Following a loss on the road to the San Marino Titans on Monday, the Castaic Coyotes bounced back with a 49-18 win at home over the Lakeview Charter Lions of Sylmar on Wednesday.
“This win was something the girls needed,” said Castaic head coach Jared Dacey. “It was a boost of confidence, and we’ve been on a rough stretch, so we were really trying to change the energy and got a good win.”
Dacey added that, with the Coyotes (4-10, 0-4) having a bye on Tuesday from playing in the Foothill League, the team wanted to prioritize the break and schedule competition that can provide them with momentum.
“It was important for us, like scheduling-wise. We did schedule two games around that Tuesday Foothill League bye,” he said. “We had a good game Monday, just was a tough loss. So, we wanted to try and get a nice win today and be ready for Friday and just kind of stay in the swing of things, even though we had a bye, so it was definitely a good momentum.”
After the win over Lakeview Charter, the Coyotes have all the momentum on offense heading into the next round of the Foothill League competition as nine Coyotes scored in the victory.
The Coyotes were led in scoring by freshman guard Charlotte Wheeler, who dropped 26 points in the win, a season and career high, according to MaxPreps.
“She’s been a spearhead for us all season. She’s a heck of an athlete, a three-sport athlete, she’s really kind of coming into her own and understanding the game a little bit more,” Dacey said in response to how Wheeler plays the game as a freshman. “She’s picking and choosing the right spots to attack and burst. She’s averaging close to a double-double all season and she’s been a big rebounder.”
Senior Harmony Winslow was second in scoring for the Coyotes with 9 points, all coming from the 3-point line.
The Coyotes secured their fourth win of the season and first in the new calendar year. As the team prepares for league competition to ramp back up on Friday, Dacey added that the team is finding its rhythm in the most important start of the season.
“We’ve had a hard time with our rhythm and our consistency between game to game,” he said. “So, to try to put two and two together, I think, was a big deal for us. With Wheeler having a big game as a freshman, and trying to build momentum, hopefully we can bring the energy to have a good matchup Friday.”
The Coyotes play again on the road Friday against the Hart Hawks with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
Photos below from Castaic’s win over Lakeview Charter:
