Forward Paulina Cardenas bangs
bodies with Henry defender
in the first half.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
La Jolla's girls basketball team regained the lead with 1:39 left for the first time since the opening quarter, but fell short and lost a 47-44 nail-biter at home to Patrick Henry Sat., Dec. 5, in the Mount Miguel Matador Basketball Classic.
Sophomore Sina Anae hit a free throw to tie, then a free throw to go ahead 42-41 before a loud, boisterous crowd in the Vikings' second game of the season. After a Patriots basket, fellow sophomore Rebecca Saul scored and La Jolla only trailed 45-44. But the Pats slipped a bucket in again with 11 seconds remaining to close out the win.
After scoring only six points in the tournament opener Tuesday against a seasoned Eastlake squad, first-year coach Darice Carnaje's Vikings--Carnaje starred at Mount Miguel as a prep--came out looking competent and competitive from the start.
Senior returner Paulina Cardenas hit two outside shots and made three key free throws as La Jolla led early, 7-6, then trailed only 14-11, as Carnaje's infectious enthusiasm on the sidelines spread to even her reserves on the bench.
Henry applied three-quarter-court pressure from the beginning, which forced Saul and returning junior Abby Ward, sharing point guard duties, to handle the ball with care. The visitors forced multiple turnovers, but the Vikings only trailed 19-13 at the end of the first quarter.
Emblematic of her hustle and the home team's spirit, Saul sprawled flat-out on the court while diving for a loose ball near the end of the half with LJHS only down 26-21.
Newcomer Imani Trinidad-Gallagher started the third quarter as Carnaje varied her combinations. Senior Satori Roberson scored left-handed on a nice breakaway basket to bring the Vikings to within 32-25. They trailed 38-29 after three periods.
Carnaje, before the game, said her girls need to work at "looking up--instead of this [demonstrating getting the ball and immediately dribbling with the head down]--to look for a pass." They seemed to do that better as the game went on.
In the final stanza, Roberson scored off an inbounds pass from Saul, who then hit a three from the right baseline with 5:22 remaining, the crowd screaming wildly. Anae brought La Jolla within five with a bucket at 41-36, then Cardenas scored on a fast break a minute later.
Point guard Rebecca Saul (2) faces two defenders
in three-quarter court press early in Saturday's
game.
When Sina scored off another inbounds pass with 2:16 left, La Jolla was only down 41-40, outscoring the Patriots by eight points in the last six minutes.
Carnaje, who long coached basketball at OLP successfully, called a timeout with 1:48 on the clock. Anae then hit her free throws to push the red and black ahead by a point. But Henry came back to secure the win in a topsy-turvy closing minute.
Freshman Katrina Kurtchi subbed in early in Carnaje's rotation and saw substantial time. Junior Kate Miller was another early substitute. Petra Eaton, a sophomore, deployed in the second tier of reserves coming off the bench. Freshman Si Young Kim also saw action.
As they showed last year, Ward and Saul were fierce in their persistence on defense, scrapping and playing tight coverage. Anae, new to the team, demonstrated hard work and team effort. Roberson showed development from last year.
In the JV preliminary game, La Jolla lost to Henry but in totalling 10 points scored 10 times as many points as they did in their first game (1). The junior varsity's game was part of the Mount Miguel JV tourney.
Before the game, Carnaje said he is talking with Bill Bush, former novice coach, about a youth league for girls. The head coach talked enthusiastically about her program, saying, "There aren't enough hours in the day to teach" all the basketball skills she wants to impart to the girls, many of whom have little or no experience in basketball before.
The Vikings play Monarch, a Juvenile Court school for homeless youth, at home Tues. evening, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.
Carnaje continued to coach girls tennis at OLP this Fall, and before Saturday's game said she'll continue to coach softball as an assistant at OLP next Spring. She said coaching basketball at La Jolla has side benefits, because she can quickly get to the seniors tennis tournament she plays in nearby.
Copyright 2015 Ed Piper
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