Lions luck out late against Lady Devils

By Owen Yancher,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The 450-plus spectators on hand for the first ever Davis High women’s basketball Break the Record Night got their money’s worth Saturday night at The Cage. The Lady Devils (8-11, 3-3) got off to a hot start, catching state champion McClatchy (15-5, 6-1) off-guard, but faded late, eventually losing 56-52.

Compared to the 77-54 blowout loss to McClatchy that concluded the Devils’ 2014-15 playoff campaign, Saturday’s game was a nail-biter: the game was tied at 14 at the end of the first, Davis led 32-28 at half and the Lions clawed their way to a 44-43 lead at the end of the third.

To say the over-capacity crowd didn’t affect the contest would be a flat out lie; after the game, head coach Heather Highshoe was hoarse from yelling over the deafening crowd noise.

“I wish it could be like this every night,” Highshoe said. “The girls weren’t the least bit hesitant or nervous to play in front of the crowd. I think they liked it and I think it energized them.”

The Lady Devils executed their press well the entire game, a facet of play they’ve lacked in previous contests. The press allowed Davis to contain McClatchy, force some turnovers and slow down the Lions’ fast-paced offense.

Four of the five Devil starters had experience with McClatchy from last season, and used the knowledge to their advantage. McClatchy standout Jordan Cruz, who dropped 25 points against DHS last year, was almost silent in the first half, going 0-for-6 from downtown.

“The first half, they all looked like they were playing with so much confidence,” Highshoe said. “I told them at halftime not to change anything, but to come out with the same energy and purpose as in the first half.”

And the Devils did. Junior Alyssa Lengtat (14 points, eight rebounds, four steals) and sophomore Kelsey Forrester (12 points, five assists) each nailed a pair of free throws and senior Rachael Allison hit a long-range triple to keep the game tight.

But the Davis offense went cold in the final quarter; five scoreless minutes dug the Devils into a 50-43 hole.

Despite this, the home crowd stayed loud and junior Cara Satre hit a step-back three to cut the Lions’ lead to five with just under three minutes left in the game. Satre then stole the ball on the Lions next two possessions. She was fouled on the latter and capitalized on her free throw attempts to bring the Devils within four.

To settle down her team, McClatchy head coach Jessica Kunisaki called a timeout with just over a minute remaining. The Lions came out of the time out and shot an airball.

With time ticking away, Forrester drove to the basket, was fouled, and hit another two free throws. A Lengtat steal set up junior Abbey Fisk for her own pair of free throws.

A questionable timing call from the baseline referee negated the second of Fisk’s free throws. Now down by just two, the Davis defense couldn’t contain McClatchy’s shooters, who scored four points in the final 30 seconds.

Junior Tessa Malone hit a deep two with 15 seconds left, but the Lions had already done their damage and led by four when time expired.

The level of competition that the Lady Devils are playing against this season is much tougher than last year, but Saturday’s game proved that Davis can hang with the “big dogs.”

“[The girls] wanted to come out here and prove a point,” Highshoe said. “We kept our poise and we never panicked.”

Next up on the schedule for Davis is a triplet of away contests, beginning Tuesday night at Monterey Trail.

“We’re still fighting in [the] Delta League to make playoffs,” Highshoe said. “This is the tempo and style we need to keep playing at.”