Cal girls ‘run’ away with 53-17 victory
COAL CENTER — After allowing the opening basket in their match-up with South Allegheny in the first day of the Lady Trojan Holiday Tournament, the California girls basketball team closed out the first half with 29 straight points and rolled to a 53-17 victory Monday night.
The Lady Trojans (5-3) extended their winning streak to five games after opening the season with three consecutive losses. Cal plays Carmichaels today at 7:30 p.m.
“We picked up the intensity in the first half and our press really controlled the game,” Cal coach Chris Minerd said. “If you don’t score than you can’t press, and tonight our overall pressure got to them. We forced some turnovers and converted them for baskets.”
Bailey Vig scored a game-high 20 points for the Lady Trojans, while Jenna Miller played a solid all-around game with nine points, seven assists, five steals and five rebounds.
Sydney Kirkwood tallied a team-high six points for the Lady Gladiators (2-6).
Trailing 2-0 in the early stages of the opening quarter, Cal closed out the quarter with nine straight points, courtesy of five from Vig, a pair of foul shots from Miller and an inside hoop by Dominique Gaston.
In the second stanza, the Lady Trojans shutout the opposition with a 20-0 margin. Vig collected 11 points in the quarter.
“Our defense is still our key and that will carry us this year,” Minerd said. “We might not have the height we did in years past, but I really like our aggressiveness. In the half court, we really forced them into turnovers and bad shots. We paid attention to detail and worked together.”
Cal held a 14-6 scoring edge in the third quarter, as Miller scored seven in the frame.
“I think Jenna is a versatile player for us,” Minerd said. “She does a lot for us and she is comfortable with her new role. The last two years she has been a distributor for us, and this season we want her to be more of a scorer. She has a high basketball IQ and is getting hot at the right time for us.”
With both team’s reserves in the final eight minutes, the Lady Trojans carried the play with a 10-9 scoring advantage in the fourth.