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El Dorado’s girls basketball team is progressing quickly at finding its pace with a new point guard and offense.
Hint: The Golden Hawks like to run and pass.
El Dorado flashed its fast break and passing abilities in a 58-31 victory against host Sonora at the Challenge for CHOC showcase at Sonora High on Saturday night.
The Golden Hawks (8-4), ranked ninth in Orange County, set a fast pace in the first quarter with point guard Kennedy Wood to open a 13-point lead and never looked back.
The passing was certainly contagious as Wood and fellow starters Bianca Carter, Delaney Shiring, Lauren Wilson and Sofia Shine each recorded at least one assist.
“Once we came together and we started trusting each other, we’re starting to play good basketball now,” El Dorado coach Matt Raya said of his team’s season. “We’re always trying to emphasize making that extra pass but at the same time, take your shots when you have them.”
“We’ve worked all fall, just kind of build, build,” the coach added. “It’s starting to come together.”
Shiring scored a game-high 17 points and added four assists to lead three El Dorado players in double-digit scoring.
Carter added 11 points and three assists while Shine overcame early foul trouble to score 11 of her 12 points in the second half. Shine, an all-league player in volleyball, added a game-high seven rebounds.
Wood, a transfer from Orangewood Academy, helped set the tone by running the point. The junior had five points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals as El Dorado won its fifth consecutive game.
“We’ve put a lot of trust in her and she’s definitely trusted us a lot throughout the season,” Shiring said of Wood. “From the beginning of the season to now, we’re definitely playing so much better with each other.”
El Dorado is also running a new front-court offense implemented by Wood’s father Brian, who has joined Raya’s staff as an assistant coach. The Golden Hawks ran a motion scheme that focused on cuts to the basket.
Wood provided a glimpse into the scheme in the third quarter with a drive from the top of the key, a jump stop and turn for a left-handed assist to Shine under the basket. The play opened a 38-17 lead.
Sonora (9-3), ranked 12th in the county, struggled shooting against El Dorado’s high-pressure defense. The Raiders went 6 for 22 from the floor in the first half and finished with a season-low point total.
Liana Hwang (12 points), recently selected first-team All-County in flag football, and Sydnie Lendsey (nine points) carried the offensive load for Sonora.
“They ran down the court, pushed the ball and we were slow getting back,” Raiders coach Melissa Barajas said of El Dorado. “They’re a really good team. They have a really high basketball IQ and we have to be able to match that.”
“That’s a great game to help prepare us (for league). To show us what we need to work on,” added Barajas, who recently notched her 400th career victory.
In the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona:
In the third-place game:
Mater Dei 72, Bullis of Maryland 57: Addison Deal scored 28 points and Kaeli Wynn had 25 points, including a season-high seven 3-pointers, to lead the Monarchs (12-3) and earn all-tournament honors.
Wynn made 7 of 10 shots from beyond the arc. Deal sank two 3-pointers and Devyn Kiernan added one.
Archbishop Mitty, which defeated Mater Dei in the semifinals, won the tournament with a 59-34 victory against Ontario Christian in a clash of the top two ranked teams in the nation. Ontario Christian (15-1) entered No. 1 with Mitty (8-0) No. 2, according to MaxPreps.
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