Eagles make climb past Matador mountain

By ECS Staff
Updated: January 30, 2016

Photo by CSProPhoto

2015-16 EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL

By James McHugh
© East County Sports.com

EL CAJON (1-30-16) — Last season the Granite Hills Eagles were within a single point of knocking off perennial powerhouse Mount Miguel on the Matadors’ home floor. Mount Miguel walked away 47-46 winners. A few weeks later The Matadors made sure the Eagles weren’t having second thoughts about an upset when they pounded the Eagles into a 15-point loss at home.

Friday night (Jan. 29) the Eagles came out soaring at home and had the Matadors playing catch-up for the first 26 minutes of play. In the end the Eagles took home a 43-40 victory and a lot of bragging rights by knocking off a Mount Miguel program not accustomed to losing many league contests.

RAELLEAH MOORE contributed more than half the Eagles’ scoring load with 24-points to go along with seven rebounds, four steals and two assists. Only five Eagles found their way into the scorebook throughout the night, but Granite Hills received major contributions on the floor in the third quarter with both Moore and MICAYELA HERNANDEZ riddled with foul trouble.

“We focused all week on being strong from the bottom up,” Eagles coach CURTIS NORWOOD said after the win. “I told the girls this week that everyone has to pull their weight and we really focused on that aspect after the heartbreaking loss to West Hills the other day.”

Norwood denied that the Eagles prepared any differently for Mount Miguel than they would for any other opponent. “We didn’t do anything this week that we haven’t done all season long. In big games you must play with the utmost focus and the utmost fortitude and our girls did that tonight,” the Eagles leader said of his team’s effort.

Mount Miguel junior guard SATERA BATES didn’t allow the Eagles to go off quietly into the night on their way to victory. Bates scored nine of her 11 points in the final quarter and hit a jumper that gave Mount Miguel its first lead at 39-38 with 50.2 to play.
Moore insisted on playing the hero on this night, however, hitting a turnaround jumper in the lane while drawing a foul with 25.3 to play and giving the Eagles the lead once again at 41-40 after completing the three-point play.

EMMA KUBARI then stepped in for a little heroic action of her own, stealing an errant Matador pass before being fouled. Kubari sank two free throws with 9.7 seconds to play, assuring her teammates at the very least, that they could not lose on the final possession. Mount Miguel’s final three-point attempt was blocked and the Eagles celebrated a game they ran away with early, and held onto late.

Granite Hills: Raelleah Moore 24 (7 reb, 4 stl, 2 ast, 1 blk), Micayela Hernandez 7 (3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Emma Kubari 7 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 ast), Diamond Hollis 3 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Chase Robles 2 (1 reb), Kani Kubari (9 reb, 6 stl, 3 blk), Delany Casey (1 reb).

Mount Miguel: Destini Anderson 17 (4 reb, 1 stl), Satera Bates 11 (7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Amber Hard 6 (6 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Camara Douglas 4 (6 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Kiara Morris 2, Michelle Corley (3 reb, 3 stl, 2 ast, 1 blk), Rozlyn Pierce 8 reb, 1 stl).