Paloma Valley boys basketball team opens playoffs at home

Sunbelt League co-champion Paloma Valley High School will be at home for its CIF Southern Section Div. 3A boys basketball playoff game on Wednesday, leading a select group of Menifee high school basketball and water polo teams receiving their first-round match-ups on Sunday.

The Wildcats will play host to Palm Desert Wednesday at 7 p.m. in their playoff opener. The Wildcats finished 9-1 in Sunbelt League play to tie for the championship. They are 21-6 overall. Palm Desert is 15-12 overall.

That team is the only Menifee basketball or water polo team at home in the first round. The Heritage High boys basketball team will open the Div. 4AA playoffs at Hillcrest. The Patriots are 15-11 overall and will face a real challenge against Hillcrest, which is 25-3 overall and was undefeated in winning its league.

In Div. 5AA boys basketball, Santa Rosa will play a 7 p.m. game Wednesday at Boron. The Rangers are 13-7 overall and will be matched up with a Boron team that is 14-8.

In a girls basketball opener on Friday at 7 p.m., Heritage will take its 14-10 overall record into a Div. 3AA opener at Burroughs High in Ridgecrest. Burroughs is 12-9. And in girls water polo, Paloma Valley will play a 5 p.m. game at Indian Springs in a Div. 7 wild card game. The Wildcats are 12-11 and Indian Springs is 11-9.