Merced College women headed back to the state Elite Eight after playoff win.
Freshman Hope Salsig has been a reliable scorer for the Lady Blue Devils since the Merced College women’s basketball team entered Central Valley Conference play.
The former Turlock High guard averaged 13.6 points per game, reaching double figures in 10 of the 12 CVC games.
Merced College needed Salsig’s offense Saturday. With the Blue Devils struggling to knock down shots and post player Jada Johnson on the bench in foul trouble, Salsig came up big with four first-half 3-pointers.
Salsig finished with a team-high 16 points to lead the No. 2 Blue Devils (28-3) past No. 7 Cabrillo 70-46 in the second round of the Northern California Regional Playoffs at Don Reid Court.
“My teammates are good at finding me when I’m open,” Salsig said. “They’re also good at feeding the hot-hand throughout the game.”
The win sends Merced College back to the state Elite Eight, which begins in Ventura on Friday. The Blue Devils will face No. 3 East Los Angeles (27-6) in a 1 p.m. game as they try to earn their way back to the state championship game.
“They are so excited,” said Merced College coach Allen Huddleston. “Ayaka (Nakishima) and Suzuna (Shoji) both told me last year after we lost the state championship that we’re going to get back there next year. I said all right. I guess I’m just going for the ride.”
With Nakishima and Shoji leading the way, the Blue Devils dominated Cabrillo with their pressure defense. At times, the Hawks even had trouble getting the ball past half court.
Johnson finished with 12 points, but when the 6-foot center picked up her second foul, that allowed Huddleston to go to a smaller, quicker lineup that gave Cabrillo fits.
The Blue Devils built a 35-22 lead at the half and extended it to 57-33 entering the fourth quarter.
Shoji finished with 13 points and Nakashima added 12 points for the Blue Devils.
“I’m very happy with our effort,” Huddleston said. “Even though our shots weren’t falling, kids kept working. Nobody was putting their heads down.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2019 at 9:58 PM.
