After ending a 14 year losing streak to Palma in football last fall, the Cowboys basketball team put to rest a 12-game skid to their rivals to the west.
In the process, Salinas ended the reigning three-time Gabilan Division champion Chieftains run of 41 straight league wins with a 40-39 win.
"I will be more than happy to follow the football teams lead and win a Central Coast Section title,'' Salinas coach Jen Gordon said.
Since falling in overtime to defending Central Coast Section Division III champion Monterey, the Cowboys have won their last two Gabilan Division games.
That sets the stage for an early season showdown on Friday when Salinas hosts Alisal, who has yet to loss a game on the hardwood this season.
The last time Salinas beat the Chieftains in 2011, it went on to capture the old Tri-County Athletic League title.
"The moment doesn't overwhelm them,'' Gordon said. "If we're going to run a fast pace attack, we need our guys off the bench to respond.''
Not that Salinas didn't give the Chieftains a chance to keep the streak intact as a 3-point basket from Peter Powers cut the lead to one with 11 seconds left.
What ensued was Salinas' inability to get the ball in play, resulting in a five-second violation, giving the ball back to Palma.
"Palma denied us the ball,'' Gordon said. "That's not what we wanted. The game ended up being a little closer than we'd like.''
The Chieftains got two looks at the basket, with both shots rolling in and out before the buzzer, sending a Salinas student body storming the court.
"Both shots went in and out,'' Palma coach Kelley Lopez said. "We took two good shots. The ball just didn't fall. It was a quite lockerroom. It sucks.''
The Chieftains, who do not have the same offensive firepower as the previous three years, have turned to defense to tam opponents.
That defense held Salinas to 19 points in the first half.
"That's who we are,'' Lopez said. "If you had told me we'd hold Salinas to 40, I would have told you we're going to win the game.''
The 39 points was not a season low for Palma, as it has been held under 40 points four times in 14 overall games this year.
"We're the best defensive team in the league,'' Lopez said. "We just have to figure out a way to score more points. We left points off the scoreboard. We needed to make one more play and didn't.''
Defense dictated the tempo on both sides from the start as the Cowboys held a 12-8 first quarter lead and a 19-18 halftime lead.
"We play pretty good defense too,'' Gordon said. "To tell you the truth, I expected a low scoring game."
With Jarrett Edria filling the lane for a game high 19 points, Salinas held a 29-23 lead in the fourth quarter. Teammate Isaiah Orozco added eight points and 13 rebounds.
"Nothing has been decided,'' Lopez said. "No one is going undefeated this year. You can quote me on that. This league is just two strong."
As emotional as the win was for Salinas, Gordon kept things in perspective. Up next is a battle with Alisal, who has yet to lose a game on the court this year.
"There's a little bit more to beating Palma,'' Gordon said. "But I don't want to get caught up in the emotion. You can't base your season off of one win. We have to get back to the grindstone.''
Powers, Peyton Seelye, Garrett Maker and Sacramento Figueroa combined for 32 of the Chieftains 39 points. Palma was also without two starters. There's no timetable on their return.
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