There was nothing unusual about Turlock Christian High’s girls basketball game on Tuesday night, though the circumstances were different. The Calvary Baptist Gym didn’t change since the last time it was used ... except it was filled with supporters. The players treated the game just like any other, scoring a bunch of points to open the first quarter.
Therefore, the outcome was nothing new.
The No. 2 Eagles never had a moment of worry against the No. 15 Lutheran High Panthers in the opening round game of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs, winning 72-30 to help them stick to the plan of reaching the championship game at Arco Arena in Sacramento next week. The TC players never overlooked Tuesday’s opponent, one that entered the postseason with only seven wins.
The Eagles will continue on with the playoffs with a quarterfinal game at home at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
“We were trying to play our absolute best,” junior guard Molly Farrar said. “We didn’t want to come out sluggish.”
Actually, a better word would be dominant. The Eagles had a 41-11 halftime lead with three players already in double figures by then. That kind of pace never slowed down, even when coach Edwin Santiago allowed some of his reserves to get some postseason action.
With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Eagles were up 56-16.
Soon after, the referees allowed a running clock.
“We played our game,” Santiago said. “We weren’t worried what the score was, what the situation was. We were focused and we wanted to do the things we wanted to do well.”
He then fired off a list of all the things he liked, from the players looking confident on the floor to them filling the passing lanes. Yeah, it was a good night to be an Eagle. And this group managed a 42-point win despite not having freshman Halie Bergman, who has been on the team bench since she went down with a season-ending knee injury in early January.
The Eagles showcased plenty of weapons Tuesday. Kaisa Spycher finished with another double-double, this time a 18-point, 19-rebound effort. Farrar had 12 points, while teammate Candice Balswick contributed 13 (six of them from the 3-point line).
So yes, this seemed like another night for the Eagles, who regularly blow out teams. And it all came despite a productive effort by Lutheran’s Emily Ames (17 points). The TC fans went home happy, and even the referees were seen leaving the game smiling — a rarity for a job that is criticized on a nightly basis.
Maybe that was the only thing unusual about this night.
To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-941 ext. 2041.