The Woodland Christian High School boys varsity basketball team will be playing in the semifinals of the 2023 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V Boys Basketball Playoffs on Wednesday night in Elk Grove.

The Cardinals (25-5) will be putting their 22-game winning streak on the line against No. 1 seed Fortune Early College (19-7). Four of the Panthers’ seven losses came against teams from outside the Sacramento region.

Woodland Christian’s only loss against Sacramento area foes came against Bradshaw Christian, who the Cardinals got revenge against with a 63-52 win in the quarterfinals round Friday night.

“They just came out with a different level of intensity then they have all season long,” Woodland Christian head coach Casey Neimeyer said Monday after reviewing the tape. “We’ve always stepped up to the challenges that have been put in front of us and it stayed the same on Friday night. They just stepped up and came out ready to play with intensity, they knew what was on the line. They just came and played their butts off.”

The Cardinals advanced to the quarterfinals following a 76-54 victory over Mariposa County in the first round on Feb. 15.

Woodland Christian was led to both playoff wins by two dynamic duos of seniors and freshmen, respectively. Wyatt Rumfelt and Jordan Sacramento are the Cardinals’ two seasoned seniors who are showing the ropes to two talented freshmen, Romello Bruhn and Isaiah Hunt.

“I don’t see this game being any different,” Neimeyer proclaimed. “I think between Wyatt, Mello and Isaiah, we’ve got the ball handlers that we need to combat their pressure. I think it’s just a matter of how smart we can play and how composed we can play. If we do those things it’s going to be great.

“With Jordan, he’s obviously a huge task to deal with for them on the inside. So defensively, we’re going to be looking for him to clog up that middle on drives and just be a presence there. I wouldn’t say a rim protector because it’s not like he’s going to protect it at the rim, but just kind of protect from those drives. We’ve all seen what he can do on offense when he really gets it going so I don’t expect it to change.”

Standing at 6-foot-8 himself, Neimeyer has an elevated understanding of Sacramento’s importance as Woodland Christian’s X-factor.

“Wyatt and Romello make us tick as guards,” Neimeyer said. “But I would say that Jordan is the X-factor (because) a lot of teams at this level do not have that inside presence, especially a guy that can go inside and outside. In that regard, I would say he is the X-factor because it’s not really a big man’s game anymore and so having a big man that can do both is kind of priceless.”

As the top seed in the bracket, Fortune earned a first round bye. The Panthers advanced to the final four with a 64-56 win against No. 9 Argonaut on Friday evening.

“We know that they’re very athletic, they’re quick, they apply a lot of pressure throughout the entire game. It’s not like they come out in a press, they stay in it and they apply pressure. They really want to make you beat them in their game, in a quick-pace game,” Neimeyer explained. “I think the key for us is taking care of the ball. We gotta be able to handle their pressure and make good passes out of it. They are the type of team that wants to outscore you so they’re going to look for steals.”

If the Cardinals defeat Fortune on Wednesday, they will be playing in the CIF SJS D5 Finals at Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento on Saturday at noon. Woodland Christian would play the winner of No. 3 Vacaville Christian (22-3) at No. 2 Ripon Christian (21-7).

Cardinals fans may be pulling for another upset on the other side of the bracket as Woodland Christian lost its season opener at a neutral tournament against Vacaville, 58-49, on Dec. 1. However, Neimeyer and the Cardinals are not looking ahead and are focused on the task at hand: defeating the Panthers on Wednesday night.

“We really need to dominate the boards,” Neimeyer said. “I think that if we can limit them to one shot and then push the ball back at them, push the pace and make them feel uncomfortable, not let them get into their press and their pressure, I think that’s going to be a massive part of what we try to do and keep them off guard.”