BRIANNA LANDEROS (2, in white) goes up for two of her 18 points Friday night as Santiago defeated La Quinta 55-37 in a face-off for first place in the Garden Grove League girls’ basketball race (Orange County Tribune photos).

By Christopher Adbelmalek

Making a statement victory early in the season can put fear in heart of your opponent. Down early in this game, the Santiago Cavalier girls’ basketball team (now 10-9, 4-0) rallied and overcame a half-time deficit to defeat the La Quinta Aztecs (10-10, 3-1) 55-37 Friday night in a battle for first place in Garden Grove League. Brianna Landeros led the way with a team-high 18 points.

Landeros started slowly in this one only scoring two points in the first half. For the league’s leading scorer at almost 14 points a game, it was the sole reason the girls in white and purple were down early. “We just needed to settle down; we weren’t playing defense,” said Cavaliers coach Pablo Martinez.

CAROLINA JIMENEZ made two key three-pointers in the third quarter for Santiago.

While the Cavs were turning the ball over and playing loose on the offensive side, the Aztecs didn’t help their cause in the first half. Missing open shots and also turning the ball over at times kept the game close. Ryann Nadeau led the way for the blue-and-gold in the game and scored eight points in the first two frames. She finished with 12 points overall.

Being down 22-21 at the half, Martinez made the adjustments he needed to at the break and guided his team towards the comeback. Landeros scored nine points in the third quarter to not only take the lead but also basically put the game out of reach. “She turned it on,” said Martinez.

With the help of Carolina Jimenez, who hit two of her three three-point attempts in the third, the Cavs built a nine-point lead heading in the final quarter. Martinez commented on Jimenez’s play in the game, saying, “She was tremendous for us in the second half. We picked up the intensity, we started making the adjustments.”

The Cavs kept the lead and the defensive pressure in the final frame, holding the Aztecs to only seven points.

The two teams will meet again at the beginning of February, and that game could very well decide the league champion. But, next up for La  Quinta is the third-place team Vaqueros (10-8, 2-1) at Rancho Alamitos High School. The Cavaliers will head to Loara High School to take on the Saxons (8-3, 2-2). Both games will be on Tuesday, Jan. 21 with scheduled start times at 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY RESULTS (Girls)

Garden Grove League

• Santiago 55, La Quinta 37
• Loara 27, Los Amigos 21.
• Rancho Alamitos 69, Bolsa Grande 43.

FRIDAY RESULTS (Boys)

Garden Grove League

• Rancho Alamitos 52, Bolsa Grande 35.

Golden West League

• Garden Grove 51, Western 41.

• Ocean View 61, Segerstrom 55.

Wave League

• Laguna Beach 55, Marina 48.

• Fountain Valley 53, Huntington Beach 50.

Surf League

• Edison 67, Los Alamitos 58.

Empire League

• Tustin 47, Pacifica 41.

Orange Coast League

• Estancia 103, Orange 62.

THURSDAY RESULTS (Girls)

San Joaquin League

• Orangewood Academy 50, Fairmont Prep 34.

Surf League

• Huntington Beach 47, Corona del Mar 19.
• Edison 35, Los Alamitos 20.

Wave League

• Marina 60, Newport Harbor 48.

Orange Coast League

• Orange 36, Estancia 29.

Scores will be posted as they arrive.