One winter day in 2007, Righetti's girls basketball team was to play a league game that evening.

“(You'll score) seven points tonight?,” a schoolmate said to Desiree Domingues.

“I don't have to score,” Righetti's junior point guard replied quietly.

She was correct. With her all-around floor work, Domingues was a dynamic player even if she ended the night without a point.

She didn't score much last season - 2.9 points a game. The rest of her game - her steals, assists, ball-handling, hustle and leadership - overshadowed her dearth of points, though. She helped Kristina “T” Santiago lead Righetti to second place in the PAC-7 League and a 17-10 overall record.

The Cal State Los Angeles program noticed Domingues' good work. Domingues verbally committed to Cal State L.A. last November. She said she will sign with the school in April, for a full-ride basketball scholarship.

This year, she IS scoring consistently. She's also rebounding more.

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“I played travel ball last summer with the Santa Barbara Blazers, and I really worked on my shot,” Domingues said.

“My follow through's a lot better. My confidence is a lot better.”

Not only that, Domingues is doing all of the things she did so well last year even better this year.

Domingues is scoring 7.3 points a game for the Warriors, who are 4-1 in the PAC-7 and 11-7 overall. Her rebounding numbers are up too, an average of four a game to 2.3 last year. She has boosted her steals and assists numbers, the things that helped make her so valuable to Righetti last year.

She averaged 4.5 steals and 2.8 assists per game that season. Domingues averages 6.2 and 4.7 respectively in those departments this year. Her assists-to-turnovers ratio has improved dramatically.

Domingues had 76 assists and 70 turnovers last year. She has 66 assists and 29 turnovers this season.

Righetti's co-captain for a second season said Menlo College also offered her a scholarship. She chose Cal State L.A. in part because, “Their coach (Tounisia Turner-Lewis) seems really nice.” If Turner-Lewis, new to the Cal State L.A. program this year, has followed Domingues' stats, she has to have liked what she has seen.

Some opponents may have underestimated the 5-foot-2-inch junior with the slim build before games last season. This year, her sterling reputation preceded her. Domingues couldn't sneak up on anyone, but she has still produced.

Domingues has persevered this season despite the broken nose she incurred in a Bob Bernal Tournament game two days after Christmas. She missed two tournament games. Then she played while wearing a mask, a la the Detroit Pistons' Rip Hamilton, to protect her nose.

She ditched the mask after two games. “It was really hard to play defense with it on,” she explained. “It was hard to see well. It was really hard to dribble too. You couldn't look up. You couldn't look down. All you could do was look straight ahead.

“The nose is a little tender, but it's doing all right.”

Her leadership was obvious even when the broken nose had her out of action. When she had to sit out those two games, Domingues was constantly yelling encouragement to her teammates.

Domingues helped save the Warriors in a 48-46 league win over Nipomo Tuesday night. She scored 10 points and made 10 steals.

“A couple of those steals were really nice,” said Righetti coach Harold Oliveira. Domingues also had four assists.

As for her shooting, “All of our guards knew there'd be more pressure on us since we wouldn't have that big scorer,” said Domingues. Santiago, the Santa Maria Times 2006-7 All-Area Girls Basketball Team MVP, took her 19.9 points per game average with her to Cal Poly when she graduated last June.

“Monica Valencia was our second-leading scorer last year, and Elisa Ayala came on strong toward the end of the year,” said Oliveira. “That's a lot of scoring gone.”

Valencia and Ayala play for Hancock College. Valencia averaged 8.7 points a game last season. Ayala averaged 5.7, but she was in double figures in some games late last year.

Fellow guard Chelsea Mitchell has helped Domingues fill some of the scoring slack graduation left the Warriors with. Mitchell, another senior, leads the team's scoring at 12 points a game.

Oliveira seemed especially impressed by the work Domingues did with Molly Schlemer, Righetti's 6-foot-4-inch sophomore center, during the fall.

Schlemer would start her first Righetti varsity season shortly. “In the fall, during seventh period P.E., Desiree told Molly she'd be looking for her,” to pass to in the post, Righetti's veteran coach said.

“Desiree really worked with Molly. She looked for her. She got her to start anticipating passes from Desiree into the post, getting ready for the pass. That's important for a young girl.”

Domingues is a team co-captain this year with Ashlee Sauer, Shelbee McGready and Hannah Cooper. Afterward, Domingues can look forward to playing for a program she called “perfect for me.”

Oliveira said, “She'll stay at point guard there. She's the kind of point guard they want - someone who pushes the ball upcourt, is very aggressive on defense and who knows how to get to the ball on rebounds.

“Teams try to post her up inside. They can't do it. She's very quick, knows how to get to the ball and jumps very well. When teams try to press us, she breaks the press pretty easily.”

Domingues has played basketball “since second grade,” she said. There have been no other sports for her since she's been at Righetti.

Her athletic single mindedness has paid off.

January 10, 2008