Prep Basketball Playoff Update: Rio Lindo Adventist hopes are high

Patch Prep Hoops

The North Coast Section basketball tournament seeding meetings will be held Sunday, leaving a number of Sonoma County teams hoping they can earn invitations in their respective divisions.

League tournaments continue this week, with league champions getting automatic berths in what could be 16-team brackets in each of six divisions for boys and girls. It will be teams that don't win championships who'll be most anxious Sunday.

Here's a quick look at playoff possibilities based on Prepfeed.com rankings released Feb. 15:

• Sonoma Valley is No. 8 in the section Division III ratings. A 16-10 record in a competitive basketball area should help the Dragons get into the playoffs. Where they're seeded hinges on league tournament results.
• Rancho Cotate, of Rohnert Park, is firmly on the bubble at No. 16 in Division II. The 10-15 mark means section officials will have to look at their record against other Division II teams.
• Petaluma's 13-13 and rated 14th in the latest Division III poll. The Trojans, too, are in position where league tournament results will determine their fate on Sunday.
• Sonoma Academy has a lock on a Division V postseason berth at 21-4.
• St. Vincent, of Petaluma, will make the Division V field, too, with a 15-9 record. Like Sonoma Academy, St. Vincent will host an opener.
• Perenially powerful Ursuline, drawing players from across Sonoma County, is eighth in Division IV at 18-9. The club will make the playoffs.
• Healdsburg's girls finished 10-15, but rank 13th and in the running in Division IV. Long odds face the Greyhounds, who started the season strong.
• Rio Lindo Adventist, of Healdsburg, is sixth in Division VI at 17-5. The division might not be able to fill a 16-team bracket, but Rio Lindo could still host a home game.

• Casa Grande, of Petaluma, is ranked 12th in the North Coast Section. The Gauchos are No. 6 in Division II. The only question will be how high they'll be seeded when they host a first-round playoff game.
• Justin-Siena, of Napa, has Sonoma players on its roster, so the Braves No. 5 rating in Division IV is of interest locally. The rebounding Braves are 22-5.
• Rancho Cotate is 16th in D-II rankings at 12-14. Playoff hopes hang in the balance on Sunday.
• Windsor's a north county hopeful at 17-8, No. 11, in Division II.
• Sonoma Valley's 10-16, rated 16th in Division III. The Dragons could get some help in league tournaments.
• Division IV private school power Cardinal Newman is No. 2 at 21-5 in Division IV.
• Healdsburg's boys have hopes of grabbing a Division IV berth with an 11-14 record. Odds are long.
• St. Vincent is 15-9, rated fifth in Division V. A home game is a strong possibility in the first round of the North Coast Section playoffs.
• Rio Lindo Adventist's boys finished 10-11. The No. 13 ranking in Division VI means the ultimate size of the field featuring the smallest schools in the field will be key to their fate.