Despite its heartbreaking overtime loss at Calabasas in the CIF Division 3AA semifinals, the Santa Barbara High girls basketball team was notified Sunday that it would most likely receive an invitation to the CIF State Tournament next week.
“That’s a surprise,” Dons coach Andrew Butcher said. “So, we are practicing Monday and we will get better, which is what we always are trying to do.”
Santa Barbara suffered a 72-66 loss against Calabasas.
The Dons, with no player over 5-7, were ranked No. 2 in their division all season. After winning their playoff opener at home, they had to travel for the next three games, playing at Palos Verdes, Atascadero and Calabasas.
If selected for the state tournament, Santa Barbara would more than likely be on the road.
The pairings for the state tournament will be announced next Sunday following the CIF-SS Finals.
