Ohlone finishes league perfect

The Ohlone Lady Renegades celebrated the careers of four sophomores Wednesday night with a win, a conference title, and a perfect season.The Lady Renegades defeated the De Anza Dons 55-37 on an emotional “Sophomore Night” at Ohlone.The game marked the final home appearance for sophomores Jasmine Rubin, Ganeaya Rogers, Ashley Valenzuela and Krysta Lajander. With the win, Ohlone finishes conference play 12-0, and officially claims their second consecutive Coast South Division conference title.“This is a special group of kids,” Ohlone Head Coach Julia Allender said. She added with a wry touch of humor, “I laid some responsibility on them. They didn’t take it willingly, but they took it.”Ohlone came into the contest averaging 66.9 points per game, but with 10:34 in the first half the Lady Renegades had managed to build only a 10-3 lead.A prime factor in Ohlone’s early scoring difficulties were the slow starts by star guards Jasmine Rubin and Ganeaya Rogers. Rubin scored only six points in the first half, while Rogers was held to just three.Fortunately for the home team, freshman guard Crystal McLaughlin stepped in to pick up the slack and scored 12 first half points. Holding just a 21-15 lead with 3:17 to go in the first half, Ohlone closed out the period on a 7-2 run to take a 28-17 lead into halftime.Ohlone’s offensive malaise carried over through intermission, and an early second half De Anza surge threatened to spoil the Lady Renegades’ festive night. Ohlone’s lead had been trimmed back to six at 34-28, prompting a visibly agitated Allender to call timeout. During the recess, Allender could be seen intently counseling her group.When play resumed, a different Ohlone team took the floor. On their fifth possession after Allender’s timeout, Rubin saved an errant ball and, falling out of bounds along the baseline, hit guard Ashley Valenzuela who was slicing down the lane for a lay in.With Ohlone now leading 46-30, De Anza Coach Arden Kragalott finally called for time with 9:16 left in the game. It was the cap of a lightning 12-2 assault. De Anza would never again get within single digits of Ohlone.Rubin rallied from her slow start and finished with 19 points and was key on the Ohlone run that finally seized control of the game.“I saw a lot of opportunities,” Rubin said of her second half burst. “I try to get my teammates the ball, but if anything isn’t working, I’m usually the player who picks my team up. I felt like I just needed to take over.”Rogers never got back on track offensively, finishing with just seven points, but still managed to make an impact with eight assists and three steals. Allender praised Rogers’ defense and all-around floor game, saying of the sophomore guard. “She’s one of those players where the team gets on her back.”