And then there were six.
The Dos Pueblos girls basketball team suffered a crushing blow on Saturday when star sophomore Jessica Escalante went down with a knee injury early in the second quarter of a 41-29 loss to Rio Mesa at the Gold Coast Tournament.
The extent of the injury won’t be known until Monday.
Coach Maynard Pilapil had initially projected having 12 players on the team this year, but is now down to just six. Escalante was injured the last time the Chargers played Rio Mesa, when she sprained her ankle in last year’s playoffs. This time, a simple step on an opponent’s foot caused the injury.
“She made a hard move to get open and stepped on a foot while trying to turn. It’s the same knee she injured in eighth grade, which is our biggest concern. I’m in mini-denial right now,” said Pilapil.
The Chargers (5-3) did their best to regroup and held the Spartans to just four points on one field goal in the third quarter, but Rio Mesa pulled away down the stretch. Chiara DiMarco finished with 18 points for DP, including 15 in the second half, but as a team the Chargers shot just 9-for-43.
“I told them that in the big scheme of things this happens in life, and now we have to be even more united as a team of six players,” said Pilapil. “We have to be mentally tough for each other.”
The Chargers will play in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions next week.
