Sports Highlights: Feb. 12-19

High school winter sports enter their most unforgiving stage this week – the CIF Southern Section Ford playoffs. For the next two or three weeks, a loss means the abrupt end of line for teams that have qualified for the playoffs – an accomplishment in itself.

Dos Pueblos High’s girls soccer team is the first to play do-or-die match on Tuesday (Feb. 12). The Chargers will host Simi Valley in a wild-card game. The winner will advance to the first round Thursday at Mira Costa.

All three city schools (Santa Barbara, San Marcos and Dos Pueblos) are represented in three playoff sports – girls water polo, boys basketball and girls soccer. Santa Barbara’s Dons are the top-seeded team in Division 1 water polo. They host a wild-card winner in the first round Wednesday. San Marcos also plays in its home pool against Edison.

San Marcos has the highest-seeded boys basketball team, No. 6 in Division 3AA, and will face Palos Verdes on Wednesday night. Santa Barbara (Division 3AAA), the Channel League champion, will host Beverly Hills. Dos Pueblos will be the home team for its Division 2A opener against Norwalk on Friday.

Santa Barbara is second-seeded in Division 3AA girls basketball, starting Thursday. Bishop Diego (Division 5AA) also has a home game. Providence Hall, No. 2 in Division 6, has a bye and will play its second-round game Saturday.

Santa Barbara surpassed Buena for the Channel League girls soccer championship for the first time in 27 years and will host Millikan on Thursday. The Dons boys, second in the league, will take to the pitch against Fountain Valley on Friday.

The complete schedule of opening-round playoff games follows.

In college action, Westmont College is closing in on the Golden State Athletic Conference championships in both men’s and women’s basketball. Both teams are home for their next two conference games, Tuesday against The Master’s and Saturday against Arizona Christian. The Warrior men also play CSU San Marcos on Thursday.

UCSB surged into contention for the Big West women’s title with two big wins on the road last week against UC Davis and first-place Pacific. The Gauchos will take on Cal Poly, which beat them by 19 points in San Luis Obispo last month, in a Saturday afternoon showdown. The game is part of the Play 4Kay initiative, and the participants will wear pink to call attention to breast cancer. Some of the proceeds will benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund

SCHEDULE OF GAMES

Tuesday, February 12

COLLEGE

Baseball – West L.A. at SBCC, 2 p.m.

Women’s basketball – The Master’s at Westmont, 5:30 p.m.

Men’s basketball – The Master’s at Westmont, 7:30 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL

Girls soccer – CIF wild card playoff: Simi Valley at Dos Pueblos, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, February 13

COLLEGE

Men’s volleyball – San Diego Mesa at SBCC, 5 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL

Girls water polo – CIF playoffs: Estancia or Huntington Beach at Santa Barbara, 3:15 p.m.; Edison at San Marcos, 3:15 p.m.; Dos Pueblos at Laguna Beach, 3:45 p.m.

Boys basketball – CIF playoffs: AGBU-Pasadena at Cate, 5 p.m.; Beverly Hills at Santa Barbara, 6 p.m.; Palos Verdes at San Marcos, 7 p.m.; Bishop Diego at La Sierra Academy, 7 p.m.; Laguna Blanca at San Gabriel Academy, 7 p.m.

Thursday, February 14

COLLEGE

Men’s basketball – CSU San Marcos at Westmont, 7:30 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL

Girls soccer – CIF playoffs: Cate at Nuview Bridge, 3 p.m.; Millikan at Santa Barbara, 5 p.m.; San Marcos at Hart, 5 p.m.; Bishop Diego at Katella, 5 p.m.

Girls water polo – CIF playoffs: La Quinta or La Salle at Carpinteria, 5 p.m.

Girls basketball – CIF playoffs: Antelope Valley at Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.; Vasquez at Bishop Diego, 7 p.m.; Carpinteria at Whittier Christian, 7 p.m.

Friday, February 15

COLLEGE

Softball – Missouri at UCSB, 8:30 a.m.; U. San Diego at UCSB, 2 p.m.

