Carpinteria and Bishop Diego girls basketball came away with victories on the final day of the Carpinteria Dan Mercer Classic Tournament on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara High outlasted San Luis Obispo en route to its first win of the year in the season opener.
Carpinteria 36, Cate 33
The Warriors used a strong fourth quarter to come from behind and take down Cate.
“We came out with a better mindset tonight and played good, hard, consistent team defense,” Carpinteria coach Henry Gonzales said. “The offensive movement was also better which allowed us to get good scoring opportunities.”
Isabella Velasquez and Charlotte Cooney got off to a strong start, combining for nine points to lead the Warriors to an 11-7 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Cate bounced back with a solid performance of their own, taking over the lead and going into the halftime locker room up 17-14.
The third quarter was a close one, but the Rams maintained their lead and went into the fourth quarter up by a score of 27-22.
The Warriors then turned it up on both ends of the court, cutting the lead down to 33-29 with 1:30 to go. From there, Carpinteria went on an impressive 7-0 run to clinch the win.
In that run, Cooney hit a jump shot and Amarisse Camargo nailed a free throw to cut the lead down to one with 40 seconds left.
After another stop by the Warriors, Cooney was fouled on a driving layup attempt and hit both free throws to take the lead with less than 30 seconds left.
Carpinteria then forced a turnover and Jamaica Cook hit a pair of free throws, leaving the Rams with nine seconds to tie the game with a three-pointer.
However, the Warriors (2-1) intercepted the inbound pass and ran out the clock for the win.
“I’m very happy with our overall effort and willingness to work through the adversity we had during the game,” Gonzales said. “It was a good team win.”
Bishop Diego 40, Thacher 28
The Cardinals used a strong second half to power their way to a win over Thacher.
Despite struggling a bit from the field early, Bishop Diego led 16-11 at halftime. Coming out of the locker room, the Cardinals opted for a more aggressive defensive style.
“We had great looks (in the first half) but I think we were a little tired from the previous night’s game,” Bishop Diego coach Jeff Burich said. “After halftime, we extended our defense and it energized us.”
In the third quarter, Bishop Diego outscored Thacher 22-6 thanks to points off of turnovers and cruised to the win from there.
Jaymi Coronado led the team with 19 points while Galilea De La Cruz got it done on both ends of the court with 13 points and seven steals.
Diana Mendez collected three blocks while both Kasey Seashore and Jiali Coronado turned in solid performances.
The Cardinals (3-0) will hit the road and take on Valley Christian Academy on Friday.
Santa Barbara 40, San Luis Obispo 38
The Dons secured a comeback victory of their own against San Luis Obispo in the Santa Maria Tournament.
After trailing early, Santa Barbara High outscored the Tigers 16-4 in the second quarter to take a four-point advantage into halftime.
The second half was a close one, with both teams trading blows until late in the fourth quarter with the Dons leading.
Miranda Dennis hit a free throw with 14 seconds left to extend the lead to two and Dayzia Mendoza followed that up with a steal to clinch the win.
Mendoza led the Dons’ attack with 13 points and five rebounds while Dennis followed with 12 points from the point guard position.
Jaz Gordon also had a solid game in the paint, collecting 11 points and eight rebounds.
Santa Barbara (1-0) will take on Reedley on Friday at 4 p.m.
Dos Pueblos 71, Cabrillo 39
The Chargers dominated their way to a big win over Cabrillo in their home opener.
“I give the team all the credit for how we are starting off this season,” Dos Pueblos coach Manny Murillo said. “They’re a skilled, tough, and unselfish group that love our style and play so well in my system.
“I let them play off of each other and they can also run our sets effectively.”
Dos Pueblos showcased its talent even before tip-off, as junior guard and teen star finalist Aislin Wilson sang the national anthem before the game.
For the game, after a relatively slow beginning to the first quarter, Dos Pueblos turned it around and had a solid first-half performance. At the break, the Chargers led 34-16.
Dos Pueblos proceeded to lock down on defense and cruise to the win, leading 56-23 after three quarters and holding a 71-39 advantage at the final buzzer.
Carly Letendre knocked down four shots from beyond the arc to lead the team with 20 points. Meanwhile, a trio of three-pointers vaulted Taylor Grant to an 11-point performance.
“Car(ly) is a special player that everyone loves playing with,” Murillo said.
It was an all-around team performance by the Chargers as nine of 10 players scored points, including Asha Nayak (7), Justine Katz (7), Eden Wynne (7), Lauren Robles (6) and Lia Papador (6).
“We had great effort and energy on defense from everyone tonight,” Murillo said.
The Chargers (2-0) will take on Orcutt on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Santa Ynez 57, Morro Bay 55
In a battle of the Pirates, Santa Ynez came away with a two-point victory over Morro Bay.
Ikenna Ofiaeli filled up the stat sheet with a double-double, collecting 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Following Ofiaeli were Jayden Mendoza and Lucas Ollenburger, who poured in 16 and 10, respectively.
Santa Ynez will be on the road and take on Carpinteria on Wednesday.
