Girls Basketball Dominates Calipatria

A strong attack balanced by an aggressive defensive effort gave San Dieguito Academy an overpowering 56-39 victory during the Division IV San Diego CIF quarterfinals Saturday night, facing Calipatria.

The game got off to a fast start, with both San Dieguito (10-15) and Calipatria (14-8) battling head to head. Fifteen seconds into the game, sophomore Jackie Sedlock netted her second of two free throws to open up the score line at 1-0 in favor of the Mustangs. Calipatria responded aggressively, and out-scored San Dieguito 13-7 over the remainder of the first quarter.

“At the beginning, we were down by six at the first quarter so it was kind of stressful seeing if we could pick up the intensity and not get down and lose our confidence,” said sophomore Addie Werbelow. “But we pulled it off, got aggressive back, and got that win.”

Entering the second quarter with an outburst of energy, Werbelow led the Mustang attack with four consecutive baskets. She accounted for the first seven points of the quarter after nailing a three-pointer, a bank shot, and two free throws, which pulled the Mustangs ahead, 14-13, completing a 7-0 run.

The teams continued to exchange baskets keeping the score close for the next four minutes. With a little under two minutes remaining in the half, the combined scoring efforts of junior Makenzie Moe, sophomore Josie Willard, and freshman Tonia Billante knocked the Mustangs up six points, bringing the score to 25-18 by half.

Werbelow kicked off the third quarter with a three-pointer and a basket from outside the key just seconds later. Good turnovers and consistent fouls were the theme of the second half and contributed to the Mustangs’ 13-point lead before the fourth quarter.

Trailing 40-27 after three quarters, Calipatria needed a spark. The Hornets threatened the Mustang defense, dropping in 12 fourth-quarter points, their best output since the first quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with San Dieguito. In efforts to increase the lead for the Mustangs, Werbelow forced her way to the free throw line on three different occasions and converted five out of six attempts. The Mustangs managed to net six more baskets before ending the game, 56-39.

“Our ultimate goal is to win the Division IV championship,” said San Dieguito head coach Aubree Smithey. “But we are trying to go one game at a time. So our actual goal is to play every game as hard as we can play and then just let the cards lay how they’re going to lay.”

The Mustangs advance to play number nine seed Valley Center Wednesday night in a home game.