GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Macintyre Takes Control in San Clemente’s Victory

It had not been Michelle Macintyre’s kind of season.

That changed Monday.

Macintyre was everything San Clemente needed--and what Westminster didn’t--as the Tritons scored a 44-37 victory in the first round of the Costa Mesa Winter Classic at Costa Mesa High.

“I need to take control more and play more like a senior,” Macintyre said after the Tritons improved to 8-2. “I need to take my shots when they’re open, and drive the ball. I haven’t been doing it as much as what’s (available).”

She blitzed Westminster (4-5) in the fourth quarter: Macintyre was five of five from the field and turned a two-point game into a near runaway with 5 minutes 18 seconds left. She scored on shots from 18, 16 and 16 feet, and her drive to the basket gave San Clemente a 40-28 lead.

“It’s critical to see Michelle play that way,” San Clemente Coach Mary Mulligan said. “That’s the difference between us being a good team and an average team.”

Macintyre scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds. Westminster outrebounded the Tritons, 44-25.