Ramona girls basketball team beats United Christian Academy to reach Division 4A quarterfinals – Press Enterprise
RIVERSIDE — The Ramona girls basketball team had a 15-point lead at halftime Saturday evening.
But Rams coach Brandon Fletcher had a message for his players, and it was United Christian Academy would not go down quietly
As Fletcher foretold in the locker room, United Christian indeed made runs in the second half, twice cutting the deficit to 10 points and once to nine points. But Ramona’s defense remained physical down the stretch, helping the Rams prevail 49-37 in a CIF Southern Section Division 4A second-round game.
Ramona (19-10) will host No. 3-seeded Eastside (20-4) in a quarterfinal game Wednesday evening.
“That kind of game is exactly why we played the teams we did in November and December,” Rams coach Brandon Fletcher said. “I knew they (the Eagles) would not go away, and they deserve a lot of credit for the fight they gave us tonight.”
Ramona led 8-4 after the opening quarter and started the second period with six straight points to make it a double-digit advantage. Olivia Molina made the Rams’ final two field goals of the half — a reverse lay-up and a mid-range jumper — to extend the lead a 22-8 lead at the break.
After Molina scored Ramona’s first basket of the third quarter, United Christian went on a 9-2 run and trimmed the deficit to 28-19 after a Natalie Estrada layup. Estrada led all scorers with 19 points.
The Rams led 41-25 after three quarters, closing on a 10-4 run that was bookended by 3 pointers by Molina and Jaiden Tibbels.
“This is redemption from last year, a one-point loss to Nordhoff in this round, and to keep playing with this group is an amazing feeling,” Molina said. “We’re excited to have the home floor on Wednesday night because we know our fans are amazing.”
United Christian (18-11) had one last charge in them. Jordan Edwards connected on a 3-pointer, and the Eagles sank a pair of free throws to get within 45-35 with 3:07 remaining in the game. But United Christian got no closer down the stretch.
“All I ask of these girls is to show the fight they did in that second half,” Eagles coach Michael Edwards said. “Every round you go in the playoffs gets a little more physical and it took us a while but we matched them in that regard. We’re a young group that definitely learned some lessons tonight which we’ll take into next year.”
Molina led Ramona with 16 points, while Athena Berber added 10 points for the Rams.
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