By Jon Haber
Special to the Daily Press

DOWNTOWN Santa Monica high school sports are getting a big dose of girl power in the CIF playoffs.

The Santa Monica High School girls’ basketball team (24-4) is riding a season-high 11-game winning streak, while the Crossroads High School girls’ basketball team (18-7) is coming off their most lopsided victories of the year, winning their first two playoff games by a combined 103 points.

Both Santa Monica teams will try to carry their playoff success with them on the road Saturday.

The No. 3-seeded Ocean League champion Samohi Vikings defeated Blair of Pasadena 61-47 Wednesday and advanced to their second consecutive CIF-SS Division II AA quarterfinals appearance against No. 6-seeded Los Osos (23-5).

“We played a great team game [against Blair],” said Samohi head coach Marty Verdugo. “It was probably the toughest physical game we played all year.”

After losing sophomore starting point guard Thea Lemberger in the game’s opening minute, the team turned to senior Karlia Batalla to fill the gap.

“True to the character of our team, Batalla came in and took over the leadership role,” Verdugo said. “She was able to run our offense brilliantly the rest of the game.”

“We had to have a lot of people step up,” Batilla said. “We have a great bench and we can all help the team get the win.”

Star senior shooting guard Daisy Feder led the team with 20 points, and junior Ellese Brandis anchored the team’s post play, grabbing 17 rebounds while scoring 18 points.

After losing on the road to Norco 67-58 in last year’s quarterfinals matchup, Samohi sees Saturday’s game against the Grizzlies as a chance to erase last season’s failure.

“We know this is kind of a hump we have to get over,” Feder said. “We want to go further than last year, and it’s definitely possible. Everyone’s very motivated.”

The game is set to be played on the road in Rancho Cucamonga at 7:30 p.m. And while the road atmosphere was one of the key factors that led to the Vikings’ early playoff exit last year, Verdugo said this year’s team has learned how to play away from Santa Monica.

“When we beat [No. 9 nationally-ranked] Ayala, it proved we know how to play against good opponents on the road,” the coach said. “We’ve been here, and we know what it takes to win. Now, we just have to carry out our plan.”

The team knows a key to that plan is stopping the Grizzlies’ 6’4” junior center Cierra Warren, who averages over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.

“We’re expecting a physical game from an inside presence,” Verdugo said. “They’re not a real strong outside shooting team, so our strategy will be to try and stop their post play, then adjust from there.”

“We’re going to have to back off the perimeter and pay more attention to the post,” Batilla said.

Although the team plans on using some different defensive strategies against the Grizzlies, not much else will change. After winning 11 games in a row, the team has full confidence in their game plan.

“We just need to go in there and play our game, the hardest we can” Feder said. “When we come out and play our game, we can beat anyone.”

CROSSROADS

The Roadrunners girls’ basketball team has been making some noise of its own in the CIF-SS Division V A playoffs.

After a first round buy, the No. 1-seeded Delphic League champion Roadrunners blew out Noli Indian of San Jacinto 71-11 in the second round of the playoffs. Crossroads followed that win with 65-22 stomping over Sacred Heart of Jesus of Los Angeles.

“Right now we’re playing pretty good basketball,” Crossroads head coach Kevin Cormier said. “Our senior leaders have done a great job in getting the girls in the right frame of mind to be focused at this point.”

The wide margin victories have come as a pleasant surprise to the Crossroads’ coaching staff.

“We were shocked Noli Indian didn’t pose much of a challenge,” Cormier said. “[Before Wednesday’s game] my assistant and I watched Sacred Heart … We thought they were a scare. We told the girls to get at them early and get them out of their rhythm.”

And that’s exactly what the Roadrunners did, opening the game with a 12-2 burst that buried Sacred Heart from the tip off.

Crossroads sophomore shooting guard Megan Baer and sophomore small forward Shannon McQueen have been the two go-to-players all season long. Baer has led the team in points, rebounds and assists all this season, and McQueen overpowers her opponents.

“Baer has been phenomenal all year,” Cormier said. “McQueen is just a matchup nightmare for other teams due to her size and strength.”

Cormier will be looking to those two players and help from his supporting cast of upper-classmen Saturday when the Roadrunners prepare to take on No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Baptist of North Hills at Bishop Alemany High School — a neutral sight — at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s game will mark the third meeting between the teams this season. Crossroads won both matchups convincingly — 53-31 in Santa Monica and 46-38 in North Hills — during the regular season, but Cormier knows the playoffs represent a different story.

“We have to go in [Saturday] and be ready to battle them for the full 32-minutes and even overtime, who knows?” the coach said. “We’re in for a tough challenge.”

Despite the atmosphere and L.A. Baptists’ familiarity with the Roadrunners style of play, Cormier said his team’s strategy won’t change.

“We’re gonna play what got us there. We’re real disciplined as far as getting the ball up the floor and looking for any fast break opportunities,” Cormier. “Our whole mantra in the playoffs is that our defense is our offense.”

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