When Esperanza plays in a CIF Southern California Regionals first-round game Wednesday, it will be the Aztecs’ first game in 15 days.
The Aztecs last played on Feb. 21 when they lost to Oak Park in a CIF-Southern Section Open Division consolation bracket game. That eliminated Esperanza from the CIF-SS playoffs.
Esperanza, like all 16 teams in the CIF-SS Open Division, received guaranteed entry into the CIF State tournament that begins with regionals play in Northern and Southern California. So Aztecs coach Mark Hill knew the season did not end with the loss to Oak Park and that he had to keep the player ready to go for the regionals.
He is curious about how energized and focused Aztecs players will be Wednesday when Esperanza plays at home against Dorsey of Los Angeles in a CIF Southern California Regionals Division II first-round game.
“That will be interesting to see,” Hill said. “I don’t think our guys are ready for the season to be over. I think they’re exciting about being in the state tournament.”
Jump stops around Orange County boys basketball:
• The Regionals first-round schedule for games in involving Orange County teams on Wednesday: Division I, JSerra at Taft of Woodland Hills, Vista at Santa Margarita; Division II, Dorsey of Los Angeles at Esperanza; Division III, Orange Glen of Escondido at Capistrano Valley, Gardena at Villa Park; Division V, Pacifica Christian at Chavez of San Fernando.
• The Open Division plays first-round games Friday. Mater Dei is home that day against Westchester of Los Angeles.
Mater Dei has the most Regionals basketball championships of any school in California, boys or girls teams, with 16. Westchester, the Monarchs’ Open Division first-round opponent, has six regionals boys basketball titles.
• The regionals have six divisions: Open; Division I; Division II; Division III; Division IV; and Division V. The Open Division has eight teams. The other five regionals divisions have 16 teams each.
• Regionals first-round games are Wednesday in Divisions I-V. Open Division first-round games are Friday. Second-round games are March 11 for Divisions I-V.
• The eight-team Open Division does not have a “second round.” That division goes from the first round right to the final-four semifinals on March 14. The other five divisions also have semifinals on March 14.
• Regionals first- and second-round games and semifinals are played at the host schools, as are the regional finals in Divisions II-V. The Regionals tournament director can order a change of venue if anticipated attendance would be more than a host school’s gym could accommodate.
• CIF Southern California Regionals finals are at Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State on March 18 for the Open Division and for Division I.
• When two teams meet in the regionals, the top-seeded home team always is the home team.
• Four of the CIF State’s 10 sections are represented in the CIF Southern California Regionals: the Central Section; the Los Angeles City Section; the San Diego Section; and the Southern Section, which includes Orange County. The Southern Section, by far the largest of the four sections in the CIF Southern California Regionals, has by far the most representatives in the Southern California tournament with 44 teams across the six divisions.
• Regionals playoff tournaments happen simultaneously in Northern California and in Southern California. The champions of the six Northern California divisions play the champions of the six Southern California divisions in the CIF State Championships in Sacramento, March 24 and 25.
• Admission to regionals games through the semifinals is $9 for adults and $5 for students with valid student identification and for children 13 and younger.
• Forty-four CIF-SS teams are in the regionals.
Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com
