FIRST HALF OF THE 2005-06 SEASON

Hillers pass final test before league opener

East County Sports.com
CORONADO (1-11-06) -- While junior LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST was popping in 22 points, the Grossmont Foothillers were attempting to iron out some new wrinkles on defense during Tuesday's (Jan. 10) non-league romp at Coronado. The Hillers won in a breeze, 63-27, but Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT was most pleased by the defensive experiments executed by his team.

"We tried some new things defensively," Jollett said. "We had a different rotation on our 'run and jump' press. And I thought our 'rapid fire' offense was pretty effective, too."

Grossmont (13-3), which has won six of its last seven, pressured the Islanders (10-7) into submission. The Foothillers led by nine points at intermission and then turned the game into a rout by outscoring Coronado, 40-15, over the final two quarters.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 22, Michelle Gonzalez 13, Liz Riedel 10, Tina Rios 6, Therese Riedel 4, Marcee Fitzpatrick 4, Phylicia Schultz 2, Kayannie Ward 2.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (01-10-06) -- Following a three-game losing streak -- their second of the season -- the West Hills girls knew they had to talk. Among themselves. Captains DALIA GHANDOUR and MEGAN EHMKE stepped up to speak up.

"We knew we had to get closer as a team, so we've started doing more bonding type stuff," Ghandour said. "We went out to lunch as a team, Watched other basketball games together... stuff like that."

This sudden togetherness is beginning to pay off. Ghandour scored a career-high 18 points, made four steals and dished three assists helping the Wolf Pack (9-8) defeat host Valhalla, 56-37, in a Grossmont Conference crossover game Monday night (Jan. 9).

The Wolf Pack outscored the Norsemen (4-11) in each of the four quarters.

"We had better communication on the court in this game," Ghandour said. "We've all heard the coaches talk about playing as a team bunches of times. This time Megan and I, as the captains, talked about the value of having good team play. It's different when you hear it from a player."

Fouls continued to hamper the Pack. West Hills suffered the loss of LEILANI YAWN, ASHLEY ALDERTON and Ehmke to foul trouble in the third and fourth quarters. The Wolf Pack also picked up its shooting, hitting 44 percent (11-for-25) in the second half after hitting just 12-of-43 (28 percent) in the first half.

"We did not do what we needed to do in the first half, which is finish our shots," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "Missed lay-up opportunities and free throws (13-for-27 -- first half) off of 16 first half fouls for the Wolf Pack was the reason we did not have a chance to win this game."

Yawn contributed seven points, seven rebounds and nine steals before fouling out in the third quarter. Ehmke and Alderton had a rough outing as they combined for just five points, eight rebounds and five blocks.

Valhalla's BREE MARTIN shrugged off foul trouble of her own, picking up her fourth foul with 5:43 left in the third quarter. Martin rolled off another double-double with a team-best 17 points and 10 rebounds.

"Without her backup (SARA STANINGER -- sick), Bree played tough minutes in foul trouble and got the better of the battle with (MUAAU) NADERHOFF and the Wolf Pack," Wilson said. "Unfortunately for us, Naderhoff (12 points, 2 rebounds) and Wolf Pack won the war."

"We still have some growing up to do," Wilson added. "The young players are being asked to step up quick and contribute. There has been quite a bit of pressure put upon them."

West Hills scoring: Ghandour 18, Naderhoff 12, Rebecca Jones 7, Yawn 7, Kylee Krings 6, Ehmke 5, Ilda Llamas 1.

Valhalla scoring: Martin 17, Kayla Houston 5, Katie Laine 5, Emily Roberts 4, Sarah Laine 4, Lena Allos 2.

Granite Hills sophomore Molly Hillenbrand picks up the loose ball en route to going back up for the basket against Santana. Behind Hillenbrand is Nicole Brzeczek. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (01-08-06) -- JAY ROWLETT is in his ninth season of coaching girls basketball at Granite Hills High. On Saturday night (Jan. 7), his Eagles presented him with a first -- a 47-45 victory over fourth-ranked Santana in the Sportland Elite Eight Tournament at Mount Miguel.

This win -- the Eagles' 10th in 15 starts this season -- had to be among the sweetest of Rowlett's coaching career.

"We played our most complete game of the season," Rowlett said. "Everybody made some kind of contribution."

Rowlett pointed to the defensive work of sophomore MOLLY HILLENBRAND, who played a key role in holding Santana senior JORDAN FRANEY to 11 points -- less than half her season average of 23.9.

Junior MORGAN SABALA scored a game-high 18 points, half of them coming on a trio of 3-pointers. Sabala was also perfect on 5 free throw attempts. But it was her defensive play in the final seconds that stuck in Rowlett's mind.

Granite Hills saw a 7-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate as the Sultans (10-6) pulled even in the final minute. A Sabala bucket gave the Eagles their eventual winning margin with 7 seconds left, but Granite Hills was still not home free. Santana had a chance to knot the score in the final seconds, but Sabala provided enough defensive resistance to help the shot miss its mark.

