by Mike Finnerty (mike.finnerty@surewestsports.com)
The No. 1 ranked Sacramento Dragons girls basketball team was back in town for the first time since December 13 when they beat No. 2 Pleasant Grove by 10 points.
While on the road, the Dragons played in the prestigious NIKE Tournament of Champions where they lost all four games. From there the Dragons played in the West Coast Jamboree where they started off with two losses before finishing with a pair of wins.
Tuesday at Florin High School, Sac High (7-6) took on the No. 4 Florin Panthers (11-3) in a Metro League opener, but for a game that was expected to be competitive was a rout from the opening tipoff.
The Dragons buried the Panthers, 65-31, thanks to a smothering defense that converted several turnovers and steals into easy layups, and an offense that was in cruise control behind the play of senior Jasmine Ware (13 points).
"I think playing a tough preseason schedule like that helped," said Sac High head coach Michele Massari. "We were determined to not even let it be close. We were just determined to not have a close game. That was out initial thoughts. I was really hoping that my kids would have that killer instinct."
After the first quarter Sac High held an 18-0 lead, but Florin's struggles continued into the second quarter and didn't score its first points of the game until there was 5:44 left in the half, making it a 22-2 game.
Florin had no answers for a Sac High defense all night long. The Dragons made it tough on the perimeter as well as in the paint. If Sac High's 6'4" sophomore center Ayanna Edwards wasn't blocking or altering shots, the Panthers were missing terribly.
"The first thing I wrote on the board, was 'pressure, pressure, pressure', " said Massari. "I think that challenging ourselves in preseason helped us."
By halftime the Sac High advantage was 29-5, but the story of the night came in the third quarter when Ware scored on a fast break layup, was fouled, then fell to the ground and didn't get up. Ware, in obvious pain, laid on the floor for several minutes with apparent knee pain.
Ware was eventually carried off the floor with 5:30 left in the quarter with the score now 34-5.
Sac High went on to get the 34-point win and the blowout was clearly a source of anger during post game, and for some players, tensions had clearly been simmering.
"After the game when we were slapping five, his (Florin head coach Larry Price) kids were cussing at our kids and I told him to say something to his kids and he wouldn't," said Massari.
Fortunately there were no skirmishes, but coaches from both sides had to be restrained. Massari ordered her players to the bus right away as security arrived before things got out of hand.
Ware, a 5'10" senior guard who signed with UC Santa Barbara in November, was taken to the hospital after the game with results of the knee injury expected late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
Briana Womack led Sac High in scoring with 15 points.