The Woodland Christian girls’ basketball team knows how to win.

They continued their mission for a CIF Division V State Championship Thursday night after a Round II 43-33 win over Trinity inside a raucous Jack Hamlin Gym.

Despite early foul trouble for star point guard Keziah Maldonado-Lemus that glued her to the bench for most of the second quarter, the Cardinals (28-6, 14-0 Sierra Delta League) were able to cleverly navigate the minutes without her off court, and the blow right past Trinity late in the game with her on it to advance to the CIF D5 regional semifinals against No. 3 seed Head-Royce, set for Satruday night at 7 p.m.

“I think we played really good defense tonight,” Cardinals head coach Shiloh Sorbello said. “That was the key to the game. Before the game, I told our team in the locker room that we’d need to score around 40 to win. We hit a lot of free throws, and they shot poorly from the line. We also only had 16 turnovers to their 32.

“We knew coming in it would be a dog fight, and I was impressed by how we handled the adversity of our early foul trouble. Just a really impressive team effort.”

Junior Ellie Sumner shouldered much of the playmaking and ball-carrying role for the Cardinals in Maldonaod-Lemus’s absence, playing very well in the minutes she could handle. Sumner would have undoubtedly played an ever greater role had it not been for an illness she was battling the past few days.

“I was super proud of Ellie for giving us what she could,” Sorbello said. “I told her if we need her, she’d have to come in, and she came ready to play with whatever she had. I had sent her a clip from the Michael Jordan flu game before the game.”

Perhaps the most impressive part of this playoff run, which has now extended into the second week of March, is how the Cardinals have completely shaken off last week’s heartbreaking loss in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section final to Bret Harte.

“I don’t think we are thinking about the loss anymore,” Sorbello assured. “The adventure that each game provides in this tournament takes our whole focus. You don’t have time to think. You get through a game like we did tonight, and now you have to prepare for another team. It all happens so quickly.”

The Cardinals rolled into the second-round matchup following a comprehensive 54-40 win over 15th-seeded Fort Bragg this past Tuesday in the state tournament’s first round.

Maldonado-Lemus led the way for the Cardinals with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, to go with her stat-filling 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Sophomore Bailee Broward finished with an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double, while senior Teagan Hayes finished with a modest 12 points, along with 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

While the Cardinals earned their No. 2 seed after a fantastic season, No. 7 Trinity came into the matchup with a higher overall rank, according to MaxPreps.com.

Trinity enjoyed the No. 7 seed in the D5 bracket after a second-place finish in the Shasta Cascade League. They used the top seed to their advantage in their first-round home playoff game Tuesday, comfortably defeating No. 10 seed Sonoma Valley 50-41.

“They are a really good team,” Sorbello assured. “They were the north section champions. Three years ago, we lost by 40 to them in the state tournament. Teagan, as a freshman, remembers that game.

“They played really great lockdown half-court defense that has been their ride or die. We didn’t have a lot of room to breathe or shoot on the perimeter. They crashed the glass hard and were tough to play as reflected by their record.”

The Cardinals enjoyed a dream start as sophomore Sienna Sorbello scored 7 points in the first quarter to give the home side a 10-2 lead before a 5-0 run from Trinity made it 10-7.

A fantastic reverse layup from the visitors opened up the scoring in the second quarter as they cut the Cardinals lead to just one at 10-9.

With Maldonado-Lemus on the bench due to picking up three quick fouls, the Cardinals had to weather the storm before halftime. Trinity took a 13-10 lead that turned into 14-12 before an Elena Ganyo bucket tied it up at 14-14. Hayes then hit a massive 3-ponter to give the Cardinals back the lead at 17-16.

A few possessions later, a Broward free throw made it 20-16 right before Trinity raced to the hoop for a final basket to make it 20-18 at the break.

In the third quarter, Maldonado-Lemus made an instant impact with an assist to Ganyo to make it 22-20. After a Cardinals basket, Maldonado-Lemus made it 26-22 after nailing a pair of free throws.

Hayes then decided to go off, scoring six straight points to end the third quarter, including another 3-pointer to open up a 10-point lead at 32-22.

Hayes had a calm and collected 13 points to go with an incredible 5 steals.

“She did a really good job of giving us a sense of calm,” Sorbello said. “She was in attack mode, and we needed that from her.”

In the fourth, a bucket from Maldonado-Lemus made it 34-24. Trinity didn’t give up and mounted a 6-0 run, forcing Sorbello to call a time-out and talk things over with the team.

With about five minutes left, the Cardinals clung to a four-point lead. A pair of free throws from Maldonado-Lemus grew the lead to 36-30. Trinity’s Kloe Kist, who later fouled out, got to the basket at will in the third quarter and did so again, making it 36-32.

An offensive putback from Sorbello grew the lead back to six at 38-32. Despite Kist now out of the game, Trinity managed to get to the line and make it 38-33.

With about a minute and 30 seconds left, Maldonado-Lemus had the game’s biggest play as she drove to the basket, making a tough layup and drawing a foul, much to the enjoyment of the rowdy student section to her right.

A pair of stree-free Broward free throws late made it the eventual 43-33 end.

The Cardinals now gear up for another home game this Saturday against No. 3 seed Head Royce in the regional semifinals.

If they win, they will host either No. 4 seed Encinal or No. 9 seed Washington in the regional finals. In a bit of luck for the Cardinals, Washington managed to upset No. 1 seed Summit Shasta 51-47 Thursday night.

“They have a senior, Morgan Ross, who looks to be a D1 recruit,” Sobello said. “ She is the best player we will have seen this year. As a point forward and 6’1, she can drive, shoot, and rebound. We have to make someone else beat us, and we need to keep her off the glass and figure out a way to score with her in the middle.”