St. Bernard Hoops Squads in State Tourney

It took St. Bernard High School boys basketball coach Reggie Morris just two seasons to guide the Vikings to the CIF Southern Section championship. Now, he and his team have set their sights on the state title.

St. Bernard, which defeated Ribet Academy 81-67 Saturday in Santa Ana to win the CIF-SS Division 5AA crown, now carries its 17-game winning streak into the Southern California Division V Regional Tournament, which begins Wednesday.

The Vikings (23-7) are seeded No. 1 out of 15 teams and have a first-round bye. They will host either Southern Section 5A champion Encino Holy Martyrs (19-11) or No. 8 Fresno Christian (24-2), the Central Section champion, in the quarterfinals Saturday.

St. Bernard has not tasted defeat since a 71-61 loss to Lakewood Mayfair in the Torrey Pines Tournament on Dec. 29. The Vikings are trying to reach the state finals for the second consecutive season. After losing to Montclair Prep in the CIF-SS Division 5A semifinals last year, they won four games in the regional tournament before falling to Alameda St. Joseph Notre Dame, 47-44, in the state championship game in Sacramento.

Despite a loss to L.A. Windward in the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 4AA playoffs, St. Bernard's girls team has also qualified for the state tournament. They too are trying to reach their second straight state final, having lost to Los Altos Hills Pinewood, 67-56, in the Division V championship game last winter.

Bo Corona's squad (25-8) is seeded fourth out of 15 teams in Division IV and will host Lindsay (21-9), the Central Section Division IV runner-up, in the first round at 7 p.m. Wednesday. If the Vikings win they will meet Southern Section Division 4A semifinalist Los Angeles Baptist or fifth-seeded Burbank Bell-Jeff, the other Southern 4AA semifinalist, in the quarterfinals Saturday.

Here are the boys' CIF SoCal Regional Division V first-round games: 

No. 1 St. Bernard (Southern 5AA champion), bye

Holy Martyrs (Southern 5A champion) at No. 8 Fresno Christian (Central V champion)

San Diego Jewish Academy (San Diego V semifinalist) at No. 5 Village Christian (Southern 5AA semifinalist)

Providence (Southern 5A runner-up) at No. 4 Mission Prep (Southern 5AA semifinalist)

Calexico Vincent Memorial (San Diego V semifinalist) at No. 3 Renaissance Academy (Southern 6 champion)

San Diego Rock Academy (San Diego V runner-up) at No. 6 View Park (City Small Schools runner-up)

California Lutheran (Southern 6 runner-up) at No. 7 El Cajon Foothills Christian (San Diego V champion)

Laton (Central V runner-up) at No. 2 Ribet Academy (Southern 5AA runner-up)

Here are the girls' CIF SoCal Regional Division IV first-round games:

No. 1 La Jolla Country Day (San Diego IV champion), bye

Campbell Hall (Southern 4A champion) at No. 8 Elizabeth (City Small Schools runner-up)

Los Angeles Baptist (Southern 4A semifinalist) at No. 5 Bell-Jeff (Southern 4AA semifinalist)

Lindsay (Central IV runner-up) at No. 4 St. Bernard (Southern 4AA semifinalist)

Tollhouse Sierra (Central IV semifinalist) at No. 3 Windward (Southern 4AA runner-up)

St. Paul (Southern 4A semifinalist) at No. 6 La Jolla Bishop's (San Diego IV runner-up)

Brentwood (Southern 4A runner-up) at No. 7 Fresno San Joaquin Memorial  (Central IV champion)

Parlier (Central IV semifinalist) at No. 2 Serra (Southern 4AA champion)