Sports
Three Cerritos High School Boys Basketball Teams Qualify for CIF Playoffs
Three girls teams play on Thursday in the first round of the CIF playoffs as Cerritos schools make a statement in the pairings.
Wednesday night shapes up as a great one for boys basketball fans in the area as Gahr, Cerritos and Whitney high schools all begin pursuit of CIF titles with first-round home games. But which team to go see? All three host games at 7 p.m.
Gahr, the second place team from the San Gabriel Valley League and the No. 7 seed in the 2A Division, plays host to Indio. Indio tied for third place in the Desert Valley League. The winner will take on either No. 10 seed Chino Hills Ayala or Chino Don Lugo in Friday’s second round.
Cerritos, which finished second in the Suburban League, is the No. 9 seed in the 3A Division. The Dons will entertain South Torrance, which was given an at-large berth to the playoffs from the Pioneer League. The winner will face Diamond Ranch or eighth-seeded Calabasas in the second round.
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Whitney, the Academy League’s No. 3 team, is seeded 16th in the 5AA Division and will host Linfield Christian, an at-large entry from the Ambassador League. The winner will most likely face Prep League champion Flintridge Prep, the No. 1 seed in the division.
Three local girls basketball teams also qualified for the playoffs.
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Gahr, the third place team from the San Gabriel Valley League, begins 3AA Division play at Garden Grove League champion Los Amigos on Thursday at 7 p.m. Should the Gladiators win, they will likely face No. 2 seeded Gardena Serra in the second round on Saturday.
Whitney, champions of the Academy League and seeded 10th, starts play in the 4A tournament Thursday night at home against Pioneer, an at-large team from the Del Rio League. The winner will have a second round game against either San Dimas or De Anza League champion or No. 7 seed Twentynine Palms.
Olympic League champion Valley Christian, the No. 4 seed in 4A, was the only team in its division to earn a first-round bye. On Saturday night at 7 p.m., the Crusaders will host a second round game against the winner of Thursday’s contest between San Marino and Los Padres League champion Santa Ynez, the 13th seed.
Quarterfinal and semifinal games for boys and girls will be held next week, with championship games in all divisions scheduled between 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.
