By Spencer Hammond
and Katie Von Behren
Staff Writer
In the first quarter, Costa (15-6) came out slow and had difficulty defending against Redondo (17-4), but was able to consistently shoot from beyond the arc. Costa’s outside shooting proved to be its only strong suit in the game.
“Defensively, we didn’t them box out the way we needed to, which allowed them to get too many second-chance points,” junior shooting guard Sam Sturges said. “Offensively, we struggled with getting into our sets after breaking the press.”
Senior center Gavin Reagan held his ground in the first quarter, rebounding on the defensive end, but Costa struggled to gain its legs offensively.
“We weren’t able to execute in our offensive game tonight,” Reagan said. “We couldn’t hit any of our shots, which gave them more opportunities.”
In the second quarter, the Mustangs continuously lost the ball, allowing Redondo to keep attacking. Senior shooting guard Jason Romero scored 14 points and was one of the few positive aspects of Costa’s offensive side of the game, keeping the Mustangs alive.
“I was just sticking to my game and doing what I do best, and that’s shooting the ball,” Romero said. “I was thinking about the next play and how I could capitalize on the next available opportunity.”
Throughout the third quarter, Redondo started to gain a larger lead, making it difficult for Costa to recover.
“We were pressured into taking quick, bad shots that resulted in good scoring opportunities for Redondo,” senior power forward Adam Griese said.
The Mustangs fell apart in the fourth quarter, allowing Redondo to hit three three-pointers and sink 10 baskets. Costa aims to be more competitve in its next matchup against Palos Verdes High School tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Palos Verdes.
“For the next game, we will probably watch our game and discuss how we should’ve taken it slow after we passed half court,” Griese said. “Had we done that tonight, as we did more in the first half, the game would’ve been much closer.”
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