Mustangs pull away from Falcons in 2nd half
BY STEPHEN LYNCH Special to The Californian
It took a long, sustained effort, but the Stockdale girls basketball team finally pushed Independence to its breaking point in the second half on Wednesday night.
The Mustangs overcame a two-point halftime deficit with a 19-1 run early in the third quarter before cruising to a 68-46 Southwest Yosemite League victory over the visiting Falcons.
Leigha Moland had 11 of her game-high 23 points during the game-changing spurt. Alyssa Shannon added 22 points for the Mustangs, who won for a 16th straight time and took over sole possession of first place in the SWYL.
"We came out knowing that they weren't going to give up or roll over so we had to keep battling," Moland said.
Jazzmin Sanders led a balanced Falcons attack, which did not make a 3-pointer the entire game and was 10-of-32 from the free throw line, with 12 points.
"They didn't do anything different (in the second half)," Independence coach Val Mancera said. "We just didn't execute. The times we did break the press, we didn't put the ball in the hole."
Independence (18-4, 4-1 SWYL) entered the game tied atop the SWYL standings with Stockdale (19-3, 5-0 SWYL). The Falcons looked every bit like Stockdale's equal early on, handling the Mustangs' vaunted press with minimal problems and shooting 58 percent (14-of-24) from the field in the first half.
Things changed dramatically and immediately in the second half. Turning up the intensity of its pressure defense, Stockdale forced numerous turnovers that it converted into baskets.
"Our defense is built on going on runs," Stockdale co-coach Charles Stewart said. "Eventually you're going to get fatigued and start making ill-advised decisions."
And when the Mustangs did miss a shot, Moland was there to grab the offensive rebound and the power back up for a score.
The 5-foot-8 junior scored 10 straight points on a variety of strong inside shots and two free throws during a 1:26 span starting late in the third period in which Stockdale's lead grew to 14.
Moland's hot hand helped the Mustangs shoot 45.2-percent from the floor in the second half. That after making just 31.5-percent their first-half field goal attempts.
"All we said (at halftime) was keep shooting the ball; the shots will start to fall," Stockdale co-coach Glenn Hager said.
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