The California Pintos (18-7) girls team advanced to the semifinals of the Class 3 District 9 Tournament after their 57-42 win over Linn High School (7-18) in the first round of district, Feb. 18.
The game was tied 13-13 after the first quarter and California trailed 20-17 with only a few minutes left in the second quarter. But back-to-back 3-pointers by the Pintos gave them the lead at 23-20 and started a 16-5 run for the Pintos. California ended the quarter and entered half time up 33-25.
Head Coach Bobby Sangster said the run gave the Pintos momentum going into halftime.
"Anytime in districts, when you can get a little gap in the score board, it is always important," Sangster said.
California's defense played a big role in that run, as they created five steals that led to quick scores for the Pintos during California's run.
"We were playing with a great amount of effort," Sangster said. "The girls were executing and Linn being without their starting point guard hurt them a lot tonight. The girls played extremely hard and did the things we asked."
In the third quarter, the Pintos expanded their lead to 17 points with the score 49-32 with more than two minutes to play in the quarter. California outscored Linn 16-11 in the quarter.
The Pintos continued to play tough defense in the fourth quarter, as they gave up only six points in the final quarter. Linn was not able to cut the lead down to single digits in the fourth quarter.
Sangster said the team slowed the pace down in the fourth quarter.
"In a ball game like that, in the fourth quarter, the clock is your friend," Sangster said. "You want to understand the scoring situation and not rush too much."
Gracie George led the Pintos with 17 points and Tristan Porter scored 13.
The Pintos will play South Callaway (19-6) at 6 p.m. Feb. 21 in the district semifinals.