The No. 1 seed for Division IV boys basketball programs in Northern California stands between Santa Cruz High and more local history.

Santa Cruz is attempting to become the first team from Santa Cruz County to advance to CIF State Championship games in consecutive years.

The No. 3 seed Cardinals (21-11 overall), the Central Coast Section D-III champ, face top-seeded Woodside Priory (24-6), the CCS D-V champ, in Portola Valley in the D-IV NorCal Regional championship on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Santa Cruz became the first team in school history to advance to consecutive NorCal finals with its 55-52 win over No. 15 Lincoln of San Francisco on Saturday night. Former Cardinals coaching legend Pete Newell Jr. reached the NorCal final once, in 2005, during his 30-year tenure. (Newell’s team won the state title that season.)The Cardinals became the second program in county history to accomplish the feat. Aptos reached NorCal finals in 1986 and ’87 under legendary coach Bill Warmerdam.

Cardinals coach Lawan Milhouse will remind his players that Woodside is very good, but not invincible.

“Going to Woodside Priory isn’t going to be easy, but, hey, they put on their uniform and sneakers just like we do,” Milhouse said.

The Panthers, who have six losses to quality programs, were nearly upset in the second round of NorCal, when they slipped past No. 8 Natomas 66-65.

That said, they’re 1-1 this season against NorCal D-III finalist The King’s Academy (26-4), a team the Cardinals lost to on Dec. 14, before transfer Guerande Houssin, a senior forward, became eligible. The Cardinals are much improved across the board since that loss. They carry a six-game postseason win streak into the final.

The Panthers are led in scoring by a pair towering players, 6-foot-8, 228-pound junior forward Mate Palotai, a member of Hungary’s Junior National Team in 2024, and 6-6 sophomore forward/center Teddy Xanthopoulos.

Palotai averages 14.8 points and 4.9 rebounds, and Xanthopoulos averages 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, according to statistics published on maxpreps.com.

Priory had two other players also averaging double digits in points: Junior point guard Jai Gerrodette (13.2 ppg) and senior guard Balazs Nyikos (11.0), a member of Hungary’s Junior National Team in 2023.

The Cardinals have been led all season by star, 6-6 junior forward DeMarco Hunter, a double-double machine. Sophomore guard L.J Legan, sophomore guard Mosiah Cumberbatch, and Houssin have taken turns being a secondary scoring threat, and sophomore forward Kaden Mirtz joined that mix with his stellar showing late in Saturday’s win.