WATSONVILLE — Ruby Galvan surprised herself with her effort down the stretch.
Savanah Quintana lived up to expectations at the free-throw line.
Watsonville High did a little bit of both.
Playing in their first Central Coast Section playoff game since 2013, the No. 12-seeded Wildcatz made even more history by surviving a possible game-winning shot at the horn to beat unseeded Milpitas High, 47-46, for their first postseason win since 2008.
With Watsonville (16-9) trailing by seven with a little more than three minutes left, Galvan sparked a late run with a pair of steals, and Quintana gave the Wildcatz the lead with 4.7 seconds remaining by swishing two free throws.
Milpitas (11-14) got a good look at the game-winning bucket, but its shot clanked off the backboard.
It might have only been a first-round victory, but the Wildcatz celebrated like they had won a section title, storming the court with their arms raised as a big group hug of smiles and screams.
“This is incredible,” said Galvan, a junior wing. “Everyone was happy, everyone was cheering, everyone was screaming, everyone was crying because we were so happy.”
Watsonville moves on to play at No. 5 Carlmont High in Belmont on Thursday.
The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off
But first, they’ll enjoy Tuesday night’s win — if only for a night.
“I’m always one to critique, but I want them to enjoy it,” said Watsonville head coach Randy Braga. “There’s always tomorrow to give them what I think.”
Taking into account seeding, home-court advantage and the result of the teams’ previous meeting in mid-December, Tuesday night’s result was not much of a shocker.
Still, Watsonville said it surprised itself and the hundreds of rocking fans in attendance with the win.
“A few people expected us to go to CCS, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t expect us to win,” said Quintana, a senior point guard. “This win is big. Doesn’t matter if it’s by one or by 10, we still got that win.”
Thanks in no small part to Quintana’s spectacular four-point play to bring Watsonville within one at the 2:10-mark of the fourth, and her cold-blooded free throws with the result in the balance.
“I have 100 percent faith in that girl,” Braga said. “She is as tough as nails.”
Quintana had a game-high 20 points, while also registering seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Galvan added 13 points, and came up with three big steals in the final stanza, including a pair during Watsonville’s 10-2 run over the final four minutes.
Her jumper with 1:30 left gave Watsonville a 45-44 lead, but Milpitas regained the advantage with 13.9 seconds remaining, as Victoria Iafeta dished to a wide-open Skylar Pitre for the go-ahead bucket.
With the Wildcatz still not in the bonus, Milpitas quickly fouled Watsonville twice on the inbounds pass in an effort to use up the clock, but mistakenly fouled Quintana while she hoisted up a desperation shot.
She went to the charity stripe with a chance to take the lead, made them both and the Wildcatz held on.
“I knew she was going to make them,” Galvan said.
Iafeta, a 6-foot-1 senior center committed to play hoops at Menlo College next season, had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Milpitas, a third-place finisher in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino division. She was unstoppable at times, but Watsonville’s 6-foot-1 senior center Julisa Vega did her best to slow her down throughout the night.
When Vega alone wasn’t enough, Watsonville sent double teams her way.
When Watsonville beat Milpitas by nine on Dec. 16, Iafeta was just making her way back from an early-season knee injury.
Fully healthy this time around, she had a much bigger impact.
“She’s a machine,” Galvan said. “She can probably out-rebound all of us, outshoot us, but we worked together to help guard her.”
Watsonville jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but held only a 12-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Iafeta’s three-point play late in the second quarter allowed Milpitas to head into the locker room up 24-23.
The Trojans were up 33-30 after three, and freshman Rheanna Corpuz swished a 3-pointer with a little less than four minutes left to put her team up seven.
But Milpitas went cold the rest of the way, and turned it over twice in crunch time.
Watsonville fed off the electric crowd, and made plays when it mattered.
“We just said, ‘it’s not over, it’s go time,’” Quintana said. “We executed.”
Watsonville began the season with hopes of winning the program’s first league championship since 2013, but three straight losses in the heart of their Monterey Bay League Pacific division season derailed their plans.
They tied for third in the league with two other teams, and had no guarantee of a postseason berth after finishing up the regular season with a heartbreaking loss to Alisal High.
But once they got the nod on Sunday, the mood of the team was at an all-time high.
It reached another level after Tuesday’s victory.
“We’ve had a rough season and we’ve all managed to get through it by having that heart for the game,” Galvan said.
