Boys Open Division: De La Salle in, Clayton Valley out
When the CIF released its NorCal basketball brackets on Sunday, one decision raised eyebrows: De La Salle was slotted into the Open Division, while Clayton Valley was sent to Division I.
The twist came despite the fact that both programs pushed eventual North Coast Section Open Division champion champion Salesian to the brink – Clayton Valley in the section final and De La Salle in the semifinals – but the Spartans got the nod to be in the state’s highest division.
“I guess I’m a little surprised,” De La Salle coach Marcus Schroeder told the Bay Area News Group on Sunday when asked if he expected to earn an open spot. “I feel like we deserved an Open spot, but I’m a little surprised Clayton Valley didn’t earn an Open seed because they were the runner-up in the NCS. But with that being said, I do feel like we’re an Open Division team, and we have been playing as such.”
De La Salle head coach Marcus Schroeder coaches his players against Moreau Catholic in the first quarter of the first round NCS Open Division game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)De La Salle has been to five consecutive NorCal Open Division playoffs, all under coach Marcus Schroeder. In that period, the Spartans advanced past the semifinals just once, falling to a historic Archbishop Riordan team last year.
CIF Associate Executive Director Brian Seymour told the Bay Area News Group that De La Salle’s body of work along with its desire to be an Open Division team was a big factor in giving the Spartans a spot in the state’s toughest division.
The Spartans have had a solid season thus far, winning the East Bay Athletic League regular season title while notching wins over Oakland, Sacramento, Christian Brothers and Moreau Catholic, all of which are in the NorCal regionals.
Clayton Valley was not only passed up on for the Open, but were also not given the top seed in Division I. Buchanan earned the No. 1 seed since the Fresno school had a head-to-head win over Clayton Valley, which did not have star Vince Ellis at the time of the loss.
Clayton Valley Charter head coach Frank Allocco talks to his players during a timeout in the fourth quarter of their NCS boys basketball Open Division championship game at San Leandro High School in San Leandro, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)“I think we earned the right to be in the Open, I don’t think anyone would disagree with that,” Allocco Jr. told the Bay Area News Group. “But perhaps the state is looking at it like ‘Hey, Clayton Valley hasn’t been in the Open before.’ The system is kind of built to have those teams that are in it every year be poured in there.
“But the bottom line for me is I don’t really care. We’ve been in Division I and we’ve had times where we won our section and lost the next game in NorCals. So at this point of the year, we could really care less.”
Riordan earned the Open Division’s top seed, followed by Salesian, St. Ignatius, Modesto Christian, De La Salle and Sheldon.
– Nathan Canilao
Mitty likely back in Open title game – who could the Monarchs play?
Once again, Archbishop Mitty is the No. 1 seed in the girls NorCal Open Division bracket and the overwhelming favorite to advance to the Open state championship game.
The Monarchs (26-2) were challenged in the NorCal tournament last year but were without injured five-star Iowa-bound forward McKenna Woliczko. Nevertheless, Mitty managed to get past McClatchy and Clovis West, the latter of which was a significant challenge.
The ceiling is much higher with Woliczko back for her senior year, and the goal is clear: win the state Open title.
There was some news on that front in the CIF Southern Section this weekend. Ontario Christian, the No. 2 team in the country according to MaxPreps, lost the Open Division title to Sierra Canyon on Saturday night.
Archbishop Mitty cheers on teammates against Archbishop Riordan in the fourth quarter during the CCS Open Division girls championship at War Memorial Gymnasium in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Thus, Sierra Canyon pulled down the top seed in SoCal Open. But their road to the title didn’t get a whole lot easier.
They’ll still have to get through Sage Hill, the No. 16 ranked team nationally. If they do, they’ll face either three-time defending Open state champion Etiwanda or get a rematch with Ontario Christian.
Whoever comes out of the south will be battle-tested and ready for Mitty. But the Monarchs have reason to be confident in their chances.
In January, Mitty controlled most of its matchup with Ontario Christian, ultimately losing in double overtime. A rematch with Ontario or Etiwanda, both top-five teams nationally, could produce another classic.
– Christian Babcock
Who wins Division I?
The boys Division I bracket is loaded with the Bay Area’s top teams.
Along with Clayton Valley, Oakland, The King’s Academy, Bishop O’Dowd, Archbishop Mitty, Bellarmine, Moreau Catholic and Dougherty Valley are in the pool of teams vying for the chance to play in the Division I state title game.
