The Bears defeated Heritage High School, 71-46, in the second round of the Northern California Division One Tournament on Saturday, February 12.
M-A managed to keep a two-point lead over the Patriots throughout the first half of the game, playing well on both ends of the court. Sophomore Carly McLanahan and freshman Mele Kailahi led the Bears in the first half with nine and seven points respectively. Junior Ofa Sili and sophomore Greer Hoyam controlled the paint in the first half, contributing five points each.
The varsity girls basketball team starts off the first quarter of the second round of CIF against Heritage 14 to 12! Go Bears!
— M-A Chronicle (@TheMAChronicle) March 13, 2016
The Bears finish the fist half 31 to 29! Keep fighting Bears!
— M-A Chronicle (@TheMAChronicle) March 13, 2016
The Bears gained a substantial lead to start the third quarter and carried that momentum to end the quarter ahead at 55-39. Hoyem added an additional 11 points for the Bears and juniors Ilana Baer and Megan Sparrow contributed crucial defensive plays and forced multiple turnovers. The Bears continued their aggressive defense and momentum through the fourth quarter to win 71-46.
The Bears had an incredible third quarter against Heritage! The Bears lead 55 to 39 in the final quarter! Finish strong Bears!
— M-A Chronicle (@TheMAChronicle) March 13, 2016
M-A won the second round of CIF against Heritage 71 to 46! Great game Bears!
— M-A Chronicle (@TheMAChronicle) March 13, 2016
Baer concluded, “Overall, we played a pretty solid game. At halftime we were only up by two points, so coming into the second half we really picked up our intensity on defense and were able to come up with a lot of steal and fast break points.”
Baer expressed how proud she is of the Bears’, “really successful season this year and how the team has bonded so well. Everyone has greatly improved and contributed. Winning is great, but what makes the season so memorable is being able to play basketball with my friends and sharing the success with them. There is nothing better than getting to be with some of your closest friends everyday playing for a winning team.”
Watch highlights from the game here:
VIDEO recap from @bearsathletics_ girls NorCal D1 win over Heritage https://t.co/Qzrjx0LUfa @GReeves23 @MercPreps @eastbaypreps @JensenPhil
— Darren Sabedra (@DarrenSabedra) March 13, 2016
The Bears proceed to the regional semi-finals against first-seed Saint Francis in Sacramento on Tuesday, March 15. Best of luck Lady Bears!
