It was great to win a quarter decisively, and that was our goal at halftime. We were in a good position (in the fourth quarter), but (Rancho Verde's) athleticism started to show in the fourth, and they turned it up a notch.

We knew that would be our strength, and every time we got the ball inside good things were happening. We missed some easy ones, but we got the ball right back.

(Temecula) wasn't hitting their shots tonight, but you don't have to shoot great if you're getting second and third chances. But it wasn't for lack of effort. The guys were in there fighting.

We were a lot closer than we were farther away, and I'm proud of our effort. Rancho Verde is no slouch. At the beginning of the season, I knew it would be a dogfight twice. One went their way and one went our way.

The Rancho Verde game Tuesday was a big game emotionally. I'm glad we played Murrieta Valley. If we played someone else (Friday night), I don't know if we'd have come back. But because we were playing them, it made it easy to bounce back.

I have confidence in our guys, and we shot free throws well during practice (Thursday). We are usually better then we were tonight, but some nights are better than others.