Carrasco goes for 42 in Lady Tigers’ win over Calexico

CALEXICO — Powered by an incandescent Monique Carrasco and her lava-hot 42 points, the Imperial girls’ basketball team went out and gave the Calexico Bulldogs a wallop in a 76-46 win on Tuesday, as — for the fifth straight year — the Tigers turned a battle between area league leaders into a boat race.

While last year’s game was all about the Tigers’ suffocating defense (Calexico scored six points in the first half of a 56-20 loss), this year’s game was all about their offensive firepower, concentrated into the person of Carrasco who was unconscious from deep, canning 10-of-18 threes — sometimes operating off the dribble and sometimes getting a helping hand from backcourt-mate Malena Ponchione, who had 11 assists (and seven rebounds).

Frosh forward Sierra Morris was also active, putting up an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double as the Tigers scored and scored and scored their way to a 30-point win despite giving up the most points they have since a Dec. 19 loss to La Costa Canyon.

Speaking technically, Imperial and Calexico are both substantial players in the local girls’ hoops scene.

The Bulldogs have won the past four Imperial Valley League titles and are in line to make it five in a row this year. The Tigers, of course, have won the last 11 Desert League titles and seem a lock to make it an even dozen.

But despite all that, Calexico hasn’t even managed to keep the Tigers within 15 points since 2016.

Now 18-7 (3-0 in the Desert League) and on a 13game winning streak, Imperial’s next outing will be on Friday against the struggling Calipatria Hornets (418, 0-3 Desert) who haven’t won (or scored 20 points in a game) since Dec. 5.

The Bulldogs (14-8, 3-0 IVL), meanwhile, will have to dust themselves off once again and get back to the business of winning the IVL if they can. They’re playing at Central (3-21, 0-3 IVL) on Friday.