LJ g BB 32, Mission Bay 27

Rebecca Saul (with hand up) and Petra Eaton

defend against the Bucs in 32-27 win.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's girls basketball team, behind the power trio of Satori Roberson, Paulina Cardenas, and Sina Anae, motored to a thrilling 32-27 win at Mission Bay in the Vikings' Western League opener Fri., Jan. 8. It was first-year coach Darice Carnaje's initial league win as La Jolla coach after many years at OLP.

The Vikings, with stalwart Abby Ward out of the game with a painful hyper-extended finger, fell behind by as much as four points, 25-21, in the fourth quarter after having led most of the game. But key baskets by each of the big three brought La Jolla back for the narrow victory.

With five minutes left in the game and the Vikings trailing, Roberson scored on a putback. Anae hit a hurried 15-footer to tie the game at 25-25 at 3:39.

Rebecca Saul, always a scrapper, made one of two free throws. But then Roberson committed her fourth foul going for a loose ball with 2:18 left, putting the host Bucs in the bonus situation.

Cardenas canned a three-point bomb, then on a subsequent possession was fouled before Carnaje called time out at 1:37.

Paulina made one of two free throws, putting LJHS up 30-25.

After Mission Bay missed two key free throws on a Cardenas foul, La Jolla did the unthinkable, stepping on the line while inbounding a ball. There was 1:06 left. The acoustics in the Mission Bay gym made the shrieks of home fans even louder. It was nervous time.

Roberson, playing carefully to avoid her fifth foul, was fouled on a putback try with 21.2 seconds left. She made both free throws, giving the Vikings a 32-25 lead. All Mission Bay was able to manage in remaining seconds were two free throws.

Incredibly, down by only five, the home team failed to even try to foul a Viking to stop the clock as it ticked down the final 14 seconds, nor did the Bucs' coach instruct them to do so.

"I'm glad we won. I'm glad we were able to win ugly," said Carnaje. "I think we were 4 for 20 layups. You're trying to make it as difficult as you can to win," she said with irony.

"I told the girls to be happy. A win is a win, no matter how ugly it is."

La Jolla's scheduled league opener against Cathedral Catholic Tues., Jan. 5, was postponed due to a leaky roof. Carnaje said the game was rescheduled for Thurs., Jan. 14. Dan Farley, who is vice president on the LJHS Foundation, said he was at La Jolla Thursday drying the floor with a towel and moving containers to catch dripping water. He said repairs had to wait until the roof dried out from the El Nino rains Tuesday and Wednesday.