Sofia Corral takes pride in fueling Aurora Central Catholic’s fast-paced transition offense.
The 5-foot-8 junior guard also believes when she and the Chargers get on a roll, like they typically do, there’s not much the opposition can do to slow that onslaught down.
“You can definitely feel the change in momentum in the game,” Corral said with a knowing nod. “Basketball is a game of runs. Everybody knows that if you play basketball.
“Sensing that and keeping your foot on the gas pedal, that’s how you take teams out.”
Corral did it again Monday night for the host Chargers in an 80-53 nonconference win over Metea Valley, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
ACC (7-2) trailed by a point with about three minutes left in the first half, but in what seemed like the blink of an eye, an 18-2 run turned the game into an eventual blowout.
Riley Cwinski led all scorers with 31 points for the Chargers. She also grabbed nine rebounds. Grace Grunloh added 13 points and Anna-Marie Godina had 12.
Arainna Hammons paced Metea (1-6) with 10 points. Lucy Burk added nine points and nine rebounds.
The Mustangs led 27-26 when ACC started rolling, with Corral cashing in on a driving layup in the decisive run. The Chargers hit three 3-pointers in a row, two on Corral’s assists.
“That was the exact game plan,” she said. “We knew what we were doing wrong. We knew we had to take a second to regroup. We knew what to do.
“It was just a matter of putting that into play.”
ACC coach LeVada Smith constantly harps on transition offense in practice. That requires solid defense and rebounding, not just depending on steals.
It’s what started to happen at the end of the first half and in the Chargers’ 31-point third quarter.
“I don’t know what happened in the last three minutes,” Smith said. “Grace hit a couple threes and it was like, ‘All right, let’s go.’
“It’s just constant. I’m always saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ When we run it, we score points really fast.”
Metea Valley coach Keith McIntosh can attest to that. The Mustangs went from being in the lead to being down double digits quickly.
“We played probably our best half of the season even though we were down at the half,” McIntosh said. “We’re going to try to build on that.”
Corral, meanwhile, is the engine that drives ACC’s philosophy. Now, she’s developed a more consistent jumper to throw into the mix, which makes her even more dangerous.
“The coaches had a conversation with her, trying to get her to slow down a little bit when she tries to get to the basket instead of going full speed,” Smith said. “It’s just slowing down, getting the floater up there a little bit.
“She’s been working on that, and it’s been showing the last few games.”
It hasn’t come without work. Corral said she has been in the gym at 5:30 a.m. most days taking extra shots.
“That’s been something I’ve been trying to work on,” Corral said. “That’s the only way to do it, honestly — putting in that work. If you’re putting in that work, it’s going to eventually yield results. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve been tired. I don’t want to get up.
“It’s all a matter of staying with it. I think it’s working.”
Don’t think Corral is just going to become a stationary jump shooter, however.
She knows what fuels the Chargers.
“They have to respect my shot, but also if they play off me, I’m taking their ankles and I’m going,” Corral said. “It just makes me more of a threat.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.