Downey girls basketball wins 18th consecutive game over Warren, 52-30
Downey’s Amanda Velazquez (31) passes the ball as they play Warren in their girls basketball game at Downey High School on Monday. Downey defeated Warren 52-30. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
DOWNEY – And the streak goes on for the Downey High School girls basketball team over rival Warren.
A winning streak of 18 games over the last nine years continued with a convincing, 52-30, nonleague victory Monday night at Downey high.
For the first time, the two area schools aren’t in the same league after re-leaguing last season. But, if Warren wins league, they could be moved up to the Gateway League.
Downey (11-12, 1-3) is currently in fourth place in the Gateway League behind Lynwood, Paramount and Gahr, and Warren (10-5, 4-1) holds down first place in the San Gabriel Valley League. (Warren played Dominguez Wednesday Jan. 22 – Result not known at press time).
“I think our girls have belief and fight and the last time we played (Warren), when they went up, we never doubted and we came back,” Downey coach Nate Harris said. “Our goal was to win every quarter.
“We need to get better this week in practice, because we want to compete with Lynwood and Paramount in the second half of league.”
Leading the way for the Vikings was senior forward Amanda Velazquez with a game-high 21 points (9 of 12, 75%) and a game-high 17 rebounds. Velasquez, averaging 10.3 points per game, leads with a 10.9 average in boards for the Vikings.
“It’s deep rooting and passion every time I’m on the court with (Warren),” said Velazquez, of the rival Bears. “I want to win and get the “dub” (win) every time and finish them.”
Velazquez had not lost to Warren in her four years on varsity going 8-0.
“It feels amazing and incredible,” Valasquez said. “I’m going to have the time of my life at school.
“We knew we had to come out in every quarter with intensity. We didn’t want it to get close and executed everything perfectly. Our coach from the jump told us to capitalize on their mistakes.”
Also, scoring in double figures for the Vikings was freshman guard Bella Mejia with 14 points. Freshman guard Natalie Gomez (10 rebounds) added seven points, while senior forward Samira Padilla had six points.
“Bella is our best ball handler against pressure, and it’s been tough for her as a freshman,” Harris added. “Amanda is a returner and handling the ball last year wasn’t her role with the five seniors that graduated.
“The really cool thing about Bella and Amanda is they hit if off and they’re good friends off the court. They were roommates on our trip to Palm Desert.”
Downey’s Geneva Serrano (22) drives the ball down court as they play Warren in their girls basketball game at Downey High School on Monday. Downey defeated Warren 52-30. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
Leading the way for the Bears was junior guard Naima De La Cruz with 11 points, while sophomore guard Isabela Jimenez added seven points.
The Vikings, which kept their winning streak alive in the first meeting with the Bears (43-41) on a go-ahead clutch three-pointer with eight seconds left in the game by Mejia, didn’t let the game go down to the last seconds in Monday’s win.
In that first meeting (Jan. 6), Downey built up a 10-point lead (22-12) at the half but were down by 10 with three minutes left in the game and were losing by eight with 90 seconds left, before a furious comeback.
“From the jump we could not have that happen again (late comeback by Warren),” said Mejia of the first time they met.
Losing 41-38, Mejia missed a three-pointer, but senior center Isabella Ceja, who was averaging just under two points a game and scored a surprising nine points, scored a layup to trail, 41-40. After a steal by Velazquez, Mejia hit the long-range go-ahead shot.
Mejia (12 pts.) and Velazquez (11 Pts.) led the way in that game for Downey.
The Bears outscored Downey, 29-21, in the second half.
In Monday’s 22-point win over the Bears, Downey jumped out to a 13-3 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. They started with a 6-0 run and ended the quarter with another 6-0 run. Velazquez led with four baskets for eight points.
“These rivalry games are always fantastic, but (Monday) the game didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” said first-year Bears coach Daniel Gomez, who is a graduate of Warren. “I’ve been around the Downey-Warren rivalry since I was about nine years old. I’m a Downey kid through and through.
“Despite the fact that they couldn’t put the ball in the basket, and we missed 20 free throws, it kind of got away from us.
“Even then, it’s just important that we start building those blocks that we have a competitive rivalry games again. The atmosphere is always electric. My first game (as coach) in the Downey-Warren rivalry was electric.”
Gomez went on to say high praise for some of his players, “I have amazing basketball players who are still genuinely learning. Moriah Sanders (senior) is our starting point guard. When you’re the point guard on one of my basketball teams, you’re asked to do a lot, and she does a great job of learning the position.
“Then we have Ayanna Finn who is the heart of our team and our leading rebounder. She has a motor that just doesn’t quit. Aliyah Lopez, a junioir, (16 ppg) is our leading scorer and has the ability to be a phenomenal player. She has that potential.
“Kirssy Reyes is a four-year varsity player, and we call her the press break queen. Those four players kind of make the team go forward, along with some youngsters off the bench.
“We haven’t won a (league) championship since 2011, and we have a chance to do something we haven’t done in a long time.”
In the second quarter, after a layup by Velazquez to lead 15-3, Warren senior forward Ayanna Finn stopped the Vikings run with a short jump shot floater, to trail, 15-5 with a minute and a half gone in the quarter.
The Bears kept pace in the second quarter with 10 points, while Downey had 11.
De La Cruz led the Bears with four points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer with 2:50 left, to trail by nine, 21-12.
Velazquez again led the Bears with seven points in the quarter.
However, Warren missed six of seven free throws in the quarter and in the game, they ended up converting only 7 of 27 (25.9%). Downey was 6 of 9 at the charity stripe in the game.
The Vikings held a 24-13 lead at the half.
In the third quarter after neither team scored in the first two-plus minutes, Downey went on a 10-3 run to lead, 34-16, with 1:18 left. Gomez and Padilla each had a 3-pointer in the run, while senior guard Sophia Munguia scored the only long-range score for the Bears in the quarter.
After a Warren time out, De La Cruz and Jimenez scored a jump shot and layup, respectively in the last minute, to trail, 34-20, heading in the fourth quarter.
With the 14-point lead heading into the final quarter, Warren tried a comeback with a 6-2 run to open the quarter to get within 10 points (36-26) on a 3-pointer and free throw by De La Cruz and a layup by Finn.
“We made that little run at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth and sometimes it comes down to staying patient and staying poised,” Gomez said. “We got on that run but shot ourselves in the foot a little with little mistakes here and there and that run ends and goes back the other way.”
However, another run (13-3) by the Vikings gave them a 20-point (49-29) lead with 3:15 left.
Mejia, with the highest scoring output in any of the four quarters, ended the Vikings scoring with a 3-pointer for the 22-point margin of victory.
“We had to start from the jump and continue to jump on their backs, scoring and do whatever we can to break away the game,” Mejia added. “I’ve always been taught by my dad (Mauricio) and has always shown me since I’m a smaller guard to go into their body and create contact. That’s how you get the foul and the and one (free throw).”
Downey continues with Gateway League action Friday (Jan. 24) at home against Mayfair (3-11, 0-3), while Warren continues SGV action at Bellflower, also on Friday night.
Warren Boys basketball defeats Downey, 58-57
Freshman guard King Johnson led the Bears (12-10, 3-3) with 15 points (6 for 10, 60%), while senior guard Lucas Osuna added 14 points (5 for 9, 56%). Osuna was also 4 for 8 from beyond the arc and had nine rebounds.
With the loss, Downey slips to 4-1 in league and 15-8 overall.
The Vikings host Norwalk Friday (Jan. 24), while Warren travels to Bellflower.