Bring on the NorCals.
Yuba College, winners of 18 consecutive games and led by versatile sophomores Cody Kale and Spencer Butterfield, earned the No. 2 seed in the Northern California Men's Basketball Regional Playoffs that start this week.
The 49ers (29-3) of the Bay Valley Conference join three local members of the Big 8 Conference in the NorCal field. No. 15-seeded Sacramento City (17-9) plays host to No. 18 West Hills (16-12) on Tuesday, with the winner playing at Yuba on Saturday. Sac City is led by Antwoine cq Davis (14.6 points per game).
In other NorCal openers tonight, No. 10 Sierra (16-11) plays at No. 7 Las Positas (21-7) and No. 11 Cosumnes River (17-12) visits No. 6 Ohlone (15-11) - both Tuesday. Sierra is led by Jamie Ball (13.9 points) and Markus cq Moore (11.7). CRC is led by forward Tony Gill (19.3 points, 7.6 rebounds) and James Tillman (13.7 points).
Defending state champion San Francisco City College (26-2) is the top seed, with one of its wins coming over Yuba 70-68. The last area team to win a state men's title was Sac City in 1986 under coaches Mike Syas and Edison Hicks and All-American Kenny Drummond.
In women's basketball NorCal Regional play, No. 6 Sierra (21-8) opens on Saturday at home against No. 11 Taft (19-9) and No. 8 Cosumnes River plays host No. 9 Laney (24-6) on Friday. Sierra is paced by Kayla Patton (11.1 points) and CRC by Andraquay Quinnine (14.3 points) and Natalia Gibson (11.1).
Foothill (26-4) is the No. 1 seed, a team CRC could face in the second round.
Sierra won the state title under coach Roz Goldenberg in 1999. Santa Rosa of the same Big 8 Conference that includes CRC and Sierra won the state title last season - the last NorCal team to do so since Sierra in '99. The only other local team to win a state title was American River in 1989 under coach Tami Yusada.
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