SOUTH COUNTY — Three players scored in double figures for Soledad High as they knocked King City out of a first place tie in the Mission Trail Athletic League with a 49-34 home victory on Jan. 31. Soledad outscored the Lady Mustangs 32-13 in the second and third quarter to secure the win.
The game was tied at 9-9 after the first quarter but behind a strong offensive and defensive effort the Lady Aztecs made timely shots and came with key blocks and steals to defeat the Mustangs for the third straight time this season.
Xenia Saurez scored 15 points, Jacky Saldana had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Daisy Bugarin was a force defensively in the middle and contributed with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Theresa Chavez added four points, Desiree Mexicano scored two points, and Denise Virgen had one point.
King City did not have a player in double figures and were led in scoring by Delaney Carroll with eight points, nine rebounds, and one blocked shot. Nancy Andrade finished with seven points, three rebounds, and six steals and Alyssa Richardson added seven points, five rebounds, and came up with two steals. Lucy Cabrera came off the bench for King City and scored five points, with three rebounds, and one steal. The Lady Mustangs played the game without leading scorer and rebounder Megan Flores.
“In the Soledad game we were without Megan (Flores), as she sprained her ankle at the end of the Carmel game,” said King City head coach Frank Padilla. “We were down by seven at halftime and Soledad came out and outscored us 15-3 in the third. We didn’t handle their press and had too many turnovers, never giving ourselves a chance to cut into the lead. Every time we did something good, we would turn the ball over. Good teams take advantage of mistakes of turnovers and Soledad is a very good team.”
Soledad in first place
The Soledad Lady Aztec basketball team finds itself in first place in the Mission Trail Athletic League with three huge wins last week. In addition to defeating King City, Soledad began the week with a 65-45 win at Greenfield and finished the busy week with a 50-40 victory at Carmel.
“This week our team work was great as we worked hard and executed offensively and defensively,” said Soledad head coach Tatiana Rodriguez. “We are looking to make a statement this week as we face off with Stevenson at home for our rematch.”
At Greenfield High Daisy Bugarin had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Xenia Suarez joined her with own double-double, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jacky Saldana just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Adding points for Soledad were: Theresa Chavez, eight points; Olivia Fale, five points, Emily Tinajero, two points; Denise Virgen, two points, and Jovanna Trevino, two points.
On Friday against the host Carmel High Padres Bugarin scored 18 points and had seven rebounds, one steal, three blocks, and three assists. Chavez joined her in double figures with 10 points and made two steals and was credited with one assist.
Saldana scored nine points and padded her stat sheet with eight steals, three blocks, and had six assists. Virgen contributed with six steals and two assists, and Mexicano had one blocked shot.
The Lady Aztecs lead the MTAL with a 9-1 record and improved to 13-6 overall. Soledad hosted defending champion Robert Louis Stevenson (7-2) last night and host the Pacific Grove Breakers tomorrow in the Aztec gym.