"It's was a contested shot, but one we should have made," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "We are not a very good offensive team right now."

Santana led early and maintained that advantage through most of the first half before the Eagles squeezed in front 23-22 by the intermission.

A variety of facial reactions from (l-r) Granite Hills forward Joy Edwards, Santana forward Janet Franey, and Sultans guard Shae Bass (with ball) in exciting Sportland Elite Eight Tournament action on Saturday. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

Granite Hills took control in the early stages of the second half.

"We were fighting from behind like we have been in so many games this year," said Vickery, who saw his Sultans lose a fifth straight game for the first time in his lengthy career. "We can't finish, and we can't shoot.

"This is something we aren't used to at Santana. We can't win a tough game."

JOY EDWARDS made 6 of 14 shots from the field for 13 points and also collected 10 rebounds and dished 3 assists for the Eagles.

"This was one of Joy's best efforts in a big game," Rowlett said.

MARNESHA HALL made half of her 8 shots from the field, helping the defensive-minded Eagles shoot 41 percent from the field. To go with her 9 points, Hall also had 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

Santana shot 33 percent (14 for 42) from the floor, while turning the ball over 23 times.

ASHLEY BAKER led the Sultans in scoring with 12 points.

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 18, Edwards 13, Hall 9, Hillenbrand 7.

Santana scoring: Baker 12, Franey 11 (8 rebs, 2 blocks), Nicole Brzeczek 6, Shae Bass 5 (7 assists), Kelsey Ash 5, Brittany Fenn 4, Carina Vickery 2.

Senior point guard Shanice Howard of top-ranked Mount Miguel directs the offense in Saturday's Sportland Elite Eight triumph over the No.3 Torreys. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

MOUNT MIGUEL 51, LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 45 -- Mount Miguel's Matadors made it clear that they are not willing to relinquish the No. 1 ranking in San Diego County in anybody's poll.

The Matadors (10-3) turned back one of their primary challengers for county supremacy in Saturday's (Jan. 7) Sportland Elite Eight Classic as JERICA WILLIAMS rolled a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds to send the visiting Torreys packing.

"Jerica had what I'd call a quiet 21 points," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "She wasn't all that flashy, but she was effective."

Mount Miguel jumped out in front 17-11 on the strength of MONIQUE CLAYTON's 10 points in the opening quarter. PRECIOUS ROBINSON tallied 10 of her 12 points in the first half as the Matadors maintained a 29-21 advantage at the break.

What may have seemed like a cakewalk early on turned into hand-to-hand combat in the final minute. LJCD (8-6) cut the Matadors lead to 47-45 with 38 seconds remaining. A game-tying bid by the Torreys was rejected by the Matadors' Robinson.

Seconds later, Mount Miguel's LASHAWN JOHNSON (6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists) penetrated on the other end and dished to Williams, who converted giving the Matadors a 49-45 lead.

Clayton canned a pair of free throws to seal the victory with 4 seconds left.

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 21, Clayton 12, Robinson 12, Johnson 6.

STEELE CANYON 56, BRAWLEY 32 -- This was a sweet win for coach FRANK QUINONES and his youthful Steele Canyon Cougars. Following four consecutive defeats over the years at the hands of the Wildcats (9-7), Quinones' squad finally broke through in Saturday's (Jan. 7) San Diego-Imperial Valley Shootout at Steele Canyon.

TINA MERLINO came up big again, driving home 15 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists for the Cougars (9-6) who have won five of their last seven.

"A lot of this turn-around had to do with last night's disappointing loss at Coronado," Quinones said. "We had a whole different attitude tonight. Everybody was talking on defense . , . BELINDA PICKENS made a move that was unreal. She made a drop-step layup that took us all by surprise. That's what we need, more plays like that."

Senior guard CELESTE MARTINS knocked down 4 three-pointers and finished with a team-best 16 points. She also handed out 6 assists, made 4 steals and secured 5 rebounds.

Steele Canyon scoring: Martins 16, Merlino 15, Kelly Hansen 8 (9 rebs, 4 blocks), Xanning Tyler 4 (6 rebs, 2 steals), Pickens 4 (7 rebs, 2 steals), Hayley Johnston 4, Katy Snew 2, Briana Eiter 2, Alexis Robinson 1 (5 rebs, 3 assists, 2 steals).

El Capitan's Mallorie Montgomery tries to regain control after the ball is knocked away by a Mt. Carmel player (see enlargement). (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

MT. CARMEL 57,
EL CAPITAN 52 (OT) -- This was a golden opportunity for the El Capitan Vaqueros to show they rate among the county's top 10. But this Saturday (Jan. 7) Vaquero Shootout battle against the 15-3 Sundevils in Lakeside did not deliver the intended results.

Up front, El Cap did not have an answer for Mt. Carmel's 6-foot senior Whitney Spence, who hit 11 of 17 shots and totaled 31 points and 10 rebounds.

As a team, the Vaqueros countered by clicking on 18 of 50 chances from the field -- 36 percent.

