As the El Capitan High girls basketball team attempts to close out a second consecutive Central California Conference championship, the Gauchos are aware they are going to see the other team’s best shot. On Thursday night that was Merced as the Bears led by five points with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.

 

The Gauchos responded with five different players scoring during a 15-0 run that stretched over the third and fourth quarters as El Capitan held off the Bears for a 58-49 victory at the Stable Center. The Gauchos extended their winning streak to 12 consecutive games ane improved their overall record to 21-2 and 6-0 in the CCC.

 

“They know it's a big game and it means a lot to them,” said El Capitan coach Adam Her. “So I like how they responded to adversity. I think they play best when their backs are against the wall. They showed they're ready for the moment. When the lights get bright, they get brighter.”

 

The Bears (16-7, 3-3 CCC) battled against the Gauchos, who came in ranked No. 4 in Division II for the Sac-Joaquin Section. Merced led for the majority of the first half despite losing its top player Averie Steveron late in the first quarter when she was struck in the nose. Steverson sat out the entire second quarter as she held an ice bag to her nose on the Merced bench. The Gauchos eventually took a 27-23 lead at the half.

Steverson returned for the third quarter and scored six points during an 11-4 run for the Bears that gave them a 34-31 lead with four minutes left in the quarter. “I’m pretty sure it’s broken,” said Merced coach Willie Steverson, who is Averie’s father. “She’s a trooper. She has the heart of a dog. She came back in and battled with her team and we almost shocked the world.”

 

Averie Steverson finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Samantha Barragan also scored 11 points and Amiya Brown helped fill the void when Steverson was on the bench scoring all eight of her points in the first half, including two 3-pointers. “Amiya had a really great game tonight,” Willie Steverson said. “She was able to keep us ahead, keep us going, especially when Averie was out.”

 

The Gauchos had their own shooting star step up in sophomore Olivia Schneider. El Capitan received its usual contributions from standouts Mady Dietz, who scored 17 points to go with 14 rebounds and six steals, and Alexis Valenzuela, who added 14 points. It was Schneider who filled in the starting lineup for junior Rayonn Maxie, who missed the game, and made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Schneider’s baskets seem to come at crucial moments in the game. 

 

“She balled out of her mind,” Her said. “She has trusted the process. She has worked really hard last year and this year. This is her second year on varsity as a sophomore. So when her number was called, she showed me that I can trust her and she was ready to go.”

 

Scheinder drained a 3-pointer and Diezt and Valenzuela both scored four points during the deciding 16-0 run by the Gauchos that gave them a 49-39 lead with 7:06 left in the fourth quarter. Valenzuela said it was fun going back and forth in a rivalry game. Both teams showed a lot of emotion on the floor throughout the contest. “It was a lot of fun, I enjoyed that,” Valenzuela said. “Since it’s our rival, we love playing them,” she said. “We play as a team and when we play as a team we win.”

Atwater 91, Los Banos 49 – The Falcons raced out to a 49-27 lead at the half and cruised to a victory over the Tigers to improve to 14-9 overall and 5-1 in the CCC. Vanessa Chavez and Natalia Melgoza both scored 17 points to lead the Falcons. Bella Villa added 14 points and freshman McKenzie Wilkinson hit three 3-pointers on her way to finishing with 11 points.

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.