The girls basketball team delivered a dominant performance against the East Union Lancers on Saturday evening to advance to the NorCal Division III finals.
East Union struck first with a midrange jumper on their opening possession, but senior shooting guard Luisa Tava quickly answered for the Bears by burying a three-pointer from the wing. M-A and the Lancers applied pressure defensively, forcing both teams into a scoring drought.
Senior power forward Lita Fakapelea began to take over late in the quarter, ending the dry spell. She drew a foul and calmly sank both free throws before knocking down a midrange jumper to give the Bears a 7-4 lead with just over a minute remaining. Shortly after, L. Tava shot a floater to extend the lead as the Bears closed the first quarter ahead 10-5.
M-A exploded offensively in the second quarter. L. Tava opened the period by drilling a three, and Fakapelea followed with a fierce step-through move in the paint for a layup to push the lead to 15-5. The Bears continued to find their rhythm from beyond the arc as L. Tava buried yet another three-pointer. Fakapelea then joined the shooting display, knocking down a three of her own and forcing East Union to call a timeout as the Bears surged ahead 21-5.
The scoring run didn’t stop after the break. Freshman power forward Natalie Roman attacked the basket and drew a foul, converting both free throws. Fakapelea then added a layup in transition, and sophomore center Mary Tava established herself inside with a powerful finish in the paint to give M-A a commanding 27-5 lead with 4:31 remaining in the half.
“Our shooters were able to space the floor and knock down threes, which opened things up for others to finish inside, and that helped us build an early lead,” Roman said.
Although the Lancers managed to score on a few free throws and a three-pointer, the Bears kept their momentum. L. Tava and Fakapelea both knocked down triples, and senior center Apé Ulukivaiola battled inside to draw a foul and convert a free throw. East Union managed a late field goal and a free throw, but M-A still entered halftime with a comfortable 34-16 advantage.
The Bears started off hot as M. Tava opened the half with back-to-back layups and added more strong finishes around the rim, consistently beating defenders down the floor and sealing inside. East Union attempted to keep up with a few layups, but the Bears’ offense remained relentless. Ulukivaiola added a powerful finish of her own, and Fakapelea pushed the tempo with a fast break layup off a steal.
L. Tava capped the next possession by knocking down a three-pointer, and Fakapelea followed with another steal and fast-break layup that forced East Union to call a timeout with M-A comfortably ahead 55-22. Despite a late basket from the Lancers, the Bears closed the third quarter with a commanding 55-26 lead.
M-A continued to control the game in the fourth quarter. Freshman shooting guard Bella Gormsen shot a smooth midrange jumper before Fakapelea added another layup on the next possession. The Bears’ defense remained strong as sophomore center Gracie Bullard* delivered an emphatic block that energized the bench.
East Union briefly found some rhythm with a three-pointer, but M-A responded with balanced scoring down the stretch. Senior shooting guard Molly Rosen knocked down a three-pointer, and Bullard dominated inside the paint, finishing three consecutive layups to put the final touches on the victory, winning 68-38.
“We were incredibly fired up because we knew how high the stakes were. It’s win or go home, and none of us wanted to be the team going home. We didn’t make a two-hour bus ride for nothing,” Habibi said.
“In the second half, they barely scored any points. I think a lot [of that] on the defensive side translated into really good offense,” Rosen said.
The Bears will travel to face the Valley Christian Warriors on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. for the NorCal championship.
*Gracie Bullard is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
