The Santa Monica High boys basketball team lost to Leuzinger, 58-39, in the CIF Division 1-A championship game Saturday afternoon at the Honda Center in Anahein.
The Vikings, champions of the Ocean League who had won 17 of their last 18 games, fell 24 points behind before going on a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter. They couldn’t sustain the rally.
The championship game appearance was the first in James Hecht’s 16 years as coach..
Leuzinger, champions of the Bay League, is likely to receive a home game in the first round of the state tournament Tuesday. Santa Monica will also receive a bid but will probably play on the road,
As a result of the loss the Samohi boys won’t have a championship banner to hang in the school’s gymnasium. That space will be occupied by a Samohi girls basketball championship banner. The girls won their championship game Thursday night.
