Sports
St. Bernard Hoops on Brink of Title
The Viking girls move on to the CIF finals with a 70-52 victory over St. Paul.
Being the top-seeded team in the playoffs comes with a lot of pressure because it means that you're supposed to win. That hasn't seemed to bother the St. Bernard High girls' basketball team, however.
There's also an adage that it's difficult to beat a team three times in one season. The Vikings dispelled that myth as well, moving within one victory of the CIF Southern Section Division 5AA championship after Saturday night's 70-52 semifinal victory over league rival Santa Fe Springs St. Paul.
The Vikings (21-13) will play second-seeded Oxnard Santa Clara in the finals on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana. The Saints (24-6) defeated third-seeded Montclair Prep of Van Nuys, 62-51, in the semifinals.
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Coach Bo Corona's Vikings have reason to be confident going into the finals, having walloped their four playoff opponents by an average of 28.6 points per game.
The Lady Vikings defeated fourth-seeded St. Paul by scores of 64-59 and 62-54 in their two Del Rey League meetings and Saturday night was more of the same. The Swordsmen were the designated home team, as the game was played at Santa Fe High, LaJahna Drummer gave St. Paul fans little to cheer about.
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The freshman had 20 points and 18 rebounds and senior Kacy Swain added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Vikings, who built a 34-27 lead at halftime and had a 19-point advantage by the start of the fourth quarter. St. Paul finished 19-12.
Boys Basketball
It was a remarkable turnaround season for the Vikings under first-year coach Reggie Morris, but St. Bernard's 15-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt in the CIF Southern Section Division 5A semifinals.
The second-seeded Vikings (22-8) fell to third-seeded Montclair Prep (23-8) on the road, 67-50, at St. Genevieve High in Panorama City, missing a chance to join the girls in their section championship game.
St. Bernard won 22 games and went undefeated in the Camino Real League this season after going winless in the Del Rey League and finishing 4-23 last season under previous coach Mark Fancher.
