Mission Prep, Templeton, Morro Bay advance in girls basketball playoffs
Three SLO County high schools moved onto the second round of the CIF Central Section playoffs, and four teams saw their season come to a close. Mission Prep, Templeton and Morro Bay all have home games on Friday after taking first-round wins.
Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo saw their seasons come to and end after the fell in Wednesday’s slate of games.
Arroyo Grande 51, Caruthers 36
It appeared in the first quarter that Arroyo Grande’s size would bother the Caruther Blue Raiders.
With 6-foot-4 Diana Sorrondo controlling the rim on the defensive end, the Eagles swatted away shots and shut off the rim for Caruthers.
However, the Blue Raiders high-pressure defense and speed ultimately overcame the Eagles’ size.
Arroyo Grande (19-7, 5-3 Mountain) fell to Caruthers (20-7) by a score of 51 to 36. The Eagles came in as the seven seed while Caruthers was the 10 seed in the Division 1 playoffs.
Caruthers hounded the Eagles with an aggressive half-court defense. They denied entry passes to the Eagles’ bigs Sorrondo and Kinzie Amer and trapped all over the floor, which flustered their offense.
With 2:40 remaining in the second quarter, the Blue Raiders took an 18-17 lead and didn’t look back.
Coming out of halftime, Eagles turnovers turned into Blue Raiders scores on the other end. With Caruthers scoring in transition, the Eagles couldn’t set up their half-court defense and use their size advantage.
With 6:37 left in the third quarter, the Blue Raiders had expanded the lead to 29-19.
In the fourth, Molly Sloan drained a crucial three-pointer to bring Arroyo Grande within single digits. But the Blue Raiders came down on the other end and converted an and-one layup.
The Eagles, who have no seniors on their roster, will likely sport the same lineup next season.
“It’s really a different last game of the season because of the no senior factor,” head coach Tim Cramer said. “It’s really exciting to have this group come back. What we did in conference this year, we are looking to build on that for next year, especially with those seniors coming back with their third year of varsity next year.”
No Eagle finished in double figures. Sorrondo totaled with seven points and multiple blocked shots. Amer added six points.
“It’s bittersweet,” Amer said about the loss. She pointed out that the Eagles fell to Caruthers last year in the playoffs on the same day.
“Not having any seniors makes it a lot better because we know we can come back with the same group and potentially win next year,” Amer said.
The Eagles wrap the season up as the second-place finishers in the Mountain League behind St. Joseph and arguably the top SLO County girls basketball team.
Mission Prep 59, Sanger 44
Mission Prep jumped out to a 21-12 lead in the first quarter in the Royals’ first-round matchup against Sanger and didn’t look back. The Royals (16-8, 8-2 Sunset) defeated Sanger (14-16) in a 59-44 win.
Makanani Guy led the Royals, who are the No. 2 seed in Division 2 of the Central Section playoffs, with 16 points. Makanani has a twin sister on the team, Keahi Guy, who’s another contributing member to the Royals.
Gwen Nelson added 11 points while freshman Skylar Moscardi poured in 11.
“We came out on fire in the first half, and that was really what separated the game,” Head Coach Cary Nerelli said.
The Royals led 38-19 at halftime and had 10 assists in the first half.
“When you’re playing team ball like that, good things are going to happen,” Nerelli said.
The Royals came into Sunset League play with a 7-6 record. They finished the season 9-2 and secured a high seed in the playoffs.
“We took some losses early, but we are a much better team now than we were in December,” Nerelli said.
Nerelli pointed to the defense improving and the team understanding how to make their matchup zone defense work.
Up next, the Royals host Centennial (Bakersfield), who beat Mission Prep earlier in the season, 50-39. According to Nerelli, the key to the matchup will be shutting down the Golden Hawks’ leading scorer Shi Nash.
The Royals play at home on Friday against Centennial at 6 p.m.
Atascadero 29 Exeter 31
In a low-scoring affair, the Atascadero Greyhounds fell to Exeter, 31-29.
The Greyhounds were the sixth seed in Division 5, while Exeter was 11th.
The Greyhounds season comes to a close with a 9-16 overall record and 2-6 Ocean League record. The Greyhounds mounted a four-game win streak at the end of December, but dropped six straight games before picking up two games in a row against Lompoc and Pioneer Valley.
The Greyhounds lose six seniors: Katelyn Becerra, Kyra Ladd, Olivia Moscardi, Kierra Taylor, Abrianna Vazquez and Gabriela Pullen.
Morro Bay 48, West 30
Morro Bay’s strong season continues as the Pirates defeated West, 48-30.
On the season, the Pirates are 21-6 and won the first-ever Sunset League championship title with an 8-2 record. According to the Morro Bay High School girls basketball X account, it is the team’s first 20-win season since 2013.
The Pirates are the two-seed in Division 3 while West was the 15 seed.
“The girls executed our defensive game plan really well,” Head Coach Alex Engel said. “West had a couple players averaging over 15 points per game, and our goal was to slow them down.”
Engel also said freshman Taylen Robson provided good energy on West’s best player and helped in the win.
Taller Morrison finished with a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double. Georgie Wheeler scored 14 points and snagged eight rebounds.
The Pirates’ next matchup is at home against Reedley on Friday at 6 p.m.
Liberty 48, San Luis Obispo 32
San Luis Obispo’s season came to an end after the Tigers fell to Liberty, 48-32.
Coming into the game, the Tigers were the nine seed while Liberty was the eight seed in Division 2.
The Tigers finish the season with a 12-16 record and a 2-8 league finish.
Bailey Hartford scored 12 points while Jennifer Stambaugh added seven.
The Tigers were down 25-17 at halftime and 37-27 at the end of the third quarter, before Liberty’s strong fourth quarter sealed the game.
According to Head Coach Dan Monroe, the Tigers held Liberty to five points under its season average, but SLO couldn’t score enough to win the game.
“We had trouble scoring against their aggressive half court man-to-man defense,” Monroe said. “That’s been the story of our season. We are really good defensively but have trouble scoring enough points to win.”
The Tigers lose four seniors to graduation: Dilpinder Thandi, Natalie Hosn, Diana Pruett and Charlotte Dierks.
Templeton 53, Tulare Union 47
Templeton came out with a six-point win over Tulare Union. The Eagles came into playoffs as the five seed in Division 4 while Tulare Union was the 12 seed.
Overall, the Eagles have a strong 16-9 record and 5-3 Ocean League record. Up next, the Eagles take on Mendota at home on Friday at 6 p.m and will look to continue their run.
Mission Oak 56, Paso Robles 40
Paso Robles dropped its matchup to Mission Oak by 16 points.
The Bearcats finished 14-11 on the season and 4-6 in league play. The team was the six seed in Division II while Mission Oak was the 11 seed.
The Bearcats graduate Amaya Contreas, Madi Hall, Samantha Kee, Kayli Ruano, Leila Barela, Georgina Abreu, Marlie Thompson, Nevaeh Dyer and Derek Stroud.
