Southern Section Girls Playoffs : Buena Does Homework and Romps

The Buena girls’ basketball team won its 23rd straight game Wednesday night and advanced to the 4-A quarterfinals with an 80-37 rout of host Mira Costa, and this one can be chalked up to good scouting.

“When we scouted them, we did not think their guards were strong,” Bulldog coach Joe Vaughan said. “So we pressed them.”

And press they did. The defending state champions (23-1) forced Mira Costa into 20 first-half turnovers, and before the Mustangs knew it, a close game had become a 32-15 halftime lead.

“We practiced the press all week,” said Catherine Erhard, an All-Bay League selection from Mira Costa (17-8). “But in the game we just didn’t do it.”

Both teams played a sloppy first half, and the officials dominated.

But the Bulldogs got hot in the second half, making seven of their first nine shots to open up a 25-point lead. Late in the fourth quarter, they increased their lead to as much as 46.

Vaughan had a simple explanation for the second-half explosion.

“We talked all through halftime about calming down,” he said. “We got off well in the well in the third quarter and just jumped on them.

“We just went bananas,” Mira Costa Coach Sylvia Holly said. “We got intimidated and just went bonkers.”

Buena was led by forward Tina Giordano, who scored 15 points, including eight in the third quarter. But the game was won by a pressure defense that forced 29 turnovers and 12 of 43 shooting on Mira Costa’s part.

Buena made 36 of 63 shots, including 20 of 31 in the second half in what Holly described as the “layup parade.”

While Buena seemed to find easy shots, the Mustangs spent most of the game taking poor shots. Of course, that is, when they were not turning the ball over.

Erhard finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead both teams, although most of the points came after the outcome was decided.

Buena’s 80 points was the most allowed by Mira Costa this year.