CIF state basketball tournaments this weekend in Sacramento canceled

The CIF state basketball tournaments this weekend have been canceled over concerns about the coronavirus, the CIF state office announced in a release Thursday morning.

Rosary’s girls basketball team, the CIF State Regional Division 1 champion, was scheduled to meet Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland Fridy at 6 p.m. in Sacramento. That game and all others have been canceled.

Here is the release from the state and Ron Nocetti, CIF Executive Director:

“Effective Immediately, the California Interscholastic Federation has canceled all remaining CIF State Basketball Championship games. This includes regional finals scheduled for March 12, 2020, and the CIF State finals scheduled for March 13- 14, 2020 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

“This decision was made after careful deliberation and in the primary interest of protecting the health and safety of our member schools, fans, and most importantly, our student-athletes. While we understand this decision is disappointing, we strongly believe that the opportunity to compete in this event does not outweigh our obligation to place the health and safety of our member schools and school communities above all else. 

“We want to recognize the hard work and commitment our student-athletes have made to reach the State Basketball Championships. The impact of COVID-19 created many unexpected challenges during this year’s tournament season, and we want to thank everyone involved for their flexibility, patience, and commitment in providing our student-athletes a great experience despite this unique situation. 

“For those that have already purchased tickets for the March 13-14, 2020 games at Golden 1 Center, refunds will be made available at the original point of purchase. If tickets were purchased online via ticketmaster.com, refunds will be processed automatically.”