Mission Prep girls beat Arroyo Grande for first head-to-head win in 5 years
The last time Mission Prep’s girls basketball team beat Arroyo Grande was just over five years ago on Feb. 4, 2020, according to MaxPreps.com.
After four straight years of falling short for Mission Prep seniors, in the last regular season game for each team on Tuesday, the Royals (13-10, 5-5 Mountain League) overcame the formidable Eagles (15-9, 6-4 Mountain), winning 55-51 in a contest that required some nervy moments in the last two minutes to seal the win.
The Royals came close to a victory earlier this season in a road game, losing 46-44 to the Eagles with a chance to tie or win on a final shot.
On Tuesday, Mission Prep jumped out to an early lead with quick-paced, up-and-down action that tested the conditioning and ball-handling skills of both teams.
Junior forward Gwen Nelson, who averages 10.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, poured in 17 points.
Nelson also stabilized the Royals’ defense in the paint, playing against 2023-24 Tribune SLO County Player of the Year 6-foot-3 Arroyo Grande junior center Diana Sorrondo. Sorrondo finished with 13 points, while pulling down several rebounds and blocking shots to make life difficult for Mission Prep.
“We always try to shut down the post a little bit because we limit the inside,” Nelson said. “We’d rather that they take the three than a two.”
The tight game launches both teams into Friday’s opening round of the CIF Central Section playoffs, with brackets expected to be announced Wednesday.
A tough battle
Senior Royals wing Mary Marsalek tallied 14 points and gave Mission Prep a 54-49 lead on a put-back layup in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Marsalek, a four-year varsity starter, said the victory was a long-awaited one against Arroyo Grande — which has become a fun challenge over the years despite the difficulty.
Playing alongside a group of close-knit seniors in K.K. Guy, Maka Guy and Lillie Parish, Marsalek and the Royals bring a balanced offense with multiple scorers.
“It was my last time with a guaranteed home game, and I’ve been playing with these girls for four years,” Marsalek said. “Playing against AG has always been fun since we’ve grown up playing against those girls. So tonight was kind of just like a great way to put a cap on that lead part of our high school experience together.”
Marsalek said that Arroyo Grande is a “great team” and the Royals came in determined to win after a narrow defeat in their first meeting.
“The last time we played them at their gym earlier this season, we lost by two and it came down right to the wire in a really great game,” Marsalek said. “”We kind of came back this game, saying, ‘We need to win.’”
Marsalek said her senior teammates are tightly bonded on and off the court.
“I’ve been playing with them four years and more through club, and so it’s just our team chemistry is really good, and they’re my best friends, so it’s kind of stepping on the court with your family every time,” Marsalek said. “It makes it so fun. And I wouldn’t trade playing with them for anyone else.”
Movement and defense
Nelson said a team goal playing under Coach Cary Nerelli is to move the ball well and involve multiple players on offensive possessions.
“We had a lot of assist going around, so when you get assists, you get points,” Nelson said. “We try to get everyone to touch on each possession.”
Nerelli said that he was proud of his team’s defense and learning on their own how to make adjustments.
“Our defense has really come along, especially since league play has started,” Nerelli said. “The kids are understanding the matchup. They’re beginning to really have some faith in it. And it’s fun to watch them adjust without me doing the adjusting. They’re doing it on their own.”
Nerelli added the victory is a “really good win, especially going into the playoffs.”
Arroyo Grande looks to bounce back
Arroyo Grande Coach Tim Cramer called the loss “tough” and said the game came down to some key stretches.
“If we had battled like we did in the last quarter and a half for the whole game, I think we would have had a better outcome,” Cramer said. “I don’t think we could manage the energy early in the game. They definitely had it. They were scoring the basketball. And that matchup zone does give us some troubles. Coach Nerelli really does a good job at that.”
Cramer said he adjusted mid-game by emphasizing more movement.
“I got a little different look there, with some with some high ball screens,” Cramer said. “Obviously putting the ball in the basket helps a whole bunch. And when you don’t put it in the basket early in the game, that creates a challenge.”
Cramer said his team is relatively young but has a core group of seniors in Kinzie Amer, Sophia Robertson and Molly Sloan, who each bring different strengths. Robertson scored 10 for the Eagles.
“We have three good seed seniors and a playoff game ahead, so it’s not done yet, but we will certainly miss that group and their leadership that they brought,” Cramer said. “They have all been varsity players for three years, and it’s tough to replace those kind of players.”
Sloan said the three seniors have played together for about a decade from their experience in youth competition forward.
“We’re each other’s best friends, and so the chemistry on the court is just as strong as it is off the court, which really helps, and then it helps bring in the rest of the girls too, because we’re a group of best friends that just play basketball,” said Sloan, who scored nine points. “I’m excited that this is the group of girls that I get to spend my senior year with, and it’s really special to be able to play this sport one more season, at least with them.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM.
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