By Evan Barnes,, @evan_b on Twitter
POSTED: 02/22/14, 11:22 PM PST |
Serra’s girls basketball team made a bit of a fashion statement to start its playoff run as several players had pink ribbons wrapped around their heads.
But they made an even bigger statement on the court, a dominant performance by Chyanne Butler leading the Cavaliers to a 71-37 first-round home win over Keppel in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division.
Butler had 23 points in three quarters. She also had five assists.
“Coming from a tough loss (to Bishop Montgomery), we always have to come out strong the next game and show that didn’t affect us. We had a hard week of practice and it really showed in the game,” Butler said.
The loss perhaps took Serra out of a top-four seed in the Open Division, as well as a first-round bye. But coach McKinsley Hadley was clear that Serra did not come to remind anyone of anything except “good basketball.”
“We were able to get back to some things that we fundamentally want to do,” Hadley said, “We had a tremendous effort across the board and had a lot of people contribute.”
Caila Hailey had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds while adding six assists. Nautica Morrow had nine points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Brijaye Brackett had six rebounds off the bench as well.
“We wanted to show our true colors tonight,” Morrow said, “This whole week we practiced on defense and everything was on point.”
Butler set the tone, scoring the Cavaliers’ first six points and assisting on a layup by Kayla Bibb. She had an open-court steal and layup to start the second quarter, giving Serra a 16-4 lead.
The future USC Trojan nearly outscored Keppel by herself as Serra took a 53-27 lead after the third quarter.
“She stepped up and showed why she is Chyanne Butler,” Hailey said. “She showed why the playoffs are made for her, and throughout her career, she’s been a playoff performer.”
The Cavaliers’ full-court press overwhelmed Keppel as the Aztecs had trouble getting easy looks. They entered the game known for their shooting, but they only made two 3-pointers as Serra made them shoot from well beyond the 3-point line.
Keppel, which played without injured point guard Lauren Saiki, did not reach double figures in scoring until late in the second quarter on a pair of free throws by Viviana Garcia. For Sophia Song, who faced Serra twice last year at Bishop Montgomery, the challenge was all too familiar.
“It brought back old memories,” said Song, who had a team-high 12 points, “It was tough out there.”
Hadley said that he was impressed seeing how much Song improved from her freshman year, and as a sign of respect, he defended her with Hailey, the team’s best perimeter defender.
(Song) was a lot more inside than she had been in years past. She was a lot more perimeter-oriented,”
As for the ribbons, Hailey said that the idea came from seeing Butler wear hers before the game.
“Chyanne wore hers so we all decided as a team to wear them for breast cancer awareness, Hailey said.
It’s something the team plans to continue throughout the playoffs, which will get a bit tougher next week when it travel to Etiwanda.
“It’s a different dynamic,“ Hadley admitted, “We’re dealing with a team that’s more seasoned, more athletic and can threaten you at multiple positions.”
POSTED: 02/22/14, 11:22 PM PST |
Serra’s girls basketball team made a bit of a fashion statement to start its playoff run as several players had pink ribbons wrapped around their heads.
But they made an even bigger statement on the court, a dominant performance by Chyanne Butler leading the Cavaliers to a 71-37 first-round home win over Keppel in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division.
Butler had 23 points in three quarters. She also had five assists.
“Coming from a tough loss (to Bishop Montgomery), we always have to come out strong the next game and show that didn’t affect us. We had a hard week of practice and it really showed in the game,” Butler said.
The loss perhaps took Serra out of a top-four seed in the Open Division, as well as a first-round bye. But coach McKinsley Hadley was clear that Serra did not come to remind anyone of anything except “good basketball.”
“We were able to get back to some things that we fundamentally want to do,” Hadley said, “We had a tremendous effort across the board and had a lot of people contribute.”
Caila Hailey had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds while adding six assists. Nautica Morrow had nine points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Brijaye Brackett had six rebounds off the bench as well.
“We wanted to show our true colors tonight,” Morrow said, “This whole week we practiced on defense and everything was on point.”
Butler set the tone, scoring the Cavaliers’ first six points and assisting on a layup by Kayla Bibb. She had an open-court steal and layup to start the second quarter, giving Serra a 16-4 lead.
The future USC Trojan nearly outscored Keppel by herself as Serra took a 53-27 lead after the third quarter.
“She stepped up and showed why she is Chyanne Butler,” Hailey said. “She showed why the playoffs are made for her, and throughout her career, she’s been a playoff performer.”
The Cavaliers’ full-court press overwhelmed Keppel as the Aztecs had trouble getting easy looks. They entered the game known for their shooting, but they only made two 3-pointers as Serra made them shoot from well beyond the 3-point line.
Keppel, which played without injured point guard Lauren Saiki, did not reach double figures in scoring until late in the second quarter on a pair of free throws by Viviana Garcia. For Sophia Song, who faced Serra twice last year at Bishop Montgomery, the challenge was all too familiar.
“It brought back old memories,” said Song, who had a team-high 12 points, “It was tough out there.”
Hadley said that he was impressed seeing how much Song improved from her freshman year, and as a sign of respect, he defended her with Hailey, the team’s best perimeter defender.
(Song) was a lot more inside than she had been in years past. She was a lot more perimeter-oriented,”
As for the ribbons, Hailey said that the idea came from seeing Butler wear hers before the game.
“Chyanne wore hers so we all decided as a team to wear them for breast cancer awareness, Hailey said.
It’s something the team plans to continue throughout the playoffs, which will get a bit tougher next week when it travel to Etiwanda.
“It’s a different dynamic,“ Hadley admitted, “We’re dealing with a team that’s more seasoned, more athletic and can threaten you at multiple positions.”