GIRLS BASKETBALL: Bearcats Roll in Bay Opener

The Score: San Mateo 61, Aragon 34.

The Star: San Mateo High forward Melasani Hafoka totaled 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead her team past crosstown rival Aragon in a Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division opener.

The Turning Point: A huge second quarter, including 10 points from Melasani Hafoka and eight from sophomore guard Alana Simon, put San Mateo in full control with a 28-11 lead.

The Quote: “It feels good, but it’s just another game. We still have to keep thinking about the other teams we have to play.  But it’s big to us because we really wanted to beat Aragon. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m sort of speechless that we won.” -- modest San Mateo forward Melasani Hafoka, on what the league-opening win over the rival Dons means for her.

What’s Next? The Bearcats look to go 2-0 in PAL Bay play when they host Menlo-Atherton on Friday at 6:15 p.m. Aragon continues its lengthy play on the road when it travels to meet defending PAL champion Terra Nova at the same time.

The Bottom Line: Aragon is, as coach Annette Gennaro-Trimble admits, in a rebuilding year due to the loss of 2010 PAL Bay MVP Arteivia Lilomaiava. San Mateo, on the other hand, appears ready to make a strong run in the PAL Bay with a solid low-post game to match its high-scoring guards.

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 The San Mateo High girls basketball team picked up a statement victory at home Tuesday night, besting Aragon 61-34 to open Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division play after having an up-and-down non-league schedule.

San Mateo (7-6, 1-0 PAL Bay) was led by junior forward Melasani Hafoka, who recorded an impressive double-double. Hafoka (24 points, 11 rebounds) used her size advantage to score at will against the undersized Dons, dominating the paint regardless of attempts to front her and keep her off balance.

“This to me, this was her coming out game,” said San Mateo coach Nancy Dinges. “She struggled with those little two- to five-foot shots in the preseason. I think during the season she’s going to take advantage of it because she’s taller than everyone else.”

Like clockwork, the San Mateo guards were able to find Hafoka under the basket, sending a pass high over the Aragon defenders that the forward would casually haul in and put up at all angles for a basket.

“It’s very difficult,” said Aragon coach Annette Gennaro-Trimble of guarding Hafoka. “We tried our hardest. They just kept lobbing it inside. We just couldn’t stop it tonight. Not tonight, but hopefully next time.”

“Our size is great,” adds Dinges. “We take advantage of our size. Sometimes if they’re not making their shots, we look to Grayce Ujihara or Alana Simon, who usually average 10-15 points a game. Grayce is usually our top scorer, but we had to take advantage of our post players. Grace wasn’t hitting her shots so we took advantage of the inside.”

Working the backcourt, the sophomore Simon drew some of the attention away from Ujihara and Hafoka, netting 21 points, including a few sweet layups, and six rebounds.

Ujihara, often San Mateo’s leading scoring over the past three seasons, had six points.

Aragon (5-9, 0-1), still reeling from the losses of last season’s key contributors, including current Santa Clara Bronco and then-PAL Bay MVP Arteivia Lilomaiava, struggled to counter San Mateo’s size advantage. The Dons had to work the perimeter and tried to find ways to drive the baseline for layups despite the presence of the San Mateo bigs in the paint.

“We’re rebuilding,” said Gennaro-Trimble. “We had four senior starters last season. Even though I have seniors now, they didn’t get a lot of playing time. I have a good group of girls and they work really hard.”

Aragon’s scoring leader Nichole Kwee, a guard who had eight points on Tuesday, returns as one of only three active seniors. Senior Jaclyn Sutow suffered an ACL injury. The Dons also boast just one junior on their young roster, to go with five underclassmen.

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 San Mateo 61, Aragon 34

A—5 6 12 11--34

SM—8 20 18 15—61

A: Kwee 4 0-0 8, Kubo 2 3-4 7, Dito 3 0-4- 7, Stocker 3 0-1 6, Ahoia 2 0-0 4, Smith 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 3-9 34.

SM: Hafoka 12 0-1 24, Simon 10 1-5 21, Okasinski 3 0-0 6, Ujihara 2 2-2 6, Salazar 1 0-0 2, Stephens 0 1-2 1, Whipple 0 1-2 1. Totals 28 6-12.

3-point goals: A: Dito. SM: none.

Records: Aragon 5-9, 0-1 PAL Bay. San Mateo 7-6, 1-0.