HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Division IV Girls : Holtville Dominates Coronado : Lopsided First Half Propels Vikings to 47-34 Victory

It took the Holtville girls’ basketball team two hours to drive to San Diego from their desert community for the Division IV championship game against Coronado Saturday morning.

But it took only 30 minutes for Holtville to wrap up its third San Diego Section title in five years with a 47-34 victory. Holtville has appeared in five consecutive section title games.

The final score was not an accurate gauge of how Holtville dominated the first half.

Holtville (16-9) led, 10-4, after the first quarter, then scored the first 11 points of the second quarter to lead, 21-4. The top-seeded Vikings later scored the last seven points of the quarter and led, 32-7, at the half.

“Too much, too soon,” said Bill Cass, Coronado coach. “We just dug ourselves a hole we couldn’t get out of.”

Holtville’s constant pressing defense unraveled second-seeded Coronado (11-13), which was able to take only 14 shots from the floor in the first half and made just three. Holtville was 4 for 19 in the first quarter but 9 for 12 in the second.

“The press took them out of their set offense,” said Mike Pacheco, Holtville coach. “They were tall and not as quick as we were, so I thought (the press) might give them trouble.”

Holtville forward Dina Patzloff dominated the game offensively with 25 points. But Coronado was most bothered by Holtville point guard Teresa Ibarra, whose constant pressure helped create 20 first-half turnovers.

Coronado rallied in the second half and pulled within 40-25 with 6:14 remaining in the third quarter, but Holtville would not let the Islanders back in the game.

“We wanted to celebrate already, and (Coronado) wanted to play basketball,” Pacheco said.

Connie Braithwaite led Coronado with nine points. Leticia Ibarra added eight for Holtville.