After a delay of more than an hour while waiting for the referees to show, the Lady Islanders roared to a 10-0 lead and never looked back, beating Clairemont High School, 37-29. The Islanders were either winning or tied from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Five players scored, led by Selena Herrera with 22 and Alina Molina-Murrieta with nine. Anna Meyer, Susanna Pate, and Charlie Reyman each added a bucket.
First Half
The Islanders’ strong start began with a basket by Meyer off a Pate assist that started the 10-0 run. Clairemont battled back however, tying the game at 15-15 in the second quarter. Herrera stole the ball and scored to end the half ahead, 17-15.
“Usually we are up a lot in the first quarter and then the second quarter comes,” Herrera said. “Once the game gets close, our morale gets down and we get in our heads and start freaking out. But (tonight) we were able to control ourselves and play as a team, so even though that tie was a little scary, we were able to get above it and keep scoring.” She added, “Susanna makes a big difference as a ball handler. Also, Charlie, she’s feisty, she’s so good being a big down low.”
Reyman had three rebounds, three steals, and three blocks to add to her two points.
Second Half
A critical sequence in the third quarter went like this: A rebound by Reyman led to a quick Molina-Murrieta two, followed by a Clairemont two to keep the score close, 19-17. Then Molina-Murrieta hit a three, and strong Islander defense began a coast-to-coast score by Herrera to increase the lead to 24-17. Mary Chiles and Seina Chalioui Fernandez added defensive efforts to help the team.
“I feel like we actually played as a team. And everyone was shooting, which is really fun,” Pate said. “Alina had … some big points for us, so it’s fun to see everyone growing in confidence in their shooting and playing aggressively on defense.”
Clairemont wouldn’t roll over, and in the fourth quarter they trailed by only three, 27-24. Tough defense characterized by steals and blocks supported the team’s win. Entering the game in the fourth quarter, Virginia Ryan had four blocks in as many minutes, enhancing the team’s defensive efforts and helping to secure the win, 37-29.
“We have our super tall Virginia,” Herrera said. “She was injured, so we didn’t put her in as much. But for the last four minutes she was in, and she made a huge difference with blocks. She probably stopped so many points from being put up on the board.”
Assistant Coach Andre Murphy attributed the win to great communication, opportunities to practice together, and their belief in themselves and the team.
Coach John Coolidge expressed his appreciation for Murphy. “He does a great job with the girls in practice and coming up with things he sees during the game like going to man to man in the end of third quarter to put pressure on them,” Coolidge said. The Islanders are now 1-0 in league.
Next up, Mission Bay away at 6 pm on Jan 12.
