Cavers’ girls rally to top Patrick Henry in Eastern League showdown

All season long, San Diego High School’s girls basketball team has used pressure defense to fuel its offense.

Their lethal press was once again on display Tuesday as the visiting Cavers earned a critical 49-35 Eastern League win over Patrick Henry.

“Our press really starts in practice,” said Cavers sophomore Gianna Woods, who scored a game-high 24 points. “Every day, we’re conditioning to play a game like that.”

After taking a 24-18 lead at halftime, San Diego took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Patriots 18-12.

The Cavers (14-7, 4-0) went on a 6-0 run early in the third quarter, building the lead to double digits. Then at the end of the quarter, senior Saiyana Hughes knocked down her second 3-pointer of the night before Woods made a jumper to take a 12-point lead over Henry (19-3, 2-2).

“(The message at halftime) was to just put the game away, so we can be able to chill and slow down,” said Woods, who scored 11 of her two dozen points in the third quarter.

Woods made three 3-pointers Tuesday, marking her seventh 20-point game this season.

“She’s really stepped up in her sophomore season,” Cavers coach Angela Bird said of Woodson, who averages 15.5 points per game. “She’s one of our captains this year, so her being able to lead the team when we couldn’t score and be able to put the ball in the hoop is huge.”

Tuesday was also a battle between a couple of top teams within their respective CIF San Diego Section divisions. According to MaxPreps.com, San Diego is ranked No. 2 in Division 2, trailing La Costa Canyon; Patrick Henry is the top-ranked team in Division 3.

Bird said Tuesday’s matchup showed how unique and strong each team in the Eastern League is.

“There’s always crosstown rivals with University City, Patrick Henry, La Jolla, Crawford. I think it’s great,” Bird said. “With all these teams in the Eastern League, it’s awesome to see how competitive they are. With the rankings now, anybody can beat anybody on any given night.”

After Patriots senior Taylor Perry scored the first bucket of the second quarter to cap off a 9-2 run, the Cavers punched back with an 8-0 run that lasted more than five minutes to regain their five-point lead before going into halftime up six.

Henry was led by seniors Ayla Collins and Perry with 10 and nine points, respectively.

Both San Diego and Patrick Henry continue Eastern League play Friday, with both teams tipping off at 6 p.m. The Cavers return home to face University City while the Patriots travel to Mira Mesa.