Basketball Recap: Santa Maria Takes a Tough Playoff Loss

Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Santa Maria couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They took a 77-69 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Strathmore Spartans on Friday.

Julius Medina

Points

02/21/25 vs Strathmore	20
02/19/25 vs Kerman	18
02/15/25 vs Liberty	17
02/11/25 vs Lompoc	18
02/06/25 vs Cabrillo	36
+ 8 more games

Santa Maria's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Julius Medina, who dropped a double-double with 20 points and 12 boards. The matchup was Medina's 13th in a row with at least 16 points. Johnathan Lupercio was another key player, putting up 19 points.

Santa Maria's defeat dropped their record down to 22-9. As for Strathmore, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a massive bump to their 20-11 record this season.

Santa Maria does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Strathmore, they will head out to square off against Granite Hills at 12:00 p.m. on March 1st. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Granite Hills sitting on three straight wins and Strathmore on four.