Area Teams Top Seeds for State Tournament

The Lakewood Artesia, Compton Dominguez and Oxnard Santa Clara boys and the Palisades, Brea Olinda, Fullerton Rosary and Santa Ana Calvary Chapel girls are the top-seeded teams in their divisions for the Southern California regional of the state basketball tournament.

First-round games in the eight-team regionals will be played Tuesday. Quarterfinals are Thursday and the regional finals will be played at Cox Arena in San Diego and the Pyramid. Regional winners advance to the state finals March 19 and 20 at Arco Arena in Sacramento to play the Northern California champions.

Last year, Southern California teams won all five boys’ divisions and three of five girls’ championships. The defending Division IV champion Verbum Dei boys and defending champion Division II Brea Olinda girls are in this year’s tournament.

Artesia, the two-time defending Southern Section I-AA champion, is the top-seeded team in Division I. The Pioneers play a first-round game against City Section runner-up Fairfax. City champion Manual Arts is the second-seeded team in Division I and plays Long Beach Poly in the first round.

City champion Palisades is the top-seeded team in the girls’ bracket. The Dolphins play San Clemente in the first round.

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State Playoffs

Southern California Regional; Tuesday’s first-round games:

BOYS

* DIVISION I: Fairfax (23-6) at Artesia (30-2); Glendora (30-2) at Clovis West (31-4); Long Beach Poly (24-7) at Manual Arts (27-7); Mater Dei (31-3) at Chula Vista Bonita Vista (29-4)

* DIVISION II: East Bakersfield (21-5) at Dominguez (28-3); Escondido Orange Glen (25-5) at Inglewood (29-4); San Diego Serra (19-8) at Mayfair (25-5); Gahr (20-11) at Fresno Edison (25-7).

* DIVISION III: Corona del Mar (19-10) at Fresno Washington Union (22-6); Chaminade (24-4) at San Diego St. Augustine (20-8); Bishop Montgomery (24-5) at San Diego University (18-8); Exeter (24-6) at San Dimas (27-3).

* DIVISION IV: Twentynine Palms (22-5) at San Diego Horizon (23-2); Chowchilla (23-3) at Crossroads (19-9); La Jolla Bishop’s at Gardena Serra (19-12); Corcoran (22-7) at Verbum Dei (27-7).

* DIVISION V: La Jolla Country Day (20-7) at Santa Clara (26-7); Pasadena Poly (27-1) at Price (27-2); Reedley Immanuel (18-7) at El Cajon Christian (23-5); Antelope Valley Christian (20-3) at Cambria Coast Union (23-3).

GIRLS

* DIVISION I: San Clemente (23-9) at Palisades (26-4); El Toro (23-5) at Oceanside El Camino (24-3); Moreno Valley (22-5) at Hanford (30-2); Washington (21-6) at Peninsula (26-4).

* DIVISION II: La Jolla (21-7) at Brea Olinda (28-3); Bakersfield North (23-6) at Bishop Amat (26-3); Foothill (27-4 at San Diego University City (21-6); Culver City (24-4) at Fresno Edison (26-1).

* DIVISION III: San Diego University (21-9) at Rosary (22-8); Dinuba (20-7) at Morningside (21-9); Harvard-Westlake (25-5) at San Diego Kearny (19-9); Ganesha (25-5) at Wasco (22-4).

* DIVISION IV:San Diego Horizon (17-11) at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (25-5); Corcoran (21-7) at Morro Bay (21-7); Crossroads (27-3) at Taft Taft (18-12); Cerritos Valley Christian (17-12) at La Jolla Bishop’s (19-6).

* DIVISION V: Western Christian (23-5) at San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (21-4); San Diego Francis Parker (18-8) at Pilgrim (25-2); Visalia Central Valley Christian (22-5) at Solano Beach Santa Fe Christian (20-11); Apple Valley (22-2) at Chadwick (26-5).