The California Interscholastic Federation’s Southern Section released the playoff brackets for boys’ basketball on Saturday, featuring six teams from the Santa Clarita Valley who are set to play in the first round.
All six teams will play on Wednesday for the first round of the playoffs, with winners advancing to the second round, set to be held on Friday.
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s matchups:
Valencia at Beverly Hills
This season, the Valencia Vikings finished the Foothill League season 9-3 and earned their second consecutive auto bid into the postseason under head coach Greg Fontenette and carry their momentum into the Division 2 playoffs.
On Wednesday, the Vikings are set to hit the road with a first-round matchup against the Beverly Hills Normans.
The Normans, who finished 22-8 overall and 5-4 in the Ocean League, ended the season ranked 49th in the Southern Section, according to the final computer rankings provided by High School on SI that determined where teams were seeded in the playoffs.
The Vikings finished the year at 78th and are in for a tough road matchup in the first round.
The game between the Vikings and Normans is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Beverly Hills High School.
Golden Valley at Oak Hills
After a historic season from Golden Valley that saw the Grizzlies win their first Foothill League title in 17 years, the team is set to play on the road in the first round.
The Grizzlies are set to match up against the Oak Hills Bulldogs of Hesperia in the Division 3 bracket.
The Bulldogs, who finished the season 16-10 overall and winners of the Mojave River League, ended the season with a four-game winning streak.
The Bulldogs ended the year 86th in the computer rankings while the Grizzlies finished at 112th.
The Grizzlies will have their work cut out for them in the team’s first playoff appearance since the 2021-22 season.
The game between the Grizzlies and Bulldogs is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Oak Hills High School.
Saugus vs. Culver City
The Saugus Centurions are one of three boys’ basketball teams in the SCV to host their first round matchup after finishing the regular season 17-11 overall and 7-5 in Foothill League play.
The Centurions are set to host the visiting Culver City Centaurs in the Division 4 playoffs.
The Centurions will have a favorable home matchup for the first round as they ended the year 125th in the computer rankings while the Centaurs ranked 146th.
The game between the Centurions and Centaurs is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Saugus High School.
Hart at Walnut
After securing their postseason bid on the final day of the regular season with a win over the West Ranch Wildcats, the Hart Hawks were placed into the Division 4 bracket.
The Hawks are set to hit the road and match up against the Walnut Mustangs.
The Mustangs finished the year 15-13 overall and 5-6 in the Palomares League while also losing their last five games.
As for Hart, the Hawks ended the season winning their last three games and have a favorable road matchup in the first round.
The game between the Hawks and Mustangs is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Walnut High School.
Canyon vs. Bell Gardens
After winning a CIF-SS championship last season, the Canyon Cowboys are back in the dance in the Division 7 playoffs.
The Cowboys, who earned an at-large bid after finishing sixth in the Foothill League, are set to host their first-round matchup against the visiting Bell Gardens Lancers.
The Lancers ended the year 14-12 overall and 4-6 in the Almont League as they finished 303rd in the computer rankings.
The Cowboys will have a favorable matchup in the first round as they ended the year 14-13 overall and 270th in the rankings.
The game between the Cowboys and Lancers is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.
Trinity Classical Academy hosts Sequoyah
The Knights, who finished 15-12 overall, are set to host the Sequoyah School Gryphons in the first round.
The teams will play in the first round of the Division 8 bracket with the Knights holding the edge in the rankings over Sequoyah.
The Knights ended the year 353rd in the rankings while the Gryphons, who concluded the regular season 8-4 overall, finished at 370th.
The game between the Knights and Gryphons is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at the Newhall Church of the Nazarene.
