SANTA CRUZ >> Madison Yazalina, Claire Thompson and rest of Santa Cruz High’s girls basketball team played their first game in 10 days since winning the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Tournament title.

They showed little rust in their Central Coast Section playoffs opener Tuesday. The No. 2 seed Cardinals rolled past No. 7 Greenfield 64-39 in the teams’ Division III quarterfinal.

Defense and a blistering fast break were key for Santa Cruz. Yazalina scored 21 to lead the Cardinals (21-6), and Thompson scored 20 points. Sophomore Tiera O’Connor added 15 points, including three 3-pointers in the first half.

Jimena Hernandez scored nine points to lead the Bruins (17-8), champion of the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Cypress Division.

In Thursday’s semifinal, the Cardinals will face unseeded Soledad Aztecs, who pulled out a 48-43 upset of No. 3 Westmoor. Soledad, the third-place finisher in the Cypress Division, has notched three straight upsets. The game will tip off at Aptos High at 5:30 p.m.

The other semifinal matches No. 4 Notre Dame of San Jose against No. 1 Mills at Mission College in Santa Clara at 7 p.m.

Thompson is the Cardinals’ lone returning starter from last season CCS D-III championship team.

“We had to start fresh after the graduations,” Thompson said. “We learned to play as a team and we’re close outside of basketball. Tonight, we started out slow but then we started to push. Our defense feeds our offense. It helps us get steals and get layups on the fast break.”

Yazalina, a senior transfer from Westmont in Campbell, has been a key addition, along with O’Connor, a sophomore, and a deep team and bench.

“The season has been the best I’ve ever played,” Yazalina said. “Everyone is so unselfish and trusts each other. Once we started running tonight, it paid off. Running is our game. We run and run and run.”

Santa Cruz led 11-8 after one stanza and 27-18 at halftime, spurred by a 7-0 charge just after the midpoint of the second quarter. O’Connor drained a long triple from the left wing, the defense tightened up and Santa Cruz’s rebounding excelled. Yazalina drove the lane for a score and added another bucket on a follow shot during the run.

The Cardinals steadily pulled away thereafter, scoring 17 and 20 in the last two periods, while holding Greenfield to 11 and 10 points. A defensive key was doubling on the Bruins’ big center Latai Matelow, denying passing lanes to her and closing tightly on anything inside. Matelow scored only two field goals over the final three quarters.

The second half electrified the crowd of Santa Cruz fans who filled more than half the gym. Thompson had several big blocks, the defense forced turnovers and resultant fast breaks extended the lead. Thompson and Yazalina each had four field goals in the third quarter and each had three in the final quarter.

“We came out slow but we found our rhythm and we got the fast break going,” Santa Cruz coach Todd Trowbridge said. “Tiera hit some big shots. Our defense leads to our offense. We switched up our defense and used a 2-3 a lot. We doubled inside and made them shoot from outside.”

The latter part of the game allowed Trowbridge to utilize his bench thoroughly. One of the biggest cheers of the night came when freshman Kina Espinosa scored on a putback in the final minute. On the other end, the Greenfield contingent enjoyed watching 4-foot-11 freshman Isabella Figueroa make a steal and grab a rebound.

“The chemistry of Claire and Madison is phenomenal,” Trowbridge said. “The way they pass with each other. Claire took the team on her shoulders this year and I can’t say enough about Madison’s toughness. Tiera is just a sophomore and she’s a natural talent. And there are more, including juniors and sophomores.”

After a six-year dry spell in which Santa Cruz was 22-36 in SCCAL play, the Cardinals have gone 27-3 in league the last three years and won multiple CCS playoff games. The next step comes against Soledad.

“We have more games to win,” Thompson said. “We will enjoy this and get ready for Thursday.”

Half Moon Bay 56, SLV 26

HALF MOON BAY — No. 10 SLV, in the quarterfinals for first time since 2008 and just the third time in school history, saw its season end at the hands of the No. 2 seed in D-II play.

SLV, the runner-up to Santa Cruz in the SCCAL, finished with an 18-8 record.

“I’m grateful to have been part of nothing short of a historical season for our school and our program,” SLV coach Adam Johnson said. “These girls worked incredibly hard over these last four years. To even get to this position says a lot about their work ethic and desire.”

Junior Hannah Morley finished with a team-high 11 points for SLV, which led 10-7 in the first quarter. HMB went on an 8-0 run and never relinquished the lead.

Senior Lucy Lilienthal-Wynn scored eight points for SLV, and senior Amelia Sizemore scored six points.

It was the final game for Johnson, who stepped down as coach after four years at the helm.

“Ultimately, my goal was to build a foundation for the future of the program to flourish.” Johnson said. “I’m confident the program is in the right hands with Kenedi Walters. Her resume speaks for itself, and I champion more female voices in this space.”

Senior guard/forward Alli Dioli scored 29 points for HMB. Sophomore guard Delaney Dorwin added 15 points.

HMB (17-8), the Peninsula Athletic League’s North Division champion, faces No. 3 Notre Dame (16-7) of Belmont in the semifinals at Menlo School in Atherton on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Sentinel Sports Editor Jim Seimas contributed to this report.