Redondo girls basketball team wins second SoCal title to play for State championship
Freshman Calli Stokes led Redondo with 17 points during the Sea Hawk’s CIF Southern California Regional Division 2 championship victory over San Diego’s San Marcos High School. Redondo plays Pleasant Valley of Chico for the State Championship Saturday in Sacramento. Photo
With a team of no superstars but consisting of many athletic performers, Redondo’s girls basketball coach Marcelo Enriquez compares this year’s squad to his 2002 team that also played for a State championship.
Redondo (30-5) will face Northern California champion Pleasant Valley (25-4) of Chico to determine the Division 2 champion in a 2 p.m. game Saturday at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
With junior Dylan Horton the only Sea Hawk to average double figures in scoring this season, Redondo’s offense is so balanced that it has produced a different leading scorer in most every playoff game.
The latest victory came Saturday when top-seeded Redondo captured the Southern California Division 2 Regional championship with a 56-43 home victory against No. 3 San Marcos of San Diego. The Sea Hawks outscored opponents 265-169 in their four State Regional games.
“San Marcos was a really good team. It we a great match up as they were very versatile but so were we,” Enriquez said. “We wore them down and we thought their guards were susceptible.”
The game was freshman Calli Stokes’ turn to be the star, scoring a team-high 17 points along with five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Her feed to Horton in the second quarter led to a 3-pointer which propelled Redondo to a 15-3 run at the end of the first half.
Horton finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals while sophomore point guard Alyssa Munn recorded four points, seven steals, three rebounds and three assists.
Redondo’s game against Pleasant Valley should be interesting as the No. 1 teams from Northern and Southern California square off.
Redondo will play in its second state championship game, losing to St. Mary’s of Stockton 51-47 in 2002. Pleasant Valley plays in the finals for the first time since winning the title in 1985.
Redondo head coach Marcelo Enriquez displays the SoCal Regional winning plaque. Photo
Pleasant Valley has a very talented team,” Enriquez said. “Their post player, 6-foot-1 senior captain Sirena Tuitele, is an extremely good player with a nice touch on the ball.”
Tuitele leads the team scoring with 15.1 points and grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game. The Vikings also have two exceptional guards in Chloe Mayer and Claire Garcia.
Mayer, averages 13 points per game and has hit a team-high 56 3-pointers, also leading the team in steals with 40.
Garcia has recorded 12.1 points per game with 39 trifectas and 39 steals this season. Senior Olivia Lane leads the Vikings with 62 rebounds.
“We want to have a positive affect going to State, both physically and mentally,” Enriquez said. “The season has been a grind so we’ve holding shorter practices. The kids have responded and I’m confident they’ll keep it going.
“I told the kids at the end of league play what I expect. The is talent is here to win State. They have the growth and maturity while maintaining their focus.”