Ninety-four feet of hardwood can be difficult to navigate with a defender shadowing you every inch of the way.
El Dorado’s ball-handlers were put through that ordeal by Esperanza’s full-court defensive onslaught Tuesday night.
Led by their blue-collar approach on the defensive end, the sixth-ranked Aztecs notched their 13th straight win, a 42-35 victory over the Golden Hawks in a Crestview League opener at El Dorado High.
Esperanza forced 28 turnovers. Freshman guard Katie Kubo notched six steals, backcourt mate Jamie Kwong hounded El Dorado point guard Brianna Aluya around the floor, while Samantha Fries, Sarah Youssouf and Jenna Gelinas took turns guarding Golden Hawks center Kenedy Lilly in the post.
“This was a big win for us,” Aztecs coach James Valverde said. “First league game, we needed to get challenged. El Dorado did a great job, but the kids keep finding a way to win. We needed this game to get back on track because we’ve had some easy wins. So this was good for us.”
Esperanza moved to 16-1 on the season and 1-0 in league. The seven-point affair was the closest the game the Aztecs have played since Dec. 10 when it topped Huntington Beach by five. Nine of the wins in Esperanza’s win streak have come by 17 points or more.
Youssouf was a sparkplug off the bench, leading Esperanza with 13 points and extending several possessions throughout the night with her hustle, which included diving on the floor for loose balls and crashing the offensive glass.
Senior guard Alexis Warye chipped in nine points, all on 3-pointers that were the result of second-chance opportunities from offensive rebounds, for Esperanza.
Trailing by 14 points after three, El Dorado (11-4, 0-1) opened the fourth on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to six points, but it was never able to shrink that margin.
Lilly led all scorers with 16 points. Aluya added 13 points and 17 rebounds. The rest of the Golden Hawks roster produced just six points.
In the Empire League:
Tustin 64, Western 26: Caylee Hermanson scored a game-high 20, Lilly Ballestero chipped in 15, and Devyn Barner’s 14-point, 12-rebound performance powered the Tillers (16-2, 1-0) past the Pioneers. Tustin has won 12 in a row.
In the Pacific Coast League:
University 41, Northwood 24: The Trojans outscored the Timberwolves, 25-5, in the second half. University guard Ashley Chandler was the only player in double figures, finishing with 12 points.
In the Trinity League:
No. 5 Rosary 61, JSerra 51: The Royals scored 24 points in the first quarter and jumped out to an early 12-point lead the Lions were never able to chip into. Senior guard Camille Lira scored a game-high 18 points, with teammates Rebekah Obinma and Alexandria Iannone finishing with 13 and 11 respectively. Lexi Vail was the only JSerra (10-6, 0-1) player to finish in double figures, scoring 12 points.
Rosary (14-1, 1-0) will host top-ranked Mater Dei on Thursday night.
No. 10 Orange Lutheran 50, Santa Margarita 40: The Lancers (15-3, 1-0) scored a 10-point road win over the Eagles (13-5, 0-1) behind Kylie Edwards’ 22-point outing. Orange Lutheran is off for a week before it hosts Rosary. Santa Margarita travels to take on JSerra on Thursday.
In the South Coast League:
No. 9 Aliso Niguel 62, Tesoro 47: Madelyn Brauer’s game-high 23 point showing highlighted the Wolverines league opening victory over the Titans. After an 11-day layoff, Aliso Niguel (10-4, 1-0) built up a 34-16 lead by the intermission, and kept Tesoro (8-10, 0-1) at an arm’s distance throughout the second half.
In the Freeway League:
Sonora 67, Buena Park 14: Meghann Henderson (23 points), Lainie James (18 points) and Elizabeth Yoshitake (16 points) each outscored the Coyotes (9-5, 0-1) on their own in a lopsided Raiders (11-5, 1-0) league victory.
No. 2 Troy 73, La Habra 33: The Warriors (8-5, 1-0) league dominance continued in their opener, a 40-point blowout of the Highlanders (11-5, 0-1).
In the Sunset League:
Huntington Beach 57, Edison 34: The Oilers (11-7, 1-1) led by 19 at halftime and eased past the visiting Chargers (10-6, 1-1) to capture its first league win of the season. Frankie Wade-Sanchez scored 15 points for Huntington Beach, who also got a nice 14-point boost from senior guard Adrienne Dang.
No. 7 Los Alamitos 73, Newport Harbor 15: The Griffins (13-3, 2-0) outscored the Sailors (6-10, 0-2), 27-2, in the first quarter and led by 39 at halftime to remain atop the league standings.
In the Golden West League:
Segerstrom 79, Westminster 66: Jaguars senior guard Tati Zazuetta flirted with a triple-double, scoring 23 points, dishing out 10 assists and adding eight steals in a 13-point win over the Lions. Backcourt mate Zoe Morrison finished with a double-double of her own, scoring 12 point and pulling down 11 rebounds. Segerstrom (13-4, 1-0) had five players finish in double figures. Westminster (8-8, 0-1) had three with 10-plus points.
In the San Joaquin League:
Orangewood Academy 73, Avalon 33: Estefania Giner put up 22 points in leading the Spartans (10-4, 1-0) to an easy win over the Lancers.
In nonleague play:
No. 4 Brea Olinda 70, Canyon 30: With Jasmine Rachal back in the lineup, the Ladycats (11-4) scored 45 in the first half, building up a 32-point lead by the break. Rachal and fellow junior Tyiona Watkins each scored 17 points apiece for Brea. Stephanie Lee added 16.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@scng.com
