Being sent on a long road trip for a late-starting playoff game didn't disappoint Joey Ramirez.

Chosen as one of four Southern Section boys' basketball teams for the CIF State Southern California Regionals is reward enough for the Oak Park High coach.

Oak Park (23-7), winner of 19 of its last 22 games, was selected to the eight-team Division III regional field. Making the state tournament for the second time in four years, the Eagles will face Central Section champion Hanford (30-3) in the first round Tuesday at 8 p.m. on the road.

"I don't mind the drive at all," said Ramirez. "This team deserves it. Looking at the teams that were under consideration, I knew we had a good shot at making it."

It will be the second game of a playoff doubleheader. The Hanford girls' team faces Magnolia at 6 p.m.

Six area soccer teams qualified for the first Southern California Regional Championships, which begin Tuesday.

The bad news is that three will be playing No. 1 seeds on the road.

The number of divisions for soccer was reduced from six for the section finals to three for the regional tournament. The selection committee picked eight teams for each bracket.

Thousand Oaks (20-4-2), the Division II section champion, drew No. 1 seed Torrey Pines (22-0-3) on the road in the first round of the Division I girls' playoff.

Other teams on the road will be Newbury Park (12-5-4) vs. Division I boys' top seed Santa Monica (26-0-1) at Santa Monica City College and Oak Park (13-6-7) at No. 1 seed Cathedral Catholic (21-2-5) in Division II girls.

If Oak Park can pull off an opening-round upset, it could face an area school in the regional semifinals on Thursday.

Agoura (18-3-5) will be at home Tuesday against Coronado (13-5-8) in a Division II game. The survivor will face either Oak Park or Cathedral Catholic.

The section champion Oaks Christian boys' and girls' teams were seeded No. 1 in Division III and will play a home doubleheader.

The Oaks Christian boys' team (19-4-3) will be at home against Avenal (17-3-6) at 5 p.m., followed by the Oaks Christian (2-2) vs. Sherman Oaks Center (13-3) game.

Left out of the state basketball tournament were Division I-AA girls' semifinalist Ventura (27-3) and V-A boys' runner-up St. Bonaventure (15-15).

Ventura was ranked No. 12 in the state by CalHiSports.com and was 3-3 against ranked opponents. The Cougars lost to Millikan, the No. 4 seed in Division I, by six points in the semifinals.

St. Bonaventure lost to Rosamond, 51-44, in the V-A championship game last Friday.

Led by 6-foot-4 center Bobby Hillard and point guard Andy Winningham, Oak Park claimed a share of its seventh consecutive Tri-Valley League title with an 11-game winning streak to close out the league season.

"Our league had four teams ranked in the section," said Ramirez, the program's first-year coach. "We fared well against those teams."

Oak Park's non-league schedule included games against Harvard-Westlake, Dos Pueblos, Moorpark, Hart and Calabasas.

In the III-AA semifinals, Oak Park lost to Price, 46-44, in overtime. Price is the No. 1 seed in the Division V regional bracket.

"If people had watched us play, they would have seen that we were peaking," said Ramirez.

Hanford won the Division III section title with a 74-62 win over Kerman in the championship game in Fresno. That gave Hanford a school-record 30 wins.

CIF regionals

What: Southern California Regionals.

When: Tuesday.

Division III basketball

Oak Park (23-7) at Hanford (29-3), 8 p.m.

Division I boys' soccer

Newbury Park (14-4-3) at Santa Monica (26-0-1), 5 p.m.*

Division I girls' soccer

Thousand Oaks (20-4-2) at Torrey Pines (22-0-3), 5 p.m.

Division II girls' soccer

Oak Park (13-6-7) at Cathedral Catholic (21-2-5), 5 p.m.

Coronado (13-5-8) at Agoura (18-3-5), 5 p.m.

Division III boys

Avenal (17-3-6) at Oaks Christian *(19-4-3), 5 p.m.

Division III girls

Sherman Oaks Center (13-3) at Oaks Christian (2-2), 7 p.m.

*Santa Monica City College