Schools Face Tough Road in CIF Playoffs

Palm Desert High School will be well represented when the CIF Southern Section winter sports playoffs start Tuesday.

The Aztec boys and girls basketball, girls water polo and girls soccer teams all earned playoff spots along with Xavier Prep's girls soccer team who shared the Desert Valley League title with Palm Desert. The Saints boy's basketball team also earned a postseason at-large berth.

Basketball

The Aztecs boys basketball, who finishing second in the DVL with a 19-5 record, drew the fourth overall seed in Division III-AAA and will host Beckman High School, of Irvine, on Wednesday. That game will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. according to MyDesert.com.

"I'm excited," boy's basketball coach Don Brady told MyDesert.com. "I think we're playing well right now, and we are coming off a great game at La Quinta on Friday."

Xavier Prep, who finished fifth in the DVL, was selected for an at-large in the Division IV-A, and will play on the road at No. 2 seed Ontario Christian.

The Palm Desert girls basketball team, which also finished second in the DVL with a 16-6 record, opens the Division III-AA CIF playoffs at home hosting Pacifica High School from Garden Grove.

Water Polo

The Aztecs girls water polo team, which finished the regular season with a 20-8 record, will open the postseason Tuesday when they host Downey High School. The winner will play at Yorba Linda High School in the 2nd round on Thursday.

Girl's Soccer

Palm Desert is well represented in the Division V girls soccer playoffs, with the co-champion Aztecs and Xavier Prep Saints hosting opening round games. The Saints will host Lynwood High School Friday.

The Aztecs, who went 6-0-1 in their final seven games, are still waiting to find out their competitor. Palm Desert will play the winner of a wild card draw between Santa Ana Valley and Linfield Christian of Temecula.

Starting Times

Boys and Girls basketball games tip-off at 7 p.m., while soccer matches kick off at 3 p.m. unless the teams agree to change the start time.

Water polo matches being at 5 p.m.