Women’s tennis – Colorado at UCSB, 1 p.m.

Baseball – Concordia at Westmont, 2 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL

Boys soccer – Oakwood at Bishop Diego, 3:15 p.m.; Orcutt Academy at Cate, 3:30 p.m.; Fountain Valley at Santa Barbara, 5 p.m.; Santa Monica at Carpinteria, 5 p.m.

Boys basketball – CIF playoffs: Norwalk at Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.; Bell-Jeff at Bishop Diego, 7 p.m.; Providence Hall vs. Bethel Baptist at Carpinteria, 7 p.m.; San Marcos at El Dorado, 7 p.m.

Saturday,February 16

COLLEGE

Softball – Fresno State at UCSB, 9 a.m.

Track and field – UCSB, Pepperdine at Westmont, 10:45 a.m.

Baseball – Concordia at Westmont (2), 11 a.m.

Women’s tennis – Loyola Marymount at UCSB, 1:30 p.m.

Baseball – L.A. Harbor at SBCC, 2 p.m.

Women’s basketball – Cal Poly at UCSB, 2 p.m.; Arizona Christian at Westmont, 5:30 p.m.; L.A. Pierce at SBCC, 7 p.m.

Men’s basketball – L.A. Pierce at SBCC, 5 p.m.; UCSB at Cal Poly, 7 p.m.; Arizona Christian at Westmont, 7:30 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL

Girls water polo – CIF playoffs: Irvine at Santa Barbara, 2 p.m.; San Marcos at Santa Ana Foothill, 11 a.m.

Girls basketball – CIF playoffs: Providence Hall vs. Crossroads Christian at Cate School, 4 p.m.; Bishop Diego at Bishop Union, 6 p.m.; Santa Barbara at Palos Verdes, 7 p.m.

Sunday, February 17

COLLEGE

Softball – Missouri at UCSB, 9 a.m.; U. San Diego at UCSB, 1 p.m.

Monday, February 18

COLLEGE

Men’s golf – SBCC-hosted WSC match at Alisal, 10:30 a.m.

Women’s tennis – UC Irvine at UCSB, 11 a.m.

Tuesday, February 19

COLLEGE

Baseball – UCLA at UCSB, 2 p.m.

Women’s basketball – Westmont at Concordia, 5:30 p.m.

Men’s basketball – Westmont at Concordia, 7:30 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL

Girls soccer – CIF playoffs: Arroyo at Cate.

Boys basketball – CIF playoffs

FUND-RAISER

Monday, March 11 – SBCC Golf Classic, La Cumbre Country Club. Four-person scramble. Information hotline: 805-730-4076.

RUNNING, WALKING, CYCLING

Information for most events: sbrunning.org.

FEBRUARY: 17 – Carpinteria Kiwanis Winter Warm Up 5K, Carpinteria Bluffs. 24 – Roses en la Playa 5K, Leadbetter Beach.

MARCH: 3 – Peabody School 5K/10K. 9 – Orchard to Ocean 5K/10K/mile, Carpinteria Main School. . . Solvang Century, 100- and 50-mile bike rides. bikescor.com 16 – Barbara Ireland 10-Mile Walk/Run for the Cure of Breast Cancer, Chase Palm Park. 30 – Kendra’s Sprint Triathlon, UCSB Campus Point.

APRIL 6 – Are You Tough Enough? 100K Run and Relay, Toro Canyon to Nojoqui Falls. 20 – Chardonnay 10 Miler/5K, Leadbetter Beach. 27 – Gaucho Gallop, 1K dog dash, 5K run/walk, 10K run, UCSB Harder Stadium.

MAY: 11 – Wine Country Half Marathon, Sagunto Street, Santa Ynez. runsantaynez.com. 18 – Arthritis Walk, 1 or 3 miles, SBCC West Campus. ccarthritiswalk.org.

JUNE: 3 – Platinum Performance State Street Mile, Pedregosa and State Street. 8 – Vicki’s 3,000 meters, Westmont College.

JULY: 4 – Semana Nautica 15K, San Marcos High.