The Sports Informant

By Patrick Ibarra
Editor

While most of our local high school basketball teams have been weeded out in the 2010 CIF State Basketball Championships Presented by Farmers, five teams still stand tall going into Arco Arena this weekend 

Woodcreek and Sacramento High are still alive for the boys, while Oak Ridge, Sacramento and Bradshaw Christian remain for the girls. All have swept through their respective Division brackets en route to a Northern California Regional Finals appearance set to take place at Arco on March 20.

Division I Boys

Sheldon High was the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I’s lone representative going into last weekend’s NorCal Regional Semifinals, but the magical run ended abruptly on March 13. The Huskies, who surprised the area with a section title and a deep run in the state bracket that included a 59-57 win over No. 2 Bellarmine, fell short to No. 3 seed Newark Memorial on Saturday, 75-61.

Division I Girls

Oak Ridge High continued its run with a spirited win on Saturday over Deer Valley in El Dorado Hills, 65-63. A back and forth affair, Oak Ridge saw a fourth-quarter lead dwindle away, but once again the heroics of senior Sara James saved the day, as James scored a game-winning layup to give the Trojans the win and a berth in the NorCal Regional Final.

The Trojans will face Berkeley, which knocked out Sac-Joaquin Section runner-up Kennedy in the semifinals. Kennedy, looking to meet Oak Ridge again for another championship, couldn’t overcome the tough atmosphere of having to travel to Berkeley for the game, and lost, 52-47.

Oak Ridge and Berkeley will meet to decide the NorCal champion, but also to earn a spot in the state championship game. The NorCal final will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at Arco. Winner will head to the state championship on March 27 at Rabobank Arena.

Division II Boys

Woodcreek survived a battle with No. 1-seeded Archbishop Mitty on Saturday, traveling to San Jose to overtake the top seed in an overtime affair. Woodcreek, ranked No. 4 in the tournament, will now head to the NorCal Regional Final Saturday at Arco Arena.

The Timberwolves will face No. 2-seeded St. Francis of Mountain View on Saturday at 4 p.m. St. Francis knocked off the Sac-Joaquin Section’s other hopeful entrant, Oakmont, on Saturday, 53-39.

Division II Girls

Archbishop Mitty and Carondelet will meet in the NorCal Regional Final after all Sac-Joaquin Section teams were eliminated in earlier rounds of the bracket. The game will be at Arco Arena at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Division III Boys

Sacramento High kept its hopes of a return to the state championship game alive with a win on Saturday over Center High, another Sac-Joaquin Section team, 72-48.

The Dragons, the No. 2 seed, are set to face No. 1-seeded Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland on Saturday at 12 p.m. at Arco Arena for the NorCal Regional Final, with the winner heading to the state championship the following weekend.

Division III Girls

Not to be outdone by the boys’ team, Sacramento High’s girls’ team stormed into the NorCal Regional Final with a 50-48 win over Bishop O’Dowd last Saturday in Sacramento.

The Dragons will now face No. 1-seeded St. Mary’s, which beat Valley Christian in the semifinals, 85-59.

It will be the second time the two teams have met for a championship in just a few weeks, as St. Mary’s punished Sacramento in their first meeting for the Sac-Joaquin Section title. One section team, no matter what, will be headed to the state championship after Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. game at Arco Arena.

Division IV Boys

Modesto Christian, the Sac-Joaquin Section’s sole remaining team in the brackets, was knocked out on Saturday after a tough 69-65 loss at Salesian. Salesian will now face St. Mary’s of Berkeley in the NorCal Regional Final on Saturday at Folsom High School at 7 p.m. for a shot at the state championship game.

Division IV Girls

The Modesto Christian girls suffered a similar fate on Saturday, falling short in the semifinals to McKinleyville while hosting the game, 50-44. McKinleyville will now face St. Mary’s in the NorCal Regional Final on Saturday at Folsom High School at 5 p.m. for a shot at the state championship game.

Division V Boys

No Sac-Joaquin Section teams played in the semifinals on Saturday. Branson High and University San Francisco will meet in the NorCal Regional Final at Folsom High School on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Division V Girls

Local team Bradshaw Christian still has a shot at the state championship, beating Head Royce on Saturday, 50-39, in the NorCal Regional Semifinals. The Sac-Joaquin Section team will face No. 1-seeded Pinewood on Saturday at Folsom High School in the NorCal Regional Final, with the winner to travel to Rabobank Arena for the state championship on March 27.