By Katie Von Behren
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa girls varsity basketball team was able to give all 14 uninjured member of the team a chance to play in the 66-31 win. The Mustangs defeated Bellarmine-Jefferson in the first roound of the Santa Barbara tournament on Wednesday.
The girls played on Thursday and Friday but results were unavailable due to time of publication. The girls’ record currently stands at 7-4 overall.
“I think we had a really solid and great start to the game, which was filled with energy,” senior center Rachel Humphrey said. “We finished the game as strong as we had started it. Now we all need is to continue to focus on our roles and bring them to the court.”
Junior guard Camille Mills led the team in scoring against Bellarmine-Jefferson. Mills had 12 points total for the Mustangs along with three rebounds. Junior guard Shaylyn Austin scored nine points, also bringing in three rebounds. Together the girls worked on their communication skills to move the ball down the court to advance on defenders.
“It feels great starting off the tournament with a win, and I hope we can continue to play this well together,” Mills said. “I know we can go pretty far in this tournament. We just need to continue to trust each other by passing the ball so we can try to get into the championships.”
The girls started off strong with the lead going into the second quarter. During the second quarter, Costa was able to score 16 points with the help of senior guard Bella Emmetti who scored 6 points.
“We definitely played better as a team and it shows. The win was crucial for us because it sets the tone the tournament,” senior forward Taylor Lewis said. “I hope we come out playing just as aggressively tomorrow. I know that we have a good chance to win in this tournament and that we are ready for the season.”
Lewis helped the Mustangs on defense, maintaining a strong lead over Bellamine-Jefferson. Costa scored a total of 17 points by the third quarter, increasing the girls’ lead over their opponent to 53-12.
“We all brought a lot of energy into this game and put a lot of pressure on the other team, which helped our success on offense,” sophomore point guard Keilani Ikehara said. “If we continue to play with this same intensity and drive that we had today then we can go really far in this tournament and will have a strong start in the regular season.”
The Mustangs’ strong offense did not let up throughout the game and continued to strengthen Costa’s lead with the help of different players. However, Bellarmine-Jefferson scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to soften Costa’s lead.
“It’s great to start off this tournament with a strong win,” junior center Shannon Savino said. “If we keep up our energy, then our team has a real chance on making it into the championships and winning the whole tournament. It would be a huge accomplishment for us.”
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