2-A Girls : San Marcos Overcomes Southwest

Before Saturday’s San Diego Section 2-A girls’ basketball final against Southwest High at the Sports Arena, San Marcos had the reputation for being slow and physical.

However, the Knights disproved one of the claims, and drove home the point of the other as they defeated the Raiders, 55-52.

Indeed, the Knights were quick and physical, sprinting to a 16-6 lead in a fast-paced first quarter while playing an aggressive style of basketball that looked, at times, like football in shorts. Though the pace slowed, their strength and aggressiveness would result in a 35-29 advantage in rebounding.

Despite falling behind early, Southwest was not to fall apart. Trailing 24-11 in the second period, the Raiders got things going after 5-foot 3-inch guard Nancy Caparaz stole the ball and raced down court for a layup. Though she only totaled three points in the game, her theft quickly breathed life into the Raiders, and they closed the gap to 28-22 within a two-minute span.

“(Caparaz) has been a spark to this team all year long,” said the Raiders’ Michele Wilkes, who led all scorers with 22 points.

Caparaz’s spark was extinguished, however, when she fouled out with 5:10 remaining. Junior Susie Serrano (5-3) replaced Caparaz and played well, but it wasn’t quite the same.

“(Serrano) put a lot of pressure on me,” said San Marcos’ Kathy Oliver, who scored 10 points. “But I felt a lot better knowing (Caparaz) wasn’t in there.”

San Marcos was led by forward Robin Paladino’s 16 points, 10 of which came in the first period.

The biggest factor aiding San Marcos was its 71% (15 of 21) free-throw shooting.