By Ed Piper
La Jolla scored 20 unanswered points through the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, breaking open a close game and putting away Steele Canyon, 41-17, to win the Vikings' home opener Tues., Nov. 28 and even their record for the young season at 1-1.
It was a total team effort as several girls contributed, propelling third-year coach Darice Carnaje's team from a narrow 18-15 lead with 2:55 left in the third period to blow the visitors out, frustrating them into multiple offensive fouls and poorly-chosen shots.
Four-year point guard Rebecca Saul drove her teammates down court, forward Skyla Loux showed some physicality and hustle, diving for a loose ball, Sina Anae provided her athleticism, and Imani Trinadad-Gallagher, another four-year veteran, hit some shots from outside.
Newcomer Brooke Strowbridge, a junior from Stanwood, Washington, added some ball distribution and court discipline, as she hit a three-pointer with .02 second left on the clock to end the third quarter and put an exclamation point on the Vikings' drive, at that point 11 straight points for a 29-15 advantage.
Loux led all scorers with 10 points, the only player in double figures. Trinadad-Gallagher, Anae, and Strowbridge all finished with seven points each.
The Vikings held Steele Canyon, playing its season opener on the road, to two points in the fourth quarter.
La Jolla, showing some promise of better things early in the season, losing by only 10 the night before at Carlsbad, held a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter and 16-9 at halftime. Carnaje used multiple lineup combinations, with a seasoned Saul playing a feature role.
In the early going, Trinadad-Gallagher scored on an assist from Strowbridge, then hit a three from the right side for 8-5. Loux hit a jumper with half a minute left in the initial stanza, putting the Vikes up by five.
In the second period, returner Kat Kurtchi, coming off the bench in Carnaje's new alignment, fed Strowbridge for a bucket, then took the ball the length of the floor, dribbling the ball behind her back in vintage Kurtchi style, to lay the ball high off the glass for another basket.
But after leading 18-9 early in the third quarter, the Vikings saw Steele Canyon close the gap to three before going on their big spurt.
The game was the first one for La Jolla in the Matador Classic, sponsored by Carnaje's alma mater where she starred in basketball and tennis as a prep, Mount Miguel.
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