The Bishop Diego girls basketball team couldn’t seem to find a rhythm in front a big crowd at Santa Barbara High School on Saturday night, falling to Chadwick 37-26 in the CIF Division 5-A Semifinals. The Cardinals scored just four points in the first quarter and made just seven of 20 free throw attempts.
Sophomore Josie McCoy led the senior heavy Cardinals with 12 points, including seven points in 70 seconds late in the first half. The physical Dolphins (22-8) were led by post player Haley Bush, who muscled her way to 19 points.
“There are a couple of teams in our league that are that aggressive, but we hadn’t seen that in a couple of weeks, and I think it smacked us in the face a little bit,” said Cardinals coach Jeff Burich.
No points were scored until Bush made a lay-up with 3:45 to go in the first quarter, and the period ended with Chadwick up 7-4. The Cardinals were stuck on four points from the 1:15 mark of the first quarter until the 2:30 mark of the second, as Chadwick built a 15-4 lead.
McCoy gave Bishop (16-14) and its student section a big lift by swiping a steal and scoring on a lay-up to end the offensive dry spell. She then swished a pair of treys to make it 15-12 with just over a minute before the intermission.
“When Josie made those two 3-pointers I got chills. It was an awesome feeling,” said Burich. “These kids just don’t give up.”
They’re also not giving up on the season, as Burich said he hopes to qualify for the state tournament. Last season, all four semifinal teams received berths.
Allison Breuer had nine rebounds in the game for Bishop while Karina Valencia pulled down seven. Kelsey Stimson had six rebounds.
Courtney Houston hit a 3-pointer with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter to bring the Cardinals within six at 23-17, but Bishop would miss eight free throws from that point forward and weren’t able to close the gap any more.
The seniors succumbed to tears after the final buzzer, but Valencia was able to put some perspective on her senior season.
“Both the boys and the girls made it, and that’s really big. We haven’t made it for a long time… I’m glad we made it this far,” she said.
CHADWICK 37, BISHOP DIEGO 26
CHADWICK — Ceiger 1, Bethel 2, Bush 19, McLaughlin 2, Stoneburner 1, Lapham 7, Finley 4. Totals 14 8-20 37.
BISHOP DIEGO — McCoy 12, Houston 5, Breuer 2, Thronhill 3, Shull 3, Stimson 1. Totals 8 7-20 26.
Chadwick…7 11 10 9 — 37
Bishop Diego…4 8 5 9 — 26
3-point goals — C 1 (Lapham), BD 3 (McCoy 2, Houston 1). Total fouls — C 19, BD 20. Fouled out — Stimson.
