Aragon punches ticket to CCS girls’ basketball playoffs

A few minutes earlier, it appeared the Dons would have to wait another game before securing a trip to the CCS playoffs, trailing by as much as 10 points in the middle of the third quarter. Instead, a run of momentum fueled by Ruttenberg’s clutch free throws and a few late scores from senior forward Daisy Pantoja Beltran put Aragon back on top. 

“Their bigs are great, so we had to adjust to play their bigs and be more physical,” Aragon head coach Kristie Hala’ufia said. “They were rebounding well, so we had to box out and lock in defensively. We’ve been talking all year that if we lock in defensively, then our offense will come, and that’s what got us on a run.” 

While the Dons earned the win, Hala’ufia said the team’s performance wasn’t up to par with her expectations. 

“I don’t think we played our best basketball, but a win is a win whether it’s pretty or not,” Hala’ufia said. “Tonight wasn’t pretty for us. We didn’t get up defensively from the jump, but we played so many close games this season that we knew what it took to get the win in the end.”

Friday’s matchup was the second meeting between the two teams and completed Aragon’s regular-season sweep, as the Dons defeated San Mateo 51-44 at home on Jan. 16. The common denominator between the two games, aside from the result, was a dominant performance from Pantoja Beltran, who dropped 16 points in each game. Despite similar results, Hala’ufia said there were plenty of differences between the two matchups.

“They were missing Bella Fong, their main player, so the first game, the focus was on her,” Hala’ufia said. “This game, we focused on their bigs, and their bigs just dominated us in the first three quarters until we were able to figure it out.”

Fong, who is grappling with an injury, is one of San Mateo’s top scorers. The Bearcats have been plagued by injuries all season, as they played multiple games without another of their key players, junior center Violet MacAvoy, earlier in the season. 

“At the end of the day, we all go through it,” San Mateo head coach Paul Carion said. “We still had a shot to win, and I thought Kaitlyn Schuh did a really great job guarding Beltran.” 

Before the game, San Mateo (2-8, 12-10) celebrated a senior class that is smaller than most, honoring Kayliana Stevenson and Addison Busse, the team’s lone seniors. Despite being a small class, Carion said the pair of seniors made an outsized impact on the team. 

“Addison was the first one probably at the school who believed in me when I got the job and we started doing school workouts,” Carion said. “She was the one who was dedicated, came out all the time, and spread the word that good things were happening at San Mateo. ... Kayliana is a transfer who transferred in last year. She brings the energy, brings the joy, and she loves basketball.” 

Both the Dons and Bearcats will advance to CCS, where they could have an opportunity to meet again. In the meantime, Carion said the team needs to improve its offense before they potentially face an all-too-familiar opponent. 

“Just keep competing,” Carion said. “Losing Fong has been really difficult. We’ve been averaging about 25 points without her, so we’re just trying to encourage everyone to shoot more, and take some more shots. The good news is when we get to CCS, Aragon and Hillsdale still might be in our way.”