Falcon girls basketball defeats Vista

Photos courtesy of Scrippix

The TPHS girls varsity basketball team (10-0), defeated Vista High School (3-7) by a score of 75-32 on Feb. 10, clinching the league championship and paving the way to CIF post-season play.

The whistle blew and Laura Rucks (12) successfully won the tipoff giving the Falcons an advantage to start off with the ball. Seconds later Grace Trusso (11) went in for a layup and scored, with an assist from Rucks. Fouled in the play, Trusso was up for two free throws and made both.

The game continued with the Falcons up 11-0 about 4 minutes into the game. Vista held onto the ball after an unfortunate turnover, then scored a layup for their first basket of the game, bringing the score to 11-2. The pace picked up quickly in the last few minutes of the quarter – the ball repeatedly went back and forth between Lauren Mills (10), who made three 3-pointers in a row, and Rucks with several lay-ups and jump shots. The Falcons were up 18-9 by the end of the first quarter.

Rucks’ outstanding performance in the first quarter continued through the rest of the game. She scored a total of 15 points by the end. Being the only senior on the team, her senior night was everything she could have hoped for, ending with such a resounding win with the teammates she has shared the court with for years.

“I love this team so much, and I think it was so important to finish out on a really good note, and I’m really proud of everyone for how we got to do that,” Rucks said.

Coming out strong in the second quarter, the Falcons continued to widen their lead. Their score rose fast after Mills scored another three 3-pointers in a row. Scoring the highest number of points of the game with a total of 17, Mills kept up her energy until the end.

“I think we evolved a lot during the season and to end on a win like this was great,” Mills said.

Approaching the end of the first half, the Falcons had a double bonus; in fouling 10 times in the first half, they gave Vista two free throws.

TPHS led after the first half with a score of 45-20.

Going into the third quarter, the Falcons maintained their scoring efficiency. Their favored play, called “RIP” – in which a player cuts front outside the three-point line to inside by the hoop, gets the ball and then shoots – earned many buckets for them. Vista rarely possessed the ball throughout this quarter and the Falcons continued adding to their tremendous lead.

They repeatedly passed the ball to the post, with countless assists from Zoe Lau (11). The Falcons ended the third quarter with a score 70-29, gaining an outstanding total of 31 points.

The fourth and final quarter went by quickly, with both teams refusing to let up. The Falcons continued to play aggressively to prevent Vista from catching up. Vista used all of the fight they had left, only allowing the Falcons to score five more points in the fourth quarter. The Falcons, however, only let Vista add two points to their score.

Communicating with her teammates effectively throughout the game, calling plays and playing the majority of the four quarters, Trusso helped lead her team to victory ending this game with an individual point total of 13.

“We played really well as a team; our chemistry was really good,” Trusso said. “Everyone played as a team instead of individually.”

The win for the TPHS Falcons added to their undefeated record on the season.

Coach Morgan Overman was extremely impressed by the grit and teamwork shown by her players.

“The game went better than planned, a great way to end our season, as well as a great team win,” she said.

The team ended the game and the season in Division 2, seed 1 going 11-0.

They are now the No. 1 seed in CIF Division II and will play Oceanside High School in the CIF championship game on Friday, Feb. 24.