Staff
Coronado plays a semi-final game at home on Tuesday Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
The CHS Girls’ Basketball team overcame a sluggish start to handily defeat the High Tech High North County Raptors, 38-17, in the second round of the CIF Division V tournament. The #1-seeded Islanders had a bye in round one, so this was their first chance to shine in tournament play.
The Islanders landed the win with a 19-point scoring performance from Selena Herrera and a strong defensive effort from the entire team. After the slow start, Herrera felt good about the team’s play. “We did a good job of finally locking in,” she said.
After coming up empty on their first six possessions, Coronado’s Alina Molina-Murietta scored a two on the seventh to tie the game at 2-all. Midway through the first quarter, freshman center Emily Albin, who leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots per game, was called for her third foul and went to the bench. The teams traded buckets and the Islanders ended the first quarter down 10-8.
Defense goes a long way to winning games, and that was the case Saturday evening. The Islanders held the Hornets scoreless for 13 1/2 minutes (no, that’s not a typo: thirteen and a half minutes!), including the entire second quarter and most of the third. Coronado went on a 17-0 run during that time and ended the third up 27-15.
The Hornets had a scoring threat in Analia Barraza, and the Islanders set their defense to contain her shooting. The strategy worked, as the team held Barraza to just six points, well below her 14-point average.
“We switched to a box and one because we know we have a very good defense,” said Islander head coach John Coolidge. (A box and one is a defensive scheme where four players play zone and one player plays man-to-man defense as a way to limit the scoring of the opposing team’s best offensive player). “The (team) played well once they figured it out.”
Every player on Coronado’s team played, and every one of them made the stat sheet. Herrera, Albin, Molina-Murrieta, and freshman Gabby Fichter all had at least two points, two rebounds, one steal, and one blocked shot.
Fichter finished with seven points, Albin with six, and Charlie Reyman, Lily DeSena, and Molina-Murrietta each finished with two.
Freshman Olivia DeSanti was critical to containing Barraza in the back court. She finished the day with two steals, one rebound, and one blocked shot. “We started picking it up in the second quarter,” said DeSanti. “By the third quarter, we really started to step into it. … Coach (Andre) Murphy always emphasizes (defense), so now it’s in my head.”
Senior Alyssa McWilliams, sophomores Reyman and Mary Chiles, and freshmen Selena Hohuan-Fabius, Siena Kieffer, and DeSena all contributed defensively, and all had at least one steal, rebound, or blocked shot.
Tournament Details
The Islanders move on to the semi-finals in the Coronado High School Gym on Tues,, Feb. 25 at 7 pm against the winner of Southwest or Del Lago Academy. Purchase tickets here. (https://gofan.co/event/3294003?schoolId=CA22783)
If the team wins on Tuesday, they will play in the final at Mater Dei Catholic High School on Thurs., Feb. 27 at 7:30 pm. Schedules subject to change. For up-to-date information, see the tournament bracket here. To view Coronado’s schedule and outcome, click on the Division V tab. Go Islanders!
