On Tuesday night, in front of a packed home crowd at Jack Hamlin Gym, the Woodland Christian girls varsity basketball team made city history as the first-ever basketball program to reach a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship game following a 65-36 win over Argonaut.

Just a few hours before the boys accomplished the same feat, becoming the first-ever boy’s program to make a CIF section title game, the girls clinched their ticket to Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center for the CIF SJS D5 championship, where they will take on No. 1 seed Bret Harte, Friday at 10 a.m.

“We started off really well, and maybe they weren’t ready for our pressure, but we came out with a lot of intensity, and our energy was really good and really high,” Cardinals head coach Shiloh Sorbello said. “It was good ball pressure in the front court that prevented them from having an easy look at the basket.”

The Cardinals (26-5, 14-0 Sierra Delta League) earned the D5 No. 2 overall seed and opened up the first round of the CIF SJS playoffs with a 70-19 win over No. 15 seed Aspire Langston Hughes Academy last Tuesday. In their quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, Feb. 20, they defeated No. 7 seed Destiny Charter Academy 69-23.

The Cardinals raced out to a huge lead in the semifinal, going up 22-4 at the end of the first quarter.Things were a little closer in the second quarter and third quarters as the Cardinals were only able to outscore them by four points in the second to go into halftime up 39-17. The third quarter was by far the most competitive of the night, as the Cardinals were only able to outscore Argonaut 13-10.

“They got a bit loose in the second and third quarters, but we brought them back to earth in the fourth,” Sorbello said. “Really, it was our defense that drove everything. We got some easy looks out of steals.”

In the fourth, the Cardinals blew the doors wide open, going 13-9 and winning by the final score of 65-36.

According to Sorbello, senior captain Teagan Hayes stepped up, as she usually does in huge games, leading the way with 23 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals. Senior point guard Keziah Maldonado-Lemus fought through some unfortunate foul calls and managed to fill the stat sheet with 10 points, 8 assists, just 1 turnover and 3 steals.

Bailee Broward played well with 11 points and 7 boards and shot 3/6 from 3-point land. Elena Ganyo knocked down two threes and finished with 10 points. Ellie Sumner had 9 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals, highlighted by a nasty cross-over lay-up. Siena Sorbello scored a season-low 2 points but had double-digit rebounds and a couple of blocks, with just one foul, helping the Cardinals limit Argonaut’s post player.

Along with everything else they have accomplished this year, the Cardinals still find themselves in the midst of an impressive 24-game winning streak that dates back to the first week of December. Sorbello credits the team’s relentless defense that lets opposing offenses know that they’ll need to pack a lunch because they are in for a long night.

“The girls bring defense every day,” Sorbello said. “We always say defense travels. Some days, your shots are not going to fall, or you are going to feel a bit clunky, or the defense you are playing is special, but for us, we seem to bring the defense every game, and it gives us a chance. If we are hitting shots, the game isn’t going to be close.”

In the final awaits D5 powerhouse Bret Harte, who finished their season with a 24-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the Mother Lode League behind Riverbank. Riverbank just so happens to be playing for the D4 championship against Liberty Ranch.

“Bret Harte is a beast,” Sorbello said. “They are ranked higher than us for a reason. They are a really well-coached and well-rounded team, and it’s going to be a battle for sure.

Our job is not finished, but at the same time, we are really grateful for the opportunity to play in the section championship. It’s the first time any team from Woodland has made a section championship in basketball, and it’s just a really special accomplishment for these girls.

“We need to take great shots, not let their pressure get to us, and bring it on the defensive end. We have to go and see if they can handle it.”