Jaeda Spence’s 18-point, 12-rebound double-double led the Santa Barbara girls basketball team to a blowout 69-43 victory over Mira Costa on Thursday in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA playoffs at J.R. Richards Gym.
In a game that Dons coach Andrew Butcher described as “near-perfect,” Santa Barbara’s discipline, rebounding,and defense allowed the team to easily knock off the Mustangs. With the victory, the Dons move to 11-2 on the season while Mira Costa ends the season at 13-7.
It was the usual suspects for Santa Barbara on Thursday, as Spence, Athena Saragoza and Caia Trimble largely ran the show for the 23rd-seeded Dons. In addition to Spence’s double-double, the uber-consistent Saragoza tossed in 23 points on an efficient 60 percent clip from the floor, while Trimble dished out seven assists.
“I don’t think she has taken a bad shot in three weeks,” said Butcher of Saragoza. “She was (Mira Costa’s) focus, but she was still efficient.”
As a team, Santa Barbara’s unselfishness with the basketball proved to be pivotal. In addition to racking up 20 assists as a team, the Dons turned the ball over only five times during the entire game.
“(The Mustangs) usually get a lot of points off steals, so to have only five turnovers was amazing,” said Butcher.
While Mira Costa managed to keep the game close after the first quarter, Santa Barbara blew the game open in the second. Largely propelled by Trimble’s defense, shiftiness in the paint and decision-making. The Dons outscored the Mustangs 19-7 in the quarter.
“Caia really understands her role on this team as a pass-first, shoot-second point guard,” said Butcher.
When Trimble went out in the middle of the third quarter with an injury, Spence stepped up big-time on the offensive end to close the door on Mira Costa. After a short Mustangs’ run, Spence scored nine points in the span of a few minutes, including a massive three-pointer that gave the Dons a 64-36 lead and officially closed the book on a Mira Costa comeback.
“Jaeda had a phenomenal game for us,” said Butcher.
Next up, Santa Barbara will host Crean Lutheran in a second-round game on Saturday.
