Girl’s Basketball Playoffs : Camarillo Faces Morningside in Historic Playoff Appearance

The Camarillo girls’ basketball team is going to the playoffs for the first time since the program’s inception in 1977, and Coach Jack Willard, who has guided the Scorpions there in just two years, is facing a difficult assignment.

Camarillo’s first-round opponent is Morningside (25-1), ranked first in the Southern Section by The Times and seeded No. 1 in the 4-A Division. Talk about throwing a damper on a postseason party.

Camarillo (13-8 overall) finished 8-4 and in third place in the Marmonte League. The Scorpions travel to Morningside for a 7:30 game tonight.

Willard has nothing special planned but is relying on sophomore point guard Nichole Victoria and junior center Angie Long to give their routinely consistent performances.

Victoria averages 20.1 points a game and Long averages 14.4 points and 12.8 rebounds. Willard will stick to Camarillo’s strength--Victoria from the outside and Long from the inside.

“If that’s good enough for John Wooden, it’s got to be good enough for Jack Willard,” he said. “Wooden never worried about what the other team could do.

“There’s not going to be one person in that gym who thinks we can win. The only ones will be on our bench.”