The Dos Pueblos High girls’ basketball team is peaking at the right time and a deep playoff run has become a reality.
The Chargers defeated visiting San Juan Hills 52-45 in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs as they continue to grow each game.
“It’s a big moment, it’s CIF and some of these kids have never been in this moment before. Sometimes towards the end of the game they kind of forget to just play basketball,” said Dos Pueblos coach Andy Casanueva. “I’m super proud of this group, everything they’ve done collectively and how they’ve battled through.”
Strong performances from standouts Kindah Ahmad-Reda and Carly Letendre, who finished with 14 and 13 points respectively were crucial for the Chargers, but perhaps even more importantly freshmen Penelope Frazer and Charlotte Gardiner combined for 15 points under the bright lights of the CIF-SS playoffs.
“What we talked about early on was building a culture and expectation,” Casanueva said. “I asked them to set the goals and we kind of drew up a road map of what we would have to do to achieve them.”
Dos Pueblos relied heavily on full-court pressure and turned defense into offense forcing San Juan Hills in to 16 first-half turnovers.
A steal and transition layup by Kindah Ahmad-Reda increased the Chargers’ lead to 13-5 with just under a minute remaining in the first quarter.
The Dos Pueblos lead increased to 23-7 on a driving layup by Ahmad-Reda at the four minute mark of the second quarter. However, San Juan Hills responded with a 9-0 run and closed its deficit to 23-16 with 1:50 left in the second quarter on a basket inside by Ellasyn Hunter.
Not to be deterred, the Chargers finished the half strong with a runner by Letendre and a three-pointer by Gardiner that gave them a 28-16 lead going into the locker room at halftime.
A basket by Asha Nayak off an assist from Letendre increased the Dos Pueblos lead to 37-22 with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter and the Chargers took a 41-26 lead into the fourth quarter after another driving layup by Ahmad-Reda.
The visiting Stallions steadily cut in their deficit in the fourth and back-to-back three-pointers by Katie Schafer and Adelyn Boberg trimmed the Dos Pueblos lead to 49-43 with 31.2 seconds to play.
Letendre stepped to the line and made 3-of-4 free throws in the closing moments to secure the victory for Dos Pueblos.
“She is like an extension of me. I love the kid to death,” said Casanueva of his senior captain Letendre. “We’re going to miss her as a program and I’m going to miss her as a kid.”
Dos Pueblos will host Rosary Academy of Fullerton in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinals on Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m.
CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs
Bishop Diego 55, Fullerton 44
Bishop Diego delivered a poised fourth-quarter response Tuesday night, defeating Fullerton 55-44 to improve to 24-4 on the season and advance to the CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinals.
Jeisa Coronado led the way with 17 points, while Eden Wynne added 14 as the hosts built an early advantage and withstood a late push from Fullerton.
The game opened with a strong first quarter, as the Cardinals surged to an 18-8 lead behind balanced scoring and defensive pressure. Fullerton steadily chipped away at the margin over the next two quarters, trimming the deficit to 36-30 entering the fourth.
Fullerton’s momentum continued early in the final period, as the visitors scored the first five points to cut the lead to one. But a pivotal sequence shifted the game’s trajectory. After Alyssa Chrestenson missed a shot, she hustled to dive for a loose ball, keeping the possession alive. The play ultimately swung to Coronado, who drilled a three-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Jaymi added a basket to push the lead back to six — a margin Fullerton would not overcome.
Down the stretch, Bishop Diego effectively broke Fullerton’s press and converted key free throws to secure the win.
With the victory, the Cardinals will host Sunny Hills on Wednesday at the Brickhouse.
Wynne continued her strong performance of late. She totaled 20 points and eight rebounds Thursday’s win over Milken, followed by 14 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s win over Fullerton.
