Sierra Canyon and Sheldon boys, La Jolla Country Day and Archbishop Mitty girls head CIF basketball brackets

Trailblazers seek Open Division three-peat while San Diego Section's Torreys put No. 1 girls ranking on the line.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Mitch Stephens
By
Mar 1, 2020, 7:30pm
Video: Sierra Canyon boys basketball highlights
Watch the two-time defending state Open Division champions in action.

The much-anticipated wait is over.

The star-studded boys squad from Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) is the top seed in the Southern California Open Division Regional tournament as the California Interscholastic Federation released the high school basketball state playoff brackets Sunday evening.

The Trailblazers, coming off a second straight Southern Section Open title, feature three 5-star players and the sons of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and seek an Open Division three-peat in the state's 40th annual basketball championships.

The playoffs begin Tuesday and conclude March 13-14 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The team Sierra Canyon defeated in the Southern Section final, Mater Dei (Santa Ana), is the second seed in the seven-team bracket.

Sheldon (Sacramento), meanwhile, is once again the top seed in the six-team Northern California Open Division Regional. The Huskies have twice lost to Sierra Canyon in the Open Division finals.
Sierra Canyon, seen in the section finals against Mater Dei, is the No. 1 seed in the CIF Southern California Open Division bracket. The CIF finals culminate March 13-14 at Sacramento's Golden 1 Center.
Sierra Canyon, seen in the section finals against Mater Dei, is the No. 1 seed in the CIF Southern California Open Division bracket. The CIF finals culminate March 13-14 at Sacramento's Golden 1 Center.
Photo by Louis Lopez
La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) (30-1), the No. 1 in the MaxPreps national girls basketball rankings, is the top seed in the seven-team Southern California Regional Open Division. Southern Section champion Mater Dei (30-2), the nation's No. 1 team in the MaxPreps computer rankings, is seeded second.

In Northern California, 24-3 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose), No. 3 in the MaxPreps national computer rankings, is the top seed in the Open Regional.

Beyond the Open Division — the top teams in the state — there are six divisions, comprised of eight-to-16-team brackets. Northern California adds a seventh division for small schools. The teams are ranked via a competitive equity model, meaning Division 1 is the next toughest bracket, followed by Division 2 and so on.

See all the brackets here.




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