The girls basketball squads from Bishop Diego and San Marcos drove nearly two hours to play each other on Wednesday even though their campuses are about two minutes apart.
The Royals’ Kimmy Sanchez made sure the drive was worth it, racking up 22 points and going 11-for-12 from the charity stripe as San Marcos downed the Cardinals 46-37 on the first day of the Fillmore Tournament.
“Kimmy took the lead from the get-go and didn’t let up… It’s what we’re going to need from her every night,” said Royals coach Kristyn Miller.
Desiree Porter-Ray added eight points and Vanessa Curiel chipped in seven before fouling out. It was a foul-fest for both teams, as San Marcos (1-0) committed 24 and the Cardinals (1-1) tallied 20.
“Our intensity was there defensively, as you can tell by our fouls,” said Miller. “We played through the jitters and rebounded well in the first half, but Bishop came out after halftime and really changed the tempo on us and forced turnovers.”
Janelle Kohler led the Cardinals (1-1) with her second straight big performance, putting up 14 points to go along with 16 rebounds while Courtney Houston dropped in seven. Bishop won the second half 22-21, but missed 10 free throws in the fourth quarter and went a dismal 9-for-24 from the line overall.
“We had our chances, but we just didn’t take advantage of our opportunities at the free-throw line,” said coach Jeff Burich. “And Kimmy was unstoppable. She was really the difference-maker.”
Miller said that Marissa Unzueta’s six points were deceiving, as she showed excellent court vision and a knack for finding open lanes. Freshman Hannah Ball played both post and guard in her first high school game and showed nice intensity according to her coach.
The Royals play L.A. Baptist at 3 p.m. Thursday.
SAN MARCOS 46, BISHOP DIEGO 37
SAN MARCOS — Sanchez 22, Porter-Ray 8, Curiel 7, Unzueta 6, Ball 2, Rodriguez 1. Totals 15 15-26 46.
BISHOP DIEGO — Arreola 2, Houston 7, Perez 2, Spence 2, Kohler 15, Breuer 3, Thornhill 4, Stimson 2. Totals 14 9-24 37.
San Marcos…13 12 14 7 — 46
Cardinals…7 8 9 13 — 37
3-point goals — SM 1 (Sanchez). Total fouls — SM 24, BD 20. Fouled out — SM: Curiel. Records — SM 1-0, BD 1-1.
