By Hanna McGuire
Sports Editor
Continuing their five-game winning streak, the Mira Costa girls basketball team defeated Palos Verdes Peninsula on Feb. 8 at home in an aggressive fight to the finish.
The game began slowly with low scoring due to strong defense on both sides. The Mustangs were unable to gain a lead until the third quarter, but once they did, they dominated the court until the final buzzer sounded.
“It was difficult to get ahead because of the physical aspect of this game. The girls continuously pressured me by double teaming me. We had a lot of turnovers, and they hustled better than we did,” senior Kylie Nakamine said.
Nakamine was Costa’s leading scorer with 14 points. Not far behind was freshman Camille Mills with 10 points, sophomore Ashley Reese with nine points and senior Joelle Herron with eight points.
“Kylie played great and consistently; she always does. We call her the rock because of that,” coach Craig Takahashi said. “Peninsula tried to get Kylie off of her game by being aggressive, but their early foul trouble forced them to back off.”
Despite the girls’ shaky start, they fought hard in the second half to reduce their turnovers and made shots less erratically. Herron used her height to get tough rebounds, while Reese gained control of the ball through physical plays.
“We missed too many easy shots and we were playing out of control,” Takahashi said. “Before the second half, I told the girls that we’re at home, which seemed to motivate them because the game got a lot more physical.”
In the fourth quarter, Peninsula failed to keep up with the Mustangs’ fast pace. Costa made fewer turnovers and more steals and increased their aggressive play as the game progressed, ending in a 43-31 victory for the Mustangs. This was their fifth consecutive Bay League win.
“Although we went into the game a little rusty, we pushed ourselves because we were determined to not let Peninsula get to the playoffs,” Mills said.
The Mustangs are now 17-9 overall and 7-2 in Bay League play. The team competed yesterday against Palos Verdes, but results were not available at time of publication. Costa hopes to get a good seed in CIF and hang onto its winning streak. The team has advanced from Division I to Division II because of its successful record.
“I’m excited to go to CIF this season because we have battled so hard, especially during Bay Leauge. Hopefully all this work can pay off,” Herron said.
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