Sonora Overcomes Cold Spell, Tops Azusa

Sonora persevered through a bad case of cold shooting in the first quarter and went on to defeat Azusa, 63-44, in the first round of the Division III-AA playoffs Friday night at Sonora High School.

The Raiders (23-3) didn’t score until Sergio Hernandez’s two free throws with 4 minutes 20 seconds left in the first quarter and didn’t make a field goal until Chris St. Clair stole the ball and drove for a layup with 3:45 left in the opening quarter.

Fortunately for the Raiders, who hit only three of nine first-quarter shot attempts, their defense held the Aztecs to six points in the first quarter. The victory set up Tuesday’s showdown with Santa Margarita at a site to be determined by a coin flip today.

“Definitely, the key for us was our defense,” said Sonora Coach Mike Murphy. “We were really tight. That was the worst shooting game for St. Clair and (Peter) Lythgoe all year.”

St. Clair connected on only seven of 16 shot attempts but still led all scorers with 22 points and added six steals.

Sonora took control in the second quarter as sophomore guard Sergio Hernandez and St. Clair warmed up. Hernandez scored five points and St. Clair scored 10 points in the second quarter, including a three-point shot at the buzzer for a 26-13 Raider halftime lead.

Azusa (18-7), which suffered 24 turnovers, fell behind, 47-25, in the third quarter.