That four-year drought ended this past week, though, as the Lady Islanders collected their second straight win to open the season. They defeated Castle Park 39-25, starting the year 2-0.
“I keep telling the girls that there is no pressure on them,” said Islanders Head Coach John Coolidge. “Winning these games early in the year is not only a great way to add wins to the win column but also continue to give these girls the confidence they can use later in the season.”
Coronado, much like they did in their opening season win against Southwest, controlled the first half of the game, jumping out to a 20-14 lead by the midway point. Senior Selena Herrera, who led the Islanders in scoring last season, found her rhythm early in the first half, helping her record a team-high 14 points in the win.
“Selena showed up big,” noted Coolidge. “She was double-teamed in the high post because of what she did last year, so we made a switch to put her at the three, and she started hitting outside shots and helped get others involved in the offense.”
In holding Castle Park to just 14 points in the first half, Coronado’s defense took control by donating the post and inside. Selena Hohuan-Fabius would be partially dominant as she recorded two first-half blocks in the win. Her two blocks would be a team high on the night, which was the Islanders come away with eight blocks as a team.
Coronado’s length and athleticism down below have perhaps been the most notable difference from this year’s team compared to last year’s squad. Along with the aforementioned eight blocks, Coronado easily controlled the glass, nabbing 19 boards in the victory.
“What’s great about this group is that they attack the glass, and what we learned against Castle Park is that we can go small and still get rebounds,” said Coolidge. “Selena Hohuan-Fabius came off the bench and rebounded extremely and blocked a couple of shots. Our defense and rebounding was a huge reason we won this game.”
Out of the break, the Islanders’ offense would put the game out of reach thanks to an efficient second-half performance.
Selena Herrera would not be the only scorer in doubles figures, as the freshman duo of Gabby Fichter and Savannah Arnold each tallied 10 points in the win. Along with each getting into double figures, the two provided a spark on defense with the ability to come away with three steals in the win.
“Gabby is going to get her points every game; she is just that good,” commented Coolidge. “As for Savannah, she hit a couple of big three-pointers from the top of the key that were just wide open.”
With the record now at 2-0, the Islanders will look to stay hot and perhaps push their record to... Click here to read full article
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