ORINDA, CA - The fourth seeded Miramonte girls' basketball team raced past 13 seed Edison-Stockton on Wednesday night in the first round of the NorCal Division I playoffs, winning 73-49.
Miramonte was led by senior captain guard Clair Steele, who had 21 points and 9 assists.
In the first quarter, Miramonte started off to an amazing start and quickly had taken a lead by the score of 24-9 with only about five minutes into the game. The Matadors had to thank their astounding full court defense and their red hot shooting from three-point range. At the end of the first quarter, Miramonte was up by 32-10.
“We were really sloopy in the first quarter ," said Edison coach Diondre Hawthorne.
The Matadors continued to maintain their lead before halftime, making more three pointers and forcing more Vikings turnovers. By halftime, the Matadors led 46-27.
In the third quarter, it was the same thing. Miramonte was on cruise control and their lead kept on getting bigger and bigger. The lead had grown to over 20 points and with the Matadors with the foot on the gas pedal, they led by 21 heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, it was all Miramonte and the Matadors finished strong and won the game by 24, 73-49.
“Our early offense really led us to victory," commented Miramonte coach Kelly Sopak.
Aside from Steele, the Matadors had two other players in double figures, as senior forward Jordyn Bryant had 12 points and sophomore wing Rebecca Welsh added 11 points. In the loss, forward Jaliah Williams and guard Sydney Buckley had 11 points each for Edison.
Next up, Miramonte continues its journey for the state title, facing off against fifth seed Antelope on Saturday at 6pm. Antelope beat twelfth seed St. Ignatius 60-57 in the first round.
