It’s unprecedented, but it has happened. The Santa Monica High boys and girls basketball teams have both reached the CIF playoff championship game in the same season.
After the boys qualified Friday night with a semi-final win at Santa Monica College the girls traveled to Damien High Saturday and routed Ayala, 67-37.
The girls (24-6) will oppose Summit High (25-5) next weekend in the Division 1-A final.
The teams met in a tournament on December 2 and Summit won, 40-39.
Santa Monica is the No. 2 seed. Summit, the No. 4 seed, upset No. 1 Canyon Springs, 72-71 in the other semi-final Saturday night.
Whether or not the Samohi teams win their championship games, both will advance to the state tournament the next week. Losing teams in the CIF championship games in the 1AA and 1A divisions receive state tournament berths.
In Samohi’s easy semi-final win forward Moriah Faulk scored 20 points and guard Thea Lemberger had 16.
“Our goal all season has been to bring Samohi it’s first CIF championship in girls basketball,” said Coach Marty Verdugo.
This is Verdugo’s fourth year as head coach of the Samohi girls team. He was previously an assistant to James Hecht with the boys team.
MITCH CHORTKOFF
Mirror Sports Editor
