MONTEBELLO – For the third year in a row, Esperanza’s girls basketball team is headed to the CIF-Southern Section quarterfinals.
The Aztecs earned another trip with a 50-42 victory over Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Montebello on Saturday night in a Division 1A second-round game.
Cantwell, which trailed nearly the entire game, tied the score early in the fourth quarter, 33-33, but was outscored 17-9 the rest of the way.
The fourth-seeded Aztecs (25-3) will travel to play JW North of Riverside on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Game time is 7 p.m.
Esperanza was led by freshman guard Katie Kubo, who scored 15 points and made three 3-ponters.
Sophomore forwards Sarah Youssouf and Samantha Fries added nine points each for Esperanza.
“That 14-year-old (Kubo) is an amazing kid,” Esperanza coach James Valverde said. “Wait till a few more years and she is going to be off the chart.”
Cantwell, which lost in the Division 4A title game last year, ends its season at 15-14.
The Cardinals tied the score at 33-33 early in the fourth quarter, but they missed a layup and Kubo sank back-to-back 3-pointers, giving control of the game back to the Aztecs.
Esperanza took a 39-35 lead at that point and outscored the Cardinals the rest of the way.
The Aztecs led 12-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Cantwell outscored the Aztecs in the second quarter, 12-9, to trail by only four at the half.
Early in the third quarter, Cantwell junior guard Victoria Guerrero connected on consecutive 3-pointers to close within 25-23.
