Girls Basketball: Desert withstands DC's best shot
Feb. 2, 2015
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — Desert Christian had Monday night marked on its 2015 calendar halfway through 2014.
"We circled this one on June 1st," DC head coach Ray Zelenski said prior to the Knights' matchup of Desert Mountain League titans against Desert. "This is it."
The defending DML champion Scorpions (14-4, 10-0 DML) took the wrath of months of mental and physical preparation from the Knights (12-3, 8-2) for one half before responding with some of their own in the third quarter during a 57-42 win that unofficially gave them a repeat title with four games to go.
Turns out, the Scorpions had also been getting ready for this one for a while.
"This was the one that we practiced for the most," Desert's Aubrey Taylor said.
Taylor scored a game-high 21 points, 15 of them after halftime, when the Scorpions imposed their will defensively and outscored DC 22-6.
Jada Clark - the anchor of the defense - flirted with a triple-double for Desert, scoring 10 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking seven shots. Tesheara Nelson and Tiara Wells each scored 10 points as well.
DC's Madi Zelenski tied the game at 21-21 with the first basket of the third quarter, but the Knights wouldn't score again until there were 32 seconds left in the period via a free throw from Melina Davis. The point put a stop to a 20-0 run from the Scorpions, who went into the fourth leading 43-24.
"We changed the defense at half. We went to 3-2," explained Desert coach Theresa Faulk, whose team also limited DC to seven Rochelle Miramontes points in the second quarter. "That kind of slowed their guards down. Huge difference. You got to cover the corners with them."
The defensive strategy turned a close game into yet another lopsided win for the Scorpions, who have yet to lose a DML game since joining the league last season.
Miramontes scored 14 points, Davis added 12, and Madi Zelenski had 11 for Desert Christian, which was unable to keep up with Desert after a first half in which they led by as many as five points.
In the third quarter of a game that was physical from start to end, the frustration mounted for the Knights as they failed to get foul calls.
"It got a little rough," said Ray Zelenski, who was called for a technical foul for arguing. "Unfortunately, and I hate even pointing this out, but it was 14-4 on fouls in the second half, and it's just tough.
"(Desert) doesn't need any help. They're a good team. They got some nice players. They certainly don't need any help, but they got it, and that's the reality of the game."
Players from both teams hit the floor several times, including a scary sequence in which DC's Briana Calogero hit her head loudly against the hardwood in the second quarter. She left the game with a concussion.
The Knights didn't mail it in despite being down a player and in the scoreboard by a handful. They scored 11 of the first 13 points of the fourth quarter to draw within 45-35 with 5:22 to go.
But the deficit proved too big to overcome. That's as close as DC would get for the rest of the game.
"To cut a deficit in half against a team that good, that's saying something for our girls," Ray Zelenski said. "I'm really proud of them for that."
He added: "This is now a learning opportunity for us and we need to learn from that third quarter for whatever reason. We need to take that lesson and move forward."
Desert Christian was the last stop in a seven-game road trip for the Scorpions, who finish out the regular season with four home games. It was also the most difficult one.
"These two teams always play like this," Faulk said.
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — Desert Christian had Monday night marked on its 2015 calendar halfway through 2014.
"We circled this one on June 1st," DC head coach Ray Zelenski said prior to the Knights' matchup of Desert Mountain League titans against Desert. "This is it."
The defending DML champion Scorpions (14-4, 10-0 DML) took the wrath of months of mental and physical preparation from the Knights (12-3, 8-2) for one half before responding with some of their own in the third quarter during a 57-42 win that unofficially gave them a repeat title with four games to go.
Turns out, the Scorpions had also been getting ready for this one for a while.
"This was the one that we practiced for the most," Desert's Aubrey Taylor said.
Taylor scored a game-high 21 points, 15 of them after halftime, when the Scorpions imposed their will defensively and outscored DC 22-6.
Jada Clark - the anchor of the defense - flirted with a triple-double for Desert, scoring 10 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking seven shots. Tesheara Nelson and Tiara Wells each scored 10 points as well.
DC's Madi Zelenski tied the game at 21-21 with the first basket of the third quarter, but the Knights wouldn't score again until there were 32 seconds left in the period via a free throw from Melina Davis. The point put a stop to a 20-0 run from the Scorpions, who went into the fourth leading 43-24.
"We changed the defense at half. We went to 3-2," explained Desert coach Theresa Faulk, whose team also limited DC to seven Rochelle Miramontes points in the second quarter. "That kind of slowed their guards down. Huge difference. You got to cover the corners with them."
The defensive strategy turned a close game into yet another lopsided win for the Scorpions, who have yet to lose a DML game since joining the league last season.
Miramontes scored 14 points, Davis added 12, and Madi Zelenski had 11 for Desert Christian, which was unable to keep up with Desert after a first half in which they led by as many as five points.
In the third quarter of a game that was physical from start to end, the frustration mounted for the Knights as they failed to get foul calls.
"It got a little rough," said Ray Zelenski, who was called for a technical foul for arguing. "Unfortunately, and I hate even pointing this out, but it was 14-4 on fouls in the second half, and it's just tough.
"(Desert) doesn't need any help. They're a good team. They got some nice players. They certainly don't need any help, but they got it, and that's the reality of the game."
Players from both teams hit the floor several times, including a scary sequence in which DC's Briana Calogero hit her head loudly against the hardwood in the second quarter. She left the game with a concussion.
The Knights didn't mail it in despite being down a player and in the scoreboard by a handful. They scored 11 of the first 13 points of the fourth quarter to draw within 45-35 with 5:22 to go.
But the deficit proved too big to overcome. That's as close as DC would get for the rest of the game.
"To cut a deficit in half against a team that good, that's saying something for our girls," Ray Zelenski said. "I'm really proud of them for that."
He added: "This is now a learning opportunity for us and we need to learn from that third quarter for whatever reason. We need to take that lesson and move forward."
Desert Christian was the last stop in a seven-game road trip for the Scorpions, who finish out the regular season with four home games. It was also the most difficult one.
"These two teams always play like this," Faulk said.