Girls’ basketball: Long Beach Poly defeats Mater Dei
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USC-bound point guard Ariya Crook-Williams lost 15 pounds over the summer because she wanted to be quicker. It worked.
An indefatigable Crook-Williams scored 19 points to help Long Beach Poly defeat Mater Dei, 68-53, on Saturday at the Cali High Showcase at the HAX.
Mater Dei set the tone at the beginning of the game. Jordan Adams was aggressive and constantly driving to the basket. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis’ silky smooth jumper was unstoppable. And the Monarchs’ press forced numerous turnovers. They jumped to a 40-25 halftime lead, making Poly, a perennial superpower, look like an erratic and nervous team.
In the second half, though, the Jackrabbits calmed down, and the Monarchs, well, winded down.
Mater Dei had played another game earlier in the morning, and Coach Kevin Kiernan said, ‘We just ran out of gas. Jordan and Kaleena were exhausted.’
The Jackrabbits, on the other hand, seemed to have an endless reserve of both energy and talented bench players. They battled their way back into the game, taking a 48-47 lead with 5:27 remaining, and held on for the victory.
‘I thought in the first half we tried to do a little too much, and the kids were getting frustrated,’ said Poly Coach Carl Buggs. ‘In the second half, we relaxed.’
Poly went on to win Bracket 2 of tournament play. Etiwanda won Bracket 1, Brea Olinda won Bracket 3 and View Park won Bracket 4. Check out the Cal Sparks website for a complete list of scores.
-- Melissa Rohlin
