 High-scoring
Lady Jaguars win two more in basketball
Photo: Lauren Gilster (21) and
the fast-paced Valley Center offense have been a blur to opponents.
By DAN KIDDER
Scoring points hasn’t been a problem for
the Valley Center varsity girls basketball team this season, and
that was especially true for the Lady Jaguars in their two games
this week.
With the points coming in bunches, to the tune
of 123 total points in the last two games, the Lady Jags also
played very well on defense, limiting their opponents to only
89 points in those two matchups.
Beginning a five-game road stretch at San Dieguito
Academy on Wednesday, the Lady Jaguars were relentless throughout
the game in taking a 61–44 win.
Valley Center got a good start, jumping out to
a five-point lead in the first quarter with a steady pace and
good outside shooting from Miriam Zabinsky.
The Lady Jaguars continued to rack up the points
in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Mustangs 16–11
in the period to build a 29–19 lead at halftime.
The lead only got bigger after halftime, as the
Lady Jags put up 17 points in the third quarter and held San Dieguito
to only nine, giving Valley Center a 16-point advantage heading
into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Mustangs found
rhythm on offense and scored 16 points, but the Lady Jaguars scored
15 of their own to seal the big win.
Miriam Zabinsky was all over the floor, scoring
a game-high 23 points, picking up four rebounds and grabbing three
steals, while Lauren Gilster added 16 points and seven rebounds,
Andie Wagner had 12 points and six rebounds, Vinessa Perryman
had eight points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists,
and Sidney Reilly had two points, five rebounds and three steals.
The scoring barrage continued at Orange Glen
on Friday night, as the Lady Jaguars built an early lead and turned
on the jets in the second half to take a 62–45 win.
Valley Center’s defense was active early
in the game, creating turnovers that led directly to quick-strike
baskets at the other end of the court. An early steal by Zabinsky
led to a fast-break bucket by Reilly, and a few minutes later,
Reilly returned the favor to Zabinsky to put the Lady Jags out
in front in a hurry.
Even though the Lady Patriots connected on a
trio of three-pointers in the first quarter, the Lady Jaguars
took advantage of their fast pace to build a seven-point lead.
Orange Glen continued to bomb away from three-point
range, connecting on two more in the second quarter, and the teams
each scored nine in the period to leave Valley Center with a 27–20
lead at halftime.
The Lady Jags blew the game open in the second half, going on
a 12–2 scoring run to open the third quarter and finishing
the period with a 45–29 lead.
In the fourth quarter, everyone on the Valley
Center roster got in the game, but the Lady Jaguars didn’t
miss a beat, running the floor effectively and hitting their free
throws to score 17 points in the period and put the game away.
Zabinsky led the balanced offense with 15 points
and added four rebounds, while Gilster scored 14 points and had
eight rebounds, Reilly had 12 points, four rebounds and three
assists, Perryman had eight points and four rebounds, Gilmore
had seven points and four rebounds, Wagner had four points and
five rebounds and Tyler Carr had two points in the win.
Valley Center is now 19–2 overall and 4–0
in league, with a pair of away games coming up this week, at Mission
Vista on Wednesday and at Canyon Crest on Friday. Both games are
set for 5:30 p.m.
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