Girls Basketball: Cristo Rey advances in regional

Updated: February 7, 2012 10:26PM

Cristo Rey’s players are the first to admit that they are not the most talented basketball team in the world.

But what the Cristeros lack in talent they make up for with work ethic and tenaciousness. They used that formula to knock off Powerhouse 48-24 Tuesday night in a Class 2A Lisle Regional quarterfinal.

The victory advanced third-seeded Cristo Rey (17-8) to Thursday’s semifinal against No. 2 seed Lisle, which routed Collins 56-11.

“We’re not too skilled but we’ve got a lot of heart,” Cristo Rey coach Bobby Chavez said. “We rely on our defense and just working hard. I think we outlasted them a little bit.”

With both sides using a full-court press, points were hard to come by in the early going. That was especially true for Powerhouse. The first-year program made only 4 of 24 field-goal attempts and missed all 11 free-throw attempts.

“[Cristo Rey] played good ‘D,’” said Power House coach Evelyn Gonzalez, whose team made 36 turnovers. “The way we played today doesn’t characterize how we played our whole season. Today the shots weren’t going in.”

They were going in for the Cristeros, who led 10-2 after one quarter and extended that to 22-5 following a 12-0 run midway through the second quarter. Cristo Rey made 12 of 24 shots in the first half en route to a 28-9 lead.

Angelica Macias and Luisa Franco made all four of their shots, mostly layups and short jumpers, in the first half, while Guadalupe Banda sank 3 of 5 attempts.

Banda, a 5-4 junior forward, converted two layups late in the third quarter after Powerhouse had trimmed the lead to 33-19 on a steal and layup by Takia Williams. Banda finished with a game-high 15 points, including her team’s last five, and had seven rebounds and two steals.

“I think it’s just communication and our coach always tells us to work hard,” Banda said. “All the games are like this. We get a little nervous but in the end if we work together, if we communicate, (make) good passes, [and] box out we succeed. It’s the little things the fans don’t always see.”

Franco scored 10 points for Cristo Rey, while Macias, who had a game-high 10 rebounds, and Lynda Negron both tallied eight points.

Persephonie Allen led Power House with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Takia Williams added five points while Natasha Pierce and Imani Stamps both scored four.

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