LJ g BB 30, Otay Ranch 49

Vikings at attention (from left) Sina Anae, Kat
Kurtchi (10), Maxwell Lloyd.
(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Junior transfer Brooke Strowbridge helped lead La Jolla's solving of the Otay Ranch press early, and the Vikings showed discipline to hold things together till late in the first half before falling to the host Mustangs, 49-30, in a first-round Division 3 playoff game Wednesday night, Feb. 21.

"The girls set a goal of making the playoffs," said third-year Viking head coach Darice Carnaje before the game. This was La Jolla's second time qualifying for CIF under Carnaje, the squad sporting a fine 6-4 record in the Central League.

And without featuring a lot of players who also play on travel or club teams, that is saying a lot in these highly-competitive days.

Viking Kat Kurtchi displayed her usual combination of driving and shooting savvy, as La Jolla came back from an early deficit to lead 9-8 late in the opening period, which ended with Otay Ranch ahead 15-11.

The red-and-black then battled the three-point barrage the Mustangs employ (now 15-14) by staying to their heavily-practiced, ball-control movement of the ball up the court against the three-quarter-court press. Senior guard Petra Eaton took a pass from post player Sina Anae to score on a layup to bring the Vikings within a point at 17-16 with four minutes left in the second quarter.

Coach Darice Carnaje (center, in black coat) huddles
with the Vikings in the first quarter.

In the earlier rally, in the first quarter, Anae, big and physical though still fairly new to the sport, took a feed from point guard Rebecca Saul and laid the ball in. The visitors pulled within four. After traveling calls on both teams, Kurtchi drove and was fouled. She sank both free throws. La Jolla only trailed 8-6 with three minutes left in the period.

Kat's three-point bomb banked off the glass, not looking totally intended but good nevertheless, and the Vikings led briefly, 9-8.

After each spurt, Otay Ranch redoubled its efforts to harry and harass the less-experienced Vikings.

Strowbridge, who moved here from Washington state last summer, had a nice steal to open the second quarter, though Eaton couldn't capitalize on a shot beyond the arc that followed.

Between the first two periods, Carnaje, reflecting the importance of the playoff game with her heightened intensity, told her team in the huddle, "They want you to dribble the ball, so they can play you tight. Do we need to dribble in our offense? No."

Under relentless pressure, the Vikings trailed at halftime, 23-16, then at the end of three quarters, 34-22. Eventually, the gap ballooned to 21 at 43-22 in the final period with a minute and a half gone.

Imani Trinadad-Gallagher, Saul, Eaton, and Anae all were playing their final game in high school, the first three after four years together on the varsity under two coaches.