Riverside-Brookfield High School junior Mayan Covarrubias is used to pressure situations as a two-time state qualifier in girls golf.
She’s also becoming used to them on the basketball court.
“I feel like the adrenaline rush is about the same, but the work is totally different,” Covarrubias said. “Just the entire game, the flow, the crowd. You don’t have that in golf. In golf, I’m depending on myself. Basketball, I have to focus on myself, but I also have my teammates to count on as well.”
With the Bulldogs needing big plays down the stretch at IC Catholic Prep on Nov. 29, Covarrubias delivered several in the final 1:14 without scoring a point.
The Bulldogs won their Metro Suburban Conference Blue opener 54-48 by scoring the final five points after their 47-33 lead was reduced to 47-46 and 49-48.
The victory started a three-game winning streak for the Bulldogs (4-3), who won home games over Ridgewood 65-32 on Dec. 1 and Richards 61-53 on Dec. 3.
“Nothing’s better than a win close, down the stretch, at least for me,” Covarrubias said.
Alyssa Morris had 20-point games against IC with five 3-pointers and Ridgewood with two threes on 9-for-14 shooting. Morris had three of the final five points against ICCP via free throws.
With RBHS ahead 50-48, Covarrubias entered to successfully inbound the ball. She then got an offensive rebound and passed to Luna Lloyd, who swished her shot from right of the lane for a 52-48 lead. Covarrubias later rebounded a missed RBHS free throw, which led to Morris’ final free throw with 11.3 seconds.
“I’m just glad that I was ready when my number is called and I’m just going to try to continue to be,” Covarrubias said.
Emily Organ (11 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists) delivered a double-double. Lloyd (8 rebounds) and Niamh Larson each had seven points.
“We came together at the end. We were able to relax, run our game plan. We need to do a little better job on the boards, but they played well,” RBHS coach Jordan Mack said. “Mayan has the most basketball IQ on the team by far. She knows what to do. She’s relaxed, poised under pressure.”
Larson (13 points) and Organ (10 points) also reached double figures against Ridgewood, followed by Covarrubias (7 points) and Lena Lembcke (5 points, 4 steals). Lloyd and Organ each had seven rebounds and Morris and Organ each had five assists.
Organ (16 points, 8 rebounds), Lloyd (14 points, 8 rebounds). Bryce Pacourek (9 points, 9 rebounds), Morris (8 points with 2 threes) and Lembcke (4 steals) were top performers against Richards.
