Reed cut a 13-point fourth-quarter gap to one but couldn’t complete the climb on Thursday night in a 45-38 home loss to Damonte Ranch.
The Raiders dropped to 1-2, 1-2 in DI North meetings while the Mustangs improved to 4-2, 1-2.
Reed trailed 34-21 after three quarters, their biggest deficit of the night, before finding its offensive rhythm late.
“I think they were just like ‘wait, we have to play basketball now.’ That’s what I felt like,” Reed coach Sara Schopper-Ramirez said. “We were playing safe then all of sudden (we) couldn’t play safe anymore.”
Reed opened the fourth quarter on a 14-2 run to sneak within one, 36-35, with 3:12 left following a Serene Townsell-Williams triple.
The two teams then traded buckets before the Mustangs closed on a 7-1 run, thanks in part to three Reed turnovers.
Vanessa Hernandez led the Raiders with 14. Larsa Guzman also reached double figures. She finished with 12. Both are freshmen.
Three different Mustangs reached double figures: Morgan Waller (13), Kyra Breusewitz (11) and Alexis Hunter.
Bruesewitz’s shooting helped Damonte pull away in the third quarter. She scored eight of her points, and six from behind the arc to led the guests to the comfy 13-point cushion going to the fourth.
Damonte closed the first half on an 8-1 burst to take a 20-14 lead to the locker room.
Bruesewitz started the run with a triple from the wing to spot the guests a 15-13 edge with three minutes left in the second quarter.
The Raiders held a narrow 7-6 lead after one.
“Wipe of your shoulder, we have to go tomorrow,” Schopper-Ramirez said. “We have to work on the little things and execute our offense.”
Reed hosts Douglas Friday night at 5:15 p.m.
Leave a Reply