The state clearly favored teams which were in their section’s Open Division, even if those teams did not make the championship game. TKA, Mitty, Moreau Catholic and Dougherty Valley each did not get past the semifinals but were given seeds no lower than 1tth.
Bishop O’Dowd’s GJ Hill-Thomas (5) lifts the first place plaque as they celebrate defeating Granada during their NCS boys basketball Division I championship game at San Leandro High School in San Leandro, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Bishop O’Dowd defeated Granada 79-76. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)O’Dowd was the NCS’ Division I champion, but was given the No. 12 seed. The Dragons will hit the road on Tuesday to play Clovis North.
But while the Bay Area teams have proven to be potent this season, programs from the Sac-Joaquin and Central sections will present a tough challenge.
No. 14 Bellarmine will make the two-hour trek to Folsom, which is 25-6 and made the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals. No. 11 Moreau Catholic travels to Elk Grove for its first-round matchup with Franklin, a team that went 27-4 and has multiple wins over quality Sac-Joaquin Section teams.
– Nathan Canilao
SRV-Carondelet set for another bout
The grudge match will happen in a few short days.
San Ramon Valley and Carondelet have already played each other three times this season. The East Bay Athletic League rivals met twice in the regular season, with SRV winning both games decisively.
Carondelet flipped the script on Saturday, beating SRV 50-49 to win its first NCS Open Division title since 2022 and snap a nine-game losing streak to the Wolves.
It was a result that surprised many around the Bay Area.
Carondelet’s Layla Dixon shoots through the defense during the second half of the North Coast Section Open Division championship at Dublin High School in Dublin, CA on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Carondelet lead San Ramon 23-18 at the end of the first half. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)SRV didn’t like that very much. Now with a chance to advance and face Mitty in the NorCal Open semifinals, SRV coach John Cristiano sounded confident in his team’s ability to right the ship.
“We’ll play them again next week,” Cristiano told the Bay Area News Group after the game. “So we’ll be at their gym. We’ve won a lot of times there. It will be another great game.”
With SRV motivated to bounce back and Carondelet determined not to let go of the rope, it should be a good rematch. The last one lived up to the billing and then some.
The East Bay classic guarantees that Mitty will face a Bay Area opponent in NorCal, which the Monarchs missed out on that year.
SRV nearly got there, but the Wolves lost 69-62 in the semis at Clovis West.
– Christian Babcock
Can Mission San Jose win a state title?
Mission San Jose’s run to an NCS Division IV section title was a Cinderella story that no one could have predicted.
But now, the Warriors won’t be the underdogs going into the NorCal regionals.
MSJ was given the top seed in Division V and has a bye in the first round.
The Division V NorCal regionals will run through Fremont.
The Warriors improbable run through the section playoffs started with wins over Tamalpais and Bethel. MSJ then defeated top-seeded San Marin in the semifinals and Rancho Cotate in the championship game to win the section’s Division IV title.
“Coming from Mission San Jose, we’re always overlooked, always counted out, always seen as a bunch of frail nerds who can’t hoop,” MSJ star Joseph Standfield told the Bay Area News Group in a text on Saturday. “But winning last night was proof that we’re more than just a stereotype, and we’re so proud to represent our school on this stage.”
MSJ will play the winner of Oroville-Drew on Thursday at home. The Division V bracket also includes San Marin and Rancho Cotate, though a rematch will not happen unless the teams make it to the NorCal finals.
– Nathan Canilao
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It’s a strange sight to see a five-team Open Division.
But that’s what the CIF came up with for the girls Open tournament this season. Instead of byes for the top two seeds, they created an unbalanced bracket that gives only Mitty a free pass to the second round.
Why? Allow Seymour to explain.
“We did not think that there would be a sixth team,” Seymour said. “Did not.”
There were six teams in the Open last season. Seymour also told the Bay Area News Group that CIF would have preferred to split up SRV and Carondelet, but without a sixth team, that was somewhat unavoidable.
“We try whenever possible (to avoid rematches),” he said. “Certainly in the first round. There are some times where it’s not possible. That wouldn’t be our preference. But we didn’t feel as if there were any other schools that were worthy. I don’t want to use the word worthy, because they’re all good. But it seemed like when we analyzed everything, it was just going to be those schools that are in the Open.”
The Southern California Open Division has only four teams, so clearly, the Open bracket has plenty of room for variance from year to year.
– Christian Babcock
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