The No. 1 San Carlos Lady Braves continued their unprecedented start to the basketball season with a 56-46 region win over the Miami Lady Vandals last Tuesday without top player Chloe Wiley, who was sidelined for most of the game with a leg injury.

“All region games are important because we want to be the number one seed going into the region tournament,” said San Carlos head coach Alvin Antonio. “With big games, everyone tends to be overhyped and in the first half we were just throwing up shots. In the second half we calmed down and played basketball.”

Camryn Longstreet buried a three-pointer with 1:00 left in the opening quarter for a 13-7 lead. A basket by Ellysia Cutter and one free throw by Kaylee Juan gave San Carlos a nine-point lead after the first quarter.

Miami started the second quarter with two quick baskets followed by a pair of free throws from Savannah Pietila.

Top player Layla Thompson was fouled back-to-back and made free throws to cut the Lady Braves’ lead to 16-15. San Carlos was quick to end their drought with a baseline drive from Wiley as well as getting a steal and basket from another Lady Brave.

The Lady Vandals reeled off a 9-0 run to take a 24-20 lead before Wiley responded with a triple for San Carlos. Longstreet nabbed a steal and scored to retake the lead, but Miami’s Thompson responded with a basket inside.

Wiley nailed another three-pointer to tie the game at 28. The two  teams remained deadlocked at halftime.

Longstreet opened the second half with a three-pointer as both teams battled back and forth in the third quarter. They were tied at 37 the end of the third quarter.

Cutter came up with a steal and scored to start the fourth quarter. After a Miami turnover, Longstreet drilled another three-pointer to open up a 42-37 lead. The Lady Braves started to turn up the defensive pressure; Cutter nabbed another steal and scored before Longstreet grabbed a steal and found Juan for an easy basket and a 46-37 lead.

Miami ended their drought with a basket at the 4-minute mark, but San Carlos freshman Caylee Longstreet scored on a jumper. Pietila responded with a drive to the basket and completed a three-point play before her teammate drilled a three-pointer to pull the Lady Vandals within 48-45 with 3:11 left in the game.

The Lady Braves closed out the game with a Camryn Longstreet three-pointer and a Juan basket inside, but the dagger was a Caylee Longstreet three-pointer with 1:24 left.

“We got some quality minutes out of a couple of freshmen, and we put the pressure on defensively,” said Antonio. “Caylee Longstreet and Anaya Juan really stepped up for us tonight.”

Camryn Longstreet led the Lady Braves with a game-high 20 points and Cutter finished with 10 points.

“It was a hard game but we played through it,” said Longstreet. “My shooting was alright; it wasn’t there but I pulled through at the end and started making them.”

The Lady Braves are 21-2 on the season and were ranked No. 1 at press time. They had a battle with No. 2 Leading Edge on Monday but scores were not available at press time.