Teams punch tickets to section playoffs
Vanden boys and girls get No. 1 seed, Vacaville boys open on the road
It's win-or-go-home time for many local high school basketball teams.
The pairing for the Sac-Joaquin Section Basketball Championships was announced Saturday and several teams are returning to the tournament with the quest to celebrate on the floor of the Golden 1 Center the weekend of Feb. 24-25.
After winning a share of the Monticello Empire League title, the Vacaville High boys (20-7, 8-2) earned a number 10 in Division II and will travel to Rocklin on Wednesday to play the number 7 seed Whitney High School (17-10, 5-5) of the Sierra Foothill League.
Looking to win a third straight section title, MEL Co-Champion, Vanden High boys (19-9, 8-2) earned the number 1 seed in Division III and will play the winner of a play-in game between Foothill High (9-13, 6-6) of Sacramento and Casa Roble High (21-7, 12-0) of Orangevale on Wednesday.
The Vacaville High girls (14-10, 5-5) finished in fourth place in the MEL and earned the number 18 seed in Division II and will travel to Lodi on Monday for a play-in game against the number 15 seed, Lodi High (12-13, 5-3.) The winner will play number 2-seeded Vista del Lago.
The Vanden High girls (21-7, 10-0) won a Monticello Empire
League title and earned the number 1 seed in Division III and will play the winner of a play-in game between Foothill High (15-7, 9-3) of Sacramento and Casa Roble High (15-11, 9-3) of Orangevale on Tuesday.
After finishing second in the MEL, the Will C. Wood girls (159, 7-3) earned a number 5 seed and will host number 12 seed El Dorado High (14-12, 9-1) of Placerville on Tuesday.
The Dixon High boys, and girls teams, as well as the Vacaville Christian boys, also qualified for the tournament but the Sac-Joaquin Section had not posted the brackets for their games by press time.
All games tipoff at 7 p.m.