Anzar defeats Pacific Collegiate 43-31, are only undefeated team
remaining in the CAL
San Juan Bautista – The Anzar girls basketball team took Pacific Collegiate out of their comfort zone Tuesday in San Juan Bautista, and scored their biggest win of the early season with a 43-31 victory.
Both teams entered with spotless undefeated records in the Coastal Athletic League, but the Hawks upped the tempo throughout the game and wore the Pumas down by the end of the contest.
Despite trailing by just five points with more than five minutes remaining in regulation, Pacific Collegiate failed to sink a field goal in the waning minutes, and were held to just two points in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks, on the other hand, continued to run the floor, even implementing a full-court press late in the game, and provided themselves a 10-point cushion as the fourth quarter came to a close.
“The thing I stressed the whole game was that we didn’t want to play their tempo,” coach Aaron Netzel said. “This game was a testament to strength and conditioning.”
Anzar, which scouted Pacific Collegiate’s last game against York, is known for their run-and-gun like style, while the Pumas play at a far slower tempo. Said Netzel, “I wanted to make it a full-court game instead of a half-court game.”
Alyssa Rodriguez led the Hawks with 13 points and five steals, despite the Pumas zeroing in on her. Rodriguez is Anzar’s leading scorer, averaging 22.7 points per game.
“I think the biggest thing about this game was that it was a team effort,” Netzel said. “They keyed in on Alyssa (Rodriguez) … It was a total team effort.”
Nicole Mello nearly recorded a double-double, as she supplied nine points and nine rebounds for Anzar, while Carly Johnson hit a pair of treys to finish with eight points. Johnson also added three steals and two boards.
Rebecca Kaspes led Pacific Collegiate with eight points.
It was the first game for the Hawks since Jan. 10 when their scheduled contest against Anchorpoint was postponed.
Netzel said his team came out anxious at the start, but he felt they out-played the Pumas for much of the contest.
The Hawks remain perfect in the CAL with a 3-0 record, while the Pumas fall to 3-1.
Anzar will return to the floor Thursday in San Juan Bautista when they host Santa Cruz Waldorf. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ANZ 14 13 5 11 43
PAC 12 8 9 2 31
