High School Sports

Prep basketball playoffs: Semifinal scores from around the Central Section

Porterville girls celebrate their 65-39 win against Arvin in the 2020 Central Section Division III girls basketball championship held at Selland Arena. The section finals return to the downtown Fresno arena for the first time in three years with 12 games Friday and Saturday.
Porterville girls celebrate their 65-39 win against Arvin in the 2020 Central Section Division III girls basketball championship held at Selland Arena. The section finals return to the downtown Fresno arena for the first time in three years with 12 games Friday and Saturday. ezamora@fresnobee.com

Latest from the Central Section high school basketball playoffs:

Wednesday’s boys semifinal highlights

Top-seed Clovis West is back in the Division I championship after rolling to a 92-66 victory over No. 5 Stockdale.

The Golden Eagles will next face No. 3 St. Joseph after the Knights defeated Bakersfield Christian 85-62.

Clovis West and St. Joseph will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday at Selland Arena. It is a rematch of the 2022 Open Division championship won by the Golden Eagles 72-63.

Two other Fresno County top boys seeds advanced to Selland: No. 1 Sierra plays No. 11 Kingsburg in D-III, 4 p.m. Saturday; and No. 1 Kerman plays No. 3 Tulare Western in D-IV, 4 p.m. Friday.

All 12 section basketball finals are at Selland this weekend, six Friday and six Saturday.

Tuesday’s girls semifinals highlights

Take three.

Top-seed Clovis West and No. 2 Clovis will meet for the Central Section Division I girls basketball championship.

The Golden Eagles advanced after defeating No. 4 Buchanan 61-41 on Tuesday. The Cougars made it to the section finals after holding off No. 3 St. Joseph 66-63.

Clovis West coach Craig Campbell is now at 424 wins, tying him with former Corcoran coach Doug White for the most wins in section history, according to section historian Bob Barnett.

Clovis West and Clovis split Tri-River Athletic Conference meetings this season.

Also advancing to the section championships at Selland Arena from the Fresno area are No. 2 Porterville (D-III), No. 12 Tulare Union (D-IV), No. 10 Reedley (D-V) and No. 2 Torres and No. 5 Lindsay in D-VI.

Girls

Semifinals Tuesday

Division I

No. 1 Clovis West 61, No. 4 Buchanan 41

No. 2 Clovis 66, No. 3 St. Joseph 63

Championship Saturday

No. 1 Clovis West vs. No. 2 Clovis, 6 p.m.

Division II

No. 4 Tehachapi 65, No. 1 Orcutt 61

No. 6 Liberty-Bakersfield 58, No. 7 Mission Oak 43

Championship Friday

No. 4 Tehachapi vs. No. 6 Liberty-Bakersfield, 6 p.m.

Division III

No. 1 Bakersfield Christian 66, No. 4 Fresno 60

No. 2 Porterville 54, No. 3 Hanford 51

Championship Saturday

No. 1 Bakersfield Christian vs. No. 2 Porterville, 2 p.m.

Division IV

No. 12 Tulare Union 40, No. 1 Immanuel 33

No. 6 Lompoc 58, No. 2 Mira Monte 39

Championship Friday

No. 6 Lompoc vs. No. 12 Tulare Union, 2 p.m.

Division V

No. 8 Arvin 64, No. 4 Coalinga 32

No. 10 Reedley 60, No. 3 Fowler 45

Championship Saturday

No. 8 Arvin vs. No. 10 Reedley, 10 a.m.

Division VI

No. 5 Lindsay 37, No. 1 Strathmore 33

No. 2 Torres 42, No. 3 Foothill 35

Championship Friday

No. 2 Torres vs. No. 5 Lindsay, 10 a.m.

Boys

Semifinals Wednesday, 6 p.m.

Division I

No. 1 Clovis West 92, No. 5 Stockdale 66

No. 3 St. Joseph 85, No. 7 Bakersfield Christian 62

Championship Saturday

No. 1 Clovis West vs. No. 3 St. Joseph, 8 p.m.

Division II

No. 4 Porterville 65, No. 16 Sunnyside 62

No. 2 Arroyo Grande 60, No. 3 Dinuba 40

Championship Friday

No. 2 Arroyo Grande vs. No. 4 Porterville, 8 p.m.

Division III

No. 1 Sierra 74, No. 4 West 33

No. 11 Kingsburg 59, No. 2 Independence 52

Championship Saturday

No. 1 Sierra vs. No. 11 Kingsburg, 4 p.m.

Division IV

No. 1 Kerman 63, No. 5 Nipomo 54

No. 3 Tulare Western 70, No. 7 Washington Union 64

Championship Friday

No. 1 Kerman vs. No. 3 Tulare Western, 4 p.m.

Division V

No. 13 Madera South at No. 1 Desert, 3 p.m. Thursday

No. 7 McFarland 66, No. 3 Mendota 61

Championship Saturday

No. 7 McFarland vs. No. 1 Desert/No. 13 Madera South winner, noon

Division VI

No. 1 Taft 65, No. 4 Torres 60

No. 3 Highland 46, No. 2 Chowchilla 41

Championship Friday

No. 1 Taft vs. No. 3 Highland, noon

This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Prep basketball playoffs: Semifinal scores from around the Central Section."

Anthony Galaviz
The Fresno Bee
Anthony Galaviz writes about sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He’s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER