December 12, 2024
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
CYPRESS-It’s been an unexpected slow start to the season for the La Mirada High girls basketball team, especially coming off last season’s historic 22-7 campaign. But when the Matadores visited Oxford Academy last Friday, a second half collapse was just one component in a 31-25 loss.
In any game, a six-point loss hurts even more when you shoot 15 percent from the field, and you miss 12 free throws. On top of that, La Mirada went scoreless for 6:09 from late in the third quarter to just past the midway part of the fourth quarter.
“I told the girls after the game it was completely based off…we missed a lot of shots right under the basket; easy points, and free throws,” said La Mirada head coach Victoria Luong. “Free throws alone would have made the difference in this game.”
Neither team led by more than two points in the first quarter as there were three ties and a pair of lead changes. To make matters worse, the Matadores turned the ball over four times within the first two minutes of the game. But with 5:21 left in the half, an offensive putback from senior Simran Sahota gave the visitors a 12-9 lead. However, they managed to make one basket the remainder of the half, and that didn’t come until sophomore Jordin Shaw’s steal and subsequent basket made it 14-13. That lead lasted 20 seconds as Emma Noble gave her team a 16-14 halftime lead.
La Mirada shot four of 22 from the field in the first half, connected on six of 13 free throws, turned the ball over 18 times, but had 18 rebounds and eight steals in the first 16 minutes. In addition, it led for 5:34 in the half compared to the Patriots having a lead for six and a half minutes.
It was more of the same in the second half as Shaw scored the first points of the half over two minutes in to put La Mirada in front for the seventh time in the game. Oxford Academy, which started three sophomores and two juniors, went on an 8-0 run, the longest by either team, to lead 24-17 with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter. The scoring spree was aided by consecutive three-pointers from Ashley Ventura and Chloe Chen.
But Shaw drained a trifecta of her own and senior Jael Arreguin hit a pair of free throws to end the scoring for the third quarter with 1:48 remaining. La Mirada wouldn’t score again until there was 3:13 left in the contest as Sahota hit the team’s last basket and Shaw added a free throw, making the score 26-25.
“I tell the kids a lot of times it’s a mental game,” said Luong. “And they get into their own heads when we’re down, even by two points…they have to play every single possession.”
Shaw led the Matadores with 11 points while Arreguin added 10 points and Sahota the other four, along with 11 rebounds. Senior Emily Gonzalez also had 11 rebounds and Arrequin had five steals as the game marked the first time La Mirada had only three players in the scoring column.
The 25 points were a season-low as the team has lost four of its last five games after an opening-season, five-point win over Pacifica High. La Mirada’s other win was on Dec. 4 against Costa Mesa High, a 55-53 decision. To go even further, none of the nine seniors have scored more than 12 points in any game while Shaw scored 21 points against Costa Mesa. After Arreguin, Gonzalez and Shaw, the scoring drops off significantly.
“I think it was just getting into the rhythm of things, and these girls have a history of it the last four years of getting adjusted and kind of starting off strong,” said Luong. “It’s just taking a little too long [this season], turnovers and not rebounding.
“Even though we lost only one senior last year, it was our number one shooter,” she later added. “She was our biggest star, and [we] have to make sure the other girls step up to the plate, and make sure that they fill in her shoes. I know that it’s not going to be one player that fills in her shoes. Everybody has to do their part to build up what we’re missing.”
The Matadores, who defeated Fullerton High 54-24 this past Monday, before falling to Savanna High 51-36 this past Tuesday, hope to turn around things on Friday when they visit Valley Christian High. La Mirada will also host Rancho Alamitos High on Tuesday and Gahr High on Thursday.
“The girls are more than capable; they have the skillset to do so,” said Luong. “I think it’s just a matter of getting their mental game on point so that they finish off what they started and stop having these ups and downs every single game.”