SAN JOSE - Branham used a stellar first quarter and coasted to a 50-31 win against Prospect, in a Wednesday night BVAL-ST West girls basketball game.
Branham (11-8, 4-1) locked in on defense in the first quarter, shutting out Prospect (1-17, 0-4). Macy Wagner led Branham with eight points in the period, including two three-pointers. Payton Scattini scored an and-one layup to close the quarter with a 16-0 lead.
“We were able to play well on defense,” said Branham coach Joshua Lagod. “We mixed it up, playing man and zone, and that was a big key to our early lead.”
Zoe Hackel scored a three-pointer to put Prospect on the board, which led to a short run that brought the Panthers within single digits. Branham was able to rebound and close the half leading 25-9, as they clamped down on defense.
A big third quarter put the game away, as six players scored to combine for 19 points, led by Stacy Demertzis’ five points. Leila Bernal was able to drop in seven points in the quarter for Prospect, but it was not enough to quell the Branham onslaught, as the Bruins led 44-21 with only one period to go, as they cruised to a third straight win.
Branham won with a strong team effort on offense and defense, as 12 out of 13 players scored, led by Wagner’s 11 points. Katarina Knezevic also added eight points and a team-high five rebounds.
“We handled the ball, we didn’t turn it over, and we made shots,” said Lagod. “There’s a lot of room for improvement, but the girls really took care of business.”
Prospect, a young team with nine underclassmen and no seniors, was only outscored by three after the first quarter. Bernal, Katherine Za, and Maria Castillo, all underclassmen, each scored a team-high eight points.
“We’re still figuring things out,” said Prospect coach Bobby Joe Stewart. “We have things to work on but we have positives we can take away from this game. Of course, Branham is a really good team.”
Branham now stands at second place in the BVAL-ST West league and will host Lincoln (9-8, 2-3) Friday night. Prospect will seek out their first league win Friday at first-place Westmont (10-8, 5-0).
“Rest of this season, we’ll be working hard,” commented Lagod. “The girls work on rebounding and protecting the ball every day, and if we can box out and limit our turnovers, we have a chance to be a really good team.”
