SALINAS >> No one is sure or will say if it was an ill-attempted shot by Jennifer Rivera or just a perfect pass to a wide-open Peyton Edwards.

The result was all that mattered.

“Let’s just say it worked,” Salinas High girls basketball coach Jens Gordon said.

Edwards’ basket with four seconds left Tuesday lifted Salinas to a 40-38 win over visiting Santa Teresa of San Jose and into the Central Coast Section Division I semifinals.

Salinas, which was hosting its first playoff game since 2020, has won nine straight home playoff games. It will visit Los Gatos — 48-34 winners over Branham — Thursday at 7 p.m.

“I have watched some film of them (Los Gatos),” Gordon said. “When I looked at the bracket, I saw that they were on our side of it. I will put the best game plan together I can. That’s my only job.”

The Wildcats, whose lineup includes a pair of 6-foot-2 standouts, won the Santa Clara Valley De Anza League with a 12-0 record and is 17-8 overall. Two years ago, they won the CCS Division I title.

“They like to go inside,” said Gordon said. “If I had height like that, I’d be going inside too. They are No. 1 for a reason.”

Champions of the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division, Salinas (19-7) is 14-1 in its past 15 games.

Salinas, which was trailing by one with 20 seconds left in the game, tied it at 38 when Rivera hit a free throw, finishing with a team-high 12 points.

A tenacious Salinas defense got the ball back. Rivera brought the ball up court before finding Edwards inside the paint for an easy basket.

The Cowboys built an early nine-point halftime lead, holding Santa Teresa to four points in the second quarter.

“Things were going our way,” Gordon said. “Then they hit a couple of 3-point shots. We turned it over twice and the momentum shifted. We let them back in the game.”

Alice Uchida added 11 points for Salinas, while Edwards finished with eight.

Division V

Palma 51, Cristo Rey 43 >> Staring a double-digit deficit in the first quarter on the road, Palma coach Robbie Johnson ditched his game plan.

Abandoning a man-to-man defense, Johnson went to a zone defense, with a box-and-one on Cristo Rey’s sharpshooter, slowing her down to get back in the game.

“I had watched a lot of film of them,” Johnson said. “I thought we had a good game plan. That went out the window really quick. We made a lot of adjustments on the fly.”

The results were immediate as the Chieftains regrouped, advancing to the CCS Division V semifinals, where they will face top seed Castilleja of Palo Alto on Thursday at 6 p.m.

“I have not seen any film on them yet,” Johnson said. “At this stage, it’s about adjustments. We’ll put together a game plan and see what happens.”

Castilleja beat Pacific Collegiate 65-34 to improve to 19-3 overall. It finished second in the West Bay Skyline League to Harker. It is ranked 13th in the section.

Seeded No. 5, Palma, which brought girls back to campus after a 60-year absence, is 22-3 this season, having finished second in the Cypress Division to St. Francis of Watsonville.

Aveena Ducusin collected a double-double for Palma with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Frankie Rossi and Natalie Aguon each had 11 points, while Carolina Lorca finished with six points and 14 boards.

Division I

Evergreen Valley 46, Alisal 45 >> Battling injuries all season, including the loss of arguably the best player in the county for the entire second half of the season, the Trojans nearly pulled off an upset in the Division I quarterfinals.

“What a great story with all the adversity we faced this entire season,” Alisal coach Claudia Moran said.

Seeded No. 7 in the tournament, the Trojans still won 16 games this season, beating Milpitas in the second round of the Division I playoffs last Saturday.

Mia Rivera scored 10 points for Alisal, with Aileen Gonzalez and Lucy Peinado each finishing with nine points.

Division IV

Menlo 61, Pacific Grove 27 >> A milestone season came to an abrupt end as the Breakers fell to top seed and reigning two-time CCS Division IV champion Menlo.

Champions of the Mission Division, Pacific Grove (20-6) came into the game having gone 14-1 in its past 15 games, producing a county-best 12-game winning streak.

The Breakers advanced to the quarterfinals after a 54-50 overtime win over Stevenson last Saturday.

Division III

Pioneer 49, Soledad 43 >> A turbulent season came to a close for the Aztecs, who gave No. 4 seed Pioneer of San Jose a scare before falling by six in the Division III quarterfinals.

Soledad (15-11) changed coaches two-thirds through the season for undisclosed reasons, dropping six of their last seven Gabilan Division games.

The Aztecs, who won the Mission Division title in 2024, opened the postseason with a new lease on life, knocking off North County to advance to the quarterfinals for the second time in three years.