Lady Highlanders rally to defeat Eagles
- Updated: May 4, 2021
2021 EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
HELIX 43, GRANITE HILLS 41
EastCountySports.com staff report
LA MESA – The Helix Highlanders rallied from a second-half double-digit deficit to defeat the visiting Granite Hills Eagles, 43-41, on Tuesday at Caledonian Gym.
Juinor Angel Riggins, also a star on Helix’s red-hot varsity softball squad, scored 13 points, had six rebounds, and made four steals, for the Highlanders.
Riggins had a steal and a layup with 2:30 left in the game to give Helix a lead of 40-39 after trailing by as many as 11 late in the third quarter.
Riggins closed the first quarter of the game with a steal and layup conversion to give Helix an 11-9 lead after one quarter.
Seniors Le’Niyah Jones and Samonah Betts both had eight points for the Highlanders.
Betts had Helix’s only three-pointers of the game and one was the game’s first basket from deep and straight-away, and the other brought Helix to within 39-34 with just over four and a half minutes to play in the game.
Betts also had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Riggins and Betts helped start Helix’s comeback late in the third quarter.
Riggins recorded a pair of steals that she converted into baskets, and Betts found the hoop off a pair of offensive rebounds, as the Highlanders started to reduce a 31-23 deficit that the Eagles had established with 2:30 left in the third quarter.
Helix really had to rally twice after the Eagles went back ahead 38-31 on a three-pointer in the fourth quarter by Kyla Harris.
Levandra Eblahed had a great sequence in the second quarter, making a three-pointer, following by a two-point field goal. Moments later, she made a steal and got an assist on a basket late in the second quarter that sent the Eagles into halftime with a 23-16 lead.
Fonivictoria Pitia had a basket with 10.5 seconds left to bring the Eagles to within 42-41. She finished with seven points.
Anne Moskus had eight points and three steals for the Eagles, making a three-pointer in the second quarter.
Moskus was the distributor of a pair of great passes, with Pitia scoring layins after Helix’s defense fell asleep, as the Eagles built the nine-point lead in the third quarter.
The Eagles’ biggest lead was 33-22 with just over two minutes to go in the third after Moskus hit a runner as Granite was hot from the field.
LIBERTY 55, O’FARRELL 30 – The Lions led 17-5 after one quarter, although the Falcons whittled the lead to 21-14 by halftime.
Liberty improved to 3-0 in league play and 8-4 overall.
Liberty fell on Wednesday to Otay Ranch, 68-42, in a non-league contest.
MARANATHA CHRISTIAN 74, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 24 – Senior Christie Sarkis led the Knights with 14 points, while teammate Carolina Burke added 10 points and seven rebounds.
