San Marcos girls basketball dominated its Channel League opener against Rio Mesa, taking down the Spartans 67-32 on Tuesday inside the Thunderhut.
“It was great to see the team play a cohesive game from start to finish,” Royals coach Tiffany Simms said. “We started with aggressive defense and moving the ball on offense and it remained that way regardless of the personnel on the floor.”
Carley Nielsen turned in a great scoring night in the win, leading the way with 18 points.
Joining Nielsen in double figures were Mariia Shytkova (14) and Selena Moreno (12).
The Royals (6-3, 1-0 Channel League) will continue league action against Oxnard next Tuesday.
Pacifica 49, Santa Barbara 33
The Dons struggled offensively en route to a league-opening loss to Pacifica.
Turnovers doomed Santa Barbara in the first half, and that proved to be the difference in the game.
Despite the loss, Dayzia Mendoza had an impressive night to the tune of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Miranda Dennis also had a solid night with eight points and eight rebounds.
The Dons will be on the road against Buena next Tuesday.
Bishop Diego 46, Valley Christian 28
A solid defensive effort and a 20-point performance by Galilea De La Cruz powered the Cardinals to a win over Valley Christian.
Following up De La Cruz’s scoring was Jaymi Coronado, who ended with 16 points of her own.
While Jaymi is finding success on the offensive end, her sister Jiali Coronado is spearheading the defensive efforts along with Diana Mendez.
“The starting five are really starting to communicate with each other and I appreciate how supportive they are as a team,” Bishop Diego coach Jeff Burich said.
The Cardinals (10-0) will take on Santa Ynez on Wednesday.
Thacher 42, Laguna Blanca 10
The Owls struggled in their league opener against Thacher, falling by 32 points.
“Laguna had a tough time matching the size and experience of Thacher,” Owls coach Charlie Aslesen said. “Clearly a team that has been playing together for some time, their chemistry was too much for Laguna Blanca to control.”
Nikki Mielcarek and Carolina Duron came out firing in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first-half deficit.
On the glass, Zoe Wolf collected eight rebounds to lead the team.
Laguna Blanca will take on AGBU on Saturday.
