The Woodland Christian girls varsity basketball team took a small break from beating up the Sierra Delta League by beating up on the Monticello Empire League’s Rodriguez High School, defeating them 60-35 Monday night and extending their winning streak to 19 games.

“We went on the road to play D1 Rodriguez High School, scheduling this game to give ourselves good competition before playoffs,” Cardinals head coach Shiloh Sorbello said. “We started a little slowly as we adjusted to their length and pressure defensively, but we ended the first quarter with a narrow 8-7 lead.”

After a close first quarter, the Cardinals (21-5, 12-0 SDL) ran away with the game in the second, outscoring the home side 18-7. They kept the pressure up in the third quarter, outscoring them 21-9 on their way to a smooth win.

Senior captain and the University of Tennessee at Martin softball commit Teagan Hayes had 7 points in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters and finished with a game-high 19 points to go with 6 assists and 4 steals.

Sophomore Siena Sorbello had her 10th game in a row with double digits in points and finished with 17. Fellow front-court player Bailee “The Worm” Broward hauled in her usual 15 rebounds, with 6 of those on the offensive end.

Senior star point guard Keziah Maldonado-Lemus had 13 points with 5 assists and 4 steals. Ellie Sumner didn’t score a point but finished the game with an incredible plus-minus of 34, meaning the Cardinals outscored Rodriguez by that number when she was out on the court.

“She played her trademark tough defense and did a lot of little things to help us win,” Sorbello recalled. “Ellie and Elena Ganyo both stepped up tonight after rolling their ankles last week and sitting out of our last game, so it was great to have them back on the floor. We will need them for the rest of the week and the playoffs.The Cardinals have already clinched the SDL title after Friday’s road 64-11 win over San Juan. With another league title in their pocket and two more home games left, they feel confident entering the CIF Sac-Joaqin Section playoffs, which begin next week.

After hosting Rio Vista on Tuesday, they will welcome Mesa Verde to town for their senior night on Friday.

“We want to finish strong at home against Rio Vista and Mesa Verde,” Sorbello said. “Thursday’s game against Mesa Verde will be senior night, and we will honor our three seniors,”

Seniors include Maldonado-Lemus, Hayes and Payton Brookshire.