Temecula Schools Represented Throughout CIF Boys, Girls Basketball Playoffs

Chaparral and Great Oak high schools will both begin the CIF 1AA Division boys basketball playoffs on the road, it was announced Sunday.

Chaparral, which tied for second place in the Southwestern League, will open up at Citrus Belt League champion Rialto Eisenhower, the division’s seventh-seeded team, Wednesday at 7 PM. A win would move the Pumas into Friday’s second round against either Thousand Oaks or Lakewood.

Great Oak, which earned an at-large berth to the playoffs from the Southwestern League, will play its first round game at Big VIII champion Corona Centennial, the division’s No. 4 seed. With an upset, Great Oak would advance to a second-round matchup against either Los Alamitos or Lynwood.

Unlike its league rivals, Temecula Valley will start the playoffs at home Wednesday night. The Golden Bears, seeded 13th in the 2AA Division after tying Chaparral for second place, play host to Anaheim Savanna. A victory would move Temecula into the second round against either Inland Valley League co-champion Canyon Springs or No. 4 seed Compton.

Temecula Prep and Linfield Christian also open the boys basketball playoffs on Wednesday.

Temecula Prep, champions of the Majestic League, is the No. 6 seed in the 6AA Division and will host Mojave Wednesday night in the first round. A victory would move Temecula Prep into the second round against either Orangewood Academy (No. 11 seed) or Liberty Christian.

Linfield Christian, an at-large entry from the Ambassador League, will play its 5AA first-round game at Cerritos Whitney, the division’s No. 16 seed. A victory for the Lions will most likely mean a second-round meeting with top-seeded Flintridge Prep on Friday.

On the girls’ side, Chaparral and Great Oak, who took second and third, respectively, in the Southwestern League, will both start the 1AA playoffs on the road Thursday at 7 PM.

Chaparral, the division’s No. 12 seed, plays at Mt. Baldy League champion Ontario Colony. The winner of that game will face either fifth-seeded San Bernardnio Cajon or Chino Hills Ayala in the second round on Saturday.

Great Oak’s first round game Thursday is at ninth-seeded Corona Santiago, champion of the Big VIII League. The winner will face either Sunkist League champion Summit (No. 8 seed) or Knight (second place from the Golden League) in the second round.

Temecula Valley’s girls team earned an at-large berth in the 2A playoffs. The Golden Bears, the division’s No. 15 seed, open up Thursday night at Westminster, which tied for second place in the Golden West League. The winner of that game will most likely face No. 2 seeded Anaheim Canyon in Saturday’s second round.

Linfield Christian’s girls team, which tied for second in the Ambassador League, was named the No. 8 seed in the 5A Division. The Lions begin the playoffs Thursday night with a home game against Hamilton, which received an at-large berth from the Arrowhead League. The winner plays Saturday in the second round against either Thacher (No. 8 seed, Condor League champion) or St. Genevieve (at-large berth, Santa Cruz League).

Temecula Prep’s girls, second place finishers in the Majestic League and No. 15 seed in the 6AA Division, host a first round game against Shalhevet Thursday night. The winner will most likely advance to face No. 2 seed Rio Hondo Prep in Saturday’s second round.

Quarterfinal and semifinal games for boys and girls will be held next week, with championship games in all divisions scheduled on March 2-5. Championships in most divisions will be held at the Anaheim Arena, with the only exceptions being the 5AA, 5A, 6AA and 6A games, which will be contested at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.