San Marcos girls basketball dominated the opening stages of the game en route to a 48-36 win over Rio Mesa on Tuesday in Oxnard.
The Royals raced out to a 17-1 lead in the first half and stayed in front for the rest of the night. The Spartans cut the lead down to six at one point, but that was the closest they got.
“We did a better job of handling Rio Mesa’s press,” San Marcos head coach Devin Uyesaka said. “It’s really good to see us continuing to improve and see the floor better. We didn’t have as many ill-advised shots as we had earlier in the season, as well.
“Defensively, we did a great job of helping and rebounding. Lily Ruvalcaba has been our anchor on defense and has been a huge contributor. We kept putting stops together, and it was really nice to see us not gambling and being more disciplined.
Jada Ahmad and Izzy Schow were in the middle of the action with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Amelyse Wong, Selena Valencia and Ruvalcaba all scored six points.
“Our girls keep bringing the energy and effort every day. We’re seeing the growth, but we’re not satisfied with where we are,” Uyesaka said.
San Marcos will host Oxnard on Thursday at 7 p.m. for Senior Night.
Ventura 68, Dos Pueblos 42
The Chargers stumbled out of the gates and couldn’t recover in a loss to the Cougars on Tuesday night in Ventura.
Ventura, which is undefeated in Channel League action, jumped out to a 26-7 lead after the opening quarter and cruised to the win from there.
Dos Pueblos was led by an 11-point effort from Charlotte Gardiner, while Carly Letendre ended with nine points.
The Chargers (12-11, 6-3 Channel League) will play host to Rio Mesa on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Cardinals suffered their first Tri-Valley League loss of the season at the hands of St. Bonaventure on Tuesday in Ventura.
St. Bonaventure pulled away for good in the second quarter, outscoring Bishop Diego 16-5 on its way to a 31-14 halftime lead and the eventual win.
“I thought we played really tough tonight. [St. Bonaventure] is by far the best team we’ve played all season,” Bishop Diego head coach Jeff Burich said. “The girls left everything on the court tonight, and we all feel we still should have played better.
“That is not the easiest gym to play in, but there was no complaining. They have some talented players. There are some things we can work on and be better for the rematch.”
Eden Wynne tallied nine points and nine rebounds for the Cardinals, and Jaymi Coronado chipped in eight points.
Bishop Diego (18-3, 4-1 TVL) will be on the road against Coastal Christian on Thursday.
Pacifica 28, Santa Barbara High 25
The Dons dropped a defensive struggle with the Tritons on Tuesday inside J.R. Richards Gym.
Santa Barbara High held a slim 14-12 lead at halftime, but Pacifica capitalized on several turnovers in the third quarter to take over the lead and earn the win.
Shea Gannon recorded 10 points and eight rebounds for the Dons, while Amelia Lopez collected nine rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Santa Barbara High will hit the road to take on Buena on Thursday.
Santa Ynez 51, Atascadero 45 (OT)
The Pirates pulled out an overtime victory over Atascadero on Tuesday night.
Helina Pecile filled up the stat sheet for Santa Ynez with 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Rylan Agin also poured in 15 points of her own for the Pirates.
Santa Ynez (10-6, 2-2) will host Lompoc on Friday.
Boys Basketball
The Carpinteria High boys basketball team suffered a 50-31 road loss to Malibu on Tuesday.
The Warriors trailed by just five points heading into halftime, but Malibu took advantage of some key turnovers down the stretch to pull away for the win.
The duo of Edwin Hernandez and Oscar De Leon kept Carpinteria in the game with their shooting from beyond the arc.
“We went in with a game plan to target the weakest defender,” Carpinteria High head coach Terrell Griffin said. “What we didn’t plan for was the low numbers from the free-throw line, which changed our approach.”