MIDDLETOWN >> All the big things seemed to be working for Middletown in its loss Wednesday night to Marin Catholic in the first round of the North Coast Section Division IV girls’ basketball playoffs at Middletown High School.
The Mustangs had won 11 straight games going into the contest with the Wildcats.
They had the home-court advantage and plenty of noisy support form the student section.
And they held the lead from the first quarter — from which they took a 15-10 edge. Leading from four to 12 points through the second and third quarters, they were ahead 31-25 at the half and 46-36 heading into the final quarter.
Team leader Ashlyn Welton had 21 points and 23 rebounds and team captain Katie Depp racked finished with 21 points and five assists. She also had three of the Mustangs’ five 3-pointers.
Only then did the Mustangs learn that it’s the little things that can hurt you. Like tiny 5-foot-6 Marin Catholic point guard Sara Young, who scored 10 of her 20 points to lead the Wildcats to a 32-point quarter and a 68-59 victory that will enable them to play against No. 1 seed St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Berkeley.
Where did the Middletown defense go in the final quarter?
“We were poor defensively all night,” said Middletown coach Anthony Bazzarro. “We’ve been a great defensive team all year. We just didn’t get it done tonight.”
But the Mustangs also had five turnovers in the fourth quarter and somehow let this one get away.
The loss tarnished an otherwise good year for Middletown, which finished with a 20-7 record. Marin Catholic, meanwhile, takes an 18-11 record into its match with St. Mary’s (21-7).
“We played good offense,” said Bazzarro. “We knew going into this game we were up against a tough opponent.
We’ll get back to work and get ready for next year.”
