Sports

A night after beginning the season with an impressive blowout win over the Agua Caliente Clippers on the road, Santa Cruz (1-1) looked to be cruising to another up 87-68 midway through the third quarter. But the Lakers (1-0) rallied back, outscoring the Warriors 37-24 in the final stanza and outlasting them in OT.

The No. 3-seeded Sharks swept the scrappy No. 6-seeded Summit Shasta Black Bears 26-24, 25-18, 25-18 to advance to the CCS Division V semifinals and notch their first postseason victory since the 2009 season.

The Mariners came tantalizingly close to the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division championship on Friday night but the Cowboys were cleaner and more focused when it mattered most, doing just enough to edge Aptos, 31-21, for the program’s first league title since 2014.

James Sandoval scored a pair of touchdowns and the Watsonville High Wildcatz shutout Pajaro Valley, 30-0, on Friday night at Carl Conelly Stadium on the campus of Cabrillo College in the 11th annual Belgard Kup Game.

With their first league title since the program’s inception in 2006 within sight, the St. Francis High Sharks came tantalizingly close to completing a furious comeback but ultimately fell to the home team Santa Cruz High Cardinals, 21-14, on Friday night in Mission Trail Athletic League Coastal division action.

No. 6 Aptos High and No. 3 Menlo were about as even as possible through three quarters of their CCS Division II quarterfinal match, heading into the fourth in a 4-4 tie. But the Knights made more plays down the stretch to eliminate the Mariners in a 7-5 victory on Saturday in Aptos.

Sophomore Mia Totah rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win over St. Francis High junior Gabi Gutierrez to claim the singles title for the second consecutive year, while twin sisters Lila and Rebecca Sampson, also sophomores, matched her output en route to a repeat title in the doubles, topping St. Francis’ duo of Katherine Casper and Maya Talavera, 6-0, 6-0.

Quinn Cook poured in 30 points, grabbed five rebounds and made five assists and six other Warriors scored at least 15 points in Santa Cruz's 131-98 season-opening victory over the Agua Caliente Clippers at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif. on Friday night.

The Mustangs junior outside hitter had to sit out the entirety to last year’s post season because of an injury to her right eye which required surgery to repair.

Only three players that were signed with Santa Cruz last season return to the team and head coach Casey Hill, who led the franchise to a championship in 2015 and is now the leader of the Agua Caliente Clippers, is also gone, replaced by first-time head coach Aaron Miles in July.