After a low-scoring 1st quarter which ended with Dublin holding a narrow 10-7 advantage, the Dublin High Girls Basketball outscored Clayton Valley 23-3 in the second quarter and cruised to a 63-42 win over the Ugly Eagles in the 1st Round of the North Coast Section Division 1 Tournament.
The Gaels turned up the defensive pressure in the 2nd quarter, forcing numerous turnovers and scoring many of their points in transition. Dublin never saw their lead fall below 20 points in the second half en route to the victory. Kenya Craven and Sophia Ignacio led the Gaels in scoring with 15 points apiece.
Tuesday night’s win was a departure from Dublin’s previous encounter against Clayton Valley, a game which was close throughout before pulling away for a 9-point win.
Dublin is hoping for similar improvement against a familiar opponent this Friday, as the Gaels will travel to face the #1 seed in Division 1 – California High School. The Gaels lost to the Grizzlies 59-34 in the midst of a 6-game slide in January, but the team is playing its best basketball of the season right now and figures to give California all it can handle.
The NCS Quarterfinal contest between the Gaels and Grizzlies will take place on Friday, February 16th at 7:00. If Dublin wins, it will advance to the NCS Semifinals against the winner of the Alameda-Liberty game.
