Wildcat girls cruise to 52-18 victory over Lakeside

Christianna Hawkins, seen here in an earlier game, led all scorers with 20 points. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Sometimes a coach has the opportunity to empty the bench and ask for the execution of specific tasks from players who normally get playing time only in practice.

Such was the case Tuesday night, when Paloma Valley High jumped out to a 20-0 lead on Lakeside on the way to a 52-18 victory in an Ivy League girls basketball game.

Taking command early, the Wildcats (10-9, 1-1) had the luxury of resting star players Christianna Hawkins (20 points) and Ashlee Medrano (12 points) for most of the second half. That gave some of the backup players the chance to get valuable game experience against Lakeside (9-11, 0-2).

“That’s when all those little nuances you want to work on … it’s when you give players specific things to focus on, while still treating the other team with the respect they deserve," said coach Gabriel Flores. “We expect them (the Lancers) to play hard and we’re still going to play hard, but we have things we need to work on.”

Flores mentioned some of those things he’s asking from the full squad of players in order to compete for the league title with the likes of Rancho Christian, which will take an 11-5 overall record into Thursday’s home game against the Wildcats.

“Our ability to defend as a team in the zone and man. You’ve got to be able to do both at this level,” Flore said. “There are players that still need seasoning. Can they rise to the occasion in a live game? It’s about looking at some of the players who are going to get some heavy minutes next year. How does the team look without our seniors, our leaders?”

Those leaders put this game away early. After Olivia Castaneda opened the scoring with a three-point play, Hawkins scored on consecutive layups and Medrano hit a jumper from the free throw line for a 9-0 lead, forcing a Lakeside timeout. Medrano came out of the timeout hitting a 3-point shot. Moments later she made a driving layup and Hawkins scored twice underneath for the 20-point lead.

Hawkins and Medrano each scored a basket in the opening minutes of the second half, then took some well-deserved time off.

“In games past, when we were in that SoCal Holiday Tournament in San Diego, they carried the load,” Flores said. “They played nonstop because they’re our two best players. I try to give them a break when I can and then tomorrow, we go live and we get after it again. We’ve got a really good team on Thursday in Rancho Christian.”

Flores said he’s confident of his team’s chances to compete for the league title.

“Rancho Christian is a a very good team," he said. "They execute well and have some really knowledgeable players. Then you’ve got Valley View, Poly, and we’ve got us. So let’s see what we can do. I think if we can execute and play with everything we’ve got, limit our mistakes, you never know what happens at the end of the game.”