De La Cruz helps Bishop Diego Get the Jump on Paraclete

Galilea De La Cruz scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made eight steals to lead Bishop Diego High School to a 47-26 girls basketball victory over Paraclete on Thursday.

Jaymi Coronado added 12 points and seven steals as the Cardinals, ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section’s Division 4A poll, improved to 13-1 on the season.

They surged to an 18-2 lead and never looked back.

“We started out strong getting numerous steals and finding the open teammate in transition,” coach Jeff Burich said. “Galilea did a great job of being aggressive against some taller players. Karla Mayren also played well inside defensively.

“I was pleased with how we shared the ball and found open cutters. It was a good team win after being off for almost two weeks.”

Bishop will return to action next week with games on Wednesday and Friday on Catalina Island in the Avalon Basketball Classic.