The road to a championship has been mapped out. The CIF Southern Section on Saturday released the pairings for the 2026 boys’ and girls’ basketball playoffs, sending dozens of Inland teams, including many from Southwest Riverside County, on their quests for a title.
This year’s girls Open Division showcases Rancho Christian among the 12 teams selected. Rancho Christian, seeded ninth, will first travel to Ontario Christian on Thursday, Feb. 12, and then face JSerra on Saturday, Feb. 14. These matchups mark a significant milestone for the Rancho Christian girls, who are competing in the Open Division pool play for the first time.
The Open Division consists of four three-team pools, with the top two teams from each pool progressing to bracket play and securing spots in the CIF State playoffs. Rancho Christian will be battling not only for section glory, but for a state playoff berth as well.
For the boys, the Open Division format has been adjusted again, expanding to a 12-team field. The division features four three-team pools, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to an eight-team bracket. This new structure guarantees that all eight bracket teams will also earn a spot in the CIF State playoffs.
Among the local teams, several from Southwest Riverside County are preparing for intense first-round matchups. On the boys’ side, in Division 1, Rancho Christian will travel to St. Francis for its opening game. In Division 2, Great Oak is set to face Rancho Verde, while the Elsinore Tigers boys’ team will host Sonora in their first-round playoff game. As the home team, Elsinore will have the crowd behind them in what promises to be an electrifying postseason opener.
The Division 3 bracket includes several area teams. Temecula Valley will host Oak Park, and Murrieta Mesa has a home game against Viewpoint. Over in Division 6, Temecula Prep earned a No. 3 seed and will host Laguna Hills. Paloma Valley will play at home against Highland, and Moreno Valley will welcome Kennedy.
The girls brackets are also filled with compelling matchups for Southwest Riverside County schools. In Division 2, Heritage will travel to face Chaparral, and ML King will visit Murrieta Mesa in what promises to be a competitive local game. The Division 3 bracket sees Murrieta Valley on the road against Cerritos, and Vista Murrieta will host Canyon of Canyon Country.
In Division 5, Temescal Canyon will travel to Fountain Valley, and Temecula Prep is slated for a road game against Foothill. Elsinore finds itself in the Division 8 bracket with a first-round game at Norwalk. In Division 9, Lakeview Academy has a matchup at San Gabriel.
All first-round games for divisions outside of the Open Division are single-elimination and scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The boys’ games are set for Wednesday, Feb. 11, with the girls’ games following on Thursday, Feb. 12.
Seventy Inland teams qualified for the boys playoffs through automatic league berths or at-large entries. Eleven of those teams secured a top-four seeding in their respective divisions. This includes Temecula Prep as the No. 3 seed in Division 6.
As teams prepare for the week, the focus is on execution and survival. Each game from here on out carries the weight of the season, with one loss ending the championship aspirations for teams outside the Open Division. The stage is set for a thrilling stretch of high school basketball across Southern California. For complete schedule listings, visit www.cifss.org.
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