Girls hoops teams receive draws

Local girls prep basketball teams received their CIF-Southern Section playoff draws on Sunday and will begin postseason play on Thursday night.

All games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. but are subject to change.

Desert Sky League champion Silverado will try to kick off another deep playoff run. The Hawks won a CIF-SS title two years ago and lost in the semifinals last season.

This year’s Silverado team is seeded 12th in a tough Division I-AA and will open at home against Warren. Many of the players that led the Hawks during the previous two seasons are gone, but head coach Tyrone Brown is optimistic about his team’s chances.

“I thought (the draw) was pretty good,” Brown said on Sunday. “Overall I think we’re in a pretty good position, a position where we have an opportunity to have some success. ... We just want to get that first win in front of the home crowd, and that will be a step in the right direction in this division.”

Also in Division I-AA, Mojave River League runner up Hesperia will go on the road Thursday against ninth-seeded Knight.

MRL champion Sultana is seeded 14th in Division II-AA and hosts Temecula Valley, which got in as an at-large team after playing in a tough Southwestern League.

Sultana coach Dean Serbus was surprised that his team was seeded so low, but stopped short of complaining.

“We were ranked 11th on Monday (and have gone 3-0 since then), so to take a 14th seed is a little ... well, it doesn’t make any difference,” Serbus said. “We look forward to it; it should be a good game. We’re just going to have to get it done.”

Serrano, third place in the MRL, will go on the road against No. 15 Katella in the first round.

Barstow finished second in the DSL and received the No. 7 seed in Division III-A. The Aztecs will stay home to face Heritage in the opening round.

Agape League champion Hesperia Christian is seeded No. 2 in Division VI-AA and gets a bye into Saturday’s second round. The Patriots will host the winner of Thursday’s game between Glendale Adventist Academy and Thacher.

In other girls games on Thursday: Excelsior travels to Crossroads; Silver Valley plays at Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary; Victor Valley Christian hosts Hillcrest Christian/Granada Hills; and Apple Valley Christian visits Lone Pine.