And then there were 48. That’s how many high school basketball teams continued practice schedules this week with dreams of a state title. That majority of that number gets cut in half on March 18 as 24 boys teams and 24 girls will attempt to take the last step to the state finals — which take place March 25-26 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. We’ll have preview glances for each of the regional championship games taking place in Northern and Southern California this Saturday. First up, the NorCal girls.
Here’s the rollout plan:
Thursday, noon: NorCal Girls
Friday, 8 A.M.: NorCal Boys
Friday, noon: SoCal Girls
Friday, 4 P.M.: SoCal Boys
CIF Girls Basketball Northern Regional Championship Matchups
OPEN DIVISION
Hailey Vice-Neat, a 6-3 USF-bound senior, is a cornerstone for the Cardinals at both ends of the floor. (Jim Johnson photo)
MATCHUP: No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (27-2) vs. No. 7 Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (30-3), 6 p.m. at Santa Clara University
HISTORY: With six state and 11 regional titles under longtime coach Sue Phillips, Archbishop Mitty is familiar with the NorCal stage. But, this will be the Monarchs’ first trip to the regional final as part of an Open Division that is in its fifth year of existence. Cardinal Newman is making its second-straight NorCal appearance after head coach Monica Mertle’s bunch made a storybook run to the D-IV state title in 2016.
MITTY KEY TO VICTORY: Score the basketball. Averaging 85 points per game in two NorCal playoff games, the Monarchs have the firepower to get up and down with anybody. Senior Madeline Holland scored 24 to lead the way against St. Mary’s-Stockton, but with four players averaging over seven PPG, there won’t be a shortage of options if the game becomes a track meet.
CARDINAL NEWMAN KEY TO VICTORY: Defend to contend. Wins over No. 2 Carondelet and No. 3 Pinewood have seen the Cardinals use their familiar defensive foundation to take a No. 7 seed all the way to the final. Last year, Cardinal Newman allowed just 32 points in the NorCal final and 37 in its state title win. Keep that defensive intensity up and the Cardinals will be right in the mix come crunch time.
PREDICTION: Archbishop Mitty 71, Cardinal Newman 60
DIVISION I
Utah-bound senior Jordan Cruz leads McClatchy’s veteran-driven attack. (Berry Evans III photo)
MATCHUP: No. 2 McClatchy-Sacramento (30-4) vs. No. 4 Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (23-10), 2 p.m. at Santa Clara University
HISTORY: Two Sacramento-area powers are set for a rematch of the 2015 NorCal Div. I final that the Lions won 58-49 on their way to a state title. It will be the fourth NorCal finals appearance in the last eight years for the Trojans, who also captured a state championship in 2010. And, the meeting will be the third of the season for the two teams with McClatchy already owning a pair of wins.
MCCLATCHY KEY TO VICTORY: Play like veterans. With six seniors on the roster, the Lions have no shortage of experience to call on in the clutch. Utah-commit Jordan Cruz leads the way as the senior scored a game-high 22 points in a semifinal win over Heritage-Brentwood. Fellow seniors Courtesy Clark and Sara Shimizu will also play a big role when it comes to perimeter defense.
OAK RIDGE KEY TO VICTORY: Play big. The Trojans boast four players over 6-feet tall and when they met the Lions in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals, that translated to a 52-30 advantage on the boards. Juniors Kassidy DeLapp and Shayley Harris are both highly touted recruits, and if they can impose themselves down low, Oak Ridge should be in good shape.
PREDICTION: McClatchy 60, Oak Ridge 56
DIVISION II
Miramonte senior co-captain Elle Louie is a key outside shooting threat for the Matadors. (Phillip Walton photo)
MATCHUP: No. 2 Miramonte-Orinda (30-3) at No. 1 Vanden-Fairfield (29-5), 4 p.m.
HISTORY: The Vikings will make their second NorCal appearance in the last three years and they’ll look to go one step farther after falling to Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland in 2015. Meanwhile, it will be the eighth regional final for the Matadors, who made it to the Open Division state final in 2016.
VANDEN KEY TO VICTORY: Take the next step. Five current Vikings were on the roster in 2015 when Vanden made it to the NorCal final, including the team’s top two scorers, Julia Blackshell-Fair (Houston commit) and Myli Martinez. The Vikings have not been tested in this year’s NorCal playoffs, winning three games by an average of nearly 29 points.
