The calendar read late December. The tipoff was mid-afternoon, not at night. But when Westview High School’s girls basketball team defended its home floor Monday against rival Cathedral Catholic, the atmosphere felt more like a late February evening playoff game.
Westview High School’s 6-foot-1 Mia Jacobson wobbled off the court in the first period with her bell ringing and nose leaking blood after colliding with the Dons’ 6-2 Bianca Slone. The scorers’ table had to be adjusted after players crashed into it chasing for a loose ball.
“Felt like a heavyweight boxing match,” said Westview athletic director Steve McLaughlin.
Thirty-two minutes weren’t enough to decide the winner. After a four-minute overtime, Westview walked off with a 57-54 win that resembled a preview to an Open Division playoff game.
“The energy from both teams,” said Westview coach Melissa Peng, “that definitely felt like a playoff game.”
Defense proved the difference in overtime. The Wolverines forced three turnovers in OT, plus caused the Dons to miss three of four shots. Jacobson, who picked up her third foul with 1:21 to play in the second quarter then wasn’t assessed another foul, hit a 15-foot jumper to give Westview a 56-54 lead halfway into overtime. Sophomore Jazzy Bernabe sank one of two free throws with 13.9 seconds remaining for a three-point lead. The Dons got off a 3-point shot near the buzzer, but it wasn’t close.
For Westview (6-6), the game earned a bit of revenge against the fifth-ranked Dons (8-5). Cathedral Catholic had beaten the Wolverines 59-43 earlier in the season.
Westview, though, played the game without senior point guard Sarah Heyn, a first-team All-CIF selection last season. Heyn missed the first 10 games of the season. She was training with the Philippines’ women’s national team for three weeks, then played four games in the Southeast Asian Games for the Philippines.
Joked Heyn: “I was playing with a bunch of 30-year-olds.”
Monday afternoon, she was the Wolverines’ glue, scoring 15 points, plus drawing defenders toward her before feeding assists on Westview’s last two buckets in regulation.
“The thing is, for me, I wanted to show them that this is our team, this is our gym,” said Heyn. “And no matter what happened the last game, we can come back and play well against anybody in San Diego.”
Cathedral Catholic led almost the entire game, the Dons’ largest lead stretching to 21-9 early in the second period. After once leading 4-0, Westview didn’t lead again until 53.1 seconds remained in overtime when a Jacobson layup off a Heyn feed made it 52-50.
McKinley Hanlon (17 points, 10 rebounds) tied the game for Cathedral with 33 seconds remaining, setting the stage for overtime. Jacobson scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Westview. Makena McLaughlin scored 15 for the Wolverines.
The game featured some excellent shooting from deep, with both teams sinking 10 three-pointers. Cathedral freshman Addison Yang scored 18 points, all on threes.
“She is special,” said Cathedral Catholic coach Jackie Turpin. “And she’s going to keep getting better.”
“She’s real talented, a great shooter,” Heyn said of Yang. “I work with the same trainer. I know how good she is. They kept setting screens for her and I couldn’t get through them.”
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/12/29/westview-holds-off-cathedral-catholic-in-overtime/
