For the second consecutive year, Santa Fe Christian’s boys basketball and Mission Hills’ girls basketball team have advanced to the championships of the Division 1 and Open Division playoffs, respectively.
But they are not alone.
El Camino and Carlsbad boys, and Vista, Escondido Adventist Academy and San Dieguito Academy girls teams have advanced to the finals of their respective CIF playoff divisions.
El Camino and Santa Fe Christian boys comprise the only all-North County boys final this year. The teams will face off March 2 at 3 p.m. for the Division 1 Championship at Viejas Arena.
El Camino, the top seed, defeated Army Navy, Cathedral Catholic and Orange Glen to make it to the championship game. Santa Fe Christian survived a game Mission Hills team in a 60-55 overtime win on Feb. 27 to advance as the two seed.
Carlsbad boys will face Mount Miguel in the Division 3 championship at 7:30 p.m. March 3 at San Marcos High. The Lancers earned the berth as the sixth seed, defeating Pacific Ridge, Central and Brawley to advance.
Mission Hills girls, which was the Open Division champion in 2017, returns to the championship game for the fifth straight year after upsetting top-seeded La Jolla Country Day 50-40 on Feb. 28. They face No. 2 seed Mount Miguel at 6 p.m. March 2 at Viejas Arena.
Vista’s girls advanced to the Division 2 championship game as the four seed, upsetting top-seeded Carlsbad Feb. 27. They face Olympian at 11 a.m. March 2 at Viejas Arena.
Escondido Adventist Academy advanced to the Division 3 finals after defeating Otay Ranch in the semifinals on Feb. 28. The girls game will be at 8 p.m., tentatively at Serra High School in Tierrasanta, to accommodate the school and church’s Sabbath obligations.
San Dieguito Academy girls became the lone Encinitas school to advance to a title game, earning a berth in the Division 4 championship. The fourth-seeded Mustangs will face seventh-seed Castle Park at 1 p.m. March 3 at San Marcos High.
Meanwhile, Vista, Torrey Pines and San Marcos boys and San Marcos and La Costa Canyon girls are awaiting their state playoffs seeding after automatically qualifying for the state playoffs by virtue of their Open Eivision playoff appearances.
