Guard Alivia Gillispie led the Olympians, scoring 19 points with 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 assists in a blowout win against Saddleback on Nov 14. The win puts the team on a three game winning streak, and showing no signs of slowing down.
Mesa started off strong in the first quarter dominating on the glass and grabbing 10 rebounds. Mesa’s defense was relentless, forcing tough shots and making the opposing team lose a lot of time from the shot clock. Mesa held Saddleback to only 10 points in the first quarter. Guard Christina Bowen led the Olympians, shooting two huge 3’s and racking up 10 points.
Saddleback came into the second quarter looking to be more aggressive on offense while Mesa took a slower approach. Both teams had impressive runs but Mesa never gave up the lead. The team rallied behind the defense of center Alethze Marquez who had two blocks to save the lead for Mesa at the end of the second quarter, keeping the score 38-32.
After the half, both teams brought forth a huge effort on defense. In the third quarter, both teams shot under 30 percent from the field, with most points coming from the free throw line for both teams. Mesa held on to the lead only scoring 18 points and going into the final quarter up 56-45.
Mesa went on a tear offensively in the final quarter of the game, shooting 61 percent from the field. Gillispie brought the fire, shooting two 3’s and playing stellar defense with 2 steals to put the game out of reach for Saddleback. The game ended with a big win for Mesa, with the score 80-62.
“We gotta play with intensity and play with our heart, we gotta come out, play some ball and get the lead early,” point guard Rayleen Moreno stated when asked what the tone was going into each quarter.
“We gotta keep working hard and keep preparing and trusting our training. We have to make the right basketball plays, trust our teammates and work together. We have to stay focused and not get relaxed just cause we won some games. We have to go into each game like we’re facing the best team in the state,” head coach Lindsay Samaniego stated when asked how to keep their winning streak alive.
