Breaking down the 2023 San Diego Section high school boys basketball playoff brackets

The Division 1-5 playoff brackets begin across the San Diego Section on Tuesday.

Here's an overview of the CIF San Diego Section boys playoffs (Division 1 through Division 4) that get started on Tuesday around San Diego and Imperial County.

DIVISION 1 PLAYOFFS (Bracket)

SLEEPER PICK

Six-seed Mission Hills has dealt with injuries to multiple starters throughout the season but the Grizzlies do have two of San Diego's better junior guards in Jack Jillson and Jake Bishop. If the Grizzlies can get enough help offensively around the duo of Jillson and Bishop then they could make a run in a bracket against many familiar opponents.

BEST FIRST ROUND GAME

(7) Cathedral Catholic vs. (10) San Marcos

The Dons and Knights played each other in the opening week of the regular season, a game that ended with a 63-49 Cathedral Catholic victory. The Dons have experienced guards in Shea Fitzgerald and Thomas Fleming that won't be willing to finish their high school careers by going down without a fight.

A very young and inexperienced San Marcos team finished 0-10 in the Palomar League, San Diego's best league this season. They showed improvements in the second half of the league slate, losing two of their final five in overtime. They'll likely play with nothing to lose going up a Cathedral Catholic team that few would expect them to beat.

CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

(1) Mission Bay over (3) La Jolla Country Day

The Buccaneers picked up strong wins over Carlsbad and La Jolla Country early in the season before senior guard Angelo Gil transferred back in and began playing just after the start of league play. Gil's playmaking on offense combined with the emergence of Gavin Girouard and ability of junior wing Charlie Hutchison will make the Buccaneers a tough out for any team in this bracket.

DIVISION 2 PLAYOFFS (Bracket)

SLEEPER PICK

10-seed Vista faced a challenging schedule in the non-league portion of the year, taking on four of the eight teams in the Open Division. They closed the season strong by winning five of their final six games, good for second place in the North County Coastal League. With Portland-signee Cyprian Hyde manning the middle surrounded by guards Laciya Garrett and Gavin Guinn, the Panthers certainly have the look of a team that is capable of outplaying their seeding.

BEST FIRST ROUND GAME

(6) Helix vs. (11) University City

The Highlanders handled the Centurions 80-61 during their matchup back in December but University City has shown their ability to play with and beat teams ranked higher than them. They have wins over Coronado and Rancho Bernardo on their resumé but going on the road to undefeated league champion Helix won't be an easy challenge.

CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

(3) Coronado over (5) Rancho Bernardo

The Islanders have put together one of San Diego's biggest turnarounds in recent history, improving from four wins last season to 21 this year. They'll have their work cut out for them competing in a bracket that seemingly has more possible winners than any of the other five San Diego Section brackets. Seniors Nolan Reuter and Justin Ayubi, who were 1st team All-Eastern League selections this season, will lead the charge starting with Tuesday's matchup against Mt. Carmel.

DIVISION 3 PLAYOFFS (Bracket)

SLEEPER PICK

Four-seed Rancho Buena fits a similar mold as top-seed Victory Christian. The Longhorns are led by a group of underclassmen and feature a freshman as their leading scorer. For Rancho Buena Vista it happens to be CJ Aldrich, who is averaging 18.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game through his first regular season. It's possible we see a battle between Aldrich and Victory Christian freshman Jayden Gray for a trip to the Division 3 championship game.

BEST FIRST ROUND GAME

(6) Olympian vs. (11) Westview

The Eagles and Wolverines enter the playoffs with the two best strength of schedules in all of Division 3. Both teams took their lumps in league play while going up against teams almost exclusively that are in higher playoff divisions. Will either team be able to use their experience from league play to fuel a playoff run?

CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

(1) Victory Christian over (3) Ramona

The Knights have reached the 20-win mark for the second consecutive season and will likely be a force once again next season. Freshman Jayden Gray leads the team in scoring at 21.1 points per game while junior Derek Edmond (18.7) and freshman Isaiah Owens (13.6) also average double digits. They begin their playoff run having won 11 of their past 12 games, only losing to Southern Section team Rancho Christian during that time.

DIVISION 4 PLAYOFFS (Bracket)

SLEEPER PICK

Six-seed St. Joseph's Academy began the season 0-5 and finished the year at 14-13 while playing a better schedule than every other team in the division. Leading the way for the Crusaders is sophomore guard Angel Ochoa and his San Diego Section-leading 33.4 points per game. Can Ochoa put his team on his back and make a run?

BEST FIRST ROUND GAME

(8) San Pasqual vs. (9) Canyon Hills

The Golden Eagles and Rattlers played in the second season of the regular season and needed overtime with San Pasqual emerging 60-57 after the extra four minute period. It's certainly possible we see another back-and-forth affair in their second matchup.

CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

(1) Vincent Memorial over (3) Imperial

The Scots won a combined 12 games over the past two seasons and have a chance to double that number with their win total this season if they can hold serve at home over the next two weeks. Senior Raul Villareal closed out the regular season with games of 28 and 35 points last week and appears to be in top form as the playoff run begins.