32 Sacramento-area basketball teams selected for Northern California regional championships
It’s called “competitive equity” and it can be as confusing as it sounds for high school basketball teams trying to navigate their way through the CIF Northern California regional championship brackets on their way to their own version of March Madness.
The NorCal rounds start Tuesday at home sites. On Sunday, 10 section commissioners across the state crunched data with input from an army of retired coaches and athletic directors, comparing schedules and results and then ranking each team on the entire NorCal board in order. Section championships do not ensure home NorCal games, unlike before the competitive equity model.
In the current format, the elite teams are placed in the Open Division, including Sacramento Bee No. 1-ranked Folsom, which is seeded fifth in the girls bracket and will visit No. 4 Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa. Whitney won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls tournament, topping Vanden, and was then placed in the D-I field as the No. 8 seed. The Wildcats of Rocklin open at home against Piedmont.
Oak Ridge, a section semifinal loser to D-I section champion St. Mary’s of Stockton, is the No. 3 seed in girls D-I and hosts Priory of Portola Valley. McClatchy lost a semifinal at Folsom and is the No. 16 seed in D-I and opens at top-seeded Pinewood of Los Altos Hills. McClatchy beat Priory this season, though Priory has a win over Pinewood, and there are only so many ways to compare and crunch. Still, the Lions seem like an unusually low seed, given their pedigree and talent.
Vanden lost a section title but was deemed the second-best team in the NorCal D-II field. Colfax repeated as section D-IV champions and was moved up to D-II as the No. 4 seed, where it will host St. Patrick-St.Vincent of Vallejo. A year ago, Colfax, as the section D-IV champion, was moved up to D-III and won that tournament. Vista del Lago won the section D-III tournament, earned a No. 14 seed in NorCal D-II and visits No. 3 Pleasant Valley of Chico, an example of a section champion having to start its NorCal quest on the road.
Bear River’s girls won the section D-V title and were deemed the 15th best team in NorCal in D-IV. They will visit No. 2 Arcata. Sacramento Adventist, fresh off its first section title in girls basketball, doing so in D-VI, is the No. 2 seed in D-VI and opens at home against Point Arena.
In all, 17 girls teams from the Sacramento area are in the NorCal rounds. The teams that feel slighted can do something about it: win.
NorCal boys include 15 area teams
Fifteen Sacramento-area boys teams are in the NorCal rounds in Divisions I-VI.
Sacramento Bee No. 1-ranked Monterey Trail and No. 2 Rocklin were upset in the section D-I playoffs but have a second life now as dark horse NorCal D-I teams. Seeded 12th, Rocklin visits No. 5 St. Ignatius College Prep of San Francisco. Monterey Trail is the No. 10 seed in the bracket and opens at No. 7 University of San Francisco.
Inderkum beat Monterey Trail in a late-season nonleague game, lost at Open Division entry Modesto Christian in a section D-I semifinal and is the No. 13 seed in D-I. The Tigers play at No. 4 Granada of Livermore. If Rocklin and Inderkum pull seedings upsets, the teams would meet Thursday in Placer County.
Section D-III champion Sacramento High is the No. 3 seed in the NorCal D-II field, Del Oro is the No. 6 seed, Jesuit the No. 7 seed and Capital Christian the No. 8 seed. Each of them open at home. If the seedings hold up, Sacramento would host Del Oro on Thursday in Oak Park in the famed Dave Hotell Pavilion.
In D-III, No. 9 West Park of Roseville plays at No. 8 Enterprise of Redding and No. 7 Christian Brothers opens at home against No. 10 Memorial of Fresno.
Union Mine of El Dorado lost to Natomas in a D-IV section semifinal, earned a No. 4 seed in NorCal D-IV and opens against University Prep of Redding. Natomas lost the section D-IV title game to Venture Academy of Stockton, was tabbed as the No. 2 seed in D-IV and opens at home against No. 14 Menlo School of Atherton.
Venture Academy won its first section, but as the 12th-rated team in D-III, the Mustangs open at No. 5 Carmel.
Divisions I-V start on Tuesday. The Open Division and Division VI will start Wednesday. All divisions will have second-round games at host sites on Thursday, semifinals on Saturday at home sites and regional title games on March 5 at home sites. All games have 7 p.m. starts.
For complete CIF brackets, ticket and NFHS broadcast information, visit the CIF website.
