And then there was one. Of the three Moore League teams ranked in CIF-Southern Section’s top ten, only one is still standing: The Wilson Bruins, who will take a trip south this evening to take on the Santa Margarita Eagles in the CIF Semifinals. Whoever comes out of the gym with a victory gets to play in the CIF championship, and with two incredibly talented teams battling for such high stakes, it’s bound to be a classic.
After all, these two teams have dropped a total of six sets in eleven matches between them in the month of November (neither team has lost a match this month). Both have multiple D-1 talents on their roster—Deveney Pula and Amanda Pacheco for the Bruins, as we’ve reported, and the Eagles have players who’ve signed letters of intent with USC, Loyola-Marymount, UCSD, Point Loma, and Fullerton.
Wilson coach Susan Pescar was wary of Santa Margarita’s talent when we spoke with her after their Saturday match against Newport Harbor, especially Brenna Cygan’s serving ability. Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to facing either opponent from Wilson’s bracket’s quarterfinal, since Santa Margarita’s opponent was Lakewood. “I don’t want to play either of them,” she said.
Since the Bruins and their loaded roster do have to play them, and on the road no less, we thought we’d provide you with directions from the Pyramid to the Santa Margarita campus, in case you wanted to make the drive and, you know, support local athletics. If you can make it, go! They could use your support in what’s sure to be a hostile gym.