Girls’ Basketball: Oilers move on to semis
DUARTE — Supposedly, Frankie Wade-Sanchez was sick going into Wednesday night’s game.
Let it be known that the senior is going to let nothing stand in her way as she leads the Huntington Beach High girls’ basketball team through the postseason.
Wade-Sanchez had 24 points, seven rebounds, and three steals as the third-seeded Oilers defeated host Duarte, 51-34, in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1A playoffs.
“She played like the player that she is,” Oilers Coach Russell McClurg said of Wade-Sanchez. “She took her game outside to another level tonight. We don’t normally see Frankie take a lot of threes, and I think that opened it up for her early by hitting those shots.”
Duarte High put on a “Silent Night,” requesting that the crowd save up its energy by waiting until the 10th point had been scored in the game.
They should not have waited that long, as Wade-Sanchez was well on her way to a big night amid the well-mannered spectators.
The teams went back and forth in a competitive first quarter. An offensive rebound putback by Patricia Morris, Duarte’s 6-foot-7 center, cut Huntington Beach’s lead to 11-10 with 32 seconds left in the period.
From there, the Duarte fans had little to cheer for, as the Oilers (21-7) held the Falcons (27-5) to six points over the next two quarters.
A 32-6 Huntington Beach run began with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Wade-Sanchez as the first quarter came to a close.
The Oilers’ defense made it difficult for the Falcons to get the ball across the half-court line in the second and third quarters.
Xolani Hodel and Zoie Bailey took turns taking on Morris (12 points, five rebounds) in the post, while the pressure was applied in the front court.
“We watched film on them, and we went after the weakness of the smaller guards,” McClurg said. “I think our height advantage gave them a tough time of trying to throw over the top of the press.
“They got a couple of home runs, but we stayed patient, and we were able to get some steals and wear them out.”
Kaylyn Nakaji had seven of her 15 points in the second quarter. She added eight rebounds and five steals.
The extended Huntington Beach run concluded with a deep three-pointer from Marisa Tanga, which she banked in from several steps above the arc as the clock expired in the third.
“It was just a lot of hype plays in this game,” Wade-Sanchez said. “I think that carried over to my teammates. When one person would make a big shot, it would just spread and share the energy.
“It would just build and build on those big plays. I think that is what helped us win.”
Huntington Beach led, 31-15, at halftime. That lead grew to 43-16 after the third quarter.
Wade-Sanchez has been sick since the team’s playoffs began on Saturday following a first-round bye. The Oilers star contracted a fever and chills on Friday night.
She said that she has yet to shake the symptoms, but it has not sidelined the impactful, Concordia-bound forward. If anything, her game has risen to another level in the playoffs.
In the Oilers’ first playoff game, Wade-Sanchez had a game-high 32 points in a 65-41 victory over Fontana Summit. She is averaging 28 points per game through the quarterfinals.
The next test for Huntington Beach will come at second-seeded Esperanza on Saturday night. It is a setting that the Oilers are already familiar with, as the Aztecs (26-3) won the teams’ nonleague regular-season meeting, 47-42, on Dec. 15.
Huntington Beach lost the opportunity to host its quarterfinals game due to the use of an illegal ball in the previous round.
It still went down in the books as a home game on the bracket, giving home-court advantage to the winner of the quarterfinal between Esperanza and Riverside J.W. North.
The Aztecs had to fight to get into the semifinals, but they ultimately defeated the Huskies, 48-44.
CIF-SS Division 1A Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Huntington Beach 51, Duarte 34
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Huntington Beach – 14 - 17 - 12 - 8 – 51
Duarte – 10 - 5 - 1 - 18 – 34
HB – Wade-Sanchez 24, Nakaji 15, Tanga 8, Escalante 2, Hodel 2.
3-pt. goals – Wade-Sanchez 3, Tanga 2, Nakaji 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
Dua – Morris 12, D. Thompson 7, Cartagena 4, Lopez 3, Barnes 3, Portillo 3, R. Thompson 2.
3-pt. goals – Barnes 1, Lopez 1.
Fouled out – R. Thompson.
Technicals – S. Wiard (Coach).
