It was a tough game with points at a premium as buckets were hard to come by. The game was knotted at 12-12 at the half, and no team throughout the game had a lead bigger than 5 points. The Lady Saints defense knew they had to play lights out in the second half to win this game and they did just that, allowing just 5 total points in the third and fourth quarter combined. 

Abby Mendoza hit a layup with over 1:30 remaining in the final quarter to put the Lady Saints ahead, and the defense was flying around the remainder of the game to keep Legacy from scoring. GMCS won the game 19-17. 

Team defense has been what this group has stood on all season long, and they know that when they buckle down on the defensive end of the floor, they're really tough to score on. "It was a tough game, one of the tougher games we've played this year," Laila Santifer said after the game 

The second-half defense these last two games has only allowed 6 total points in the second half in the state tourney. That is beyond impressive. "This group continues to play hard, and we're very excited about advancing to the State Championship," Coach Courtney Rook said.

Five Lady Saints scored in this game. Preslee Peck scored 6 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for GMCS. Peck also dominated the paint on defense as she recorded 8 blocked shots. Laila Santifer scored 5 points and grabbed 6 rebounds and was all over the court on defense. Abby Mendoza scored 4 points, dished out 4 assists, and had 5 steals. Heaven Garcia had 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Brailyn Almand finished the game with 2 points and 4 rebounds, and Lexi Crane grabbed 3 huge rebounds for the Lady Saints.

The GMCS Junior Lady Saints are set to play Lakewood for the State Championship on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5:30.