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Nearly five minutes elapsed before they got their first point on a free throw. They didn’t connect on a field goal until 1:15 remained in the first quarter, and their dominant center was out of the starting lineup with the flu.
Not exactly how you’d want to start a Central Coast Section Division IV girls’ playoff semifinal.
An improbable source helped top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep escape the first quarter from hell on Thursday night.
Reserve sophomore guard Jacqueline Chin hit a buzzer-beating 17-foot jumper at the end of the first quarter to give the Gators their first lead of the game, changing the momentum and set them on course to a 45-30 victory over No. 5 Monte Vista Christian of Watsonville.
The Gators will play No. 2 Seaside in the championship game on Saturday at noon at Santa Clara High.
SHP led for good after Chin’s shot put the Gators up 7-6. Then she hit a 3-pointer on SHP’s first possession of the second quarter to extend the lead to 10-6.
“Those shots created a lot of momentum, especially at the end (of the first quarter),” said junior guard Charlotte Levison, who scored 12 points to lead the Gators to their fifth win in seven games.
“Just got us loose a little bit when she hit that, so we could come back into the huddle and be positive. And then when she hit that other one … she’s really good, she can hit them when we need them.”
Chin had eight points and junior guard Denise Stine added seven.
Megan Norris, SHP’s 6-foot-2 center, sat on the bench wearing a t-shirt over her jersey when the game started.
Norris eventually checked into the game with 3:30 left in the second quarter but did not play in the second half.
“We wanted to manage and monitor her minutes and make sure she’s healthy,” SHP coach Melanie Murphy said.
Norris was among a handful of SHP players who’ve experienced flu symptoms in the past week. Levison sat out the team’s quarterfinal win against Mercy of San Francisco on Tuesday.
“We had a few setbacks, so the rest of the team had to step up and fill that void and help contribute to this win tonight,” Chin said.
The Gators trailed 6-2 when Kennedy Anderson scored on a layup, marking the start of a 19-0 run that helped them take a 24-8 lead into the intermission. They never led by less than eight after that, making Murphy’s decision on whether to put Norris back on the floor in the second half an easy one.
“We’re a pretty deep team,” Murphy said. “Out of the 10, any night any one of them can have a big game.”
On Thursday, Chin was one of those players.
“They were huge, game-changing shots,” Murphy said.
“With all the talent and athleticism and the potential on our team she kind of ends up being an underrated player, but she’s coachable, she does everything we ask of her. It was great that she was able to hit those shots tonight and shoot with confidence.”
The Gators are hopeful Norris will be healthy in time for Saturday’s game.
Murphy was critical of her team’s effort. She believes her team needs to do better on Saturday.
“I’m happy that we got out with the win and we beat a very solid team in Monte Vista Christian, so you’ve got to be happy about that, but our effort overall, I wasn’t completely happy with,” Murphy said.
“The energy, the effort going after 50-50 balls, it just didn’t seem like it was there, so I’m hoping with the championship game that we’ll kick it up a notch and embrace that we’re in a championship and go for the win.”