Girls Basketball: Kuklok Lifts Titans Over Westview

A double-double by Katie Kuklok and a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the final minutes by Taylor Carter helped the Poway High girls basketball team take control down the stretch Wednesday in a battle of two of the top teams in North County.

The Titans  took control early and were able to maintain a slight lead throughout before pulling away to a 41-31 victory over Westview High in a low scoring affair.

“There was outstanding defense at both ends and good patient offense,” said Poway coach Jay Trousdale. “Both coaches know each other well, and that usually makes for a low-scoring game.”

In the first quarter, the Titans (20-2, 5-0) jumped out to a quick 13-7 lead on a pair of 3-pointers from Alexa Brunansky and seven points from Kuklok, a senior guard who will play for the University of San Diego next season.

To start the second quarter, the Wolverines (18-4, 3-2) were able to battle back thanks to three straight traveling calls on Poway. Westview would convert on all three trips down the court, shrinking the Titans’ edge to just 13-12 with five minutes to play in the half.

But Poway buckled down on defense and allowed just one more basket the rest of the quarter to take a 22-14 lead into halftime.

Early in the third, both teams struggled to find their rhythm on offense as the defensive pressure picked up on each side.

With just over two minutes to go in the quarter, the Wolverines fell behind by 12 points when the Titans switched to a zone defense and Westview began a comeback.

The Wolverines scored 10 quick points to cut the Poway lead to 26-24, highlighted by a 3-pointer from senior guard Melissa Peng, before the Titans switched back into a man-to-man defense.

“I was happy to get back into the game,” said Westview coach Bob McHeffey. “We gained a lot of confidence in the third, but our hard-nosed defense eventually tired us out.”

Poway took a 31-27 lead heading into the final periuod on a buzzer-beater by Brunansky.

“We locked down on defense,” said Kuklok. “We were able to hit some key shots, and we got lucky that they missed a few of theirs.”

With under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines still trailed by four, but seemed to gain the momentum when Poway got into foul trouble and put Westview into the bonus.

Then the Titans took back control, thanks to Carter. The senior hit two huge 3-point shots to give Poway breathing room and create the final 10-point margin.

“No one ever thought we were going to lose this game,” said Carter, who had nine points and eight rebounds. “We started to work harder and pushed through for the win.”

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To learn more about the Titans girls basketball team, visit their website, or follow them on MaxPreps.