HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL : STATE TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS : Marina, Verbum Dei Don’t Make the Cut After Losses

Huntington Beach Marina and Los Angeles Verbum Dei, losers in Southern Section boys’ basketball championship games this weekend, were missing from the Southern Regional State tournament pairings released Sunday.

Eight boys’ and girls’ teams in five divisions qualified for the tournament, which begins Tuesday. The semifinals will be Thursday and the finals Saturday.

Winners of the Southern Regional tournament will play the Northern Regional winners for State titles March 15-16 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Marina, which lost, 50-49, to Santa Barbara in the I-A Division final Saturday, finished 19-11. Verbum Dei, a 56-52 loser to Santa Clara in the IV-A title game Friday, was 17-11. Both teams figured to have good at-large chances.

The City Section dominated the boys’ Division I bracket, with three teams qualifying. Fremont, the City 3-A champion, is the No. 1 seed and will play host to Long Beach Millikan in the first round. Westchester, the 4-A titlist, and 4-A runner-up Manual Arts also made the field.

Manual Arts is in the same bracket as Fremont, setting up a possible showdown in the semifinals Thursday.

The Division I, II and III finals will be played at the Sports Arena. The Division IV and V championships will be at Cal State Dominguez Hills.