ALLISON DUFFY led El Capitan (7-8) with 24 points, most coming on 11-for-24 shooting from the field. Duffy also grabbed 6 rebounds, made 3 steals and blocked 2 shots before fouling out in overtime.

Players from El Capitan (in white) and Mount Carmel do battle in Saturday's contest. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

MORGAN CRAIG contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists for the Vaqueros.

The Sundevils iced the Vaqs with an 11-6 scoring burst in overtime.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 24, Craig 10, Ashley Duffy 8, Mallorie Montgomery 7, Lisa Wilkins 3.

CENTRAL UNION 44, VALHALLA 43 -- In a game that appeared to a blowout win for the Spartans of Central Union at the start, the Valhalla Norsemen came close to pulling out a last-second victory in Saturday's (Jan. 7) San Diego-Imperial Valley Shootout at Steele Canyon.

Central led 13-2 after one quarter and 39-27 after three periods. But the Norsemen (4-10) kept coming back. Valhalla scored 10 straight points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, and Valhalla was down only 39-37 with 5:08 left.

With 17 seconds left and Central up by one point, Valhalla's LENA ALLOS got a steal and a lay-up to put Valhalla in front 43-42.

It was too early for celebration as Central turned a Valhalla foul into a pair of free throws and a one-point lead.

"We got overzealous, fouled them and it cost us," Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON said.

The Norsemen had one last chance, but saw that wiped out on a traveling call with 3 seconds left.

BREE MARTIN led the Norsemen with 10 points, 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks. KAITIE LAINE added 9 points and 8 rebounds.

"We got off to a slow start," Wilson said. "Poor shooting is really the key. We were 9-22 from the free throw line and 17-71 from the field. We just didn't shoot well at all. In the third quarter we were playing better but still not able to get over the hump."

Valhalla scoring: Martin 10, Katie Laine 9, Sarah Laine 9, Allos 6, Kelsey McClain 4, Kayla Houston 4, Emily White 1.

EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 54, WEST HILLS 47 -- You can't win many games when you commit 30 turnovers. That was the latest revelation from the West Hills coaching staff after the Wolf Pack fell to the Eagles from Imperial Valley during Saturday's (Jan. 7) San Diego-Imperial Valley Shootout at Steele Canyon.

"There is no better word to explain this loss than it was ˜ugly,'" West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI stated.

The Eagles (11-5) raced to a 21-8 first-quarter lead and never gave it up although the Wolf Pack (8-8) sliced and diced their way to within four points in the final quarter. That‘s as close as the Pack would get.

West Hills' offensive might consisted of the inside work of 6-foot senior MEGAN EHMKE (15 points, 18 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals) and 5-10 junior MUAAU NADERHOFF (14 points, 10 rebounds).

Outside of those two, the Wolf Pack shot 20 percent (7-35) as a team.

West Hills scoring: Ekmke 15, Naderhoff 14, Dalia Ghandour 9, Ilda Llamas 4, Rebecca Jones 3, Leilani Yawn 2.

Playing Large

Monarchs forward Britney Small gets off her baseline jump shot despite the defensive effort by guard Lisa Wilkins of El Capitan. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Vaqueros reach one plateau,
strive for better second half

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-7-06) -- After fighting their way through a heaping helping of adversity, the El Capitan Vaqueros finally reached the .500 mark Friday night (Jan. 6) as they mauled Monte Vista 56-14 in a Grossmont Conference crossover game.

San Diego State-bound senior ALLISON DUFFY led the Vaqueros' latest rush with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 6 steals as El Capitan leveled its ledger at 7-7.

El Cap senior guard MALLORIE MONTGOMERY, still recovering from a shoulder injury, contributed a dozen points, three steals and three rebounds for the Vaqueros who have won six of their last 10.

Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY chipped in nine points, seven rebounds and seven steals for the Vaqueros, who host Top 10 foe Mt. Carmel (13-4) in the finale of Saturday's (Jan. 7) Vaquero Shootout at 7p.m.

This one was over almost before it started as the Vaqueros led 19-2 after one quarter. El Capitan's aggressive defense blanked the Monarchs (5-11) in the fourth quarter as well.

"El Capitan played hard and aggressive," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We played scared and timid."

The numbers back that up.

ASHLEY MILLER scored 5 points, bagged 8 rebounds, blocked a pair and handed out 2 assists for the Monarchs.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 23, Montgomery 12, Ashley Duffy 9, Morgan Craig 4 (4 rebs,4 steals), Caramie Huntington 3, Liana Pitman 3, Crisela Banks 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Victoria Richmond 5 (4 rebs), Miller 5 , Johnae Jackson 2 (4 rebs), Rachel Finks 2.

CORONADO 45, STEELE CANYON 39 -- The visiting Cougars (8-6) had the situation in hand Friday (Jan.6) until the fourth quarter when host Coronado (9-6) embarked on an 18-8 scoring spree to take the non-league victory.

Although admittedly upset by the loss, Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES noted a couple of reasons for his team's collapse.

