Sports
Girls Basketball: Titans Sail Through to the Quarters
Tiffany Tate scores 18 points and Katie Kuklok adds 13 as the Titans come away with the big win over Grossmont, 60-36.
It didn't take the Poway High girls basketball team long to recover from a close loss to Rancho Bernardo in the final game of the regular season. The Titans hosted Grossmont High in the first round of the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs Tuesday night, and although it took awhile to put the game away, the 60-36 final proves Poway is back on track.
What started out to be a closely contested game turned into a blowout as the Titans (23-4) used a huge third quarter to leave the Foothillers in their wake.
Grossmont (19-8) started out with a solid defensive effort that paid off in a 7-4 lead midway through the first quarter, though the Titans found their stride and battled back to take a 10-9 advantage by the end of the period.
“At that point we needed to keep working hard and keep up a positive attitude,” said Poway junior Tiffany Tate, who had 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists. “We knew that our shots would start to fall eventually.”
Poway began to find its rhythm on the offensive end, scoring 20 points in the second quarter and pulling away to a 12-point lead, 30-18. That was just a precursor of what was to come after the intermission.
The Titans outscored the Foothillers 22-2 in the third quarter to gain a 52-20 advantage, enabling the Titans to out it in cruise control in the final period, pulling out their starters to give the second string some playoff experience.
That allowed Grossmont to cut into the Titans' lead behind team captain Teyshonnia Bealer-West, who led the Foothillers with 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
“Everything fell for us tonight, everyone contributed,” said Titans’ senior Katie Kuklok, who scored 13 points and had seven rebounds. “We needed this after our performance against RB. This gives us a good start to the playoffs. We’re excited for our next game.”
With the victory, the Titans move on to the quarterfinals on Friday where they will host the Carlsbad High Lancers (15-10) at 7 p.m.
“They’re going to be a tough team,” said Poway coach Jay Trousdale. “There’s nothing easy the rest of the way in Division I playoffs. Every game is going to be a battle.”
