Micaela Delagarza scores 44 in Blue Valley North’s win over Lee’s Summit North

Blue Valley North senior Micaela Delagarza was oblivious to the school record and career milestone she surpassed Friday night until the afterglow of a 65-60 victory over Lee’s Summit North in the title game of the Ka-Mo Classic.

Delagarza finished with 44 points, a single-game record, and scored her 1,000th career point during a furious fourth quarter rally from an 11-point deficit.

“Until the end of the game, I had no idea. It’s a great feeling, honestly,” Delagarza said. “I knew I was 20 points away from the 1,000, but I didn’t think I had 44 points. I didn’t think I’d have that.”

Blue Valley North spent the first three quarters pressing Lee’s Summit North but didn’t have much to show for it. The Broncos had only five turnovers in the first three quarters.

Three things conspired against Lee’s Summit North in the fourth quarter: Forward Aaliyah Johnson, who scored 18 points, picked up her fourth foul at the 6:42 mark, and had to go to the bench. Coincidence or not, the Broncos committed nine turnovers in the final quarter.

“We wanted to press, and we didn’t worry about the bigs getting the ball because they couldn’t handle it as well,” Delagarza said. “We wanted to double team the guards, and once the bigs got it, let them turn over the ball.”

Johnson missed most of the second quarter after picking up her second foul, but the Broncos didn’t flinch. Aiyana Johnson, with 14 points, and Alexis Griffin, who scored 11, helped pick up the slack and extend the lead.

But the final straw was Delagarza, who got nuclear hot in the fourth quarter. She scored 21 points in the final 8 minutes, including 14 straight down the stretch.

“She’s got to get going on both ends to make it happen on the offensive end,” Blue Valley North coach Ann Fritz said. “She did this a lot last year, but our team wasn’t quite as strong. She had six games last year with over 36 points.”

It was a decent Friday night for Blue Valley North. The Mustangs won their 11th Ka-Mo Classic title on their home court, their fifth straight game, and broke a school record in the process.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 10:39 PM with the headline "Micaela Delagarza scores 44 in Blue Valley North’s win over Lee’s Summit North."