This article appeared on westcoastpreps.com which covered last night’s opening round of the West Coast Jamboree. Vanden came into the game ranked #19 in the state by Cal Hi Sports. https://westcoastpreps.com/perfect-execution-leads-no-8-acalanes-to-marquee-showing/
Acalanes entered with a game plan and executed it as perfectly as could be.
Vanden is a long, big, strong team with plenty of size across the roster – three of its players stand above 6’feet tall. Acalanes wanted to run tempo, hustle for rebounds, push the pace and fight through Vanden’s press defense.
Like this Acalanes Dons program (7-4) has for much of the last two years, it honed in and pulled through with another impressive victory, this one being in 71-54 fashion over the No. 10 Vanden Vikings (8-7) in the opening round of the West Coast Jamboree on Wednesday.
It marked the third ranked win for No. 8 Acalanes this winter, also defeating No. 13 Marin Catholic and No. 15 San Marin.
“I think we came out really strong as a team,” said Acalanes sophomore Sophie Chinn. “Even though they’re bigger in size than us, we did really well controlling the ball, making good shots and running our offense.”
Everything in those first two quarters exemplified what Acalanes wanted to do, immediately storming out to a 7-2 lead while forcing five turnovers in the first 2:33. Chinn had three of those steals for a defense that was simply flying everywhere.
By the end of one quarter, it was 21-9 in favor of Acalanes, forcing six turnovers and going 2-of-3 from three-point range as senior Emily Du and sophomore Dulci Vail each connected on three-point baskets
Chinn was especially exceptional, reaching double figures quite early to push the Acalanes lead to 25-9.
Her stardom kept going from there, as Chinn scored 16 points in another fantastic outing while registering five steals and being one of the team’s leader in assists. Thirteen of her points came in the first half to take a 39-17 halftime lead, getting enough of a cushion to withstand any potential late Vanden rally.
“Sophie can play big, she can play point, she play shooting guard and she can play from any place on the court,” said Acalanes sophomore guard KK Lacanlale. “And she’ll be the best at it. He speed is crazy. he can take anyone off the dribble and shoot anywhere.”
Lacanlale, another headliner of the 2025 class, was an important piece to take command from the jump, too.
The reigning Diablo Athletic League (as a freshman) totaled eight first-half points, then added another 10 in the second half to close the contest out in what was an 18-point and four-steal effort, consistently leading the pace with crisp passing, quickness and just about everything else.
That duo of Chinn and Lacanlale combined for 21 first-half points to take the commanding 22-point lead and were the leading scorers for a team that had five players with five-plus points going into the half.
“KK is amazing at controlling the ball, keeping her head up and just always making the most incredible passes,” Chinn said. “Especially on her step back three, she always has that when we need it.”
Plus, there was the rebounding from senior Nicole McCarthy off the bench, injecting more life onto the court with four offensive rebounds. In a one-minute span – including three on one possession.
“That was a really good showing from Nikki,” Lacanlale said. “She played really well today. It’s a step up for us, especially her coming off the bench. I think that gave us even more momentum to keep our lead.”
Vanden did claw its way back in some regards, getting within 16 points during a strong stretch of the second half.
San Diego State commit Alyssa Jackson was scoring at will en route to 21 points, with seven of those occurring in the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Kuehnel was hitting some tough baskets, too, including a pair of three-point buckets, while Gabby Wright was a machine with eight points, three steals and two blocks.
Then, there was sophomore Calonni Holloway scoring seven second-half points.
But Acalanes was too much in the end, finding its contributions across the board behind its selflessness, depth and more.
Junior guard Natalie Lyons connected on some timely shots, ultimately collecting seven points with one three-pointer and one steal.
Vail had 10 second-half points to close it out before finished with 15 points and two steals, adding to a season where she’s been a top scorer for the eighth-ranked Dons.
“She’s not afraid to use any moves,” Lacanlale said. “She uses her moves up top, underneath the basket. She just always as her head up.”
