LAKE COUNTY >> The Kelseyville boys are home Wednesday night to play Healdsburg in the first part of a basketball doubleheader as the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs get under way with first-round games.
Kelseyville (22-5) and Healdsburg (18-7) meet in a first-round game at 6:30 p.m. followed by a Kelseyville (25-3) vs. Fortuna (17-7) first-round girls game at 8 p.m. The Kelseyville boys clinched a sectional playoff spot by winning the North Central League I championship this season. Also reaching the boys playoffs in Division V as an at-large team are the Clear Lake Cardinals (13-14), who hit the road Wednesday night to play Berean Christian (19-7) in Walnut Creek at 7 p.m.
Division IV boys
Healdsburg actually came away with a higher seeding – eight to Kelseyville’s nine in the 15-team Division IV field – but the Knights are hosting the game because of their status as league champions.
Kelseyville and Healdsburg share several common opponents this season. Healdsburg beat St. Helena twice, Willits, Middletown, Cloverdale and El Molino twice. Kelseyville went 8-2 against those same teams, losing once to Cloverdale and St. Helena.
The winner draws an even tougher assignment in the quarterfinal round on Saturday as No. 1 seed St. Joseph Notre Dame (27-1) of Alameda awaits. The Pilots won the Division V championship a year ago.
Kelseyville is one of two NCL I teams in the Division IV field. The other is No. 14 seed Fort Bragg, which travels to No. 3 Marin Catholic on Wednesday.
The top four seeds in Division IV are St. Joseph Notre Dame, No. 2 St. Patrick/St. Vincent (21-6) of Vallejo, No. 3 Marin Catholic (18-10) and No. 4 University High School (25-3) of San Francisco.
Other first-round matchups Wednesday have Fortuna at Univeristy, Swett at Stuart Hall, Gateway at St. Patrick-St. Vincent, Piedmont at Arcata, and McKinleyville at Lick-Wilmerding.
All Division IV quarterfinal games are Saturday. Semifinals are March 1 and the championship game is March 4.
Division V boys
Clear Lake drew the No. 12 seed in the 16-team Division V playoff field where Cloverdale (21-6) is the No. 1 seed. The Cardinals, fourth in the NCL I standings this season, have no common opponents with the fifth-seeded Berean Christian Eagles.
If Clear Lake can get part Berean Christian, the Cardinals will face either No. 4 seed Bentley (17-9) of Lafayette or St. Helena (14-13) in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
The top four seeds in Division IV are Cloverdale, No. 2 Branson (20-8) of Ross, No. 3 Head-Royce (16-8) of Oakland and Bentley.
Other first-round games Wednesday have St. Vincent at Cloverdale, Redwood Christian at International, Athenian at Branson, Urban at Sonoma Academy, Hoopa at Head-Royce, and Oakland Military Institute at St. Bernard.
Upper Lake (13-13) applied for an at-large berth but did not receive one.
All Division V quarterfinal games are Saturday. Semifinals are March 1 and the championship game is March 4.
