Tigers find themselves on top heading into the final week of league play
IMPERIAL – The Imperial High School Tigers defeated the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks for the second time this season, closing out their non-league schedule with a 59-31 win.
Previously, the Tigers defeated the Shamrocks 47-34 to capture the championship during the Imperial Valley Invitational Girls Basketball Tournament held in early December 2022.
On Wednesday, February 1, the Tigers were led by sophomore Nayeli Cardona with 22 points and four steals, followed by Sierra Morris and Xiomara Cardona’s pair of double-doubles, with Morris scoring 13 points with 12 rebounds, and Cardona scoring 12 points with 11 assists.
Despite facing local rivals the Holtville Vikings the day before, Imperial kicked off the game with a big first quarter, outscoring the Yuma Catholic 24-12.
“The team was on fire in the first quarter,” said Tigers Head Coach Rich Ponchione. “Yuma Catholic is a great team and one of the highest-ranked teams we will face before playoffs so we knew we needed to come out strong.”
Tigers guard Nayeli Cardona – who finished the night with six made three-pointers – got the Tigers on the board with a pair of three-pointers in the first few minutes of play.
The Tigers maintained their composure and extended their lead heading into halftime over the Shamrocks, 35-19.
Behind a field goal from Nayeli Cardona, the Tigers gained a 20-point lead that would carry them through the second half.
The Tigers then scored 26 points in the second half. Defensive efforts from Amy Riley and Georgia Gomez, who each added six rebounds, respectively, held the Shamrocks to 12 points in the last two quarters.
“Defense wins championships,” Ponchione said, “and we had a great season last season, and with the girls returning this year, we have been focusing on getting them mentally ready.”
The Tigers started the 2022-23 season on a 10-game win streak before falling short to Cibola High School, also of Yuma, in early December.
With an appearance in the state championship last year, the Tigers took on a stacked nonleague schedule this season. Not including CIF San Diego Section Southeastern Conference member schools, the Tigers finished their non-league schedule with 17-4 record.
“We had a tough schedule but we also wanted to play those teams,” Ponchione said, “because when you play against tough teams they make you better and show you what you may need to improve on.”
As the Tigers heads into the final week of league play, they are closing out their non-league schedule at 21-4 overall, and remain undefeated at 5-0 in Imperial Valley League play.
“Our team is full of competitors who want to win, work hard, and want to compete,” Coach Ponchione said. “We had a lot of last year’s team come back so we are an experienced team that has learned how to play to each other’s strengths.”
“We are just going to keep grinding, keep going with our game plan, and continue to focus on the little things,” he said.
Tigers will return to the court on Tuesday, February 7, at 7 p.m., where they will match claws against the Brawley Wildcats in Brawley.