Strathmore High keeps the heat on Fallbrook to claim Southern Section championship

If the Strathmore High School gym and its capacity of no more than 300 spectators seemed hot on Saturday night, the blame was more than the 106-degree weather outside.

That was because a) it was just a few degrees cooler inside the gym and b) the Spartans’ star guard Jazmine Soto started cold, missing her first seven shot attempts before heating up to hang up 42 points in a 63-54 win over Fallbrook High.

The win – Strathmore’s 21st of the season against 6 losses – rewarded head coach Richard Miranda and the team the CIF Southern Section Division 5-AA championship.

Soto shrugged off her slow start. After all, her mother reminds her that no one shoots 100%.

“Shots are going to fall and shots are going to miss. It’s all part of them, but that doesn’t mean that I just stop shooting,” said Soto, the Valley’s all-time leading scorer, male or female.

“Once I got my groove, I started shooting more and then I started sinking them,” said the senior guard, who ended her high school career with 3,331 points.

Strathmore, the No. 2 seed, appeared to have everything under control after taking a 26-12 lead with 2:28 left in the second quarter, thanks to a smothering defense that pressured turnovers and Soto’s offense. She had 15 points in the first half.

However, turnovers and dead-eye 3-point shooting by Liz Villagrán (she made four of them in the game to finish with 15 points) and Brooke Quintana whittled that advantage to 28-21 at halftime.

Fallbrook, the No. 5 seed, closed to 31-28 in the third quarter but couldn’t keep up with Soto and her teammates. Soto scored 19 points in the fourth quarter.

The game unfolded the way Miranda always tells his players: “The game will be won in the fourth quarter.”

It mattered little that Soto missed two consecutive breakaway layups within a minute in the second half.

“It’s part of the game, and mistakes are going to happen,” said Soto. “I couldn’t just sit there and stop shooting.”

Soto built her 42 points on 11 field goals, 4 three-pointers and 8 of 14 free throws. The production came a day after Miranda had asked her for 50 points in the championship game.

“

I kept telling the girls that the best team will win in the fourth quarter; and, Soto turned it on a little bit but, you know, it took her a while,” said Miranda, who met Soto and most of her teammates when they were in the third grade and he coached a travel basketball team.

Miranda also figured that the opponents from San Diego County would not be accustomed to the heat. He had his players practice at the same time on Friday. Spectators were fanning themselves during the game.

“They’re not used to this heat,” said Miranda about the Fallbrook players, who ended their season with a 23-9 record.

He could have been referring to the weather, or the pressure by the Spartans.

The only hiccup for Strathmore was the final 2 minutes of the opening half.

“

We got careless, and that’s kind of our peeve,” said Miranda. “We have a mental lapse and we start turning the ball over.”

In the second half, Miranda went to a triangle-and-2 defense. He figured if the Spartans took care of the ball, things would work out.

“I think that helped us because now it took the ball out of their hands,” said Miranda.

Fallbrook – whose enrollment of 1,964 dwarfs Strathmore’s 371 students – was led by Naiya Kurnik’s 15 points, while teammates Villagrá (14 points) and Quintana (10 points) contributed.

Strathmore is used to playing bigger schools. To start the season 0-4 after losses to Valley powerhouses Buchanan High and Clovis West, and to Porterville and Hanford. Its other two losses were to Hanford again and to Sanger.

“We got our butts kicked,” said Miranda, who passed the 300-victory mark this season as a coach.

Clovis West ended its season 20-1, losing in the CIF Southern Section Open Division title game. Buchanan captured the 3-A crown. Corcoran, which lost the Valley title to Strathmore, claimed the 6-AA championship.

“We just had a tough schedule,” said Miranda. “I think that mentally and physically that prepared us for this.”

Sherrie Chapa, a junior center who has stepped up her inside game during the playoff run, contributed 9 points.

Soto praised Chapa’s play.

“She started picking it up three games ago,” said Soto of Chapa. “I’m really proud of these girls and how they have grown.”

Sisters Yvette and Joseli Gutiérrez combined for 11 points.

Strathmore used its home court advantage to the maximum, capturing league, Central Section and South Section titles without traveling.