"Besides fatigue, not having SAMANTHA BEASLEY in the lineup as point guard really hurts us," Quinones said. "She's been on crutches since the San Dieguito Academy game (Dec. 27)."

Despite all the problems, the Cougars were on top by two points with 1:23 remaining. Coronado's Kim Davis-Ricci burned Steele Canyon with a go-ahead three-pointer and a follow-up deuce to seal the victory for the Islanders.

"We made some mental mistakes and couple of big turnovers down the stretch that cost us," Quinones said. "We're still a young team, still learning. We looked very good in three to five minute increments."

TINA MERLINO led the Cougars with 12 points and 13 rebounds. KELLY HANSEN added 10 points and 8 rebounds, while CELESTE MARTINS pitched in 6 assists and ALEXIS ROBINSON notched 6 steals.

Steele Canyon hosts the San Diego-Imperial Shootout Saturday (Jan.7).

Steele Canyon scoring: Merlino 12, Hansen 10, Martins 7, Xanning Tyler 4, Belinda Pickens 4, Robinson 2.

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-5-06) -- A key off-season transfer put a major crimp in the plans of Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT who entered this season having to alter her structure for the Monarchs. Wright's Monarchs are only 5-10 for this season, but they can celebrate a key 41-38 win over visiting West Hills in Wednesday's (Jan. 4) Grossmont Conference crossover activity.

A 17-5 scoring advantage in the third quarter helped the Monarchs take a 10-point lead over the Wolf Pack (8-7), which made a belated charge during the last eight minutes.

ASHLEY MILLER led the Monarchs with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. RACHEL FINKS finished with 10 points doing most of her damage from the charity stripe where she netted 8-of-10.

In the third quarter Miller had seven points (two 2s and a 3).

Bottom line is Finks sealed the win for Monte Vista when she nailed two free throws in the final three seconds.

"This was a good win for us -- it brought confidence back to our team," said Wright. "We played tonight as a team hungry for a win. Even though we let them come back and outscore us in the fourth quarter, we still played a really good game."

Wright extended the Monte Vista list of contributors farther.

"TIEAREA ROBINSON played with a bad back and was there defensively as well as being a monster on the boards (with six rebounds)," said Wright.

MUAAU NADERHOFF scored 16 points and MEGAN EHMKE grabbed 13 rebounds for lead West Hills.

"It was a nail biter," acknowledged West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "It got to the very end with just over three seconds left and Monte Vista was up 39-38. We missed two crucial lay-ups. We fouled Finks and she made both her free throws."

"We just missed the shots, point blank. In the first half we were 6 for 21 on field goals -- 2-for-13 in the first quarter alone, and missed some putbacks."

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 18, Finks 10, Britney Small 6, Karisa Archer 3, Johnae Jackson 2, Tiearea Robinson 2.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 16, Leilani Yawn 7, Ehmke 7, Dalia Ghandour 4, Kylee Krings 3, Ashley Alderton 1.

HELIX 58, SANTANA 45 -- For the second time in a week Helix stuffed Santana Wednesday night (Jan. 4) in a Grossmont Conference crossover game.

MELE LEASAU was the main cog in the Highlanders latest conquest, scoring 13 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dealing five assists, blocking three shots and making three steals.

"Mele came up big tonight," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "Franey is a tough player, and we played her tough. SHARIKA THOMPSON and MALLERIE BROWN guarded her, both did a good job. To hold Franey to 10 points is phenomenal."

Sophomore BRITTNEY WILLIAMS scored a game high 17 points and added seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals to her Helix account. DIANA LEASAU chimed in with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.

A key point for Helix, which crushed the Sultans by 21 points on Dec. 28, was that the Highlanders' defense limited Santana senior JORDAN FRANEY even tighter than they did in the first meeting.

Franey finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds in the rematch.

"Jordan needs more help from her teammates," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "But I will say that we competed better than we did the first time we faced them. They embarrassed us that first time, leading by 30 points in the third quarter. We're just not mentally tough right now, but we'll just keep plugging away.

"I still think we can have a successful season," Vickery added. "What we are famous for is imposing our will on people. We aren't doing that right now and it's costing us."

As Santana suffers its fourth straight loss, the celebration belongs in Helix's court.

"It's been a long time since Helix has beaten Santana twice in one year," said Hathway, who has been associated with the Helix basketball program the past 12 years.

Helix scoring: Williams 17, Diana Leasau 13, Diana Leasau 11, Sinoi Leasau 6, Sharika Thompson 5, Racquel Primas 2, Mallerie Brown 2, Tempy Glenn 2.

Santana scoring: Franey 10, Kelsey Ash 9, Ashley Baker 8, Shae Bass 7, Danielle Balough 6, Jamie Elias 3, Nicole Brzeczek 2.

Non-League
HILLTOP 53, EL CAJON VALLEY 44 -- No report by the Braves. Contact the coach for game information.

