When California topped Boonville to open the season way back in November, it was a game that could have gone either way. For three quarters on Wednesday night, it looked as though the rematch would be heading in the same direction.
However, Boonville locked down defensively, held the Pintos to just four points in the final frame, and picked up a 55-39 win to advance to the California Tournament championship.
Nursing a slim lead entering the final frame, the Pirates outscored the Pintos 16-4 in the fourth. Unlike in the first matchup, Boonville had its best players on the court when it mattered most.
"Boonville made the plays tonight and they attacked us," California coach Bobby Sangster said. "We tried to do some different things and they went right at us with no hesitation."
While the Pirates ramped up their aggressiveness offensively, the Pintos struggled in that aspect of the game. The difference - a 14-5 Boonville advantage in free throws made.
"We hesitated quite a bit tonight," Sangster said. "We were out of sorts for almost the entire first quarter and really, most of the first half."
After an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter, the Pirates grabbed a lead that was never relinquished. California struggled to adapt to Boonville's scheme defensively, as the Pintos had six turnovers in the first quarter.
California (8-3) found its rhythm in the second quarter when junior Elizabeth Lutz scored two quick points following a scoreless first frame. Kayla Allison also gave the Pintos a boost with a pair of second quarter 3-pointers, the second of which made it a one-point game late in the first half.
Lutz, who scored her 1,000th career point on a 3-pointer near the end of the third quarter, was held in check for large portions of the game, but rallied California's offense throughout the third. She finished with a team-high 13 points.
"(Boonville) really funneled Elizabeth and had two people around her at all times," Sangster said. "We didn't attack very well and we didn't get the post entries and when we did, we didn't post up strong. When we tried to, the calls didn't go our way."
Outside of Lutz, the Pintos didn't have another player in double figures, though Gracie George had eight points and Allison finished with six.
Boonville (11-1), on the other hand, had three players in double figures. Hannah Fuemmeler led all scorers with 16 despite not scoring in the fourth. Jamie Lemmons tallied 14 points while Camryn Monteer added 11.
Lemmons, in particular, was a problem down the stretch for California. After being in foul trouble in late stages of the first game, the center came alive Wednesday to score eight of her points in the fourth.
"She did a great job of working her tail off and finishing with contact," Sangster said. " Her teammates did a really good job of finding her. When she had the ball, she had space to operate, she had an opportunity to be a strong, physical player and we let her do that."