Now that the first one is out of the way, the Vikings can focus on the business at hand.
Senior Amy Woo pumped in 14 points, and both Mekayla Dacpano and Tiana Osborne chipped in nine in what was a total team effort, as North Salinas opened defense of its 2010 CCS Division I title Thursday with a relatively easy 58-44 win over visiting Monta Vista of Cupertino.
In looking to repeat, this time around the No.5 seeded Vikings (19-6) face a more difficult road including simply having to play in the second round. Last year, North Salinas entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, giving them an automatic trip to the quarterfinals.
I really liked the effort, Vikings head coach Darren Jackson said. There were times we got a little lackadaisical, probably because it was our playoff opener, but it was enough to get us past the second round.
While North Salinas was a little sluggish in putting up points early, they made up for it with a tenacious defense. In just the first two minutes of the game, the Vikings got four steals off the No.12 seeded Matadors (8-17).
Having quickly set the tone, in the second quarter North Salinas established itself inside. A number of second and third shot attempts following rebounds, including a bucket from Dacpano following a great no-look pass from Woo, helped the Vikings go on a 15-2 run that gave them a commanding 30-17 lead at the half.
Our defense played well, Jackson said. When we got opportunities, we then looked to
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