The Robinson gift

Mount Miguel forward Precious Robinson goes up with the baseline jump shot over a Fullerton-Troy defender to score the basket in Friday's championship final of the Santana-Horsman Christmas Classic. Troy, the defending Southern California champions, survived, 55-40. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Four games in 24 hours too much for Foothillers

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-30-05) -- Marathon man TIM JOLLETT and his tireless Grossmont Foothillers came within one quarter of beating the odds in Friday night's (Dec. 30) championship game of the third Lady Cougar Holiday Classic.

"Our girls played four games in 24 hours," Jollett said after the Foothillers (12-3) lost to Valley Center 50-46 in the title contest at Steele Canyon. "And all four of the teams we played were tough."

Grossmont led the Jaguars 32-21 at intermission, but then began to fade in the second half.

Jollett's squad, which defeated Reseda in a game that began Thursday night at 6:30, returned to the court at 9:30 Friday morning to defeat Escondido 47-40 in the final round of pool play.

At 5 p.m., Grossmont began what would be a 37-26 semifinal win over Chino Hills (12-4). Ninety minutes later, the championship game tipped off.

The final 16 minutes were an endurance test.

"We were a step and a half slower that last half," Jollett said of his Foothillers, who play scrambling, full-court pressure defense. "Finally, we just hit the wall

in the fourth quarter. Our legs were dead; we simply ran out of gas."

Jollett was both surprised and pleased by the efforts of his rebuilding squad.

"Even though we didn't win it all, I'd have to say this was one of the most satisfying days of my coaching career," Jollett said.

Grossmont's three losses to date have come by a total of 14 points.

"Just knowing that we've been able to reach the finals in all three of our tournaments is rewarding," Jollett said. "We've got tough kids, that's what we've got."

VALLEY CENTER 50, GROSSMONT 46 -- LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST and THERESE RIEDEL combined for 28 points, but the court-weary Foothillers were outscored 29-14 in the second half of Friday's (Dec. 30) 3rd Lady Cougar Holiday Classic championship at Steele Canyon.

Jollett emphasized that his girls were playing in their fourth game over 24 hours, while Valley Center (10-4) was playing in only its second game over that same time frame.

"I wouldn’t mind playing them again when both teams were rested," he said.

Steele Canyon coach and tournament director FRANK QUINONES had words of praise for Jollett and the Grossmont players.

"When I was handing out the awards I told Tim and his girls they were warriors," Quinones said. "To come out and execute the way they did was outstanding. These are 32-minute, top flight games, unlike the summer games with a running clock."

Grossmont scoring: La'Kenya Simon-West 15, Therese Riedel 13, Tina Rios 9, Michelle Gonzalez 6, Kayannie Ward 3.

GROSSMONT 37, CHINO HILLS 26 -- The Hillers pressure defense unraveled

the Huskies (12-4) in the semifinals of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic at Steele Canyon.

The Huskies committed 30 turnovers.

"They could not handle our pressure," Jollett said. "We got them going so fast that they were out of control. They were just throwing up shots."

Chino Hills scored five points in the opening minutes, but were silenced thereafter, scoring only 21 points in the final 31 minutes.

Grossmont scoring: La'Kenya Simon-West 16, Tina Rios 11, Therese Riedel 8, Michelle Gonzalez 2.

GROSSMONT 47, ESCONDIDO 40 -- Of the three tournament wins in the 24-hour span, this victory over the Cougars (9-4) was the sweetest for coach TIM JOLLETT and the Foothillers.

"They are averaging something like 60 points a game," Jollett noted. "To shut a quality team like they are down is something special. They hurt us inside, but we completely sealed off the perimeter. Their guards scored only 8 points."

Grossmont scoring: La'Kenya Simon-West 17, Liz Riedel 8, Therese Riedel 7, Michelle Gonzalez 7, Tina Rios 5, Shandise Rios 3.

FULLERTON TROY 55, MOUNT MIGUEL 40 -- The defensive-minded Matadors were overmatched by the visitors from Orange County in Friday's (Dec.30) championship game of the Santana-Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic at Santana.

Although the Matadors trailed most of the night, they did benefit from a break-out game by junior forward PRECIOUS ROBINSON who rang up team highs of 21 points and 8 rebounds coming off the bench.

While obviously elated by Robinson's effort, Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL was dismayed by the Matadors'free-throw misfires and lackluster effort on the defensive boards.

"We missed the front end of five one-and-ones, and let Troy beat us to death with 14 offensive rebounds," Sandoval said. "This was a tough loss, but it only shows that we need to adjust our offense for the next time we play them."

Troy trampled the Matadors 48-31 in the Southern California championship last year and continued on to win the state Division II title.

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 21, Lashawn Johnson 9, Jerica Williams 7, Tavasha Yarbrough 2, Monique Clayton 1.

Hookin' horns

Santana's Jordan Franey (in white) gets hooked and bent backwards by a player from El Capitan in Friday's Santana Horsman Christmas Classic contest. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

EL CAPITAN 47, SANTANA 35 -- Senior MORGAN CRAIG isn't known for her scoring punch. But she can play defense with the best of them

Craig proved her defensive prowess by holding Santana's JORDAN FRANEY to a season-low 6 points in Friday's (Dec. 30) Santana-Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic consolation tussle between Grossmont North League rivals.

