LAFAYETTE >> A full-court press and punishing defense were hallmarks of the Ron Rossi era for Holy Family girls basketball, and in the first year of successor Mike Quintana’s tenure, the Tigers have carried on that legacy.

Through four strong quarters at Peak to Peak on Saturday morning, the Tigers wore the Pumas down — even triple-teaming their star player, 6-foot-5 Alex Eschmeyer — to pull out a 53-44 victory. They led by as much as 19 points in the third quarter before Eschmeyer started to outsmart their defense.

Junior Alexcia Oaxaca electrified Holy Family’s offense in the first half and eventually ended her morning with 17 points. Juniors Gracie Ward and Enyiah Contreraz nearly matched her efforts with 14 and 12 more points, respectively. Despite the tough pressure, Eschmeyer led the entire field with 24.

“She was a really good player. We did almost quadruple-team her at some points,” Oaxaca said. “We got a big lead, which helped us out when they started scoring up on us, and that lead gave us a cushion to just stay up. I went through a slump for the past two games, so this was a good confidence booster as well, and for the whole team too.”

Eschmeyer, who’s headed to Stanford next year, said the triple teams have increased in her senior season with the Pumas.

“It helps me get better, it helps me find my teammates better,” she said. “I think, for me, it’s just trying not to stop moving. You get tired, but you’ve just got to keep pushing through that. It’s something that we’re all learning to deal with because it’s not something that every team has to deal with.”Holy Family relied on Ward’s court presence and a lethal offense to carry it to a 31-17 lead at the half.

The Tigers pushed that advantage to 39-20 with 3:08 left in the third quarter, but that’s when Peak to Peak started to turn the tables.

The Pumas mounted their comeback with defensive stop after defensive stop, then fed the ball to Eschmeyer and freshman Tessa Hirt, who accounted for all but three of the team’s 24 points down the stretch. They pulled as close as six, at 46-40, with four minutes remaining, before ending the contest with their second straight loss.

Four days earlier, Peak to Peak fell to University with a 40-32 final and ended the 2024 portion of its calendar with a 5-3 record. It’ll return to action on Jan. 8 against DSST: Cedar. Holy Family, meanwhile, improved to 3-1 and will next host Pagosa Springs on Jan. 3.

“We’ve talked a lot about how to be a third-quarter team, coming out and not losing all energy after the second half,” Eschmeyer said.

“I think now, the key for us is figuring out how to start games with that same energy because, in our last game too, I feel like we’ve made comebacks like that. I think we know we’re capable of that, but we just have to find our consistency.”