Who says the Metro-South Bay League girls basketball teams aren’t of championship caliber? Well, certainly not the players and fans of the Montgomery and San Ysidro high school teams after the two league rivals cemented berths in Friday’s San Diego Section championship games at the University of San Diego.
Fourth-seeded Montgomery (24-7) upset top-seeded Helix, 67-62, in Tuesday’s semifinals to advance to Friday’s Division II title game against seventh-seeded Carlsbad (20-9). Tip-off is 6:05 p.m.
Thirteenth-seeded San Ysidro (9-16) upset top-seeded Calvin Christian, 53-46, also on Tuesday, to advance to Friday’s Division IV championship tilt against second-seeded El Capitan (18-8). Tip-off is 1:05 p.m.
SYHS coach Alejandro Vargas noted this is the second time that the Lady Cougars have made it to the section playoffs and the first time the team has advanced past the first round.
“This season our team started off slow because our participation was scattered, in large part due to the winter season taking place during Christmas break — many girls went on vacation or were unavailable,” Vargas explained. “Once the season started, many of the girls returned and we got better and better. Now, we are playing our best basketball.”
That appears to be a true statement. The Cougars tipped off post-season play with a 51-48 upset win over fourth-seeded Francis Parker (8-9) on Feb. 25 and then shocked fifth-seeded Southwest (14-11) by a score of 53-39 in last Saturday’s quarterfinals.
“The journey has been awesome for all our girls and one they won’t soon forget,” Vargas explained. “We are excited that many students in the school rally for our team. There is a lot of school spirit and we are proud to be representing our parents, teachers and community.”
Vargas said his team’s trip to the division finals is huge for the school because it increases the exposure of the program to the rest of the community.
“We hope this will increase participation and make the program bigger,” Vargas said. “As in all the communities, we have some great kids at our school and we want them to play sports on our teams, even if it’s not basketball. Also, it gives us a great sense of pride that we can represent our community in these types of tournaments.
This trip to CIF is special in so many ways,” Vargas continued. “It’s very hard to describe it, but perhaps the most special thing about it is that it gives us the opportunity to celebrate our kids and their efforts.”
Sophomore Destiny Zamudio had 21 points and Brandy Cabrera had 13 points in Tuesday’s win.
“Destiny is quick and plays the game like a fish in water,” Vargas said. “She is an amazing player.”
Vargas called Cabrera a “relentless warrior.”
“Her strength is incredible to watch,” the SYHS coach said.
The Lady Cougars’ two team captains are senior Isabel Walters and sophomore Giselle Flores.
Walters has played all four years at San Ysidro. “She is a great leader,” Vargas said. “She gives 100 percent every game and she rallies the girls when we need it most.
“Giselle is an amazing girl who has elevated her game tremendously. Her improvement has amazed us so much. She leads by example and is a great player and an even better person. She is the kind of player that always gives 100 percent.”
Montgomery is the reigning Metro-South Bay League champions. The Lady Aztecs tipped off the playoffs with a 44-42 first-round win over 13th-seeded Fallbrook (17-8) on Feb. 25 and followed with last Saturday’s 48-40 victory against 12th-seeded Otay Ranch (14-12).
Otay Ranch upset fifth-seeded Imperial (22-6) in the opening round.
Murrellene Woodson leads Montgomery in season scoring with 15.3 points per game, followed on the score sheet by teammate Mikaelah Wieland (11.4). Woodson and Wieland are averaging 7.5 and 5.6 rebounds per game, respectively.
Woodson had 24 points in Tuesday’s game while Wieland had 19 points. Evangeline Morga chipped in with 10 points.
Montgomery coach Cassie Klockgether said the Lady Aztecs’ championship game odyssey started four years ago when she was 22 years old and took over the program. She is a Montgomery High School alumna and all of her assistant coaches are as well.
Klockgether said the team’s group of five seniors all started in the program when they were freshman.
“We faced many adversities along the way, but my team are fighters,” Klockgether said. “We like to tell our girls every game is a championship game. Every practice is a preparation for a championship game. It is that mentally that our girls began to have, and since then, it’s been an amazing ride.
“Once we found out our seeding number we threw that out the window along with our league banner and our 15-game winning streak. We had a new goal: to go 4-0 and stay alive by taking it one game at a time.
“Every game I do my best to prepare the coaching staff, girls, our managers and myself. We make minor adjustments, but in the end, we stick to our system and play our game. Each playoff game has been an incredible experience. I’ve had the privilege to watch my girls demonstrate their growth while simultaneously uniting a community through their captivating performance on the court.
“We had the honor to have two home playoff games where our 6’s created an atmosphere like no other, and without hesitation, did the same on the road when we played Helix.
In the end it was definitely a team win as most our games are. Everyone has a role to fulfill from our mangers to each of our players and I believe it is the unity, hard work, and dedication each person has within our program that has contributed to our success.”
Best of the rest
In a Division I semifinal game played Tuesday, second-seeded Horizon Christian (23-9) eliminated sixth-seeded Mater Dei Catholic (14-17) by a score of 69-49.
Mater Dei Catholic defeated 11th-seeded Rancho Buena Vista (14-14) by a score of 70-54 in the opening round and upended third-seeded Cathedral Catholic (20-8) by a 72-64 score in the quarterfinals.
Cathedral Catholic stopped 14th-seeded Olympian (7-21) by a score of 57-36 in the opening round.
Seventh-seeded Eastlake (20-8) bowed out of the Open Division playoffs with a 61-39 setback at second-seeded Mission Hills (25-5) in last Saturday’s quarterfinals.
In a Division II quarterfinal game, third-seeded Bonita Vista (20-7) sputtered in a 60-57 home court loss to 11th-seeded Central Union (17-12).
In a pair of Division III quarterfinal games, sixth-seeded Hilltop (15-12) bowed out with a 34-26 loss to third-seeded Kearny (22-5) while 12th-seeded Castle Park (11-13) saw its season end with a 67-41 loss to fourth-seeded Rancho Bernardo (13-12).
Castle Park upset fifth-seeded Point Loma (17-7) by a score of 40-28 in the opening round.
2014-15 Standings
Metro-South Bay League
League/Overall
Montgomery 6-0, 24-7
Southwest 4-2, 14-11
San Ysidro 2-4, 9-16
Mar Vista 0-6, 3-18
Metro-Pacific League
League/Overall
Chula Vista 5-1, 12-16
Hilltop 4-2, 15-12
Sweetwater 2-4, 10-15
Castle Park 1-5, 11-13
Metro-Mesa League
League/Overall
Eastlake 6-2, 20-8
Mater Dei Catholic 6-2, 14-17
Bonita Vista 4-4, 20-7
Otay Ranch 4-4, 14-12
Olympian 0-8, 7-21
