The Weston Ranch boys basketball team endured 42 hours of pain before a NorCal boost provided some solace. At 11 p.m. sharp Friday night, the Cougars were not only stung by losing a championship game, but did so against an intradistrict and Valley Oak League opponent in Sierra. By Thomas Lawrence Record Staff Writer Posted Mar. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM   So Weston Ranch, bummed it couldn’t win the first section crown in program history, waited for Sunday evening’s unveiling of the California Interscholastic Federation state playoff brackets.

And to the relief of Weston Ranch, which marched through the Division III section bracket as a No. 9 seed, it was rewarded with an unprecedented NorCal home game. No. 9 Aptos (23-7), the Central Coast Section’s Division III runner-up, meets the eighth-seeded Cougars at 7 p.m. today.

“I believe it’s the first one for our boys team in the history of the school. That was positive, and it would be nicer if we were in school — we’re actually on spring break right now,” Cougars coach Chris Teevan said. “I can’t remember the last time we wore our white uniforms.”

Weston Ranch (20-11) was last at home Feb. 13 against who else, Sierra, and is trying to morph the hurt from Friday’s loss into another underdog run.

“There’s no getting around it, you have to face the reality of what happened. We lost a game that we had a shot to make history, and we didn’t get it done,” Teevan said. “It doesn’t take away from any of the accomplishments that we’ve had.”

Junior Jaelen Ragsdale is not on the state stage for the first time — he was on the roster when Weston Ranch reached the 2013 NorCal quarterfinals — but now he’s in a leading role. Ragsdale averaged 19 points in four section playoff games. He and his teammates have pushed the rallying cry of, “For the Ranch, already!” throughout their season. The saying was spawned by former Cougar James Nunnally, a former standout at UC Santa Barbara who plays professionally in Israel, and continued by Teevan.

“I kind of went with it and then the kids started saying it, and we put it on a shirt,” Teevan said. “Just do it for the community. We don’t really feel like part of Stockton, it’s kind of weird, but we’re not really Manteca either.”

Yet, the Cougars are a member of the small community of teams hosting a state playoff game.

Here’s a look at the rest of today’s games, and a glance ahead to Friday’s and Saturday’s quarterfinals. Today’s and Friday’s matchups tip at 7 p.m., and Saturday’s games begin at 6 p.m.

GIRLS

Napa-Justin Siena at Brookside Christian

The No. 4 Knights (23-3) hope to return strong after Saturday’s section championship loss to Sacramento-Bradshaw Christian, as they’d won three consecutive title games at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. No. 13 Justin Siena (20-10) lost in the North Coast Section quarterfinals.

San Anselmo-San Domenico at Ripon Christian

The No. 8 Knights (16-8) are 11-time section champions, but lost to Sacramento-Capital Christian in the Division V final. The ninth-seeded Panthers (23-6) lost in the North Coast Section semifinals.

Modesto Christian at St. Mary’s

(Friday quarterfinal)

The No. 1 Rams have seven CIF State championships, but never in the loaded Open Division — an institution in its third year. St. Mary’s (30-1) is on a 25-game winning streak, and dismantled Modesto Christian (27-4) 92-66 Jan. 10 at Morelli Gym. The No. 8 Crusaders are defending CIF State Division III champions.

BOYS

Weaverville-Trinity at Elliot Christian

If the seventh-seeded Eagles (22-8) are going to progress through the NorCal bracket, they’ll need David Lerma’s dazzling run to continue. Lerma scored 31 points in Elliot Christian’s section championship loss to Brookside Christian, and he averaged 23 points in the regular season. No. 10 Trinity (19-8) is powered by senior Zach Sanchez, who after winning a transfer-period legal struggle with the Northern Section, has averaged 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

ON THE ROAD

No. 13 Manteca (22-8) heads to fourth-seeded Palo Cedro-Foothill, the Northern Section Division III champion (21-8). On Saturday, the No. 4 St. Mary’s boys (22-8) host fifth-seeded Dublin (18-11), a North Coast Section semifinalist, in a Division II quarterfinal. The fourth-seeded Kimball girls (30-1) will host No. 5 Mountain View-Saint Francis (13-4) in the Jaguars’ first NorCal game, a Division II quarterfinal. The rest of Saturday’s matchups are yet to be determined, but include guaranteed home quarterfinals for No. 4 Brookside Christian (Division V) and No. 3 Sierra (Division III) boys.