(Editor’s Note: During the COVID pandemic, the Argus-Courier is looking back at what happened this week just a year ago. Do you remember this event that was reported Feb. 27, 2020?)
Sixth-seeded Rancho Cotate scored in the final 3.5 seconds to knock off scuffling Casa Grande, 43-42, in a North Coast Section second- round Division 2 crowd pleaser on Friday in Casa’s Coach Ed Iacopi Gym.
The playoff game between former North Bay League foes was played in front of the largest turnout for a girls contest this season.
The Cougars did not steal this game from the hosts. They won it after leading most of the way over a Gaucho team that battled from behind to knot the score at 42-42 on two last-second pressure free throws by junior point guard Trinity Merwin.
Rancho quickly put the ball in play on an uncontested pass to its leading scorer for the game, Keyonee Neal. Neal dribbled the length of the floor and drove hard into Gaucho defenders in the key and got just what the Cougars needed — a foul call.
Neal dropped in her first free throw, giving Rancho the lead with little time to get the ball back down floor. A Gaucho rebound on the second shot was too late for any more heroics, and the Cougars advanced to the semifinal round in Division 2 play on Wednesday against neighboring Montgomery in Santa Rosa. The winner of that game moves to the final and a shot at the Nor-Cal playoffs. Montgomery won an earlier contest between the two teams 62-45.
“We didn’t have any more time outs,” explained Gaucho coach Dan Sack about Neal’s winning drive. “I didn’t have time to set our defense and maybe we could have double teamed her and forced a pass.
“We always want to be in a position to compete, and I think we did that tonight. Ashley Casper and Cassie Llavarias both gave us a good game.”
Sack had to be creative all night with the absence of three-year starting guard Sophia Gardea and a hand injury to her back court mate, Merwin, that sidelined the junior leader all week. Merwin missed the first-round overtime win over Antioch, but chose to give it a go after pre-game warm ups.
“It bothers me the most when I shoot,” Merwin said before game time. “We’ll see how I react to passes.” Merwin played the entire game, and she did wince a time or two when a hard pass came to her, but still turned in a gritty effort.
Sack alternated players on almost every ball possession in the late going when he could hustle offensive or defensive players to the scorers bench. “We were at about 70 percent,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Gauchos crept back in it with a 13-5 outburst in the third period, and finally caught up with a 33-32 lead. A big 3-point shot by Casper was a key to the rally.
With less than 20 seconds remaining, and Casa trailing by two points, Merwin knifed through the Cougar defense and drew a hard foul. She laid motionless on the baseline while getting attention from a team trainer. After a short period to catch her breath, the junior guard popped up and calmly drained two free throws that temporarily gave Gaucho fans hope for overtime.
They didn’t count on the game-ending play by Neal, however, and the Gaucho season ended with a solid 17-10 record and an undisputed Vine Valley Athletic League championship.
Rancho Cotate got off to a quick start in the first period by knocking down seven of its first 12 shots from the floor. Neal canned a couple of 3-point shots and guard Leslie Bejaran added a couple of mid-range jumpers.
Bejaran, a senior shooting guard, also knocked down a critical wide-open 3-pointer in the fourth stanza when a Casa player mistakenly batted a rebound back behind the line.
Consistent shooting by Tatum Maytorena helped hold off the Gauchos, who finally made a run in the final period. Maytorena finished with 11 points to back Neal, who led all point makers with 14.
The Cougars (20-9) mirrored the unflustered demeanor of head coach Mario Newton, who substituted freely, giving each Rancho player a quick break and allowing the Cougars to keep a sharp focus on the task at hand from the opening tap.
Merwin finished her campaign with 13 points for Casa Grande. She was backed by junior Casper, who also bucketed 13.
Casper, who finished strong late in the season for the Gauchos, scored 20 in the win over Antioch earlier in the week, and she might be a go-to offensive player on next year’s edition of the Gauchos.
Jaime McGaughey had another very strong effort on the boards for the Gauchos with 14 to match Neal, and the freshman acted as a reliable outlet pass receiver in breaking down the Cougar pressure defense.