TIPTON - When a team has a long layoff, the rest versus rust dilemma always comes into play.
It crossed California coach Bobby Sangster's mind prior to Monday's game against Tipton, which is why he was likely relieved when the Pintos jumped out to a 12-point first quarter lead on their way to a dominant 59-23 win.
"I was very impressed with the girls tonight," Sangster said. "We were a little sloppy in the first half, but they really came out in the third quarter and set the tone and played the way we needed to play."
Elizabeth Lutz was California's tone-setter against the Cardinals. Lutz came out firing with 10 points in the first quarter and finished with a game-high 21. The Pintos took an aggressive approach offensively and Lutz was at the center of it, scoring from both long-range with four 3-pointers as well as looking to drive inside.
"It's what we've come to except from Elizabeth," Sangster. "She's always trying to get better. She's always trying to do what the team needs. I just can't say enough about her. She was able to step up and have a big night tonight and the team just fed off that energy."
While California hadn't played a game since Nov. 21, Tipton was on the other side of the spectrum. The Cardinals had played three games in their own tournament the week prior and showed clear signs of fatigue against the Pintos.
With California feeling good about its advantage in both rest and size, the recipe for a big win was there for the taking as long as the Pintos executed.
"We were very aggressive," Sangster said. "We saw some things in the 2-3 zone that we thought we might be able to exploit. We had an advantage in size and depth and we kind of smelled blood in the water."
The Pintos received a balanced scoring effort behind Lutz as nine other California players got into the box score. Gracie George had seven points while Paige Lamm and Halle Oliver had six apiece.
Tipton's offense was carried by freshman Abby Backes and senior Alyson Brant. Backes had 11 points while Brant had 10 as the pair accounted for all but two points the Cardinals scored.
With a massive lead in the second half, California was able to give big minutes to some of their bench players. As the Pintos look to develop depth, filling out the roles will be a key moving forward.
"It's absolutely vital," Sangster said. "I think I had 10 girls in the first half and I know we played 11 in the second half. For them to come in and get some varsity minutes and get some exposure on the floor and some film on one another, it's pivotal."