The high school girls basketball season tipped off on Tuesday, with plenty of local teams in action and coming away with opening-night victories.
Dos Pueblos 77, Morro Bay 46
The Chargers opened their year with a dominant win over Morro Bay, getting the job done on both ends of the court.
“We have been working really hard since summer to prepare for this season and tonight it showed,” Dos Pueblos coach Manny Murillo said. “We came out strong on the defensive side of the ball and it set the tone for not just the game but the season.”
Freshman Taylor Grant made a massive impact in her Charger debut, pouring in 25 points thanks in part to five made three-pointers.
“It was Taylor Grant’s coming out party tonight,” Murillo said. “She was the one with the hot hand tonight so our team kept feeding her.
“I’m sure Thursday we will have a different leading scorer and a different one after that. This is a high-powered offense that will be fun for our fans to watch.”
Following Grant were Carly Letendre and Justine Katz, who scored 17 and 16 points, respectively. Eight of the 10 players on the Dos Pueblos roster scored en route to the win.
Defensively, Lauren Robles and Eden Wynn made their impacts felt against the Morro Bay offense.
“I was really proud of Lauren Robles’s defense and her ability to get deflections and disrupt the other team’s offense,” Murillo said. “Eden Wynn, a freshman, made some key shots, rebounds and steals tonight. She did it all and I’m sure she’ll continue to do that throughout the season.”
The Chargers (1-0) will host Cabrillo on Thursday.
San Marcos 42, Arroyo Grande 36
The Royals came away with a solid win over Arroyo Grande in their season opener by a score of 42-36.
“It was a great opening night and start to this season with a win,” San Marcos coach Tiffany Simms said. “Although we lost our lead a little bit in the fourth quarter, I’m happy with how we adjusted and regained our composure and maintained the win.”
Mia Martinez-Tomatis led the way for the Royals with 13 points.
Following her in the scoring department were Natasha Stapf and Mariia Shytkova, who scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Bishop Diego 36, Cate 14
The Cardinals took down the Rams in the first game of the Carpinteria Dan Mercer Classic Tournament.
At the half, Bishop Diego held a 12-point advantage. However, after a tight third quarter, Cate cut that lead down to eight heading into the fourth.
In the final quarter, the Cardinals duo of Galilea De La Cruz and Jaymi Coronado hit clutch three-pointers to create separation and lead the way to the win.
Coronado ended with 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Meanwhile, De La Cruz turned in 13 points and six steals.
“Jiali Coronado played great help defense all game long,” Bishop Diego coach Jeff Burich said. “It’s early and we need to work on some things but this was a nice first game for the team.”
Carpinteria 49, Thacher 44
The Warriors kicked off their season with a win over Thacher in their home tournament.
The first quarter was dominated by Carpinteria, who jumped out to a 17-3 lead to begin the game. In that quarter, Charlotte Cooney scored nine points and Jamaica Cook and Amarisse Camargo contributed four apiece.
“We were able to apply full court and score on many offensive transition opportunities,” Warriors coach Henry Gonzales said of the first quarter. “The team defense was solid.”
In the second quarter, Thacher turned around and outscored Carpinteria by a margin of 15-13. Despite this, the Warriors held a solid 30-18 lead at halftime.
Thacher carried that momentum into the third quarter, cutting the 12-point lead to seven heading into the fourth.
“The second half was a struggle for us but we were able to make enough good plays on defense to allow us to keep the lead,” Gonzales said.
They continued to push and creep closer to Carpinteria in the fourth, cutting the lead to three with just two minutes to play. However, the Warriors then buckled down defensively and made clutch stops to secure the victory.
Camargo ended the night with an impressive stat line of 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, eight steals and three blocks. Cook also had a double-double, tallying 14 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Cooney rounded out the trio with 13 points and three steals.
Carpinteria will take on Bishop Diego on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