Franey came in averaging close to 26 points per game, but netted just 2 of 11 shots from the field against the Vaqueros (6-7).

As a team, Santana (10-4) shot only 38 percent as DANIELLE BALOUGH and SHAE BASS shared high-point honors with 8 points apiece.

"I don't know if I've ever had a team lose three games in a row," said Santana's WADE VICKERY, the winningest girls basketball coach in San Diego Section history.

ALLISON DUFFY led El Capitan offense with 21 points,11 rebounds and 5 steals. MALLORIE MONTGOMERY added 12 points, while ASHLEY DUFFY contributed 6 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 21, Mallorie Montgomery 12, Ashley Duffy 6, Lisa Wilkins 5, Morgan Craig 3.

Santana scoring: Shae Bass 8, Danielle Balough 8, Jordan Franey 6, Ashley Baker 5, Jamie Elias 2, Kelsey Ash 2, Shannon Bailey 2, Brittany Fenn 2.

STEELE CANYON 40, WELLINGTON (B.C.) 32 -- Sophomore center KELLY HANSEN rolled a double-double of 15 rebounds and 10 points to help lead the host Cougars past 8-2 Wellington in Friday's (Dec. 30) final round of pool play in the 3rd annual Lady Cougar Holiday Classic.

"We came out slow -- here we were again, playing to the level of our competition," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "Their press break was very effective."

None the less, the Cougars satisfied a team goal by reaching the semifinals of their own tournament for the second straight year.

"We've been working day and night to make this tournament successful," Quionones said. "We're shooting for 60 teams next year with three divisions. Going from 8 to 36 teams this year is outstanding. I want to give credit to my parents and my players -- without them I couldn't do this."

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 10, Xanning Tyler 10, Celeste Martins 6 (4 assists, 5 steals), Tina Merlino 4 (11 rebounds), Hayley Johnston 4, Belinda Pickens 3, Briana Eiter 2, Alexis Robinson 1.

VALLEY CENTER 63, STEELE CANYON 37 -- The Jaguars from North County jumped in front of host Steele Canyon 20-5 in the first quarter of Friday's (Dec. 30) semifinals and never looked back.

"We had our game plan to shut down Paige Mintun, who is going to UC Davis and averaging more than 20 points a game, to not let her get second and third chances," said Cougars coach FRANK QUINONES.

"Overall, TINA MERLINO, KELLY HANSEN and BELINDA PICKENS did a marvelous job of shutting her down (holding her to 10 points). I was very pleased with my girls, the way they played tonight. We broke their press very easily."

Hansen reeled off her first double-double of the day with 10 points and 10 rebounds along with 3 blocks. Merlino also had 10 rebounds while CELESTE MARTINS added 9 points and 10 assists for the Cougars.

"At halftime we were pumped to be only down by 11 against a Top 10 team like Valley Center," Quinones said. "Two or three years ago we wouldn't have been in this position."

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 10, Martins 9, Pickens 6, Merlino 4, Alexis Robinson 4, Xanning Tyler 4.

CHRISTIAN 44, VISTA 35 -- Christian's defensive stand in the third quarter when the Patriots held the Panthers to 2 points was the key to a significant conquest in Friday's (Dec. 30) final day of the Santana-Horsman Christmas Classic at El Capitan.

The Patriots (7-8) survived their own 32 turnovers -- 22 of which were in the first half -- to post the victory.

BRITNI McCASKILL paced the Patriots with 15 points.

"This was a good win and now we have two whole weeks to get ready for (Central, formerly Harbor) conference," Christian assistant coach LEO ESPELET. "There is a lot we need to work on, specially in lowering the turnovers."

Christian scoring: McCaskill 15, Holly Erickson 9, Heather Meier 8, Katie Gerlek 5, Sarah Seymour 4, Heather DePriest 1.

LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 50, HELIX 39 -- This can be a simple game when everything is falling your way. It's been just the opposite for the Helix Highlanders (11-4) the last couple of days in the Santana-Horsman Christmas Classic, which ended Friday (Dec. 30).

Two of Helix's top scorers -- DIANA LEASAU and BRITTNEY WILLIAMS -- were each 3-for-17 shooting against the highly regarded Torreys (7-5). Leasau finished with 10 points, while Williams totaled 7 points and hauled down 7 rebounds.

"The last two nights we just couldn't put the ball in the basket," lamented Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "We went down by seven points in the second quarter and couldn't recover."

On the upside, Helix junior MELE LEASAU had a huge night with 17 points and 15 rebounds. She was 6 for 9 shooting from the field and 5 of 7 from the charity stripe.

Helix scoring: Mele Leasau 17, Diana Leasau 10, Brittney Williams 7, Sharika Thompson 2, Racquel Primas 2, Sinoi Leasau 1.

GOLDEN VALLEY 55, EL CAJON VALLEY 43 -- Another loss by the Braves at the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic -- no information reported by the ECV coaching staff.

