LONG BEACH — The top two girls basketball teams in the Press-Telegram area rankings were locked in a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night.
Each time host St. Anthony made a second-half run, though, St. Joseph had a series of defensive stops and transition baskets to build its lead back up.
St. Joseph held off a barrage of St. Anthony 3-pointers and used its size advantage and length on the defensive end to come away with a 74-62 victory in Del Rey League action.
St. Anthonys Ayaka Yiu (20) puts the pressure on St. Josephs Mia Minshall (10) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Laila Hughes (2) and St. Josephs Olivia Molina (21) battle for the ball in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Dallyn Knox (5) tries to steal the ball from St. Josephs Taille Wily-Ava (12) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Jordyn Washington (11) jumps up to block St. Josephs Ava Washington (22) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Dallyn Knox (5) tries to block St. Josephs Aniya Johnson (32) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Josephs Ava Washington (22), Man Minsahall (10) and St. Anthonys Jordyn Washington (11) battle for the ball in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Laila Hughs (2) shoots for two as the Saints take on St. Joseph in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Josephs Mia Minshall (10) tries to block St. Anthonys Jordyn Washtingtons (11) shot in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Ayaka Yiu (20) looks for an open teammate as they take on St. Joseph in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Josephs Taille Wily-Ava tries to block St. Anthonys Laila Highs (2) shot in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Josephs Olivia Molina (21) goes up for the shot in front of St. Anthonys Jordyn Washington (11) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Josephs Aniya Johnson (32) blocks St. Anthonys Jordyn Washingtons (11) shot in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Laila Hughes (2) tries to get past St. Josephs Bella Harmon (5) and Taille Wily-Ava (12) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Jordyn Ramirez (4) tries to steal the ball from St. Josephs Ava Washington (22) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
St. Anthonys Laila Hughs (2) shoots for two as they take on St. Joseph in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
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St. Anthonys Ayaka Yiu (20) puts the pressure on St. Josephs Mia Minshall (10) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
The Jesters (16-4, 3-0), the top-ranked team in the area rankings, led by 10 points early in the third quarter. They forced 18 turnovers — 11 in the first half — thanks to both a half-court trap and full-court press defense and used a 16-5 edge in offensive rebounds to take advantage of several second-chance opportunities.
“We did a good job in the first half,” St. Joseph coach Chris Childress said. “I think both teams got tired and there were some openings. They got some wide-open 3s that I didn’t like too much. But, overall, they fought through. That was a tough game, they’re a tough team.”
The Saints (15-6, 1-3), who finished 10 of 16 on 3-point attempts, pulled within two points on three separate occasions and got within 54-53 on a Laila Hughes layup with 6:30 remaining.
Seniors Dallyn Knox and Jordyn Washington combined to make all seven of St. Anthony’s shots beyond the arc in the second half and all but two of the team’s made 3-pointers for the game.
Washington’s 3-pointer to cut the Jesters’ lead to 58-56 with 4:30 to play was the Saints’ final push.
“We spaced the floor a little better,” St. Anthony coach Ray Bennett said of the comeback attempt. “Even against the press, we kept the floor spread, got the ball to the middle a couple of times and we were able to go and get not easy baskets, but at least created some 2-on-1s and that kind of thing.
“In the halfcourt, we started knocking down 3s. We were able to just get some clean looks. It had been a while, a whole first half, before we got some clean looks.”
St. Joseph immediately responded by closing the game on a 14-6 run.
St. Anthony made just two of its final 10 shots from the field.
“This is a resilient group,” Childress said. “They came together, I didn’t have to do much talking in the huddle. They talked amongst each other and said they weren’t going to lose and we didn’t.”
Jesters guard Tailele Wily-Ava finished with 24 points and had three of her team’s four made 3-pointers. She erupted for 12 points in the second quarter to lead St. Joseph to a 35-28 lead at halftime.
“I think my coaches in practice, they push us and push me especially to be the greatest, to be consistent with my shooting,” Wily-Ava said. “All the credit to my teammates, too. They drive in and attack, they see me in the corner or any open gaps, so they try to find me.”
The Jesters also got 16 points apiece from Ava Washington and Bella Harmon in the victory.
Hughes paced St. Anthony with 11 of her 20 points in the first half. Jordyn Washington also finished with 20 points and Knox added 12.
The Jesters trailed on just two occasions early in the first quarter, including the last instance at 7-6.
St. Joseph led 17-15 through one quarter and steadily increased its lead by forcing 11 first-half turnovers.
In other instances, St. Anthony was bothered by the deflections that made connecting passes a struggle.
“The difficulty was their height,” Hughes said. “The teams we play, we usually don’t play a lot of teams that are really tall and big. So we were trying to get downhill, and the taller they are, the less agile they are, so we kept trying to attack and they were just there half the time.
“I was able to attack the guards when I got them on the switches and bait them to want to block my shot and they ended up fouling me.”
St. Joseph, in its first season in the league after winning the Camino Real League with an unbeaten mark last season, has now won three of its last four games.
St. Anthony, which finished second in the Del Rey League last season, has now dropped three of its last four contests.
“It’s fun, this is what high school basketball is about,” Childress said. “The competition, coming into each hostile environment — it’s a fun environment, fun game.”