CIF playoffs: Jesuit boys, Antelope girls among top seeds. See full brackets
Now it’s go time.
The high school basketball playoffs in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section for girls and boys start Monday with outbracket games at home sites, and then it’ll be a full-on sprint to the section championships at Golden 1 Center on Feb. 27-28.
On Saturday, the section selection committee of section staffers — and retired local educators who peek at regional games to keep tabs — crunched mounds of data in seeding six divisions for girls and six for boys. Strength of league, strength of schedule and head-to-head results were among the criteria, with MaxPreps’ computer formula also a major factor.
The Division I boys bracket looks especially formidable with Modesto Bee top-ranked Modesto Christian earning the top seed, as the longtime powerhouse program went unbeaten against section play this season, including a tight, late-season nonleague win over Folsom, the Sierra Foothill League champion that is the No. 3 seed in this large-school bracket.
Folsom under veteran coach Mike Wall beat Modesto Christian in a spirited D-I title game last season.
Sheldon, top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee for most of this season, is the No. 2 seed. The Huskies are led by longtime coach Joey Rollings and prolific junior guard Baron Sabir.
The bracket is so deep that the dark horses look a lot like contenders, including a whopper of an opener when No. 6-seeded McClatchy hosts No. 11 Monterey Trail. McClatchy is in the midst of its best season since the 1990s.
No. 4 Franklin, with two losses to Delta League champion Sheldon, is a curiosity in that star guard Aidan Rollins has been sidelined with a groin injury. How healthy will he be in the playoffs?
Vanden is the No. 8 seed, having moved up to D-I after years of sustained success in lower divisions, and should the Vikings of Fairfield won their opener against Mountain House, they would play at top-seeded Modesto Christian.
Jesuit and Placer get top seeds
Jesuit, a defending CIF state champion under coach Tim Kelly, is the top seed in D-II with Destiny Christian Academy seeded second. Jesuit topped DCA twice last season in the playoffs, once in section play and then in the Northern California rounds.
Placer is the top seed in D-III with 2025 section D-IV champion Casa Roble the No. 2 seed.
The No. 3 seed is Twelve Bridges of Placer County as the Raging Rhinos shared the Foothill Valley League crown with Placer.
Perennial powerhouse St. Mary’s is top girls seed
In girls, St. Mary’s of Stockton, winners of a record 22 section banners, is the top seed, opposite of No. 2 Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills, winners of the Sierra Foothill League under first-year coach Briana Dulgar. No. 3 Folsom, also of the SFL, could face No. 6 McClatchy in a second-round game.
Antelope is seeded first in D-II with Bee No. 1-ranked Christian Brothers seeded second. The No. 3 seed is Del Oro of the SFL.
Placer is the top seed in D-III with East Union of Manteca second and Lathrop third.
Central Catholic of Modesto is the No. 1 seed in D-IV with Liberty Ranch of Galt second and West Campus of Sacramento third.
The D-V bracket is stacked with top-seeded and defending champion Bret Harte seeded first, Faith Christian of Yuba City and prolific scorer Lauren Harris second. John Adams Academy of El Dorado Hills with 2,000-point career scorer Elliott Schwartz is the No. 3 seed, and defending small-school CIF state champion Woodland Christian is fourth.
In D-VI, Sacramento Adventist Academy with star guards Gwen Rosich and Kyla Friedrich are the top seed, opposite of Sacramento Waldorf.
Complete brackets and ticket information are available on the section website, cifsjs.org/basketball.