Smooth scoring

Vauqeros center Allison Duffy (left) goes up for two of her 14 points in Thursday's loss to visiting Clovis West High, 48-29. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Eagles, Wolf Pack lose tourney finals; Can Matadors turn the tide?

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-30-05) -- Granite Hills and West Hills missed a shot at capturing tournament championships Thursday night (Dec. 29). Now it's Mount Miguel's turn to claim a tourney crown. But the Matadors must beat defending Division II state champion Troy High of Fullerton to claim the gold medal in Friday's (Dec. 30) Santana-Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic finale at 7 p.m.

POWAY 49, GRANITE HILLS 41 -- Poway High knew there was only one thing they could do to temper the rising Granite Hills girls basketball team: slow the game down to create an old-fashion style score somewhere in the 30-to-40 point range. The Titans dictated a deliberate pace in Thursday's (Dec. 29) championship game of the Granite Hills-Sportland Holiday Classic, and came out on top.

The Titans' varying zones forced a series of long, slow skip passes to derail the Eagles' offense, permitting Poway (9-3) to lead virtually wire-to-wire en route to a 49-41 triumph.

Helping slow the eager Eagles to a crawl was Poway forward Michelle Krall, who scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half. The senior was also among the rebounding leaders with six, plus a blocked shot, to prevent second-chance opportunities for the hosts.

"We're a smart team, so we kept switching our defense, which we are able to do on the fly," noted Krall. "We switched from one type of zone to another, which kept Granite Hills off-balance."

And with the Eagles unable to punch the Poway zone with any dribble penetration, it led to a long series of slow passes around the perimeter in order to get an open look at the basket. Even then, Granite Hills was only able to hit a few outside shots. The Eagles were just 14-for-47 from the floor, including 9-for-36 shooting (25 percent) through three periods.

"That's the way to beat a Granite Hills team since JAY (ROWLETT) took over," said Titans coach Jay Trousdale. "You have to slow them down and limit their touches to control the tempo."

The plan resulted in forcing eight early turnovers to jump to a 15-7 lead through the first period, as the defending Palomar League champions overcame a 5-0 deficit in the opening minute.

Granite Hills made one late 9-0 run to trim the deficit to 41-34 after holding Poway scoreless over the first 5:15 of the final period. However, Megan Tiswell took consecutive feeds from Krall for layins, then Krall sank a 14-footer to push the lead back to double figures.

"This is a big win against a good team," added Trousdale. "We wanted to limit make them play defense to wear them down.''

MORGAN SABALA paced Granite Hills (9-4) with 18 points, but only converted four shots from the field, scoring most of her points from the foul line (9-for-12). JOY EDWARDS added 10 points and six rebounds,

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 18, Edwards 10, Marnesha Hall 9, Amy Sylvester 2, Molly Hillenbrand 2.

MONTGOMERY 54, WEST HILLS 32 -- For the second time this season, CARLOS MOSS led his West Hills Wolf Pack into the championship game of holiday tournament.

And, for the second time, the Wolf Pack came up short. Following a second-place finish in the Patrick Henry Tournament, the Pack came up against a Montgomery team (8-6) far superior to its record in Thursday's (Dec. 29) championship contest of the Lady Aztec Holiday Tournament.

Moss did not return a telephone call.

"They are a well coached team with great players," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI of the Aztecs.

West Hills, which trailed 25-14 at the half, did place MEGAN EHMKE and DALIA GHANDOUR on the Lady Aztec All-Tournament team.

West Hills scoring: Muaau Naderhoff 11, Ekmke 7, Leilani Yawn 4, Ashley Alderton 4, Ilda Llamas 3, Ghandour 2, Kylee Krings 1.

MOUNT MIGUEL 45, HELIX 37 -- In the first of what should be three heated battles between Grossmont South League aces Mount Miguel and Helix, the Matadors gained the upper hand in Thursday's (Dec. 29) semifinals of the Santana Christmas Classic at Santana.

JERICA WILLIAMS, the Matadors UCLA-bound guard, hit three consecutive baskets to give Mount Miguel (9-2) a 39-20 edge with 43 seconds left in the third quarter.

"I think when we got that lead we kind of relaxed a little bit," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "I think we can control them with our half-court defense, I think it will be hard for them to score on us. When they did score on us in this game it was on a lot of run-outs and transition stuff.â"

Williams finished with a game-best 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and a pair of steals for the five-time defending Grossmont South League-champion Matadors.

MONIQUE CLAYTON scored 8 of her 11 points in the first quarter as Mount Miguel forged in front of the Highlanders (10-3) by an 18-7 margin.

DIANA LEASAU, who watched from the sidelines much of the game because of foul troubles, led the Highlanders with 13 points. MELE LEASAU grabbed eight rebounds and BRITTNEY WILLIAMS totaled nine points, six rebounds and six steals for the Highlanders.

Mount Miguel scoring: Jerica Williams 14, Clayton 11, Tavasha Yarbrough 9 (12 reb.), Victoria Murphy 5, Precious Robinson 3, Lashawn Johnson 2, Shanice Howard 1.