Boys
Open Division
Wednesday’s games
No. 5 Modesto Christian at No. 4 De La Salle
Byes: No. 1 Salesian, No. 2 Riordan
Division I
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 Dublin at No. 1 Clovis West
No. 9 Serra at No. 8 Lincoln-Stockton
No. 12 Rocklin at No. 5 St. Ignatius
No. 13 Inderkum at No. 4 Granada
No. 14 Dougherty Valley at No. 3 Mitty
No. 11 Sacred Heart Prep at No. 6 Clayton Valley Charter
No. 10 Monterey Trail at No. 7 University
No. 15 Vanden at No. 2 San Ramon Valley
Division II
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 Clovis East at No. 1 Branham
No. 9 Oakland at No. 8 Capital Christian
No. 12 Montgomery at No. 5 Bellarmine
No. 13 Lost Gatos at No. 4 Bishop O’Dowd
No. 14 Menlo-Atherton at No. 3 Sacramento
No. 11 Half Moon Bay at No. 6 Del Oro
No. 10 Benicia at No. 7 Jesuit
No. 15 Sacred Heart Cathedral at No. 2 Oakland Tech
Division III
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 Head Royce at No. 1 Santa Cruz
No. 9 West Park-Roseville at No. 8 Enterprise
No. 12 Venture Academy at No. 5 Carmel
No. 13 Pleasant Valley at No. 4 Ygnacio Valley
No. 14 Piedmont at No. 3 Valley Christian
No. 11 Central Catholic at No. 6 Bullard
No. 10 Memorial at No. 7 Christian Brothers
No. 15 Ripon Christian at No. 2 Justin-Siena
Division IV
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 Kerman at No. 1 Santa Teresa
No. 9 Ripon at No. 8 Palo Alto
No. 12 Urban at No. 5 Foothill
No. 13 University Prep at No. 4 Union Mine
No. 14 Monterey at No. 3 Sierra
No. 11 Gridley at No. 6 Lincoln-SF
No. 10 Christopher at No. 7 Weed
No. 15 Menlo School at No. 2 Natomas
Division V
Tuesday’s games
No. 9 McKinleyville at No. 8 Mt. Shasta
No. 12 Durham at No. 5 Summit Shasta
No. 13 Bradshaw Christian at No. 4 International
No. 14 Caruthers at No. 3 Oakwood
No. 11 Fortune at No. 6 Colusa
No. 10 Orland at No. 7 Futures
No. 15 Lowell at No. 2 San Domenico
Bye: No. 1 Athenian
Division VI
Wednesday’s games
No. 8 Valley Christian-Roseville at No. 1 Cornerstone Christian
No. 5 Redding Christian at No. 4 Averroes
No. 6 Napa Christian at No. 3 Biggs
No. 7 Point Arena at No. 2 Stone Ridge Christian
Girls
Open Division
Wednesday’s games
No. 5 Folsom at No. 4 Cardinal Newman
No. 6 San Ramon Valley at No. 3 St. Mary’s
Bye: No. 1 Mitty, No. 2 Clovis West
Division I
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 McClatchy at No. 1 Pinewood
No. 9 Piedmont at No. 8 Whitney
No. 12 Salesian at No. 5 Sacred Heart Prep
No. 13 Los Gatos at No. 4 Carondolet
No. 14 Priory at No. 3 Oak Ridge
No. 11 Riordan at No. 6 Acalanes
No. 10 Marin Catholic at No. 7 St. Ignatius
No. 15 Saint Francis at No. 2 Bishop O’Dowd
Division II
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 Chico at No. 1 Branham
No. 9 Maria Carrillo at No. 8 Monte Vista
No. 12 Redwood at No. 5 Evergreen Valley
No. 13 St. Patrick/St. Vincent at No. 4 Colfax
No. 14 Vista del Lago at No. 3 Pleasant Valley
No. 11 Antelope at No. 6 Buchanan
No. 10 Oakland Tech at No. 7 California
No. 15 San Domenico at No. 2 Vanden
Division III
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 Northgate at No. 1 University
No. 9 Pioneer at No. 8 Atwater
No. 12 Clovis East at No. 5 Mills
No. 13 Cornerstone Christian at No. 4 Clovis
No. 14 Caruthers at No. 3 Christopher
No. 11 Heritage at No. 6 Grant-Sacramento
No. 10 Manteca at No. 7 Memorial
No. 15 Justin-Siena at No. 2 Central
Division IV
Tuesday’s games
No. 16 West Campus at No. 1 St. Bernard’s
No. 9 Lincoln Zebras at No. 8 Lincoln-SF
No. 12 Colusa at No. 5 Alisal
No. 13 Menlo School at No. 4 Foothill
No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 3 Escalon
No. 11 Riverbank at No. 6 University Prep
No. 10 West Valley at No. 7 Mt. Diablo
No. 15 Bear River at No. 2 Arcata
Division V
Tuesday’s games
No. 9 Woodland Christian at No. 8 Modoc
No. 12 Summit Shasta at No. 5 Valley Christian-Roseville
No. 13 Oakland at No. 4 Half Moon Bay
No. 14 Lowell at No. 3 Wood
No. 11 Winters at No. 6 Trinity
No. 10 Quincy at No. 7 Crystal Springs
No. 15 Ripon Christian at No. 2 Lynbrook
Bye: No. 1 Mendota
Division VI
Wednesday’s games
No. 8 Rio Lindo Adventist at No. 1 Weed
No. 5 Faith Christian at No. 4 San Francisco Waldorf
No. 6 Mendocino at No. 3 Fall River
No. 7 Point Arena at No. 2 Sacramento Adventist
This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM.