Giants women's basketball advances to NorCal Regional finals
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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11 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 57 |
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25 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 98 |
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
Morgan Trigueiro continues to play with a heavy heart.
And a steely resolve.
Just 11 days following the unexpected death of her father, the sophomore out of Caruthers High delivered a game-high 29 points while helping top-seeded College of the Sequoias roll past No. 16 Cabrillo 98-57 in the second round of the Northern California Regional playoffs on March 1 at Porter Field House.
The Giants (29-0) advance to the regional finals, where they will host No. 8 Fresno City (20-9) at 7 p.m. March 8.
Morgan Trigueiro's father, Larry Trigueiro, died Feb. 18 at the age of 56. He was a farmer, in his first season as the Giants' women's basketball recruiting director, and was a sporting icon in western Fresno County for his success in motorsports and as a basketball coach.
"It's still hard," said Morgan Trigueiro, who also had four assists, two steals and a rebound. "It will be every time I step on the floor. But I have my teammates around me, so it's all good. I love to play basketball. My dad loved watching me play basketball. And he still is."
Sequoias coach Tyler Newton marveled over Morgan Trigueiro, who scored a season-best 40 points a day after her father died in a Central Valley Conference game at Porterville, and followed that by making 9 of her 16 shots -- including 7 of 12 3-pointers -- against Cabrillo (19-11).
"She's been phenomenal," Newton said.
The Giants scored the first seven points of the game against the Seahawks -- capped by a 3-pointer from Jocelyn Medina (Arbuckle) off an assist from Trigueiro -- and were never seriously challenged while remaining the state's only undefeated team.
Cabrillo got as close as four points (12-8) on a 3-pointer by Sydney Chestnut.
But Trigueiro scored six points as Sequoias closed the first quarter on a 13-3 run to build a 25-11 lead.
Trigueiro's nine second-quarter points helped the Giants expand their lead to 21 points (52-31) at halftime.
Sequoias essentially put the game away with a 23-3 blitz to open the third quarter that allowed it to expand its lead to 41 points (75-34). Trigueiro had 11 points, including three 3-pointers, during the run.
Cabrillo never got closer than 34 points the rest of the way.
"This is what we worked all year for, for playoffs," Trigueiro said. "Right now it's go time. And it felt really good to go out and make a statement like that."
The state's unanimously No. 1-ranked Giants also received 22 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and three steals from Medina.
"We definitely knew it would be a tough one," Medina said. "I feel like every time we play a game, it's their Super Bowl. Everyone wants to take down the No. 1 team. We were ready. We came in locked-in and really paid attention to the scouting report."
Sequoias' starting five also saw Anisa Torres (Caruthers) deliver 13 points, four rebounds; three assists and two steals; Kaitlin Giacone (Eureka) contribute 12 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and a block; and Ricci finish with five points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Coming off the bench, the Giants received eight points and an assist from Teresa Sandoval (Hanford West); one point, four rebounds, Maya McNeal (Marysville) had a point, four rebounds and an assist; and Mallary Gonzalez (Hoover-Fresno) finished with four rebounds.
"I'm super happy. It is what it is, survive and advance," Newton said. "We had everyone step up today. I'm so proud of this group and their resiliency. Showing up like that. Playing for each other. Everybody stepped up and made big plays. It was fun to watch."
Sequoias moves on to its third meeting of the season against Central Valley Conference rival Fresno City, which earned a spot in the regional finals with a 74-72 win over No. 9 Butte, where Newton coached for seven seasons before taking over the Giants program last spring.
The Giants beat the Rams 67-44 on Jan. 18 in Fresno and 70-55 on Feb. 12 in Visalia.
"I laugh because it was either my former college or the third time playing a league opponent," Newton said. "Neither are ideal for a matchup. Our job is to watch film, come up with a scouting report, have good days in practice and come out here and try to execute and get it done."
But before preparing for Fresno City, Sequoias will focus on saying goodbye to Larry Trigueiro. His viewing is March 2 and his funeral is March 3. The team will all be at both services.
"It's very emotional again going back into that place," Newton said. "But I know he's upstairs watching right now. He's very proud of (Morgan) and our team and all they've accomplished and put into this."
The Giants are attempting to return to the state's Elite Eight for the seventh time since 2015. The Elite Eight is scheduled for March 14-16 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
Sequoias has one state title in program history, when legendary coach Tom Gilcrest directed a 35-0 team.
"I think we've come together a lot," Morgan Trigueiro said. "We had a lot to play for, and now we have more to play for. We're one win away from our second goal of the season,and I'm really excited to play next week."
Team Stats
Cabrillo
| Game Statistics | Cabrillo | Sequoias |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-56) | (33-67) |
| Field Goal % | 35.7% | 49.3% |
| Rebounds | 22 | 53 |
| Assists | 14 | 28 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 2 | 24 |
| Pts in the Paint | 10 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 31 |
| Bench Pts | 0 | 17 |
