As if playing in the Tournament of Champions and the Channel League wasn’t tough enough, the Santa Barbara High girls basketball team was placed in the CIF-Southern Section’s 1AA Division for the 2015-16 playoffs.
The Dons and star player Amber Melgoza join the likes of perennial powerhouses Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei and potent programs such as Redondo, Sierra Canyon, Bishop Montgomery and Windward.
Santa Barbara’s placement to the highest division was based on enrollment and its playoff profile for the last three seasons. The Dons reached the 3AA semifinals in 2013, won the 3AA title in 2014 and advanced to the 2AA semifinals in 2015, falling to eventual champion Redondo.
The CIF-SS uses a point formula based on playoff wins to determine how they place teams in playoff divisions each year. The power points breakdown is: 1 for a first-round win, 2 for second round, 3 for quarterfinals, 4 for semifinals and 5 for a championship for a maximum of 15. Teams in divisions 1 through 6 who have a three-year score of 26 points or higher will be moved up to Division 1AA.
Santa Barbara’s three-year point total was 27.
The Bishop Diego girls, who won the Division 5A title last year, will remain in that division because their three-year power-point total was 19.
Under the CIF criteria, teams with 0-20 points stay in their original enrollment grouping, teams with 21-23 points move up a half division (2AA to 1A) and 24-25 points elevate one full division (4A to 3A).
Here is a rundown of the playoff divisions for Santa Barbara area basketball teams for the 2015-16 season:
Boys
Santa Barbara, 2A
Dos Pueblos, 2A
San Marcos, 3AA
Carpinteria, 4A
Bishop Diego, 5A
Laguna Blanca, 5A
Cate, 5AA
Providence, Div. 6
Garden St. Academy, Div. 6
Others: Santa Ynez, 4AA; Ventura, 1A; Buena, 2AA
Girls
Santa Barbara, 1AA
Dos Pueblos, 2A
San Marcos, 3A
Bishop Diego, 5A
Carpinteria, 4A
Cate, 5AA
Providence, Div. 6
Garden St. Academy, Div. 6
Others: Ventura, 1AA, Buena, 2AA, Santa Ynez, 4AA
