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Vincent Memorial High's Irene Aranda dribbles past a defender in their CIF-San Diego Section Division IV quarterfinals game Saturday in Calexico. (STEVEN ESPERANZA PHOTO / February 23, 2013) |
CALEXICO – The Vincent Memorial High girls’ basketball team overcame a slow start to beat Pacific Ridge High, 41-28, in the quarterfinals of the CIF-San Diego Section Division V playoffs here Saturday.
The No. 4 Scots move to the semifinals where they will face a tough No. 1 Horizon High squad at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Horizon.
“We weren’t focused in the beginning, we were a bit careless with the ball … they killed us on the boards in the first half,” said Scots head coach Jesus Manuel Gonzalez. “Then Irene took over and started getting everybody calmed down.”
On Saturday, No. 5 Pacific Ridge took a quick 2-0 lead in the first quarter with a layup by Kati Perry. It took the Scots a few minutes to tie it at 3-3 with a layup by Irene Aranda, 3-3. Lourdes Lopez gave the Scots their first lead of the game, 5-3, with a jumper.
The Scots slowly took the lead as the first quarter closed, 12-10.
The Firebirds tied it 12-12 in the second quarter before two free throw shots by Aranda and Yolanda España gave the Scots a 14-12 lead.
Pacific Ridge tied it again at 14-14 in the second quarter before Vincent’s Fernanda Cobos re-established the lead, 16-14.
The Firebirds were then struck a blow when Perry went down with an apparent knee injury with 4:37 left in the first half. She was leading the Firebirds in scoring with 10 points. She would not return to the game.
Aranda scored a layup and then a 3-pointer to extend the Scots lead, 21-14. Aranda followed with two free throws as the Scots took a 23-16 lead at half time.
Aranda led the Scots with 13 points at the half.
Vincent Memorial kept the lead through the third quarter, leading 34-27, going into the final quarter of the game.
The Firebirds only mustered one point in the fourth quarter as the Scots took the 41-28 win.
“We were waiting for this game, especially the seniors because it’s our last home game,” said Aranda, who was the game-leader with 19 points. “We just wanted to make it to the semifinals again.”
The Scots will face a Horizon squad that dropped from Division IV to Division V and will prove to be a tough test for Vincent Memorial.
“They’re on another level of competition,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going to try to minimize our mistakes and we’re going to try our best and see what happens.”
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