The Woodbridge High girls basketball team erased a double-digit, first-half deficit and came back to win handily over Canyon, 61-40, Wednesday evening in a South Coast Classic tournament game at Woodbridge.
Patricia Zhao scored 16 points and Kelli Robinson added 15 at the Warriors improved to 2-0 on the season.
Tori Buss and Annika Rae drilled back-to-back 3-pointers at the start of the second quarter to give the Comanches (4-2) a, 17-6, lead.
However, Woodbridge’s defense stiffened and the offense perked up to close out the half and changed the complexion of the game.
The Warriors, sparked by 3-pointers by Zhao and Robinson ignited a 13-0 run to end the second quarter. Zhao’s 3-pointer gave Woodbridge a 19-17 halftime lead.
“We focused on defense and made adjustments,” said Zhao. “We stuck to the fundamentals and executed out plays better.”
In the third quarter junior forward Annika Walker provided some extra inside aggressiveness that shifted the momentum in the Warriors favor.
Walker scored five of her 10 points in the quarter to up Woodbridge’s advantage to 37-29 after three quarters.
“We picked up the intensity in the second half,” Walker said. “We didn’t do anything special, but we just settled in and ran the offense better in the second half.”
Canyon trimmed the lead to 39-33 following two free throws from Julia Tims with 5:37 to play but then the Warriors went on a 22-7 run, including a 13-0 run over the final 2:36 of the game to finish strongly and win going away.
The Warriors converted a blistering 11-of-14 free throws in the final three minutes of the game as they scored on their final nine possessions. The Warriors forced 20 turnovers.
“Defense is going to win games for us,” Woodbridge coach Eric Bangs said.“Patricia (Zhao) hit her range and Annika (Walker) made some nice buckets and gave us an extra punch.”
Bonnie Sarchet and Lauren Lum each added 7 points apiece for Woodbridge.
Shaye Uyematsu led the Comanches with 8 points.
Woodbridge started the game off sluggish and didn’t notch its first basket until Robinson’s jumper at the 3:20 mark. Canyon led, 11-6, after the first quarter.
Robinson, who scored 31 points in the Warriors opener against Capistrano Valley, has scored 47 points in Woodbridge’s first two games.
The tournament wraps up tonight and finishes Saturday at University with the championship at 6 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment