The Lady Dragon cagers Tuesday, hit eight three-pointers in the second half against Alhambra in the opening round of the NCS tournament, turning a close game into a blowout.
The game was tied at the end of the first quarter and also at the half. But the Lady Dragons blew it open in the third quarter sinking six treys.
The final was 58-40.
'What a game,' said Coach Jann Thorpe. 'That was such a fun game. I'm so happy for these girls. That's how you play your last game at home. The energy in the gym last night was amazing. I couldn't have picked a better time to play our best game.'
As their reward, the Lady Dragons get to face top-seeded Bishop O'Dowd on Friday.
Tuesday, Sonoma and Alhambra dashed up and down the floor. The game was tied four times in the first quarter, and was knotted at 13 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was one of streaks – senior Alanna Johnston hit two baskets, senior Grace Cutting and senior Kayla Field each hit one and three minutes into the quarter, Sonoma had a 21-13 lead.
The teams traded baskets before the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run of their own to knot the game at 23 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Lady Dragons came out gunning from three-point range – and the shots started dropping. Field and junior Amy Stanfield hit treys and Cutting hit four including one from near midcourt at the buzzer that brought the crowd to its feet.
When the dust settled, Sonoma had a 10-point lead at 44-34.
The Lady Dragons kept their foot on the gas, and when Cutting hit a deuce at the 4:10 mark, Sonoma had a 56-34 lead.
The Lady Dragon defense kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter until there was 1:20 left in the game.
Cutting led the Lady Dragon attack with 21 points including four treys and she pulled down 10 rebounds. Field had 14 points including three treys and had seven boards and five steals, Johnston had 12 points and five boards, Stanfield had five points and three steals, and sophomores Annika Ginter, Sofia Vitale and Annie Neles each had two points.
But Friday night, the Lady Dragons have to face Bishop O'Dowd, the top-seed in Division 3. They're also ranked 16th nationally and fifth in the state.
Bishop O'Dowd boat raced 16th-seed Kennedy 83-29 Tuesday.
'I know we have a very big challenge ahead against Bishop O'Dowd,' Thorpe said. 'We'll give it our best shot and see what we can do. We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.'
Game time at Bishop O'Dowd at 6 p.m.
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