Strathmore hoops' season comes to abrupt end
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Armed with the third seed against No. 14 Mission Prep, the 25-win Strathmore girls’ basketball team planned to drive deep into the Division IV playoffs and, once again, meet up with old foe Corcoran.
Instead, the Spartans laid an egg, Wednesday night, losing 43-39, in the opening round.
“We just don’t know how to win,” Strathmore coach Richard Miranda said. “Twenty-five wins don’t mean anything in the playoffs.”
Spartans center Maribel Bravo scored a team-high 13 points and passed the 1,000-point mark of her career before fouling out late in the game. As a junior, she already sits at 1,010 points.
Bravo also added six rebounds and three assists.
Eva Gutierrez and Nayelie Colunga added 12 and nine points, respectively, but the Spartans shot just 15-of-38 free throws, including 6-of-14 in the fourth quarter.
“This was our worst game ever and we still could’ve won,” Miranda said. “Mission Prep is not a bad team. They had the intensity and we didn’t.”
Strathmore held the Hawks’ best player, Jenna Dunbar, to just three points. But others filled in, such as Bree Harvey’s 14 points.
Despite shooting 12-for-44 from the field (27 percent), Strathmore trailed just 17-16 at the half and actually held a 37-34 lead in the final period.
The bright side is that Strathmore returns everyone except senior Denise Cabral. This year’s squad went 25-5 (6-2 ESL) and its core of juniors are set to peak together next year.
Mission Prep goes on to play Lindsay, who defeated Caruthers on Wednesday, in the second round.
“I was really hoping we’d get to play Lindsay,” Miranda said. “That would’ve been a packed house. One for the ages.”
Strathmore finished 25-5 overall and 6-2 in league play.
