PREP BASKETBALL 2016: San Marin hands Casa girls their first loss

San Marin used a smothering defense to knock Casa Grande from the ranks of the undefeated with a 45-31 win in Novato on Thursday night. The host Lady Mustangs held a commanding 24-10 halftime lead, and the issue was never in doubt even though Casa stormed back in the second half to make the game much more competitive.

“We got some good shots in the first half, but they were all contested,” said Gaucho coach Dan Sack. “Both teams played aggressive half-court defense. We felt that only seven of our girls were ready to play against that kind of pressure.”

The Lady Gauchos (4-1) came out with an increased intensity level after intermission, and the game got a little more physical. Casa matched the Mustangs in scoring, and claimed a 13-6 lead in the final stanza.

San Marin stuck with a well-developed man defense from the opening tap, and it bothered the Gauchos, who converted only four of 26 shots in the first half. The chief tormentor for San Marin was senior wing player Emily Baxter, who hounded Cassidy McKinney and choked off lead passes to the chief Gaucho offensive threat. McKinney did wind up with a team-leading 15 points, but scrambled for each shot attempt.

Only three Gauchos scored in the game, with Mia Cain adding 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Cain let the game come to her, and she tallied 12 points in the second half to key the Casa Grande resurgence. Most of the work by Cain came on drives to the basket from the right side of the key following good entry passes by the Gaucho perimeter players.

Forward Hannah Sullivan connected on a shot from the wing when the Gauchos made their fourth-quarter run.

“I was happy with our play in the second half,” said Sack. “We didn’t get too emotional at halftime. It was just a matter of better rebounding and extending our zone.”

McKinney and junior teammate Samantha Schaefer made things very contested at the top of the Casa zone. McKinney picked off seven steals, and the aggressive Schaefer forced Mustang ball handlers to interrupt their dribble on several Gaucho stops.

The solid Casa comeback wasn’t against second-line players from San Marin. Mustang coach Dan Lucia made very few substations down the stretch. Three of the Mustang players are four-year veterans.

San Marin, a projected contender in the Marin County Athletic League this season, got eight points from junior wing player Shasta Parker in the second half to hold off the Gaucho charge.

The battle-tested Mustangs improved to 4-2 for the season. Most of their players are holdovers from the 24-6 club that last season tied for the MCAL crown before falling to Christian Brothers of Sacramento in the state playoffs.

“They are very smart players on the defensive end of the floor,” noted Sack. “It was a good test for us, and the girls know where we need to improve. The team needs to work on execution.”