CIF Southern Section Announces Basketball, Soccer Playoffs

The California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section announced playoff pairings Saturday for boys and girls high school basketball and soccer, setting the stage for postseason competition across Southern California. The brackets, determined through a computer-based ranking system in its second year of use, include dozens of teams from various divisions, with games beginning this week.

Boys basketball playoffs kick off Wednesday, February 11, at 7 p.m., featuring single-elimination formats in most divisions and a pool-play opening round in the new 12-team Open Division. That top tier, which could lead to up to 10 CIF State playoff berths for qualifiers, pits powerhouses like Crespi against Sierra Canyon in Pool A, Damien versus Santa Margarita in Pool B, Etiwanda facing Redondo Union in Pool C, and La Mirada taking on Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks in Pool D. In Division 1, matchups include Santa Barbara at Crean Lutheran and Santiago-Corona at Heritage Christian. Lower divisions highlight local rivalries, such as Palm Desert at Blair in Division 4 and Beaumont at Mark Keppel in Division 5.

Girls basketball follows on Thursday, February 12, also at 7 p.m., with a similar...