APTOS >> Another high-pressure game, another expanse of time shortened by the Aptos High girls basketball team.
The Mariners proved once again a puzzle unsolvable during the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Tournament championship Saturday night at Aptos High. The top-seeded Mariners defeated No. 2 Soquel for the fourth time this season, 63-54 In doing so, they claimed their first outright league title in 36 years.
“The best thing that could happen to us in this tournament is not lose half of our championship,” Aptos coach Stefan Hocom said.
The Knights (15-9) were also the Mariners’ victims two weeks ago when Aptos (23-3) earned at least a share of its first league banner since 1982-83. Those Mariners of yore, also winners of the SCCAL Tournament, had to share their title with regular-season champion Santa Cruz.
This time, it’s Aptos’ and Aptos’ alone.
Junior guard Hannah Hocom led Aptos with 20 points, including 10 in the first half. Gabby Giuffre, also a junior guard, added 16 before fouling out with 2:57 left in the game. Natalia Ackerman, a sophomore center, added 11 points and 10 rebounds and center Abbi Saxton, the team’s lone senior, chipped in eight points, 14 rebounds and four steals.
The teams could meet a fifth time this season in the Central Coast Section Division III tournament, which begins next week. Last year, they faced each other in the championship, with Aptos earning its first victory over Soquel to claim the section title.
This year, however, there are rumors the Mariners could be pulled up into the Open Division. They will find out Sunday at the CCS seeding meeting in San Jose. The selection show will be webcast at cifccs.org starting at 1:30 p.m.
Hocom said he’s all for moving up, even if it means a showdown with Archbishop Mitty, the No. 1 team in the nation, and its star, Hayley Jones, a Santa Cruz native.
“What a great chance. When do you have a chance to play the No. 1 team in the nation?” Hocom said.
“I asked the girls what they wanted to do, and there was no hesitation,” he added. “They wanted to go Open.”
Soquel, meanwhile, wouldn’t mind if Aptos stayed put, despite the Knights’ track record against the Mariners this season. Coach Kanani Thomas said her team has taken monumental steps in the past two weeks toward being the team it wants to be. She said she could see her team turning the tables on the Mariners just like they did to the Knights last season.
“This is where we want to be,” Thomas said. “Even two weeks ago we were entirely different. I’m excited to see what we’ll be like in two weeks.”
For one, Soquel finally seems to be finding its scorers, something it has struggled with all season. McKenzie Duran led the Knights with 13 points, followed by 11 from McKenna Finch, nine from Sophie Hannah and eight from Navaeh Guido.
Just as in their last two games, the Knights kept pace with the Mariners through the first two quarters and were trailing just 28-26 at the half. But a few lapses at the start of the third quarter, combined with a better rebounding effort by Aptos, allowed the Mariners to start the second half with a 7-0 run. Soquel never recovered, at least not on the scoreboard.
Hannah, one of two seniors for the Knights, said in terms of confidence and teamwork, they only got stronger.
“I’m a little disappointed because I know we really wanted to beat them,” she said. “But we came together as a team more than we ever have. I felt like there was a difference just in this game, that we were not going to let them beat us.
“It was a step up for our team, and I feel we’re ready for CCS.”
