Sonora girls basketball stays unbeaten with win over shorthanded Woodbridge
IRVINE – Larissa Robles scored 25 points with five assists to lead Sonora’s girls basketball team to a 59-46 victory over Woodbridge in a nonleague game Friday night at Woodbridge High.
Sonora (8-0), ranked No. 8 in Orange County, will face off with Woodbridge (5-3) again on Monday in the Sunny Hills Showcase.
“We had to play good defense,” Robles said. “We had to stay calm on offense and take care of the ball. We had to set our screens to get away with a lot of threes. I had to push myself tonight. I didn’t want to lose this game.”
Woodbridge was without star forward Lexi Gadea, who has been out with the flu. Her status for Monday’s rematch is questionable.
Without Gadea, Hana Watanabe took control and led the Warriors with 24 points.
Rissdawg came to play 🏀💥💪 that’s our senior leader @larissarobles32 @fjuhsd @sonoraraiders @sohsathletics https://t.co/XSq9MzrEnX
— S🏀HS Girls Basketball (@SonoraGBB) December 10, 2022
Sonora, which led by eight at halftime, took control in the second half, leading as much as 22 points thanks to its defensive play.
“We’re really proud of our kids for their defensive effort,” Sonora coach Melissa Barajas said. “We know Woodbridge is a really tough team and they have some really great shooters. Teagan Burrus can attack and she’s great on the boards. She was a priority for us as well as stopping Hana Watanabe. I thought we did a really good job of that in the second half.”
Postgame interview with Sonora coach Melissa Barajas as her Raiders take the 13-point victory over Woodbridge.@ocvarsity @SOHS_APSA @sohsraiders @SonoraGBB @patricktakk @James_Escarcega pic.twitter.com/NPVkV1GJFv
— Manny Alvarez (@MAlvarez02) December 10, 2022
Burrus had five points and seven rebounds for Woodbridge while Milan Heisdorf added five points and six rebounds.
Maddie Yasui scored six points for the Warriors.
Kiana Graham scored 17 points for the Raiders.
Robles pushed the Raiders ahead in the second half, scoring nine of her points in the third quarter.
“She’s one of our best players,” Graham said. “She’s always been a leader for us. That’s how we get through our games.”
Natalie Robles added nine points with five assists for Sonora.
