Luz Castro showed visiting Sunny Hills that every player in the starting five for the Bishop Diego girls basketball team is a difference maker.
Castro, the No. 5 scorer for the Cardinals, turned into the No. 1 option in Wednesday’s CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinal game. She scored on drives and pivot moves in the post and finished with a team-high 13 points to lead a balanced attack in a 47-45 victory at the Brick House Gym.
Bishop Diego will play Godinez in the semifinals on Saturday in Santa Ana. Godinez edged Torrance, 48-46.
A Castro layup off a Jaymi Coronado assist gave Bishop a 43-37 lead with 3:17 to go, and the Cardinals hung on to earn their first trip to the semifinals since the 2022-23 season.
“She doesn’t usually get that opportunity but that’s what they were giving us,” Bishop Diego coach Jeff Burich said of Castro stepping up, as Sunny Hills focused on the team’s top scorers. “We tell the kids, ‘Look for the advantage.’ If Luz has the advantage, then I just say, ‘Go for it Luz. This is your game and you have your up-and-under move’ — that’s her patented move we see in practice all the time. That was my challenge to her before the game: finish when she got to the basket.”
Castro scored on her patented move during an 11-0 run that gave Bishop a 20-8 advantage with 1:28 to go in the second quarter.
Sunny Hills scored the last four points of the second quarter and started the third quarter strong, tallying seven unanswered points before Castro ended the run with a drive to make it 22-19.
“It was nice we were able to open up in that second quarter and create some breathing room,” said Burich. “I told them (at halftime) Sunny Hills was going to play the hardest 16 minutes of their season right now.”
Allie Sexton of the Lancers buried a three-pointer to tie the score at 22, but Castro answered again with a drive. That was followed by a parking-lot trey from Jesia Coronado to make it a 27-24 advantage. Jaymi Coronado finished a baseline drive and Castro scored off a nice move for a 31-26 lead.
Sunny Hills regained momentum as Sydney Kim buried a three and Sexton blocked a shot. But the Cardinals got a break as the Lancers missed a pair of free throws that would have tied the score.
On Bishop’s next possession, Alyssa Chrestenson made a nice move in the key and knocked down a tough one-handed shot for a 33-29 lead.
“Alyssa made some tough shots off the dribble. The one she made right before end of the third quarter was huge to get a four-point lead. It wasn’t the easiest shot in the world,” said Burich.
Sunny Hills attacked the Bishop defense and scored on three drives to even the score at 35 with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter.
Eden Wynne then took charge for Cardinals. She collected a feed from Jaymi Coronado and hit a three-pointer to give them a lead they would never relinquish.
“I told her, You’re the best player out here and you got to play like that. They can’t guard you,’’’ Burich said of his conversation with Wynne. “So I was glad to see her step up.”
Jesia Coronado followed with another three and Castro made a layup off a Jaymi Coronado assist for a 43-37 lead.
Sexton, the leading scorer for Sunny Hills with 14 points, hit a three to make it a three-point game with 2:47 to go. But Wynne came through again with another trey for Bishop.
After a pair of free throws by Noehlia Reuter pulled Sunny Hills within four (46-42), the ball changed hands several times. Wynne made a huge block on a drive with 21 seconds left, but the Lancers drew a foul with 12 seconds and Reuter made both free throws to make a two-point game.
Castro was fouled on the inbound pass and hit one of two free throws to put Bishop ahead 47-44 with 10 seconds on the clock.
The Cardinals did a good job guarding against the three-pointer, which left quick guard Rhianna Jones no choice but to drive to the basket. She was fouled with one second left, missed the first free throw and made the second.
After a timeout, Chrestenson threw a long pass that Wynne ran down and drove to the basket as the buzzer sounded.
“We just wanted to throw it long,” said Burich. “Even if (the Lancers) catch it, by the time they catch it they’re not going to be able to chuck anything deep.”
Wynne scored 10 points, Jesia Coronado had nine, Jaymi Coronado added eight and Chrestenson chipped in five as the Cardinals improved to 26-4.