Lake Elsinore, Wildomar Leaves Its Mark Throughout Boys, Girls CIF Basketball Brackets

The Elsinore High School boys basketball team tops a list of eight local teams that begin pursuit of CIF titles when the playoffs begin this week.

The boys and girls teams from Elsinore, Lakeside, Temescal Canyon and California Lutheran high schools will all compete in the post-season, which begins Wednesday night for the boys and Thursday night for the girls.

Elsinore’s boys, champions of the Sunbelt League and the No. 2 seed in the 2A Division, play host to Westminster, which earned an at-large berth from the Golden West League, at 7 PM. If the Tigers win they will face either Del Rio League champion Whittier or No. 15 seed Riverside North in the second round on Friday.

Lakeside, an at-large team from the Sunbelt League, opens the 3A boys playoffs by traveling to Perris to take on Mountain Pass League champion Citrus Hill, the division’s No. 11 seed. The winner will meet either Jurupa Valley or Garden Grove Pacifica in the second round.

Temescal Canyon’s boys also earned an at-large berth and also find themselves on the road in the first round of the 4AA playoffs, going up against No. 1 seed Orange Lutheran, the No. 2 team from the Trinity League. The Trinity League champion was Santa Ana Mater Dei, the No. 2 seed in 1AA. An upset would propel Temescal Canyon into Friday’s second round against either Gabrielino or South Pasadena.

Cal Lutheran’s boys, who tied for second in the Arrowhead League and are the No. 15 seed in the 6AA Division, will play host Wednesday night to Waverly, the No. 2 team from the International League. The winner will most likely square off against No. 2 seed Bishop Diego, champion of the Frontier League, in the second round.

On the girls’ side, Temescal Canyon is the only local team with a home game in the first round. The Titans, champions of the Sunbelt League and the No. 6 seed in the 3A Division, open with Murrieta Mesa, which was given an at-large berth from the Southwestern League. The winner will play either San Jacinto or Valle Vista League champion and No. 11 seed Hacienda Heights Wilson in Saturday’s second round.

Elsinore, the No. 3 team from the Sunbelt League, opens 2A Division play at No. 11 seed Patriot, which tied for second in the Sunkist League. The winner of that first round game will face either Placentia El Dorado or Suburban League champion and No. 6 seed Mayfair in the second round.

Lakeside, with an at-large berth from the Sunbelt League, begins the 3AA playoffs at Santa Maria Righetti. Righetti is the No. 3 team from the Pac 7 League and the 11th-seeded team in the division. The victor will take on either Riverside Arlington or No. 7 seeded Pasadena Muir in the second round.

Cal Lutheran, champion of the Arrowhead League, is the No. 7 seed in the 6AA Division. As such, it earned a first round bye and won’t play until Saturday’s second round, when it hosts the winner of Thursday’s game between Coast Union and Providence Hall.

Quarterfinal and semifinal games for boys and girls will be held next week, with championship games in all divisions scheduled on March 2-5. Championships in most divisions will be held at the Anaheim Arena, with the only exceptions being the 5AA, 5A, 6AA and 6A games, which will be contested at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.