2-A Girls : San Marcos Battles Nerves

Despite being favored, the San Marcos High girls’ basketball team was nervous before Friday night’s San Diego Section 2-A semifinal against La Jolla.

That lack of confidence was clearly evident in the first half. The Knights struggled to a one-point lead by the end of the first quarter, then ran up a 10-point lead early in the second quarter, only to find themselves clinging to a one-point halftime advantage.

But in the second half, San Marcos (25-3) never flinched, rolling to a 57-44 victory over the Vikings (14-6), thanks to the combination of aggressive rebounding by reserve forward Niki Corley and the outside shooting of guard Robin Paladino.

“We should have blown them right out when we were up by 10,” said Bob Kellison, San Marcos coach. “At halftime, I told my team, ‘Girls, you shouldn’t be afraid of playing La Jolla, they should be nervous about playing you.’ ”

The Knights scored 20 points in the third quarter as each of the San Marcos starters hit two field goals.

“I think I’ve finally found my starting five,” Kellison said. “In the second half, we had the right combination, the right chemistry.”

San Marcos’ chemistry was most explosive early in the second half. In three minutes, the Knights’ turned a 31-30 deficit into a 42-33 lead by dominating the backboards and stealing the ball virtually every time La Jolla tried to break down court.

“They outrebounded us and then we hit a slump defensively and, being an excellent team, they took advantage of it,” said Lori Schwalbach, La Jolla coach.

Four San Marcos starters finished in double figures, with Paladino leading all scorers with 16 points.

Next week at the Sports Arena, the Knights will play the winner of today’s Lincoln-Southwest game for the 2-A title. Paladino said San Marcos does not anticipate any pregame jitters for that contest.

“We’ve got butterflies,” she said. “But it’s not because we’re nervous, it’s because we’re excited.”