By Coach Jess Geeson
In front of a loud Torrance home crowd Saturday, the Lady Trojans fell behind 23-16 midway through the second quarter when they began to crawl their way back into the game. Going on a 15-5 run late in the second quarter, the Yucca Valley girls took a 31-28 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lady Trojan defense tightened up and they held a 46-39 lead to begin the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Tartars couldn’t get closer than three points as sophomore Chloe McNellie and junior Sara Mills hit clutch free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Mills rebounded from a slow start to finish with a game-high 17 points. McNellie was solid, pumping in 14 points and pulling down six rebounds. Freshman Malia Ulery continued to shine chipping in 12 points while senior Coy Smith controlled the boards grabbing 17 rebounds while scoring seven points. Junior Meagan Lowe was a spark off the bench adding six points and numerous hustle plays while sophomore Maliah Rodriguez knocked in three points and collected two steals.
The victory sets up a third-round playoff game against West Covina on Wednesday night in Trojan Gym. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
Ticket prices for the game, set by CIF are: $10 for general admission, $5 for high school students with presentation of their current high school ID and children (5-13 years old).
