Clay ArrittThe Santa Ana Dons routed the San Diego Mesa Olympians 51-48 in a defensive battle on Wednesday night in the first round of the 3C2A playoffs.
It was a raucous atmosphere in Bill Cook gymnasium for a midseason rematch, in which the Dons avenged a 70-62 loss from earlier this year.
It was the first time since 2017 that the women’s basketball team had won a playoff game, breaking a near-decade-long drought. They were led by a trio of two-year all-conference players, including sophomore guard Mia Rivera, sophomore forward Anaya Beard, and sophomore guard Kiki Graham.
“We’ve grown a lot as a team,” said head coach Flo Luppani. “We played better defense. I thought our team did a fantastic job.”
It was back-and-forth all night long up until the final whistle. The Olympians had the ball down by three with the shot clock turned off until sophomore guard Rivera was able to rip the ball away for a steal with two seconds left.
This is right in line for Rivera, who has led the conference in steals in both of her seasons playing for the Dons. “I definitely try to stay aggressive. My teammates also stay aggressive, and that helps get the steals,” said Rivera.
Freshman guard Vicki Om is second in the conference in steals, highlighting an aggressive defensive style that has become the Dons’ reputation.
“We rely on defense. We’re very fortunate to have people who can play really good defense and are really smart on steals,” said Coach Luppani. “Mia and Vicki have great instincts, and as a coach, you have to put them in a position to succeed.”
Sophomore forward Beard, who has been selected to the first-team all-conference in back-to-back years, led the night with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
“I have amazing coaches that come in whenever I want to put in work,” said Beard.
Graham also impacted the game in all phases with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
San Diego Mesa’s Stevie Lundquist came into this game third in the state at 21.4 points per game, and there was emphasis on slowing her down with double teams throughout the night.
“She’s a great player, an all-state player, but it’s just making them take tough shots,” said Coach Luppani. “She had to work so hard. It was an emphasis to stay in front of her.”
Next up for Santa Ana is a trip to Mt. San Antonio this Saturday at 7 p.m. in the second round of the 3C2A playoffs. The Mounties are currently ranked first in the state and have won 20 games in a row.
