Anzar defeated Pacific Collegiate 53-38 Tuesday, setting up
Thursday’s contest against Santa Cruz Waldorf which will decide the
Coastal Athletic League
Santa Cruz
The Anzar girls basketball team did their part when they defeated Pacific Collegiate 53-38 in Santa Cruz Tuesday, as they kept pace with the competition in the tightly-contested Coastal Athletic League.
The Hawks, which currently sit atop the CAL with a 9-1 league record, have one game remaining against Santa Cruz Waldorf on Thursday. Despite their .900 winning percentage, though, the Hawks have yet to wrap up a league crown.
Everything will be decided after Thursday, when Anzar and Waldorf (7-2) meet up in San Juan Bautista. Waldorf is the only team to have beaten Anzar this season, and if they do so again on Thursday, the CAL will have a three-way tie for first place.
But with an Anzar win, the Hawks will clinch the league crown.
“Let’s just go the simple route,” coach Aaron Netzel said.
A three-way tie would have Waldorf, Anzar and Pacific Collegiate all with two losses apiece, and would open up a chaotic series of tiebreakers that would eliminate one team from the two automatic playoff berths that the CAL receives.
“We just really want to avoid that at all costs,” Netzel added.
Avoiding that would mean a victory Thursday against Waldorf, which was present for Tuesday’s game between the Hawks and Pacific Collegiate.
Likely scouting their next opponent, Waldorf witnessed Anzar’s Alyssa Rodriguez drop 21 points on 6 of 7 shooting Tuesday against Pacific Collegiate. The Hawks’ leading scorer also pulled down five boards and had five steals against the Pumas.
Nicole Mello had 16 rebounds to go along with nine points, while Liliana Resendez added 13 points.
The Hawks, which carried a 38-33 lead into the fourth period, outscored Pacific Collegiate 15-5 in the final stanza.
On Jan. 22, when Anzar and Pacific Collegiate met up for the first time, the Hawks carried a three-point lead into the fourth quarter, only to outscore the Pumas 11-2 in the final period.
“All season long, in close games, we turn it on in the end,” Netzel said. “And we had the same strategy as last time.”
That strategy involves a pressure defense, which perhaps wore Pacific Collegiate down toward the end of regulation.
Carly Johnson had eight steals, four rebounds and three points for Anzar, which also got five points and two boards from Kristina Pavese.
On Monday, the Hawks defeated York 59-17 behind 24 points from Rodriguez and seven rebounds from varsity call-up Shelby Sorensen. Resendez had 11 points and Mello added 10.
On Thursday, Anzar will host Santa Cruz Waldorf in their regular-season finale. Game time is 4 p.m., in San Juan Bautista.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ANZ 12 15 11 15 53
PCS 13 13 7 5 38
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ANZ 17 15 19 8 59
YRK 3 2 10 2 17
