By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
A bid for respect and a chance to play at Arco Arena will be at stake tonight when Burbank plays at Jesuit High School in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section boys Division I basketball playoffs.
Burbank beat Sacramento High twice this season to win its first Metro Conference title since 1996 and, with a victory tonight, would reach Tuesday's semifinals and an Arco appearance for the first time since 1998.
But Titans (23-5) fans are miffed that their school got a lower playoff seed than perennial hoops power Jesuit (20-8), which finished second to Sheldon in the Delta River League, had a less impressive win-loss record and was ranked lower by The Bee (No. 3 vs. No. 7) and by NorCalPreps.com (No. 10 vs. unranked).
Burbank is a No. 6 seed; Jesuit a No. 3 seed, which gives the Marauders the home court advantage tonight.
Jesuit received the higher seed because the Delta River had the better league strength rating; it played the tougher overall schedule; and it beat the Titans 75-58 Dec. 11 at the Gridley Tournament.
Burbank comes into the game having not lost on the court since Dec. 16, when the Titans fell 63-39 to Analy of Sebastopol in the St. Hope Classic at Sacramento High.
The Titans did forfeit two games, including its Metro opener against Hiram Johnson, because of a brawl during the championship game of the Modesto Christian tournament Dec. 30.
Six other area teams ranked in the top 20 in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com also play tonight.
They are:
No. 4 Sheldon, which plays host to Rodriguez in D-I
No. 8 Granite Bay, which plays host to McNair in D-I
No. 9 Woodcreek, which plays host to Will C. Wood in D-II
No. 11 Sacramento, which plays host to Sierra in D-III
No. 13 Franklin, which plays host to Turlock in D-I
No. 20 El Dorado, which plays host to Foothill in D-III


About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.