Maize South girls beat Valley Center 48-44

Maize South’s girls basketball victory over Valley Center, a 48-44 triumph, came with a heavy price Tuesday night.

In the final seconds of the third quarter, Mavericks senior Jaelynn McLaurian jumped for a pass in the lane but crashed to the floor hard, yelling in pain.

McLaurian’s injury was diagnosed as a dislocated right kneecap. Medical personnel were able to put it back into place, and it’s unclear how much time she will miss.

“It was just a dislocation, not an ACL tear or anything that’s going to put her out long-term or in the future, which is great,” Mavericks coach Sabrina Gallo said.

Losing a senior leader affected Maize South’s play, Gallo said.

“The girls, at first, were kind of scared and were worried,” she said. “And they held it together, and held the ball out, and did a great job.”

McLaurian had scored nine of Maize South’s 14 third-quarter points, giving her 13 for the game.

With McLaurian icing her knee on the bench, Gallo said she was forced to go to the Mavericks’ youth. “We finished the game with a freshman, two sophomores and two seniors.”

One of those sophomores was Lauren Johnson, who scored 11 first-half points and finished with a game-high 15.

Maize South led at halftime 26-22. But shots that hit the back iron in the first half began to fall in the third quarter, when Maize South, led by McLaurian, outscored Valley Center 14-6 and took a 40-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

“We talked to her about her shot (at halftime),” Gallo said. “She was kind of leaning forward, not getting her feet under her, and she just made a small adjustment and did a great job.”

If a save could be awarded in basketball, Maize South senior Sierra Mortenson could be considered. She hit all four of her free throws in the final period to help maintain the lead.

“We all knew we had to step up,” said Mortenson, one of the Mavericks’ top cross country runners. “(Gallo) kind of prepared us for this moment, and she helped those (underclass) subs be able to step up and get it.”

Mortenson said it felt good to break through with a triumph.

“It felt good to finally beat Valley Center, especially at their house,” she said.

Johnson said she knew her team needed a big output from her.

“I had a post guarding me, and that’s where I kind of came in,” she said. “A lot of players stepped up. We had a couple of freshmen in, and it worked.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 8:39 PM with the headline "Maize South girls beat Valley Center 48-44."