Cardinals' spirited rally falls short

Most teams would likely pack their bags and go home after taking a 21-8 thumping in the second quarter to trail 30-16 at the half.

But most teams aren’t Lindsay girls’ basketball.

The Cardinals’ Rosie Esparza hit a baseline 3-pointer to cap an 11-2 run and pull Lindsay within 37-30 near the end of the third period. But the taller, lengthier Royals held on to end No. 6 Lindsay’s playoff run, 54-39, Friday night.

Though several Cardinals teared up afterward, Lindsay coach Troy Manning said his girls should have zero regrets about Friday’s performance. Even Mission Prep fans applauded the Cardinals effort after the buzzer.

“We don’t wanna wake up tomorrow wishing you had played harder,” he said. “Like it’s been all year — we always play hard, win or lose. The biggest thing is it’s a game. Have fun.”

Whatever Manning told his girls in the locker room at halftime certainly seemed to give them a spark.

Point guard Alexsis Arguelles scored on back-to-back fastbreak attempts — one a layup and the other a pullup jumper — and Brittany Gutierrez and Renee Alvarado chipped in free throws before Esparza’s trey brought the crowd to its feet.

Gutierrez, a senior who scored seven points in her last game, never counted her Cardinals out of the game despite a 17-point disadvantage in the third quarter.

“We came out expecting to win,” said Gutierrez, who had some 20 family members and friends in attendance. “Our coach told us to put our heads up and keep going. We had to step it up.”

The Royals’ best player, Jenna Dunbar, scored a quick 3-pointer early in the fourth to put Mission Prep on top, 42-30.

After Rachel Marie Ruiz hit a leaning jumper, Ronnie Nix drew a charging foul from Dunbar — her fifth of the game. As Dunbar headed to the bench for the ejection, an official T’d her up, giving Nix two free throws that brought Lindsay back within eight.

“(Dunbar) must’ve said something (to the official),” Manning said. “I didn’t see why that happened, but that took their best player out of the game.”

Unfortunately, the Cardinals lost its best player when Arguelles fouled out moments later, depleting an already-short roster of eight players.

On top of that, Cardinals center Lindsay Blue — the only one tall enough to handle Mission Prep’s height down low — drew two quick fouls in the first two minutes.

Arguelles and Blue scored below their season averages with seven and three points, respectively. Alvarado led the team with nine and Nix added six.

The Royals’ Ally Kersthold scored a game-high 14 points despite a noticeable limp and Dunbar added 13. The two took turns with ball-handling duties and found numerous teammates open near the hoop for easy buckets.

“They’d get easy rebounds and those killed us,” Manning said of the Royals’ height advantage.

Bri Harvey and Stephanie DeRosa each scored eight points for No. 11 Mission Prep, which continues its Cinderella run against No. 2 San Joaquin Memorial next Wednesday.

Gutierrez has been speaking with Porterville College coach Dave Kavern, whom she hopes to play for next season.

“She may not have had the greatest stats tonight, but she is a part of the backbone of this team,” Manning said. “And Rachel helps us inside. She’s tough on the boards.”

Gutierrez wasn’t happy with her individual performance but she was content with the Cardinals’ 16-11 season and two home playoff games. Lindsay beat Caruthers on Wednesday.

“We didn’t wanna come in underestimating (Mission Prep) because I think that’s what Strathmore did,” Gutierrez said. “Since we came all the way to second round and beat the teams that we played, I think we did good.”

Manning had also hoped to play archrival Strathmore in the quarterfinals before Mission Prep upset them two days ago.

“I wanted them to win because it keeps our league strong,” Manning said. “We’d get more recognition and better seeding that way.”