PALMDALE — With 4:40 remaining in the second quarter, Highland’s Eriel Banks stole the ball and cruised in for an uncontested layup.
Banks’ steal was one of 28 forced turnovers by the Bulldogs and at that point Highland was seemingly in cruise control as it built a 23-12 lead.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs didn’t score for the remainder of the quarter and went into an offensive coma scoring just 10 points the rest of the game.
Easy missed layups, turnovers and an infatuation with the 3-pointer led to Highland’s demise as the top-seeded team in CIF-Southern Section Division 3A was ousted in the second round of the playoffs, falling to visiting Claremont, 34-33 in front of a rowdy crowd, Saturday evening at Highland High School.
“It all comes down to the little things that make the difference in the game. It showed tonight,” Bulldogs head coach Jeff Sisson said. “We missed free throws, layups, and the results showed. But they continued to fight and I’m proud of them.”
Highland (13-2) got off to a good start in the opening quarter after using a 10-2 run to grab a 16-6 lead. That run included two 3-pointers by Kimberly Leon and four points by Milana Mercado. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs wouldn’t hit another 3-pointer until 90 seconds remaining in the game.
The only reason the Wolfpack was able to hang around as long as it did was because of poor shooting by Highland, which barely capitalized off the 28 forced turnovers. Still the Bulldogs led 23-14 at halftime.
Claremont (11-8) had shooting woes of its own in the first half, but came out like a team possessed in the second half led by Maryah Anderson, who scored the first six points of the half, including the old-fashioned 3-point play. Seldom used Ella Kuriyama hit a 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run and tie the score 23-23 at that point.
The Bulldogs’ first field goal came with 2:22 remaining in the quarter by the game’s leading scorer, Zaniyah Wyatt. Wyatt finished the game with 14 points. Mercado added eight points and Banks finished with five.
“We came out strong in the first half and we definitely worked as a team,” said Wyatt. “But in the second half we shot a lot of dumb shots. Just too many stupid mistakes. All of us as a team. Still we fought and I’m very proud of this team.”
The Wolfpack held a slim 30-27 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs went away from what they did in the first half to build their lead and fell in love with the 3-pointer in the second half. They seemingly tried to get everything back in just one play.
Still Highland kept shooting the three and still Highland kept missing. Even when the Bulldogs did attack the rim they missed several easy shots underneath the basket, giving Claremont much hope.
The first five minutes of the fourth quarter were like a chess match as both teams played not to lose instead of playing to win. The first five minutes were scoreless until Mercado hit a bucket to trim the lead to 30-29 with 3:08 remaining.
Highland trailed 32-30 until Wyatt finally netted a 3-pointer with 1:30 left putting her team up 33-32. Less than 30 seconds later Anderson (12 points) hit a basket which put the Wolfpack back up 34-33.
“We didn’t finish at the rim and, give them credit, they made some adjustments at halftime,” Sisson said. “Still, we finished with a great season.”
Trailing by one point, the Bulldogs had their chances, but missed 3-pointers by Leon and Mercado gave the ball back to Claremont with 22 seconds remaining.
The Wolfpack missed the front end of the one-and-one and Highland had one final opportunity with eight seconds remaining. The ball was pushed upcourt into the hands of Mercado who saw an open Athieng Bol for a brief second. But Mercado’s pass was too late and Claremont stole the ball, sealing the victory.
The Bulldogs’ loss ends the illustrious career for Leon. Leon, who finished with six points, recently signed to play next season at the University of La Verne.
“It’s pretty devastating. We all lost as a team. It was a team effort. Unfortunately, we just fell short,” she said. “This is a tough way to go out. But I’m still proud of everybody. I have love for all of them.”
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