Boys’ Basketball concludes with first round cif loss

Manny Lopez / Contributor

Timofey Moncher (’26) and Wynter Medford (’28) link up at a varsity home game.

This season, Samo boys’ basketball had high

hopes out of the gate, having prepared exten-

sively, bonding as a team and building skills.

Boys’ basketball started their pre-season games

hot on the court. The Vikings first game of the

season was on Nov. 17 against Los Angeles High

School which resulted in a 77-31 win, start-

ing the momentum for an eight game winning

streak, dominating their competition right out

of the gate.

The team entered Ocean League with a record

of 12-6. In league, they faced the challenges of

illnesses and injuries throughout the team, but

worked hard to make themselves a spot in the

playoffs. The Vikings placed third in Ocean

League, with a league record of 4-3. This assured

their spot in CIF Division 2A playoffs with a 60-

48 win against Lawndale High School. Samo fell short in the first round of playoffs, ending their season with a 61-82 loss against Roosevelt High School and concluding their ’25-’26 season. The boys’ basketball team consistently brought energy to every one of their games and had a strong presence on the court. Starting varsity guard Dom Kajota (’26), shared his takeaways from the season, highlighting the team’s strong bond.

“The season was a lot of fun. I would say meeting everyone on the team [and] building those connections were the best part,” Kajota said. “Obviously we wanted to go further into play-offs, but [...] at the end of the day, all of the guys I met and built connections with will go a long way.”

Head coach James Hecht shared a sentiment when his seniors were freshman, emphasizing that one of the biggest rewards he got from the season was watching every player grow so much. “Especially looking at the senior class [...] when they first set foot on our campus and set foot in our gym, and just seeing their growth and development both individually as a player, but also as just a student at our school,” Hecht said. “I’m really excited about our underclassmen and returning guys. [We will] take some time off and decompress a little bit, but I know a number of the guys are eager to get going again.”

The boys’ basketball team seems to have a bright future ahead, looking forward to resetting, resting, and prepping for next season.