MIRAMONTE KEY TO VICTORY: Play like you’ve been there. As is always the case under coach Kelly Sopak, the Matadors have seen their share of tests already this season. Three wins at the Nike TOC, and a West Coast Jamboree Diamond Division championship mean a Miramonte squad that played in a state title game last year won’t be surprised by much.
PREDICTION: Miramonte 68, Vanden 66
DIVISION III
MATCHUP: No. 4 St. Mary’s-Berkeley (22-10) at No. 2 Campolindo-Moraga (26-6), 6 p.m.
HISTORY: The Cougars will make their 10th regional final appearance but first since 1997 when the Cougars won their fourth state title. It will be the sixth regional final for Saint Mary’s and first since 2012 for a program that made back-to-back state title game appearances in 2010 and 2011. The two met in December with Campo earning a 76-65 victory.
CAMPOLINDO KEY TO VICTORY: Stay true to the blueprint. With a roster of 11 players and a rotation of nine that makes significant contributions, the Cougars know what to expect from up and down the lineup. Junior Haley Van Dyke is among the region’s top scorers at over 23 points per game, and fellow junior Ashley Thoms can also shoulder the load at over 15 PPG.
ST. MARY’S KEY TO VICTORY: Stay hot at the right time. After navigating a tough TCAL-Rock Division in the regular season, and dropping a tough overtime battle with Bishop O’Dowd in the NCS Div. III semifinals, the Panthers pulled the upset with a 68-60 win over No. 1 St. Ignatius-S.F. in the NorCal semis. If that mojo continues, Saint Mary’s could find itself back in the state championship game.
PREDICTION: Campolindo 64, Saint Mary’s 59
DIVISION IV
MATCHUP: No. 2 St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda (29-5) at No. 1 West Campus-Sacramento (28-4), 6 p.m.
HISTORY: Having split from Johnson High in 2002, West Campus is making its first NorCal regional finals appearance in school history. St. Joseph is making its third appearance in the regional final but returns for the second year in a row after falling to Eastside College Prep in 2016. The Pilots are looking for their first state title game appearance.
WEST CAMPUS KEY TO VICTORY: Keep making history. By beating Foothill-Sacramento 83-57, West Campus became just the third Sacramento City Unified School District girls basketball team to win a section title. That momentum has continued in the NorCal playoffs, with lopsided wins over Willows and St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo prior to a 47-41 win over Arcata in the semis.
ST. JOSEPH KEY TO VICTORY: Follow the kids. With three freshmen making significant contributions this year, and only two seniors on the roster, coach Shawn Hipol’s squad looks poised to be a factor for quite some time. Point guard Malia Mastora is one of those youngsters and she leads the team in scoring at over 14 points per game.
PREDICTION: West Campus 52, St. Joseph Notre Dame 48
DIVISION V
Junior guard Kayla Tahaafe averages 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Eastside. (Jonathan Hawthorne photo)
MATCHUP: No. 2 Woodside Priory-Portola Valley (21-9) at No. 1 Eastside College Prep-East Palo Alto (21-8), 6 p.m.
HISTORY: Eastside College Prep will make its fifth NorCal regional finals appearance in the last six years and seventh overall as the Panthers look to defend their 2016 state title. Woodside Priory is making its first NorCal finals appearance on the heels of winning its first Central Coast Section title. Both members of the West Bay Athletic League, the two teams met twice in the regular season with Eastside College Prep winning both times.
EASTSIDE COLLEGE PREP KEY TO VICTORY: Keep on rolling. The Panthers haven’t been challenged throughout their NorCal journey, earning a spot in the final with a 63-25 win over Argonaut-Jackson. Last year’s road to the state title had a similar feel, including a 21-point win over Priory in the CCS playoffs, and this year’s regular-season meetings between the teams resulted in 15-point and 27-point ECP victories.
WOODSIDE PRIORY KEY TO VICTORY: Live in the now. The Panthers should play with nothing to lose, with the realization they’re playing with house money after having already re-written school record books thanks to a CCS championship win over St. Francis-Watsonville and NorCal wins over Hamilton-Hamilton City, Capital Christian-Sacramento and Mt. Shasta. Coach Buck Matthews and crew now looks to turn the tables behind leading scorers Tatiana Reese and Ila Lane.
PREDICTION: Eastside College Prep 64, Woodside Priory 54