CIF Sac-Joaquin Section boys basketball playoffs
Outbracket games: Tuesday
Openers: Wednesday
Section finals at Golden 1 Center: Feb. 27-28
Division I
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Modesto Christian
No. 9 Mountain House at No. 8 Vanden
No. 12 Oak Ridge at Lincoln-Stockton
No. 13 Rodriguez at No. 4 Franklin-Elk Grove
No. 14 Gregori at No. 3 Folsom
No. 11 Monterey Trail at No. 6 McClatchy
No. 10 Enochs at No. 7 Inderkum
No. 15 Edison at No. 2 Sheldon
Outbracket: No. 16 Downey vs. No. 17 Tokay
Division II
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Jesuit
No. 9 Tracy at No. 8 Merced
No. 12 Rio Americano at No. 5 Whitney
No. 13 Lodi at No. 4 Woodcreek
No. 14 St. Mary’s at No. 3 Sacramento
No. 11 Weston Ranch at No. 6 Antelope
No. 10 Grant at No. 7 Del Oro
No. 15/16 at No. 2 Destiny Christian
Outbracket: No. 16 Buhach at No. 15 Rocklin; No. 17 Johansen at No. 16 Atwater
Division III
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Placer
No. 9 Roseville at No. 8 Central Catholic
No. 12 Del Campo at No. 5 Christian Brothers
No. 13 at No. 4 Oakmont
No. 14 at No. 3 Twelve Bridges
No. 11 Nevada Union at No. 6 East Union
No. 10 Oakdale at No. 7 Beyer
No. 15 at No. 2 Casa Roble
Outbracket: No. 17 Lathrop at No. 16 Burbank; No. 18 Foothill at No. 15 Ponderosa
Division IV
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Natomas
No. 9 Union Mine at No. 8 Ripon Christian
No. 12 Escalon at No. 5 West Campus
No. 13 River Islands at No. 4 Colfax
No. 14 Dixon at No. 3 Marysville
No. 11 Sonora at No. Sutter
No. 10 Calaveras at No. 7 Liberty Ranch
No. 15 Hilmar at No. 2 Venture Academy
Outbracket: No. 17 Delhi at No. 16 Highlands
Division V
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Bret Harte
No. 9 Adams Academy-EDH at Big Valley
No. 12 Hughes Academy at No. 5 Woodland Christian
No. 13 Denair at 4 Bradshaw Christian
No. 14 Leroy Greene at No. 3 Stone Ridge
No. 11 Vacaville Christian at No. 6 Fortune
No. 10 Western Sierra at No. 7 Westlake Charter
No. 15/16 at No. 2 Argonaut
Outbracket: No. 17 Vanguard at No. 15 Futures; No. 16 Able at No. 17 Golden Sierra
Division VI
No. 9 Stockton Christian at No. 8 Turlock Christian
No. 10 Forest Lake at No. 7 Lodi Academy
Byes: No. 1 Sacramento Adventist Academy, No. 2 Sacramento Waldorf, No. 3 Victory Christian, No. 4 Elite, No. 5 Valley Christian.
CIF Sac-Joaquin Section girls basketball playoffs
Outbracket games: Monday
Openers: Tuesday
Section finals at Golden 1 Center: Feb. 27-28
Division I
No. 16/17 at No. 1 St. Mary’s
No. 9 Sheldon at No. 8 Inderkum
No. 12 Granite Bay at No. 5 Vanden
No. 13 Monterey Trail at No. 4 Lincoln-Stockton
No. Gregori/Stagg at No. 3 Folsom
No. 11 Cosumnes Oaks at No. 6 McClatchy
No. 10 Davis-Davis at No. 7 Laguna Creek
No. 15/18 at No. 2 Oak Ridge
Outbracket: No. 17 Pitman at No. 16 Edison, No. 19 Stagg at No. 14 Gregori, No. 18 Enochs at No. 15 Pleasant Grove
Division II
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Antelope
No. 9 Lodi at No. 8 Atwater
No. 12 Merced at No. 5 Woodcreek
No. 13 Patterson at No. 4 El Capitan
No. 14 Ponderosa at No. 3 Del Oro
No. 11 St. Francis at No. 6 Colfax
No. 10 Whitney at No. 7 Grant
No. 15 Fairfield at No. 2 Christian Brothers
Outbracket: No. 17 Bear Creek at No. 16 Pacheco
Division III
No. 16 Florin at No. 1 Placer
No. 9 Rio Linda at No. 8 Los Banos
No. 12 Pioneer at No. 5 Lincoln-Lincoln
No. 13 Oakmont at No. 4 Twelve Bridges
No. 14 Oakdale at No. 3 Lathrop
No. 11 Ceres at No. 6 Sierra
No. 10 El Dorado at No. 7 Nevada Union
No. 15 Yuba City at No. 2 East Union
Division IV
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Central Catholic
No. 9 Valley Christian at No. 8 Sutter
No. 12 Sonora at No. 5 Calaveras
No. 13 Venture Academy at No. 4 Escalon
No. 14 Hilmar at No. 3 West Campus
No. 11 Bear River at No. 6 Union Mine
No. 10 Amador at No. 7 Riverbank
No. 15 Sacramento at No. 2 Liberty Ranch
Outbracket: No. 17 River Islands at No. 16 Ripon
Division V
No. 16/17 at No. 1 Bret Harte
No. 9 Vacaville Christian at No. 8 Millennium
No. 12 Western Sierra at No. 5 Mariposa
No. 13 Westlake Charter at No. 4 Woodland Christian
No. 14 Denair at No. 3 John Adams Academy
No. 11 Fortune at No. 6 Destiny Christian
No. 10 Rio Vista at No. 7 Ripon Christian
No. 15 Golden Sierra at No. 2 Faith Christian
Outbracket: No. 17 Vanguard College Prep at No. 16 Leroy Greene
Division VI
No. 9 Stockton Christian at No. 8 Turlock Christian
No. 10 Victory Christian at No. 7 Sacramento Country Day
Byes: No. 1 Sacramento Adventist, No. 2 Sacramento Waldorf, No. 3 Forest Lake Christian, No. Foresthill, No. 5 Stone Ridge Christian, No. 6 Lodi Academy
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 2:13 PM.