Can the Eagles avoid turning into pumpkins?

Ryan Glanville's still not ready to say it, but I will — and have. Cinderella.

I've been on the Arroyo Grande boys basketball coach for days asking if his at-large team fits into the glass slipper, and I'll probably keep doing it.

I bugged him about it Friday night after I heard the Eagles upset No. 1-seeded Palmdale in the CIF-Southern Section Division II-A playoffs. A couple days later, calling from my cell phone about Athlete of the Week Daniel Wrage — and only coincidentally in an insanely long holiday-weekend line at Disneyland — Cinderella came up again.

After Tuesday's 47-44 win over Moreno Valley, I couldn't resist.

"You asked me about that the other day and it was 'definitely no,' " Glanville said. "Now we're a little closer."

Arroyo Grande is living that underdog story that everyone loves. The Eagles placed fifth in the PAC 7 and only squeaked into the playoffs through the good graces of the section seeding gurus.

They won a wild card game against Channel Islands, then toppled the No. 1 seed. Now, after another win, they're in the quarterfinals hosting No. 9 Norco with as good a chance as anybody else of taking a divisional title.

But looking too far ahead can be crippling. That's probably why Glanville's not ready to call his team a Cinderella. She charmed the prince and lived happily ever after.

But Arroyo Grande's got three more balls to attend before midnight. It's alright if the Eagles are taking them one at a time.

OK, that's enough fairy tale allusions for one blog. Sorry, the Magic Kingdom really messes with your mind.