Girls varsity basketball defeats Corona, climbs to number one in state

Sophomore Elysia Mesa steps up to lead Tigers in win over Corona, January 29. Photo by: Kelsey Haasch

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Written by Kelly Souza - Staff Writer

Captain Ausha Cole goes coast to coast in the first half of a 51-32 win over Corona. Photo by: Kelsey Haasch

The Gilbert High School girls varsity basketball team defeated the Corona Del Sol Aztecs on January 29, convincingly final score of 51-32. Although the 2^nd ranked Tigers went in as obvious favorites, over the 25^th ranked Aztecs, the Tigers had to pull out a win without two of their top leading scorers. Both senior captains Justine Johnson (22) and Whitney Southerland (33), didn’t play. Southerland, who averages 23.1 points per game for the team was unable to play due to a tailbone injury that occurred prior to the game, but should hopefully be healthy enough to play in time for the Tigers’ next game. However, Head Coach Tom Bunger credited the win to the stout defense and other players stepping-up.

GHS doubled the Aztecs points, 12-6 in the first quarter and continued their dominance into the second quarter  scoring 20 unanswered points in the second quarter with sophomore Elysia Mesa (12) taking big shots and connecting with the basket.  “I was frustrated in the beginning of the game because my shots were off, but when I hit my first three it gave me the confidence to push through the rest of the game,” said Mesa.

“Mesa’s three’s allowed us to gain a comfortable lead on them [Corona] and after that it was hard for them [Corona] to catch up,” Bunger said.  The Tigers expanded their lead to 34-14 before the half-time buzzer sounded.

The Aztecs seemed to compose themselves during half time and put the first points on the board in the second half. However, the Tigers man-to-man defense proved to be overpowering for the Aztecs’ zone defense and the Tigers continued to control the game.

Gilbert lead the Aztecs 43-25 at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Tigers were able to finish up the game by keeping possession of the ball for nearly the entire quarter. The Aztecs had little opportunity to put points on the board with Gilbert outscoring Corona 9-6 in the quarter to finish 52-31.

The win allowed the Lady Tigers to advance in rank, and the team is now entering their next game on Tuesday at 7:00 against Mesquite High at home ranked first in state according to MaxPreps.com. However, Mesquite proves a challenge for the Tigers as their last game against each other ended with the Tigers pulling out a victory in double overtime against the Wildcats.

As other vital members of the team showed they could step-up and get the job done against Corona, the team will surely need to be back at 100% with their top-scorers in play to get a win, and continue to maintain their rank.

Bunger is optimistic about the morale of the team going into a tough week ahead. “Coming off a five game winning streak is going to help going into a tough week, and if we continue to work hard everyday like we’ve been doing, the worst we can do is tie for the regional championship,” Bunger said.