Your Local SEO and Digital Marketing Experts in San Diego County
VISTA — Rancho Buena Vista High School led Torrey Pines by 12 points with four minutes left in the second quarter on Wednesday.
The visiting Falcons then scored 13 unanswered to end the half. It was that kind of game between two standout San Diego girls basketball programs.
“We understood that going into the game,” Longhorns head coach Landon Cardenas said. “They’re going to have their runs and we’re going to have ours. We gave up a run. We knew that was going to come and they were about, ‘How are we going to respond?’”
The Longhorns never gave up. RBV senior Camille Dake scored 19 of her game-high 30 points in the second half to defeat the Falcons 50-45 in a pivotal North County Coastal League matchup.
“When I come into the game, I do whatever our team needs from me,” said Dake, who is averaging 29.6 points in five league games. “Tonight, we were struggling offensively. We started running (isolation) plays and I kept distributing throughout the game. Whatever we need for me, I’m going to give it to us just to win.”
Dake’s performance in league play is critical for the team to be atop the league standings. At the midway point of the league schedule, RBV sits in first place.
“She refuses to lose, and it’s been since game one up until now,” he said. “That’s the mindset with her. She’s put us on her back, and she wants to win so bad.”
Dake scored the team’s first six points in the fourth quarter on back-to-back jumpers and a couple of free throws to tie the game at 43 with 3:41 left.
“That definitely helped,” the 6-foot senior guard said. “They started to drop in the paint because we knew we were going to attack. So, hitting a couple of shots helps spread the defense out and gives us more opportunities for other people to score.”
One of those chances came from RBV senior forward Tiaira Richardson, who made a 3-pointer to give the Longhorns (16-7, 5-0 North County Coastal League) a 46-45 lead.
The Longhorns closed the game on a 7-0 run, fueled by big stops and a key rebound from senior Kylie Salzler. She finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
Torrey Pines was led by sophomore Katie Tal, who scored a team-high 18 points. Senior Lily Oliva added 13.
Cardenas said RBV won’t get complacent. He knows the rest of the league season will be a challenge. Rancho Buena Vista travels to La Costa Canyon on Friday, while Torrey Pines hosts Carlsbad.
“The hardest thing to do in basketball is to beat a team twice,” he said. “We have to go do that five times now, and everybody knows who we are. This league has some of the best coaches in it. Coaches that prepare for you and know what you do.
“I’m very excited. It’s going to be fun. Just got to keep working.”
Originally Published:
Your Local SEO and Digital Marketing Experts in San Diego County
