Kurt ZimmermanSchool: Mission Viejo HighSport: BasketballPosition: GuardClass:...

Kurt Zimmerman

School: Mission Viejo High

Sport: Basketball

Position: Guard

Class: Senior

That Mission Viejo is playing in the second round of the Southern Section Division II-A playoffs might surprise some people, but the Diablos are on a five-game roll and feeling confident. It’s a team without a dominating player--leading scorer Jeff Carr averages 14 points--but last week, Zimmerman, a 5-foot-10 guard, did what he could to help the Diablos advance. In a 61-56 victory over Cypress in a double-overtime qualifying game Tuesday, Zimmerman scored 13 of his 16 points after the third quarter. Friday, he scored a game-high 21 points in a 52-48 victory over Villa Park. He made 12 of his 16 shots from the field during the two games. Mission Viejo Coach Bob Minier said Zimmerman, who averaged eight points during the regular season in his first season on varsity, moves well without the ball and seems to find perfect spots to receive passes. “He’s what you call a smart player,” Minier said. “Basically, he’s a short, not very quick kid, so he has to be smart.”

Other top performers:

Nate Anderson, who after replacing injured All-Empire League goalkeeper Blaine Leitner, saved four shots and shut out Calexico, 2-0, in the first round of the 2-A soccer playoffs.

Matt Kenney, who scored 16 of his 20 points in the first quarter of Servite’s 78-56 victory over Rim of the World in a Division III-AA game. Kenney made four three-pointers and scored the 16 points during Servite’s 26-1 run that ended the quarter.

Jado Lee, who scored 32 points in Irvine’s 79-45 victory over Cerritos in the first round of the Division I-A playoffs.

Greg Smith, who won his second consecutive Southern Section wrestling title and helped Calvary Chapel win its second consecutive Division 1-A title. Smith also won his three matches at 130 pounds to help the Eagles advance to the title match of the dual-meet championship.