Colton, CA—The Lady Yellowjackets girls basketball team are one step closer to bringing home the championship.

Last night, they defeated Rim of the World in the first game of the Skyline League tournament 61-26. This victory improved their record to 19-5 on the season and sets up Thursday night’s game against Notre Dame for the league title.

Against Rim, the Yellowjackets were led by junior wing Olivia Torres, who led all scorers with 18 points. Zoey Espino added 12, and Savannah Govea dropped in 9.

For Torres, this was a career high. Her achievement came as the result of a deal she made with her dad pregame. “My dad said that if I make 15 [points], he’ll give me money,” Torres said. “He said two dollars a point.”

On a serious note, Torres sees hers and the team’s success as a direct result of how they practice. “We hold each other accountable and we’re just on each other a lot. And we work well together.”

Even though the final score showed a blow out, that was not what things looked like from the start. The game was intense in the first quarter, with both teams fiercely competing head-to-head. The score going into the second quarter was 9-6, Colton.

But in the second quarter, Colton stopped messing around and got to business, dominating Rim en route to a 31-8 halftime lead. Zoey Espino scored 10 of her 12 points, including two huge three-pointers.

Also coming up big was junior Mayra Morales, who had four points. She finished the game with eight points and five rebounds.

“I tried my best and was uplifted by my teammates today,” Morales said.

The second half saw Colton maintain their large lead as Rim struggled to get good looks at the basket. The best look they got was early in the third when one of their players on an inbound play under the Colton basket, accidentally knocked down a three-pointer for the Yellowjackets.

With this victory securing their spot in the championship game, they will play against Notre Dame on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6:00 p.m. in the Hubbs Gym.

“I believe the girls are ready,” said head coach Keisha Young. “They’re definitely locked in. They’re definitely hungry. And they believe in themselves. They believe in us.”