GIRLS BASKETBALL: Scotts Valley Runs the Table

Scotts Valley 73, Santa Cruz  60

The Star: Natalia Ebrahimian scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the Falcons win. The junior was one of five Falcons to score in double figures during the impressive league road finale. Senior Liz Munger ( 12 points,13 rebounds) and freshman post Nadine Hart (11 points, 15 rebounds) each had double-doubles as well.

The Turning Point: All tied up at 31 at the half, the Scotts Valley transition offense took over in the second half. Freshman point guard Tori McBride pushed the pace--the floor general scored 12 points on the night--helping Scotts Valley rattle off 15 points in the third quarter. The faster pace led to easy buckets down low from Liz Munger, Natalia Ebrahimian, Nadine Hart and Angela Silver. Silver scored 13 points in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League regular season finale for the Falcons.

The Quote: "For this team to not have an off night playing in a tough league and go 12-0 is amazing." —Scotts Valley head coach Jim Hart said about his teams 12-0 run through SCCAL play this season. “Our next goal is to win the league tournament.”

What's Next? The Falcons have a bye in round one of the SCCAL girls basketball league tournament next week. First round play begins on Tuesday night. Scotts Valley will play in a semifinal match on Thursday, Feb. 17 at home. The finals for the boys and girls league tournaments will take place on the following Saturday at Aptos High.

Bottom Line: It was business as usual for the mentally strong and talented Falcons bunch Tuesday night. With the league crown already wrapped up, Scotts Valley continued to impress in the double digit road win. The win put a bow on a perfect season,showcasing the dangerous wealth of talent the Falcons possess heading into the league tournament and the Central Coast Section playoffs. Scotts Valley is expected to receive a No. 1 seed in the Division IV bracket.

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