Buena Takes It Away, 60-33

Thousand Oaks High didn’t give the game away, really.

Buena just decided to take it, same as it did with the ball.

The Bulldogs forced Thousand Oaks into 24 turnovers en route to a 60-33 victory in a Southern Section Division I-A girls’ basketball quarterfinal game Saturday night at Thousand Oaks.

Tenacious full-court pressure, combined with plenty of crisp passing and high-percentage shot selection by Buena (24-2) in the second half, spelled the end for Thousand Oaks (20-7).

The Bulldogs advanced to a semifinal game Tuesday against Santa Ana Mater Dei at a site to be determined.

Buena, the defending I-A champion, defeated Mater Dei in the title game last season. The Bulldogs, ranked third in the state, have won five section titles and two state championships in Coach Joe Vaughan’s 21 years at the helm. It will be their 18th appearance in the semifinals.

“It just seemed like everything went our way tonight,” Buena center Nicole Greathouse said. “This was a great game for our team.”

Greathouse had 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Her Thousand Oaks counterpart, Jenn Detmer, finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Detmer’s performance was the only highlight for Thousand Oaks, which trailed 27-13 at halftime and by as many as 30 points in the final three minutes.

The Lancers were bothered early by the Bulldogs’ defensive pressure, committing nine turnovers and missing several shots underneath the basket in the first quarter.

And things never got better for Thousand Oaks as Buena shut down everyone but Detmer. The Bulldogs collapsed on the Thousand Oaks center every time the Lancers tried to lob the ball inside.

The Lancers scored in double figures only in the fourth quarter, when they had 11 points. They made only 11 of 42 shots (26%) from the field.

Buena was 25 of 49 (51%) from the field and opened the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run for a 51-24 lead.

“They outplayed us all over the place,” Thousand Oaks Coach Chuck Brown said. “I thought we’d do better than this, but they’re a great team, and they beat us.”

Although disappointed to see the season end, the Lancers were glad for the chance to take on the Bulldogs, who will take a 12-game winning streak into their game against Mater Dei.

“Of course it was tough,” Detmer said, “but Buena’s an awesome team. I hope they go all the way.

“I thought we played as well as we could play tonight.”