The host Carpinteria girls came up with a strong fourth quarter to win the cross-town match with Cate 37-33 on Tuesday.
“The Lady Warriors battled a good, well-coached Rams team to the end,” Carpinteria coach Henry Gonzales said. “We started off slowly on offense but our defense was strong and consistent.”
The teams battled to a 13-13 halftime tie, and then the Warriors came out in the third quarter with four quick buckets, breaking the Rams press.
Cate put a stop to that momentum thanks to sophomore Sophia Ospina, who had seven of her 15 points in the third frame. The Rams led 24-23 going into the fourth.
In the closely contested final frame, the Warriors went to the free throw line 10 times, making five, and just two free throws by the Rams. Carpinteria edged Cate 14-9 to come away with the four-point win.
Jamaica Cook led Carpinteria with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Lizbeth Alpizar added eight points and six rebounds.
The Rams held Carpinteria’s Amarisse Camargo, to just 6 points, all from the foul line.
Carpinteria, now 12-12 overall and 5-6 in the Citrus Coast League, hosts CCL rival Malibu Wednesday night for Senior Night.
As Frontier League champions at 6-0, the Rams await seeding in the CIF playoffs, which will begin on Thursday, February 9.