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Thanks to their “competitive anomaly” status, the Berkeley High girls’ basketball team will face each of their ACCAL opponents only once this season. But for the De Anza Dons, one game against the Lady ’Jackets was more than enough. 

With two starters out of the lineup due to injuries, the ’Jackets still romped over De Anza, 87-24, on Tuesday. Every Berkeley player in uniform played extensive minutes as the ’Jackets quickly took control of the game and never looked back. 

The Dons actually led the game when Stacy Tanaka hit a bank shot on their first possession, and the ’Jackets looked so uninspired that head coach Gene Nakamura called a timeout before they could even get another shot off. But after the Dons tied the game at 4-4 after two minutes, the ’Jackets used their big size and quickness advantages to run off a 11-0 streak that essentially put the game away. They got offensive rebounds and easy putbacks from Kalyca Seabrook, Sabrina Keys and Shavajaie James, and steals that became layups from Seabrook, Michi Yamamoto and Joy White.  

When De Anza’s Erica Johnson hit a jumper to stop the streak, Berkeley answered right back with a 19-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters and resulted in a 34-6 lead. 

“They just didn’t have any size, and we also had a big advantage in quickness,” Berkeley head coach Gene Nakamura said. “They just didn’t have enough firepower to play with us.” 

Every Berkeley player scored at least 4 points, with five players in double figures. Seabrook and Natasha Bailey led with 13 points each, while Keys pitched in 12 points in very limited playing time. Sophomores White and James scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

Johnson led all scorers with 16 points, but mostly because she hoisted up 16 shots, making only 5. No other Don scored more than 4 points. 

The stat sheet told the story of the game. Berkeley shot 50 percent from the field while taking 21 more attempts, while the Dons shot just 17 percent. The ’Jackets had a 47-28 edge in rebounds and an amazing 24 steals in the 32-minute game. 

Nakamura hopes to have both Angelita Hutton and Devanei Hampton back for his team’s showdown with Reno High on Saturday. Hutton pulled a back muscle picking up a child and was said to be “probable” for the game. Hampton, a 6-foot-3 freshman, suffered stretched ligaments in her knee during last weekend’s tournament at Amador Valley and is wearing a walking cast that should come off on Thursday. Nakamura said he wasn’t sure if she would be available against Reno.