Local Girls Basketball – 2/26

Of the eight teams we have been following who qualified for playoff tournaments, three remain in contention for Division championships. Here are the results of last week’s games and outlooks for the teams remaining in playoff tournaments.

Chester Volcanoes: The Volcanoes, as expected, easily advanced to the championship round of the Division 7 playoffs last Friday by outscoring Cedarville’s Surprise Valley Hornets, 63-28. Tomorrow night, the Volcanoes face the Butte Valley Bulldogs, and, given the Volcanoes’ much better overall win-loss record and much higher MaxPreps.com ranking, the Volcanoes must be favored to win the Division 7 championship.

Colfax Falcons: Last Thursday evening’s Division 2 quarterfinal matchup against Loomis’ Del Oro Golden Eagles, the third seed in Division 2, was certain to be a tough game for the sixth-seeded Falcons. Indeed, it was. The Golden Eagles ended the Falcons' 18-game win streak by winning the contest, 57-20, and advanced to the Division’s semifinal round. Thus, the Falcons ended their season with a 21-8 overall win-loss record.

Lassen Grizzlies: When the Grizzlies took the court in the Division 4 quarterfinal playoff round against Cottonwood’s West Valley Eagles last Thursday evening, the Grizzlies were decided underdogs. They, the tournament’s eighth seed, would be playing the number one seed, a team that had beaten them 64-30 three weeks earlier. Unfortunately, while the Grizzlies reduced their loss to 15 points from 34, they went down to defeat, 49-34.

Loyalton Grizzlies: Unfortunately, Loyalton’s Grizzlies saw their 14-game win streak broken last Friday when the Biggs Wolverines outscored the Grizzlies, 57-49, in the second round of the Division 6 playoffs. Despite this disappointment, the team’s 16-3 overall win-loss record and the Pioneer League championship mean the Grizzlies can congratulate themselves for an excellent season.

Modoc Braves: By dominating the East Nicolaus Spartans, 69-38, last Friday evening in the semifinal of the NSCIF’s Division 5 playoffs, the Braves will be playing for the tournament championship at Shasta College this Saturday afternoon against the Durham Trojans. Since MaxPreps.com ranks the Braves much higher than the Trojans (190 v. 280), the Braves are favored to win the Division title.

Nevada Union Miners: Last Thursday, 2/19, the Miners, seeded seventh in NSCIF Division 3 playoffs, played the tournament’s second seed, Manteca’s East Union Lancers, in the quarterfinal round. While the underdog Miners’ season ended with a 68-48 loss, the team’s overall record of 20 wins and 10 losses was a huge improvement over its 6-win, 17-loss record in the 2024-2025 season. With only three of the 11 Miners on this year’s team graduating in June, the odds of the team doing even better in the 2026-2027 season are very good.

Placer Hillmen: After overwhelming the Rio Linda Knights, 64-37, in a quarterfinal contest on 2/19, on Tuesday night of this week, the Hillmen posted a 52-39 victory over Lincoln’s Twelve Bridges Raging Rhinos. Thus, the Hillmen, the number one seed in the Division 3 playoffs, will be playing Manteca’s East Union Lancers, the second seed, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on 2/28 to play for the Division 3 championship. Looking at the MaxPreps.com rankings, the Hillmen are ranked 84th in California, and the Lancers are ranked 112th. By this measure, the Hillmen have to be rated the favorite to win the Division 3 championship.

Plumas Charter Warriors: Seeded ninth in the Division 6 playoffs, the Warriors fell to the eighth-seeded Burney Raiders, 46-64, in the tournament’s first round. Ending the season with an overall record of 11 wins and 12 losses, this young team (eight of the team's 11 players were ninth- and 10th-graders) gained valuable experience during the 2025-2026 season, and I expect the Warriors will have a much better record next year.