Football season has ended at San Pedro High School... but excitement will still be running high in the winter time.

Why? Because it's time for some hoops action.

The boys and girls basketball teams both had a great run in the 2011-2012 season, with the boys placing in a three-way tie for third place in the Marine League, and reached the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division II quarterfinals, On the girls side, they surprised everyone by reaching the City Division I playoffs and posted two crucial Marine League wins over both Gardena and Washington Prep of Los Angeles.

Behind coach John Bobich, who enters his 13th season, the San Pedro boys basketball team will be aiming to challenge Washington and rival Narbonne of Harbor City for the league title, along with improving Banning of Wilmington, who was the surprise league runner-up last season.

Senior guard Elijah Gaines and junior forward Quincy Thomas, both returning All-Marine League selections, are back for another run, and the team will also be boasted by senior guard Austin Freitas, a sharpshooter from the outside who's also a standout volleyball player. Bobich will also get some well-needed assistance from former members of last year's JV team that went 10-2 in the Marine League, such as 6'5'' sophomore center Conor Healy, junior guards Isaac Stell and Zach Foster, along with senior guard Michael Garcia. 

Bobich has over 400 wins and seven CIF championships in his long and storied prep coaching career at San Pedro and Pacific Hills High, five of them at Pacific Hills, including a Division V state title in 1998. Under Bobich's guidance, San Pedro won the 2006 City Invitational Division and 2010 Division II crowns.

Such success has eluded the San Pedro girls basketball team, but they're headed in the right direction.

Not many expected much out of the Lady Pirates last year, but coach Gary Herrera made quite an impression on the team in turning around a 1-20 team in 2011, to a 10-13 team in 2012, with a playoff spot to boot. The girls also won the consolation championship of the Gahr (Cerritos) Tournament, and was the runner-up in the Downey Calvary Chapel  Tournament as well.

This year's girls team lost 10 seniors from the previous year, but still return super sophomore guard Rita Fiorenza, so San Pedro can never be counted out.

Senior center Miranda Diehm, junior G/F Cheyenne Alvarez, junior forward Alejandra Macias, sophomore guard Emily Iacono and senior guard Melina Lopez are the only other returning players alongside Fiorenza, who led the team in scoring and is the only All-Marine League returning player for the Lady Pirates. 

Some of the new faces to look out for on San Pedro's girls team includes senior forward Angelica Estrada, senior shooting guard Cynthia Gutierrez and junior guard RayAnna McDowell.

San Pedro's season-opening basketball games are this week, with the girls opening at home Thursday at 5:30pm against University of Los Angeles, and the boys opening on Saturday at 5:30pm against Huntington Park on the road.

2012-2013 sure shapes up to be a slam dunk for San Pedro's basketball programs. Believe that.