Monache girls roll to win against PHS

A stuffed gym greeted both the Monache Marauders and the Porterville Panthers in girls basketball on Monday at MHS. The Panthers put up a good effort but the Marauders took the game with a commanding 60-21 win.

The starting lineup for the Marauders was Alisha Verdejo, Jalissa Miranda, Shelley Andrade, Kyah Bartlett, and Milly Rojas. The Panthers led off with Greenley Wilson, Camille Martin, Andrea Perez, Amaya Cortez, and Ryleigh Schoonover. The Monache Band struck up a tune while the game commenced.

The Marauders got the first points after a foul by the Panthers put Verdejo on the free throw line.

A fast play by the Panthers kept them competitive. A push by Schoonover got the ball down the court before she passed it off to Perez who scored.

A 3-point basket by the Panthers Cortez brought them into the lead at 5-2. The first quarter was quick and ended on a layup by the Marauders Bartlett for the lead 11-10.

A few fouls by the Panthers gave the Marauders multiple free throw attempts icausing PHS to lag behind somewhat early in the second quarter.

The Panthers only scored an another three points during the first half while the Marauders scored another 26. The Panthers didn’t give up but they were worked around by Marauder Junalyne Lacambacal who had possession.

Lacambacal got the pass from Jalissa Miranda and sank the shot for two points. Emily Franco for the Panthers had a fierce drive, nabbing the layup nicely. The first half ended with the Marauders up 37 to 13.

The Marauders continued to dominate the second half but they slowed down a bit. The Marauders earned the first basket in the second half with a steal from the Panthers by Andrade. Andrade made her way through the Panther defenders and passed it over to Bartlett. Bartlett wasn’t able to advance and had to toss it to Verdejo. Verdejo made the basket.

Rojas hit a 3-point shot after a pass from Miranda. Rojas brought the score to 48-17.

The final quarter had a lot of steals by the Marauders as the Panthers energy just couldn’t keep up. A steal by Rojas was passed to Bartlett and then fired over to Verdejo for the shot and the 3-pointer.

Rojas followed Verdejo with two 3-pointers of her own. The Panthers secured a basket thanks to Emily Franco and the Marauder took their final margin with a layup by Tatiana Quinones, bringing the game to its end with a score of 60-21.

The Panthers will be facing off against the Mt Whitney Pioneers in Visalia on Friday at 7 p.m.

The Marauders will be taking on the Golden West Trailblazers at home on Friday at 6 p.m.