The Cabrillo girls basketball team’s season came to an end in the second round of the CIF State Division III regionals as they fell to Sunny Hills in overtime, 41-38, Saturday night at Cabrillo High School.
After trailing 19-12 at halftime, the Conquistadors clawed back in the 3rd quarter. Erin Jenkins capitalized on a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup to cut the deficit to two.
The game remained tight into the 4th quarter, but momentum shifted when Jenkins, a senior, fouled out with under five minutes to go. However the Conqs responded with a pair of clutch three-pointers from Jesse Jenkins and Amani Childress to tie the game, 31-31.
Sunny Hills matched punch-for-punch.and grabbed a 34-31 lead after Shenise West rebounded a missed Lancer free throw and put it back for an easy layup.
But the Conqs weren’t done yet. With two seconds left, senior Alyssa Stewart banked in a triple to tie the game at 34, sending the game to overtime.
In OT, Valerie Monzon gave Cabrillo the 38-36 advantage as she connected on a three-pointer at the top of the key. Sunny hills responded with a 5-0 run, including a go-ahead three-pointer by Kayli Arii.
Cabrillo had one more shot to tie it with under five seconds left in overtime, but Alexa McCune’s shot bounced off the back of the rim and into the hands of the Lancers, sealing the win for Sunny Hills.
Cabrillo ends its year with a 27-4 overall record, including a CIF Divsion 3AA runner-up finish. It’s the Conqs’ best season in program history.
