It didn't take long for Nicole Mello to return to form.
After being sidelined with an injury through the entire preseason, the all-league forward, in only her second game back, delivered a double-double Thursday with 14 points and 14 rebounds and led the Anzar High girls basketball team to their second straight win - a 54-30 victory over visiting Pajaro Valley in San Juan Bautista.
"She's getting back into her groove sooner than normal," Anzar head coach Aaron Netzel said. "She played outstanding for her second straight game."
On Wednesday, Mello returned to the lineup and had six points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists in a 52-19 win over Georgiana Bruce Kirby.
"She's already getting back into her double-double form," Netzel said.
Anzar is now 3-9 overall.
Mello's teammate Alyssa Rodriguez led the Hawks with 20 points and eight steals, one game removed from her 24-point, 10-steal performance.
Playing in back-to-back games may have had its effects, however. After Anzar opened the game with their usual "peddle-to-the-metal" style of play, jumping out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter and a 31-8 lead at halftime, the Hawks and Grizzlies played nearly even for the remainder of the game.
It certainly wasn't enough for Pajaro Valley to mount any sort of a comeback, though it did show Netzel that the team could always improve on conditioning.
"In the third quarter, we really started to falter," said Netzel, whose team was outscored 10-8 in the third period. "I think we kind of ran out of gas a little bit. Conditioning was a bit of a factor.
"But by halftime, it was almost exactly the same game (as Wednesday's) ... They came out strong just like [Wednesday night], an instant replay of sorts."
Liliana Resendez even had her best game of the season, dropping 13 points on the Grizzlies, nine of which were scored from behind the arc.
Meanwhile, freshman Kelsey Robledo had six points but pulled down 13 boards, while teammate Allison Baker had six blocks.
Although Thursday's match-up with Pajaro Valley was a non-league game, it was the first common opponent Anzar has had with Pacific Collegiate, which is considered to be the Hawks' top competition in the Coastal Athletic League this season.
Pacific Collegiate, on Dec. 2 in what was only the team's second game of the season, defeated Pajaro Valley 46-23.
Anzar is scheduled to play Pacific Collegiate on Jan. 16.
On Monday, the Hawks will return to CAL play when they visit Gilroy for a match with Anchorpoint Christian. The game, which will be held at South Valley Junior High School, will tip-off at 6:45 p.m.
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
PAV 4 4 10 12 30
ANZ 14 17 9 14 54
Anzar (54) - A. Rodriguez 5 2 4-6 20, N. Mello 5 0 4-4 14, C. Johnson 0 0 1-2 1, K. Robledo 3 0 0-3 6, l. Resendez 1 3 2-4 13.
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