This historic Wilson girls’ basketball season came to an end on Tuesday night in the first round of the CIF State Division 2 playoffs. The top-seeded Bruins couldn’t match visiting Mira Costa in a 55-42 loss.
Wilson coach Erin Carey told her team after the game to not hang their heads.
“No one expected us to even be in this position,” Carey said. “No one expected us to beat Millikan. We’ve kind of just had to prove everyone wrong all season. They did it. I’m proud of them and proud to be their coach. I’m proud that we get to hang that banner.”
The Bruins (25-9) won their first CIF Southern Section championship in 20 years on Saturday.
Mira Costa (23-10) jumped out to a 15-7 lead after the first quarter, but Wilson seniors Sydney Ross and Samiya Terry sparked an 11-0 run to tie it up 18-18 in the second.
“She gave us every ounce and every fiber of her being,” Carey said of Ross. “But she does that every game. And if we had another quarter, she’d give us another quarter.”
Terry scored a team-high 16 points.
“She played like it was a senior on her last game night,” Carey said of Terry. “She’s done that throughout the playoffs playing on a bum knee. She gave me all the heart I could ask for.”
The Mustangs ended the second quarter on a run of their own and led 26-18 at halftime.
Mira Costa made nine 3-pointers, and five of them came from freshman guard Maile Nakaji. She scored a game-high 19 points. The Mustangs closed the third quarter on a 13-2 run, and took a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter.
“They were quicker than us,” Carey said. “They gave us exactly what the film showed us. They’re disciplined and they run it like a well-oiled machine. They played like this was their home gym. They were just firing up shots and cashing. That’s hard to guard.”