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 13, Brittney Williams 9, Mele Leasau 6, Racquel Primas 6, Mallerie Brown 3.

STEELE CANYON 53, BUCKLEY 34 -- Although coach FRANK QUINONES will most likely lead his Cougars (7-4) into Friday's (Dec. 30) finals of the third annual Lady Cougar Holiday Classic, he was less than pleased by his squad's performance against a Buckely team out of Sherman Oaks in Thursday's pool play activity.

"I lost count of how many layups we missed," Quinones said. "But I do know that we made only 7-of-29 free throws. You can't shoot like that and expect to beat any of the good teams. Our girls are playing to the level of the competition."

KELLY HANSEN turned in a solid double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars, who will need a three-game sweep in Friday's (Dec. 30) final day of their own tournament to claim the gold medal.

TINA MERLINO rolled a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for Steele Canyon, while CELESTE MARTINS netted 12 points and made eight steals. ALEXIS ROBINSON also grabbed eight rebounds.

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 12, Martins 12, Merlino 10, Xanning Tyler 7, Briana Eiter 4, Robinson 4, Amanda Rice 2, Hayley Johnston 2.

GROSSMONT 51, RESEDA 39 -- Even though Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT maintains a stealth attitude toward the Foothillers' 10-2 start, this is a team that cannot be overlooked.

Junior THERESE RIEDEL, who missed 7-of-9 free throws, still managed to ring up a team-best 18 points as the Foothillers maintained their surge toward the third annual Lady Cougar Holiday Classic championship.

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST added16 points for the Hillers, who led a 6-2 Reseda squad wire-to-wire.

"The big thing we had going for us was the return of the RIOS sisters -- junior SHANDISE and sophomore CHRISTINA," Jollett said. "They've been sick but came back with a vengeance. They helped our defense really frustrate Reseda."

Grossmont scoring: Therese Riedel 18, Simon-West 16, Michelle Gonzalez 6, Tina Rios 5, Kayannie Ward 4, Shandise Rios 2.

FRANCIS PARKER 50, SANTANA 46 -- Santana's WADE VICKERY, the winningest coach in San Diego Section history rarely is happy when his Sultans lose. But the veteran skipper was pleased by his team's performance in a Santana Christmas Classic game they could have won.

"At least we competed today," Vickery said. "We might have pulled this one out if not for a few too many breakdowns."

Unfortunately for the Sultans (10-3) one of those breakdowns came in the final 40 seconds with the score knotted at 46-46.

"That one really hurt because we gave up a layup to a girl we knew we wanted to force to go right," Vickery said. "Instead, we let her drive 25 feet from (her favored) left side for an uncontested layup. Then we had to foul and they won the game."

None the less, Vickery was pleased by his team's effort.

"I'm a heckuva lot happier today than I was yesterday," Vickery said.

Even in defeat senior JORDAN FRANEY was strong for Santana, scoring 22 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, blocking four shots and logging three steals.

Santana scoring: Franey 22, Shae Bass 8 (3 assists), Shannon Bailey 6, Kelsey Ash 3, Brittany Fenn 3, Ashley Baker 2, Danielle Balough 2 (4 steals).

RAMONA 57, CHRISTIAN 48 -- Sometimes losses can be construed as mini-victories. Such would the case of second-year head coach CORI ESPELET, whose Patriots made marked improvement in Thursday's (Dec. 29) consolation round of the Santana Christmas Classic.

â"We played Ramona earlier this year and lost by 40," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "Tonight, we only lost by nine."

Point made.

KATIE GERLEK rebounded from an injury earlier this week to score a team-best 17 points against the Bulldogs (8-4).

Christian scoring: Gerlek 17, Holly Erickson 9, Britni McCaskilll 8, Sarah Seymour 6, Heather Meier 4, Jessie Ekard 3, Heather DePriest 1.

CLOVIS WEST 48, EL CAPITAN 29 -- It was another disappointing outing for the Vaqueros (5-7), who were outscored 30-8 in the second half of Thursday's (Dec. 29) Santana Christmas Classic consolation contest.

It didn't help El Capitan that senior leader ALLISON DUFFY fouled out early in the fourth quarter. The San Diego State-bound Duffy finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY had a free throw for the Vaqueros' only point in the fourth quarter.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 14, Mallorie Montgomery 6, Ashley Duffy 5, Morgan Craig 4.

MONTE VISTA 48, SO. BAY LUTHERAN 36 -- ASHLEY MILLER, JOHNAE JACKSON, and BRITNEY SMALL combined for 38 points as the Monarchs (4-10) snapped a four-game losing streak in Thursday's (Dec. 29) final game of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.

Miller mustered a pair of three-pointers and 4 steals, while Jackson grabbed six rebounds.

The Monarchs defense held Lutheran to single scoring digits in each of the first three quarters.

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 16, Jackson 12, Small 10, Victoria Richmond 2, Karisa Archer 2, