Previews, predictions for San Gabriel Valley basketball teams in Saturday’s CIF State regional semifinals

Previews, predictions for boys and girls basketball teams in Saturdays CIF State Southern California regional semifinal gamesBOYS BASKETBALLDIVISION IIINo.

5 San Gabriel Academy (18-13) vs.

No.

1 Palisades (21-11) at Birmingham HS, 8:15 p.m.: San Gabriel Academy has rebounded nicely from its CIF-SS Division 3AA semifinal loss with a run in the state playoffs.

They beat No.

4 seed Mission College Prep 74-60 in the second round.

Mahamadou Diop led the way with 24 points and Coco Britt and Xavier Wang added 13 points apiece.

Palisades is the top seed and beat North Torrance 76-60 to advance.

Palisades has two wins on its resume over Fairfax, and also has beaten Maranatha.

So, SGA will have to play nearly perfect to advance.The pick: PalisadesNo.

7 Mira Mesa (28-6) at No.

6 Maranatha (16-17), 7 p.m.: A lot of folks thought Maranatha had a good chance to win the CIF-SS Division 3AA title, but they lost a close 58-56 decision to Knight in the semifinals.

So, its no surprise the Minutemen have advanced through the first two rounds of the state playoffs, knocking off George Washington Prep, 80-71, on Thursday to advance.

Senior Chris Smith led the way in the victory, scoring 26 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists.

Harrison Harper and Giacomo Manzella added nine points apiece.

Mira Mesa opened with a close 60-57 win over San Dimas before beating Birmingham 65-56 to advance.

Dont look at the Minutemens record, theyre more healthy than they were earlier this season and theyre at home.The pick: MaranathaDIVISION VNo.

5 Diamond Ranch (21-14) at No.

1 Wilson (20-13), 7 p.m.: Diamond Ranch did the tough part, avenging its loss to Kaiser in the CIF-SS Division 5AA championship game by knocking off Kaiser in the rematch, 52-47, on Thursday to reach the regional semifinals.

Jaiden Pullian led Diamond Ranch with 14 points and Devin Turner added 12 points.

Wilson, who had a bye in the first round, is the top seed and beat Strathmore, 61-57 on Thursday.

Josiah Lewis led the Wildcats with 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Jett Hung had 11 points and two steals.

It should be a great matchup of two undersized area teams with one that will advance to the regional finals and be one game away from a trip to Sacramento.The pick: WilsonNo.

7 Math & Science College (24-7) at No.

3 Alhambra (19-14), 7 p.m.: The Moors have feasted on area teams to reach the regional semifinals, beating South El Monte (63-43) and Sierra Vista (72-59) to advance.

Moors senior forward Landon Winslow had a monster game against Sierra Vista, pouring in a game-high 27 points to go with 17 rebounds.

If Alhambra advances, they would play the winner between Wilson and Diamond Ranch, which would guarantee a local team heading to the state finals in Sacramento.

But Math and Science will be a tough obstacle.

They routed Arroyo, 69-48 and beat No.

2 seed Pacific Ridge, 73-43.

Alhambra is battle tested, but Math & Science has been very impressive.The pick: Math & ScienceGIRLS BASKETBALLDIVISION IVNo.

5 Gahr (20-11) at No.

1 Cantwell Sacred Heart (24-8), 7 p.m.: Cantwell Sacred Heart lost to El Toro 52-48 in the CIF-SS Division 3A championship game, but has dominated as the top seed in the Division IV state playoffs.

It easily defeated La Mirada, 63-49, in the first round and beat eighth-seed Tesoro 53-42 to advance.

Gahr lost to El Toro in the CIF-SS Division 3A semifinals, but knocked off fourth-seed Verdugo Hills, 52-42 to advance.

Cantwell has some talent with Alicia Lara, Marina Leiva and Leilani Dominguez, and should keep it going.The pick: Cantwell Sacred Heart.

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