Five teams from Long Beach learned their postseason draws on Saturday afternoon as the CIF-Southern Section released their playoff brackets for girls’ basketball.
Four teams from the Moore League (Long Beach Poly, Lakewood, Jordan, and Millikan) along with defending CIF champion St. Anthony are all in the playoffs, with the first round of games scheduled for Thursday night. All games will tip at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
To see full brackets for girls’ basketball on the CIF website, CLICK HERE.
Division 1
St. Anthony (13-12) received the odd draw of hosting a Del Rey League rival in the first round. They’ll welcome in St. Monica (19-8) looking to beat the Mariners for the third time this season.
The Saints won the first meeting in Long Beach on Jan. 14 by a score of 64-58, then went on the road for a 65-61 win on Jan. 30. If St. Anthony can advance, they’ll face either Rancho Cucamonga or No. 3 seed Moreno Valley in Saturday’s second round.
Division 2AA
Moore League champions Long Beach Poly (22-5) also received a home game in the first round, welcoming in Summit (19-5) on Thursday night. The SkyHawks from Fontana were the second-place team in the Sunkist League. If the Jackrabbits protect their home floor, they’ll play either Oxnard or Oak Park in the next round.
After locking up the Moore League championship with another 12-0 record last week, head coach Carl Buggs talked about what his team is working on to prepare for playoff hoops.
“We’re still working on that depth, because it’s about consistency. Sometimes a player will come in and play well, but you still just don’t know,” he explained. “We’ve still got work to do, and thank God we’ve got about seven days before we have to get going. It gives a chance for our core kids to get a little bit of rest, because they’ve been carrying the load pretty much all year long.”
In the other half of the bracket, Lakewood (20-7) will also start at home against Corona Santiago (16-11) as the Lancers look to chart a course back to the CIF title game.
The visiting Sharks were the third place team out of a strong Big VIII League and present a tough opening matchup for Lakewood. Santiago is a consistent powerhouse program that reached the Division 1 title game a season ago. The winner will face either Lynwood or Los Osos in round two.
Division 2A
The toughest draw certainly went to the Millikan Rams (14-14) who aren’t not only in fourth-highest division, they’re also traveling to play the one seed from Burroughs (19-9). The alliterative Bears are from Burbank, and went unbeaten on their way to a Pacific League title.
However, the Rams are certainly up for the challenge. Interestingly enough, Burroughs’ last defeat came against Millikan during tournament play back on Jan. 25, with the Rams winning 32-28. If they can knock off the Bears again, they’ll play either Dana Hills or Village Christian in the second round.
Division 3AA
The Jordan Panthers (16-11) were the No. 3 team out of the Moore League but seem to have a more favorable playoff path in a lower division. J-Town will start with a home game, likely to be played at Cabrillo’s North Gym over on the Westside on Thursday night. The Panthers will be facing the Almont League champion Mark Keppel High. The Aztecs have won 11 games in a row, and present an intriguing clash of styles with the Panthers.
Jordan head coach Wes Rosenbaum knows the Keppel program well, and is familiar with some of their players after coaching club basketball in the San Fernando Valley area. He said his team will need to find a way to slow down their shooters, and expects to have a raucous environment at Cabrillo.
“I know their style, and I know a few of their players still, so it’s gonna be interesting,” Rosenbaum said of the matchup. “I’ll tell you what, I’m very glad we’re hosting. They’re coming from the San Gabriel Valley and they’re not used to the type of environment that we play in, so I think it’s gonna be cool.”
The winner of the matchup will advance to the second round to play the winner of South Pasadena and Moorpark.
Be sure to follow @562sports on X/Twitter for schedule updates, live scores, and game coverage throughout the playoffs.
