The Valencia Vikings and Saugus Centurions have both clinched appearances in the championship games of their respective brackets in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section playoffs.
With wins on Saturday night, both teams clinched their ticket into Friday’s slate of championship games, with Valencia to match up against the La Salle Lancers of Pasadena in Division 1 and Saugus to take on the Crescenta Valley Falcons in Division 2.
Here’s what happened in the semifinals:
Valencia 59, Windward 46: It’s been nine years since the Lady Vikings won a CIF-SS championship in 2017 and, following a win over the Windward Wildcats of Los Angeles at home Saturday, Valencia is back in a title game.
In the win over Windward, the Lady Vikings were led by sophomore guard Kamila Basyrova, who led all Valencia players in scoring with 21 points.
Basyrova had an all-around performance as she tallied eight rebounds and two blocks while senior guard Cara McKell finished second on the team in scoring with 16 points.
With the win, the Lady Vikings advance to their first CIF-SS championship game since the 2016-17 season, when Valencia won the Division 1AA title.
The Lady Vikings are set to play on Friday against the La Salle Lancers of Pasadena at the Toyota Arena in Ontario with the winner claiming the Division 1 championship.
La Salle, which is coming off a 48-40 win over the Moreno Valley Vikings, is ranked 11th in the state, according to MaxPreps.
The matchup between the Lady Vikings and Lancers is set to tip off 8 p.m.
Saugus 48, Camarillo 46: For the first time in Saugus girls’ basketball history, the Lady Centurions are set to play in a championship game after a win over the Camarillo Scorpions.
In the semifinals win over Camarillo, the Lady Centurions secured their bid into the Division 2 championship after winning in come-from-behind fashion.
After beginning the game with an 18-9 deficit, the Lady Centurions dueled with the Scorpions to cut Camarillo’s lead to 36-32 going into the fourth quarter. And after outscoring Camarillo 16-10 in the fourth quarter, the Lady Centurions secured the narrow road win to advance.
In the win, senior guard Jasmine Garcia led Saugus in scoring with 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting. EvaMarie Rios finished the night with a double double as she recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Centurions are set to play on Friday against the Crescenta Valley Falcons in the Division 2 championship at the Toyota Arena in Ontario.
The Falcons are coming off 45-44 road win over the Rosary Academy Royals of Fullerton and are ranked 36th in the state, according to MaxPreps.
The matchup between the Lady Centurions and Falcons is set to tip off at 6 p.m.
