Watsonville junior Stephanie Martinez had 13 points, six rebounds and three steals in the Wildcatz’s 47-26 win over Soledad in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division girls’ basketball action Thursday night.
Teammate freshman Isa Alvarez added 12 points and three steals, while junior Leilani Yasin recorded a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds to go along with a pair of blocks.
Hailey Brooks had seven steals for the ‘Catz, who improved to 3-1 in league play this season. They bounced back following a 49-35 loss to Salinas on Jan. 10.
“Coming off of that loss was a little tough,” Watsonville head coach Zach Cook said. “They were trying to figure that piece out mentally and I think once they realized it’s all about just competing, and finding the fun component of it, then that kind of just reenergized us and set us right on the course that we were supposed to be on in the first place.”
Soledad sophomore Delylah Ocampo recorded 17 points, six rebounds and three steals, while fellow teammates Camilla Lopez and sophomore Justina Botello each had 10 rebounds.
The Aztecs—who dropped to 2-2 in the Gabilan Division standings—were without standout senior Valeria Sugura, who was sitting on the sideline with a leg injury. But her absence didn’t affect Watsonville’s game plan, Martinez said.
“We just needed to go hard. Going hard is basically a key to winning games,” Martinez said. “We just had to step it up, other people on our team had to step up.”
It wasn’t a pretty start for both Watsonville and Soledad after the score was tied at 1-1 for nearly six minutes into the first quarter. The ‘Catz got a spark of energy in the second stanza as they took a 17-6 lead going into halftime.
“Shots just weren’t going in,” Martinez said. “We had good looks but our shots just weren’t falling in.”
The ‘Catz kept things rolling in the second half, but a series of turnovers and prompt missed shot attempts allowed the Aztecs to get back in the game.
Watsonville also allowed numerous second-chance scoring opportunities for Soledad, including a pair of 3-pointers that cut the deficit at 28-21 with 1:20 remaining in the third.
“We were rushing a little bit too much, not seeing the people that were open,” Cook said.
Cook said it was smooth sailing once they slowed things down.
In the fourth quarter, Watsonville’s defense responded by holding the Aztecs to just five points. Alvarez also scored six of her 12 points in the final stanza en route to victory.
“I feel like always after halftime, we go harder. We just have motivation,” Alvarez said. “We started boxing out more and the intensity went up.”
Next up, Watsonville (13-3, 3-1) hosts Monterey (4-10, 1-4) on Jan. 22 and plays at Alisal (9-6, 2-2) on Jan. 24. Both games are slated for a 7pm tipoff.
