SRJC 64, West Hills College 50
The Bear Cubs (1-1) returned to the site of their final game of the 2022-23 season where they lost in the semifinal round of the State Tournament—West Hills College—to take on the Golden Eagles (0-0). Lucca Lowenberg took the first shot of the contest and swished the 3-pointer. Eleven seconds later Jezza Tamayo got the hosts on the scoreboard with one of two free throws. The Bear Cubs made their second shot of the game: Ivy Gonzalez's 4-footer off of Lowenberg's assist. The Golden Eagles tallied five unanswered points on one free throw and two field goals. Reese Searcy's successful drive at the 5:15 mark got the Bear Cubs to 7-6. Amaya Sanchez's drive nearly two minutes later put the Golden Eagles in front. The Bear Cubs retook the lead 9-8 on Maya Salas' two free throws with 3:05 on the clock. Lowenberg was fouled inside the key and made one free throw. Yuliza Padilla's 3-pointer gave the hosts an 11-10 edge. Hannah Webb drew a shooting foul and made one free throw to tie the score with 2:21 left. The Golden Eagles added one free throw and then so did Praise Nigimar. Sanchez's drive with 1:02 remaining put her team ahead 14-12. With time running out, Webb found Lowenberg open on the right baseline beyond the arc. Lowenberg shot dropped through the net as the buzzer sounded for a 15-14 Bear Cub lead.
Jezza Tamayo swished two 3-pointers in the first 90 seconds of the second quarter. The Bear Cubs responded with a 10-0 run on Meredith Gilbertson's 1-footer off of Reese Searcy's assist, Lucca Lowenberg's 3-pointer, Searcy's steal and layup, and Lowenberg's fourth 3-pointer for a 25-20 margin at the 5:10 mark. Tamayo ended her team's scoreless streak with a 3-pointer 16 seconds later. Meredith Gilbertson added three more points on a 1-footer off Lowenberg's assist and one of two free throws with 2:12 on the clock, making the score 28-23. After Yuliza Padilla's field goal, Gilbertson dropped in a putback. Padilla swished a 3-pointer and Sanchez banked in a layup to tie the score at 30 with 55 seconds left. JJ Martinez drew a foul and made both free throws within 14 seconds. With 29 seconds remaining, Tamayo drained her fourth 3-pointer for a 33-32 Golden Eagle lead. Searcy tied the score going into halftime with one out of two free throws.
Amaya Sanchez scored the first field goal of the third quarter after nearly two minutes of scoreless play. The Bear Cubs then added six unanswered points on Lucca Lowenberg's 3-pointer, Ivy Gonzalez's baseline 9-footer, and Meredith Gilbertson's one of two free throws with 7:22 on the clock. Sanchez put in four points on a field goal and two free throws at the 5:10 mark. A 7-0 Bear Cub run on four Lucca Lowenberg free throws and Maya Salas' 3-pointer widened the lead to 46-39 with 3:20 left. Sanchez's drive and Tamayo's 3-pointer completed the Golden Eagles' scoring in the quarter to close the gap to 44-46 with 2:30 remaining. The Bear Cubs finished the period with a 6-0 run on Meredith Gilbertson's putback, Ivy Gonzalez's 1-footer off of Praise Nigimar's assist, and Gonzalez's two free throws to jump out to a 52-44 advantage.
The Bear Cubs put in the first five points of the fourth quarter on JJ Martinez's 3-pointer and Ivy Gonzalez's give-and-go play with Lindsey Arellano. Amaya Sanchez's layup at the 6:10 mark turned out to be the Golden Eagles' only basket of the period. During the remainder of the contest Ivy Gonzalez scored a fast break layup, Reese Searcy a 3-pointer on a baseline inbounds pass from Hannah Webb, and Praise Nigimar a fast break layup. Meanwhile the Golden Eagles made four out of six free throws, resulting in a 64-50 victory for the Bear Cubs.
Jezza Tamayo's 3-point shooting and Amaya Sanchez's dribble drives kept the game close for three quarters. The Bear Cubs made defensive adjustments in the fourth quarter and outscored the Golden Eagles 12-6 in the period. Sanchez made 8 field goals and 3 free throws for 19 points, while Tamayo sank 5 3-pointers and one free throw for 16 points. Yuliza Padilla totaled 10 points on two field goals and two 3-pointers.
Lucca Lowenberg led the Bear Cubs in scoring with 20 points on 5 3-pointers and 5 out of 6 free throws. Both of the Bear Cubs' starting post players registered their second double-doubles. Meredith Gilbertson scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Ivy Gonzalez scored 12 and pulled down 11. Reese Searcy added 8 points, JJ Martinez and Maya Salas 5 each, Praise Nigimar 3, and Hannah Webb 1. Meredith Gilbertson led in assists with 4. Lucca Lowenberg made 3 steals.