Morro Bay girls basketball advances to finals with methodical win over Roosevelt
“Patience!” Morro Bay girls basketball Head Coach Alex Engel shouted to his team, as junior Rosie Martinez inbounded the ball on the baseline.
That was the theme of the night for the Pirates, as they dominated Roosevelt on Wednesday to win a spot in the tournament championship game.
The play Engel was setting up began in a box formation around the paint.
The two bottom players turned around to set screens for the two players standing at the elbow. After the players popped out to the three-point line, the two screen setters crossed each other, diving to the basket.
Martinez then passed the ball to senior center Tailer Morrison, who caught it over her head and without bringing it down, laid it into the hoop.
The score accounted for two of Morrison’s 13 points on the night.
“I don’t know if I’m a buzzword guy, but if there is one, it’s probably ‘patience,’” Engel said after the Pirates’ 39-24 home win on Wednesday.
The Pirates (23-6, 8-2 Sunset) moved on to the title game of the 2024 CIF Central Section Division 3 Championships with the victory over Roosevelt (21-8, 13-0). The No. 2 seed Pirates will take on the No. 1 seed Bakersfield Christian on Saturday at Selland Arena in Fresno.
Good game plan leads Morro Bay to win
From the first play, the Pirates moved the ball methodically on offense.
When Morrison was able to secure position in the paint, the team would pass her the ball and force Roosevelt to collapse. Then, Morrison would immediately kick the ball out to an open shooter for a better look.
When the Rough Riders left Morrison one on one, she tuned to her signature left hand hook shot for an easy score.
The Pirates play at a deliberate pace on offense.
“The four years I’ve been here, (Alex Engel) has very much keened on that we’re not a fast paced team,” senior Fiona Durham said. “We set things up. We run set plays and play with a purpose.”
On the defensive end, the Pirates stifled the Roosevelt offense, holding it to seven points in the first half.
The Pirates usually play a man-to-man defense, but while scouting Roosevelt, Engel and the coaching staff noticed the Rough Riders liked to drive to the paint. So they opted to run a zone defense that packed the paint and forced the Rough Riders to beat them with three-pointers and jumpshots.
On the game, the Rough Riders attempted 24 threes. Only three fell through the net.
“(Roosevelt) likes to drive straight to the basket, so our game plan was to take that away from them,” Morrison said. “We have our hands out the whole time and make the gaps limited for them to drive in.”
First 20-win season in 10 years
The Pirates are in the midst of their first 20-plus win season since 2013, Engel said.
“We’ve had a great year,” he said. “Not only from a wins and losses standpoint. It’s easy to say when you’re having a great season. It’s a great year, but the team chemistry has been so amazing. There’s no selfishness. They really fight for each other, and that’s hard to get people to do.”
Morrison echoed Engel’s sentiments: “We’re all really close, and we all hang out outside of basketball, so I feel like that really helps us in games because we know each other really well.”
Morrison tallied 13 points while Durham added 12. Sophomore point guard Zoe Fitzwater provided steady ball handling throughout the night and set up her teammates for scores.
The Pirates will compete for the CIF Central Section Division 3 Championship in Selland Arena on Saturday.