Blog: Coyotes Bounce Back in First Round of States, Will Travel to Mission Hills on Saturday

We all know the clichés: it’s not how hard you fall, but how quickly and demonstratively you get up.

The Calabasas girls basketball team got back on the proverbial horse on Wednesday night by defeating Selma High, 67-63, in the first round of the CIF State Division III playoffs.

The game, played at Calabasas High School, took place six days after the Coyotes disappointing loss to Alemany, 67-39, in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AA championship game.

The good news, of course, was that Calabasas, now 21-9 on the season, showed the resolve it has all year. After all, the Coyotes have a penchant for comebacks and they displayed that characteristic again by rebounding with the victory over Selma.

It was the first-ever win in a state playoff game for Calabasas – this is the Coyotes’ first time playing in the state tournament. The game against Alemany was the first time Calabasas had ever made it to a CIF-Southern Section title game.

The bad news: the opponent in the second round of states is none other than Alemany, in a game that will take place on the road in Mission Hills.

Alemany (28-5) is one of the toughest teams around. But the game does give Calabasas a second bite at the apple (since we’re using clichés). The Coyotes will look to improve upon their showing in the CIF finals.

Nerves may have played a role in the costly slow start Calabasas experienced against Alemany at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The Coyotes had memorable come-from-behind wins in the CIF-Southern Section quarterfinals against Jurupa Valley and the semifinals versus Santa Barbara.

However, Alemany is too good for that, and especially on the road, with the Warriors’ fans roaring, the Coyotes will need to avoid a slow start.