Girls basketball wins narrowly

By Nick Lee
Staff Writer

In the sixth Bay League game of the year, girls basketball battled rival Redondo in a game at Costa that came down to the wire.
With a fully packed Fisher Gym, the Mustangs beat the Seahawks, 46-36. In the first quarter, both teams struggled to get their offenses started and remained scoreless for the first couple of minutes. Toward the end of the quarter, both teams took turns scoring baskets.
“We struggled to pull away at the start of the game,” senior guard Haley Cameron said. “We didn’t focus on defense enough so they were able to keep the game close.”
Starting the second quarter down 13-9, Costa continued to keep the game close. Costa’s offense developed a consistent scoring pace, ending the quarter tied, 23-23.
“We finally started hitting shots,” coach John Lapham said. “We closed out on their shooters and denied their taller players the ball.”
In the third quarter, the Mustangs’ zone defense forced the Seahawks to take several low percentage shots. However, Costa struggled to box out Redondo’s inside players, giving them many second chances. Costa’s offense was unable to convert its open shots, giving Redondo a five-point lead.
“The Redondo players bullied us down low,” Lapham said. “We struggled boxing them out, which gave them that edge in the quarter.”
The game continued to be close until senior point guard Keilani Ikehara hit a corner three, which proved to be the game’s turning point. With time winding down in the game, Redondo began fouling to stop the game clock. Costa knocked down their free throws, securing a 10-point victory.
“Keilani’s big three gave us the extra push we needed,” sophomore forward Alexa Underwood said. “After they started fouling, we converted at the free throw line.”
Today, Costa faces the Sea Kings at Palos Verdes, hoping to imrove upon its 17-4 record. Costa crushed the Sea Kings, 51-14, earlier this season, and Palos Verdes is currently 12-8.
“In next game, we need to move the ball better against man-on-man defense,” Lapham said. “Also, the team needs to get stronger with the ball and make game speed cuts.”