Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — Both College of the Redwoods basketball teams have been included in the California Community College basketball playoffs after the brackets were announced on Sunday.

As conference champs, the Redwoods men were assured of a spot and a home game, but the CR women went into Sunday unsure of their playoff fate.

However, a strong finish to the season earned the Corsairs a spot in the 24-team NorCal field.

The Redwoods women received the No. 20 seed and will open at No. 13 Santa Rosa JC on Wednesday night.

The winner will advance to play at No. 4 San Jose on Saturday.

The CR women won three of their final four games to propel them into the postseason tournament, including a 68-53 win over Siskiyous in their regular-season finale on Friday night.

The postseason appearance was achieved in head coach Bree Northern’s first year in charge of the team.

Even more remarkable, the Corsairs have been playing with just seven players for much of the season after injuries took their toll.

CR is 11-16, while Santa Rosa is 16-12.

The two schools met earlier in them season, with Santa Rosa edging the Corsairs 74-69 in a close matchup.

The CR men, meanwhile, will host their playoff opener on Wednesday night.

The Corsairs received the No. 9 seed in NorCal and will host No. 24 Alameda.

Alameda is coached by NBA legend Gary Payton, who was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2013.

This is his first season in charge of the Cougars.

Redwoods comes into the game with a record of 21-7, while Alameda is 15-14 after finishing third in the Bay Valley Conference.

The winner will advance to play at San Jose on Saturday.

Wednesday’s game is set for 7 p.m. .

General admission is $12, with seniors and children 12 and under admitted for $8.

Interestingly, this is the first time ever that all six Golden Valley Conference teams have been included in the playoffs.