Providence girls’ basketball’s recipe for success has it back in quarters
A long road trip and a short boat ride delivered the Providence High girls’ basketball team to its CIF Southern Section Division 4-A second-round game.
Another stellar outing from freshman sensation Melissa Zozulenko combined with more of the Pioneers’ trademark tenacious defense delivered them back home where they’ll now journey further into the quarterfinals.
Zozulenko had 18 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists and the Pioneers held host Catalina Island Avalon to single digits scoring in all but one quarter en route to a 49-36 victory in the second round of the playoffs on Saturday evening.
“We know we can count on two things,” Pioneers coach Andrew Bencze said. “We knew we’re gonna play great defense … and we know Melissa is going to be a big scorer for us.”
True to form, that winning recipe carried the Pioneers to the next round.
Providence (21-7), the reigning Liberty League champion, will host Arroyo, the Mission Valley League No. 2 team, or Aquinas, the Ambassador League champion, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night. In what now reads as an aberration for the program, Providence was ousted in the first round of last season’s playoffs, but now returns to the quarters for the sixth time across seven seasons.
Francesca Maravilla tallied 11 points, five steals and four rebounds for the Pioneers, while Ariel Gordillo turned in 10 points and five steals and Sarah Cox had eight points and eight rebounds.
Avalon (15-9), the San Joaquin League’s No. 3 squad, found its best quarter to be the third, as it outscored Providence, 13-9, and cut a 25-16 halftime deficit to 34-29 after three quarters. The Pioneers, however, turned it on and sped away, winning the final stanza, 15-7. It was much the same in the second period, when a precarious 10-8 lead following the first eight minutes grew to the aforementioned nine-point halftime lead.
“We had two big runs,” said Bencze, who had 10 fourth-quarter points from Zozulenko to seal the game. “One in the second quarter and one in the fourth quarter and it was all keyed by defense.”
And now the Pioneers are back in the familiar waters of the quarterfinals.
“Honestly, it feels great,” Bencze said. “That’s the great thing about coaching; every year it’s a different team, a different group of kids.
“They’re excited about it. We’re ready.”
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
