By Eric Terrazas, SGVN
twitter.com/WhittierPreps

Pairings were announced Sunday for the CIF-Southern Section boys basketball playoffs that are scheduled to start this week.

The event will feature 12 area teams, including Del Rio League champion California and Camino Real League champion Cantwell Sacred Heart. California, El Rancho and Schurr will participate in Division 1A, which is scheduled to start with the first round Friday.

The Condors (20-7, 8-2) will be hosting Diamond Bar, an at-large entry from the Hacienda League. California is seeded No. 16. El Rancho (17-10, 7-3), which finished second in the Del Rio League, plays at home against Huntington Beach, which is ranked No. 14 and is an at-large team from the Sunset League.

“We’re really excited to make the playoffs,” El Rancho coach Ray Elliott said. “We’re excited to play (Huntington Beach). They are a quality team and have quality kids.”

Schurr (13-13, 5-5), the Almont League’s third-place team, will host Troy, which finished third in the Freeway League and is seeded 10th. “Troy is a good team. They come from a good league,” Schurr coach Rene Herrera said. “It will be a good test for us. If we shoot the ball well, we can compete with anybody.”

Cantwell and fellow Camino Real League entry St. Paul gained Division 4A berths.

The Cardinals (18-8, 9-1), seeded fourth, have a first-round bye and will start their playoff run Friday with a home game against either Crossroads or Sage Hill.