Central earned a hard-fought 44-38 win over league rival Alhambra in girls basketball on Monday night.

 

The Bobcats had control of the first half of the game but found themselves trailing with two minutes left in the third quarter.

 

The score was 29-27 when Alhambra junior center Ana Quihuis drove to the basket tying the game with a foul giving her a chance at a three-point play.

 

Quihuis made her free throw giving the Lions their first lead of the game 30-29.

 

The Bobcats came ready to play, outscoring the Lions by 10 points at the end of the first quarter for a 19-9 lead.

Central junior Estrella Chavez hit two back-to-back three pointers early in the first quarter.

 

“I knew we had to come out strong,” said Chavez. “I had this momentum going that gave me the confidence to do it.”

 

The Bobcats continued to play strong defense in the second quarter holding the Lions to only five points.

 

“We had a lot of unforced turnovers,” said Alhambra coach Meisha Fox. “We made careless passes and rushed on offense.”

 

The Lions had 17 turnovers in the game.

 

Both teams continued to get in foul trouble throughout the game. For the Bobcats, free throws was one of the key components that helped them win the game.

 

“We made our free throws when it counted,” said Central coach Ernest Pouncy.

 

The Bobcats continued to shoot well in the second quarter, outscoring the Lions by 11 points for a 25-14 halftime lead.

 

The Lions responded in the second half. Alhambra center Jacqueline Cangas hit back-to-back three pointers to make it a five-point game with six minutes left in the third quarter.

 

The Lions held a one point lead over the Bobcats, 35-34, after three.

 

The game was up for grabs in the fourth quarter. The Lions continued to get in foul trouble, sending the Bobcats to the free throw line early in the fourth which gave Central a 39-35 lead.

 

Chavez hit another three with three minutes left to play, and Central went up by seven. The Lions couldn't recover.

 

“I told myself I can do it,” said Chavez. “We came together defensively and offensively as a team.”\

 

The two teams last met Dec. 12, when the Bobcats came out victorious 48-34.

 

The Bobcats finished 5-5 in league play with the win in the last regular-season game, and might have a shot at playoffs.

 

“We’re hoping we can make it to the regional playoffs,” said Pouncy.

 

Centrall improved to 10-12 for its overall regular season record.

 

Alhambra ended the season 10-14.