Mater Dei’s quest for a fourth consecutive CIF State boys basketball championship begins Friday when the Monarchs play a home game against St. Augustine of San Diego in the first round of the CIF Southern California Regionals.
Thirteen Orange County teams were selected to play in the Regionals.
The CIF Southern California Regionals in boys and girls basketball is the qualifying tournament for the CIF State Championships. The CIF Northern California Regionals are played at the same time as the Southern California Regionals. Champions of the five divisions in the north and south meet in the CIF State Championships March 28 and 29 in Sacramento.
Mater Dei’s boys team has won state championships the past three years. The only school with four straight boys basketball state titles is Price of Los Angeles, which won them 2000-03.
The Regionals begin Wednesday in Divisions 1-5 which have 13 to 16 teams in their brackets. The Open Division, which includes Mater Dei, is an eight-team bracket.
Four county teams that were eliminated in the CIF-Southern Section semifinals will play in the Regionals. Tustin and Foothill, which were eliminated in 2A and 2AA semifinals respectively, play away games in San Diego in Division 2’s first round. Orangewood Academy and Capistrano Valley Christian, which lost in CIF-SS 5A semis, also have road games in the first round of the Division 5 Regionals.
STEVE FRYER
Girls regionals
Troy, Corona del Mar, Yorba Linda and Rosary join six Orange County teams that reached CIF-SS finals in the CIF Southern California Regionals.
Troy lost both of its games in the CIF-SS Open Division but drops down to Division 1 and hosts Mt. Carmel of San Diego on Wednesday. The Sea Kings, Mustangs and Royals each reached the semifinals in CIF-SS.
Mater Dei, which lost in the Open Division championship on Friday to Windward of Los Angeles, has a bye in regionals and will play either Long Beach Poly or Bishop’s of La Jolla at home on March 18.
Coming off a Division 3A CIF-SS title, Santa Margarita will host Central of El Centro in Division 3 on Wednesday. El Dorado, Corona del Mar, JSerra and Orangewood Academy also have first-round home games.
MARK COOPER
