In the CCS girls’ basketball  semifinals Wednesday night, the three-seed Palo Alto Vikings fell 51-41 to the two-seed North Salinas Vikings to end their season.

Paly struck first in the game on a three-pointer by Lauren Koyama (’17), and another by lone upperclassman Hope Crockett (’14) quickly put Paly up 6-0. Paly held a narrow lead through the first eight minutes of play, up 9-7 going into the second.

The second quarter opened with physical play from both sides, with North Salinas committing their seventh team foul within seconds of the start of the quarter. Alexis Burris (’16) sank one of two free throws to put the score at 10-7. North Salinas quickly responded with a driving layup to cut Paly’s lead to one.

The North Salinas Vikings tied up the game for the first time with 1:45 remaining in the half when two free throws put the score at 15-15. Another made free throw gave North Salinas their first lead of the night, and the first half ended with the teams locked at 17-17.

Play opened up in the second half, with North Salinas taking a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night. A fast-paced third quarter put North Salinas up by eight, 30-22, and several missed shots by Paly in the fourth quarter increased the deficit. Time expired with the scoreboard reading 51-41.

North Salinas will take on the winner of Wednesday’s Gunn-Piedmont Hills matchup on Saturday in the CCS championships.