Bishop Diego girls basketball kicked off the 2025 Bird Cage Classic with a 62-18 rout of Santa Barbara High on Wednesday inside the Brick House.
The Cardinals dominated both ends of the court in the season-opening victory against a youthful Dons’ team in the first of five tournament games for Bishop Diego and three for Santa Barbara.
“Everything that we wanted to do offensively and defensively, we have principles and ideas and concepts, we put it all out there today,” Bishop Diego head coach Jeff Burich said. “They’re just a fun group and the kids all get along really well together, so it’s fun.”
The Dons got out to a solid start, taking a quick 4-2 lead in the opening minutes on back-to-back layups by Shea Gannon.
However, the Cardinals then found their groove on both ends of the court, using active hands defensively to get out in transition and go on an 18-0 run to build a 20-4 lead at the 2:08 mark of the first.
Santa Barbara then got back on the board with a quick layup by Rosie Dionicio, but Bishop Diego ended the quarter on a 7-0 sprint to take a commanding 27-6 lead into the second.
The dominance continued into the second, as the Bishop Diego defense took center stage once again and held the Dons to just four points in the quarter.
“They rotated really well defensively,” Burich said of his squad. “We played a couple of games in the last couple of weeks down in LA, so these girls have an idea of what we’re trying to do.
“The rotations were there and they knew where the ball was supposed to go… They’re funnelling the ball and everyone else is rotating. It’s good teamwork.”
Meanwhile, the Cardinal offense continued to take advantage of fast breaks and strong playmaking to build up a 42-10 advantage by halftime.
The sister duo of Jaymi and Jeisa Coronado was the motor of the Bishop Diego attack throughout the night. Jaymi led the team with 18 points to go along with four assists, while Jeisa ended with 11 points.
“Jaymi is a great playmaker and gets everyone involved,” Burich said. “She gets people open to get opportunities to score and then she knows when she can create for herself.
“Jeisa is just a defense killer when she can shoot from 25 feet out and stretch the defense. That gives us more room to drive.”
Bishop Diego kept up the trend in the third quarter, allowing just two points in those eight minutes of play thanks to its hounding defense and several Santa Barbara High miscues.
The Dons’ defense took a step up as well, however, as they limited the Cardinals to just 13 points in the third to bring the score to 55-12 with one quarter to play.
The fourth quarter featured a running clock, which limited the offensive action on both sides. Santa Barbara High continued to improve as the game went on, scoring six points in the final quarter while holding Bishop Diego to seven, bringing the game to its final score of 62-18.
While the Coronados had strong games, the Cardinals also got big contributions from Luz Castro and Alyssa Chrestenson, who scored 15 and 14 points, respectively.
“I was happy with the way they executed,” Burich said. “We got the open shots and we attacked the basket when we could get layups. That’s all we want to do is attack for layups or step outside for threes.”
Meanwhile, Dionico scored seven points to lead the Dons, and Gannon added two points and six rebounds in the paint.
The Bird Cage Classic will roll on tomorrow in the Brick House as Santa Barbara takes on Valley Christian Academy at 4 p.m. and Bishop Diego hosts Lompoc at 7 p.m.
Santa Maria 50, Carpinteria High 41
Earlier in the day, the Warriors dropped their first matchup of the Bird Cage Classic against Santa Maria to begin their season.
“The Lady Warriors started their season competing at a high level against an experienced Saints team,” Carpinteria High head coach Henry Gonzales said. “However, the execution level needs some work and we were not able to overcome missing easy scoring opportunities and turnovers.”
It was a tight matchup throughout, as the Warriors were behind by just two possessions for the majority of the first three quarters.
However, Santa Maria grew its lead to 14 points in the fourth quarter and never looked back en route to the win.
“I was happy with our overall effort and willingness to compete to the end,” Gonzales said.
Jamaica Cook filled up the stat sheet with nine points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, while Charlotte Cooney tallied 15 points, six assists and two steals. Leona McClellan also chipped in 11points.
Carpinteria will look to bounce back against East Bakersfield on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Brick House.