come right back and play at No. 1-seeded Los Angeles Price, which has dominated Division V this decade.

The area in which San Diego struggles most for respect seems to be in Division I, both boys and girls, where the highest seed in the expanded 16-team bracket is No. 7 San Diego (boys).