Santa Monica High School’s boys’ basketball team outlasted Beverly Hills, 79-71, Wednesday to take first place in the Ocean League.
With the win, Samohi is now 3-0 in league. Beverly Hills falls to 2-1, good for a second place showing.
Samohi next hosts Morningside today at 7:30 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader with the girls’ team. That game begins at 6 p.m. and is also against Morningside.
Samohi girls host Westside Challenge
For the fourth year, Samohi girls’ basketball will host the Westside Challenge on Saturday.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the one-day extravaganza features a number of notable teams from the Westside and even a few of Southern California’s premiere programs.
Samohi caps the night off against Ventura, the No. 3 ranked team in CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA.
Despite being in a rebuilding year for the vaunted Samohi Vikings, Head Coach Marty Verdugo is confident that his team will end a three-game losing streak in their annual event.
The undercard features an impressive lineup of teams from Samohi’s Ocean League and a few real powerhouses. Division 3AA’s No. 1 ranked team Alemany is pitted against Gahr, the No. 4 team in Divison 3AAA, among others.
“It’s the most competitive I’ve had here in three years,” Verdugo said. “There are some really evenly matched teams.”
Westside Challenge schedule:
• 9:30 a.m. Alemany JV vs. Samohi JV
• 11a.m. Marlborough vs. Inglewood
• 12:30 p.m. Redondo vs. Culver City
• 2 p.m. Marymount vs. St. Monica
• 3:30 p.m. Brentwood vs. Hawthorne
• 5 p.m. Gahr vs. Alemany
• 6:30 p.m. Country Day vs. St. Bernard
• 8 p.m. Ventura vs. Santa Monica
daniela@www.smdp.com