The 2026 Northern Section boys and girls basketball postseason kicked off last week with a busy slate of first round and quarterfinal matchups. See how each Redding-area team performed before semifinal matches begin on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Boys playoff basketball roundup
Enterprise 77, Las Plumas 48 (D-III)
The Hornets (21-5) easily took down the Thunderbirds on Thursday, Feb. 19 to advance to the NSCIF Division III semifinals. Guards Julian Turner (20 pts) and Ja’Kye Rawls (24 pts) combined for 44 points, with Turner notching his first career triple double.
The Hornets brought up two freshmen in Johnnie Lawson-Stanley and Anthony Vega. Both freshmen contributed more than 10 minutes and combined for nine points. Enterprise advances to face Foothill in the semifinals at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Foothill 65, Red Bluff 45 (D-III)
The Cougars (15-12) stormed away with an early lead over the Spartans (7-22). Senior standout Caiden Cochran scored 20 points to lead all scorers with teammates Matt Poulsen and Turner Knowles adding 15 and 14 points, respectively.
The Cougars survived an 18-point performance from Red Bluff standout Bryce Owens as they advance to the NSCIF Division III semifinals. The Cougars will host Enterprise on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Orland 53, West Valley 49 (D-IV)
The Trojans (17-12) edged past the Eagles (14-16) to end West Valley’s season and advance to the NSCIF Division IV semifinals. Four different Trojans scored double figures, but it was Ty Vlach’s 15 points that led the squad in the winning effort.
The Trojans have a tough task ahead of them in the Northern Section’s No. 1 ranked team, the U-Prep Panthers. The Panthers (26-4) are riding a 19-game winning streak with two blowout wins to start the postseason. The semifinal game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Pleasant Valley 54, Shasta 46 (D-III)
The Vikings (14-14) defeated the Wolves (13-14) in a tightly contested battle on Friday, Feb. 20. Sophomore Bryn Cooper led the Pleasant Valley offense with 13 points, followed by junior Joseph Hejl.
The loss ends Shasta’s season, while the Vikings advance to face Chico in the NSCIF Division III semifinals. Chico defeated Pleasant Valley in both head-to-head matchups this season.
University Prep 87, Lassen 50 (D-IV)
The Panthers (26-4) continue to roll their way through the Division IV postseason bracket. U-Prep came away with a dominant first-round win over Willows and the result was the same when Lassen came to town on Saturday, Feb. 21.
The Panthers have been able to rest their starters for much of the postseason, keeping that first unit fresh and healthy. U-Prep will host Orland in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Girls playoff basketball roundup
Enterprise 46, Las Plumas 34 (D-III)
The Hornets (16-11) defeated the Thunderbirds (21-7) on Thursday, Feb. 19, and while the score was relatively close, it was Enterprise that had control throughout. Junior Cat Ahart lit up the stat sheet with a game-high 26 points. Junior Carly Graham added nine points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Hornets advance to face No. 1 Chico in the Division III semifinals. Chico has defeated Enterprise in both head-to-head matchups this season by an average win by margin of 23 points. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Foothill 61, Red Bluff 32 (D-III)
The Cougars (21-4) cruised by the Spartans (9-19) in the first round of the NSCIF Division III playoffs. Foothill forward Madison Hart led all scorers with 17 points and 10 rebounds with guard Kyndal Whitehouse close behind with 14 points and four steals.
The Cougars will face No. 3 Pleasant Valley in the semifinals — a team Foothill has beaten twice this season.
West Valley 49, Lassen 34 (D-IV)
The No. 1 Eagles (20-8) defeated the Grizzlies (8-17) to advance to the semifinals. Senior Emily Huddleston exploded for 16 points in the win. Senior Rainessa Matthews added 11 points with sophomore center Kelsey Morton snagging eight boards.
The Eagles are perhaps the most well-rounded squad in Division IV, and they currently hold a six-game winning streak heading into their matchup against No. 5 Winters. The semifinal game is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
U-Prep 66, Anderson 32 (D-IV)
The No. 2 Panthers (18-8) put together a solid offensive game to take down the Cubs (10-20) in the Division IV quarterfinals. Sophomore standout Adi Whelen scored a game-high 16 points, with 10 of those points coming in the third quarter alone. Junior captain Layne McFadden scored 13 points with Lanea Jackson adding 10.
The Panthers will host No. 3 Orland in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24. U-Prep and Orland have not faced off yet this season.
Redding Christian 50, Etna 28 (D-VI)
The No. 2 Redding Christian Lions (25-3) continued their stellar season with a dominant win over the No. 7 Etna Lions (13-14). Redding Christian has now won 16-straight games as the Lions head into the Division VI semifinals.
Redding Christian will face No. 6 Fall River in the semifinal round. The Bulldogs (13-15) advanced to the semis after upsetting No. 3 Hayfork in a one-point win. RCS will host Fall River at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: NSCIF playoff boys, girls basketball quarterfinals recap
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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