The Godinez High School gymnasium, home of the Grizzlies. (PHOTO: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).
It’s going to be a big Saturday for the Godinez girls basketball and boys soccer teams, who will both be hosting CIF playoff semifinal matches.
The Godinez girls basketball team (16-11) will host Bishop Diego (25-4) Saturday at 7 p.m. in the CIF Division 5 semifinals. Godinez advanced to the semifinals with a 48-46 victory over Torrance Wednesday night in the quarterfinals.
It’s the first time in school history that either a girls or boys basketball team from Godinez has advanced to the semifinals, according to Athletic Director Bill Snyder. With the victory, the girls basketball team also qualified for the CIF Southern Regionals which start a week after the CIF playoffs.
Saturday’s winner faces the winner of the Oakwood vs. Burroughs/Burbank winner in the finals next weekend.
Crystal Cruz scored 13 points and had seven rebounds; Valerie Arcos scored 11 points and had two steals; and Valerie Esteban scored 11 points and had three steals to lead Godinez to the win Wednesday.
The Godinez boys soccer team (10-8-6) will host Los Alamitos (12-16-2) in a CIF Division 3 semifinal Saturday at 5 p.m. at Santa Ana Valley.
The Grizzlies advanced to the finals winning on penaly kicks 8-7 vs. Palmdale after the match was tied 1-1 in regulation. Sebastian Mejia, a sophomore, scored the goal in regulation.
In the penalty kicks, senior Brandon Robles had the final save as goalkeeper and then scored the winning penalty kick to help Godinez advance, Snyder said.
Godinez has two CIF championships in boys soccer and has advanced to the semifinals seven times, according to Snyder. Godinez also has one regional title.
Los Alamitos advanced to the semifinals with a 2-0 victory over West Torrance Wednesday at Los Alamitos.
The winner of Saturday’s match moves on to the finals next weekend against the Channel Islands-Calabasas winner.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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