Girls basketball: Fourth-quarter surge propels Cajon to state title

Defense wins championships.

The Cajon girls basketball team provided a perfect example of that in Saturday’s CIF Division II state final, holding feisty Elk Grove scoreless for eight and a half minutes on the way to winning the title, 55-36, in its first finals appearance.

The Cowboys scored 19 straight points, scoring the last two of the third quarter and opening the fourth on a 17-0 run, to turn a one-point deficit into a commanding 48-34 lead with 1:34 to play.

“In the fourth [quarter] we focused on pressuring their guards, out-hustling them to loose balls, boxing out for rebounds and getting as many possessions as we could,” said senior guard Tyra Turner, who collected seven points, three assists and five steals before fouling out with 1:34 left. “My [twin] sister Tyla is going to Long Beach State but I haven’t decided yet. We support each other and this was a great way to end high school together.”

Tyla Turner and Kayla Washington each scored 17 points for Cajon (27-6), which lost to Sierra Canyon and Oaks Christian in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs.

Mira Shulman led Elk Grove with 15 points, including a pair of free throws that ended her team’s scoring drought. The Thundering Herd (24-11) was outscored 24-4 in the fourth quarter.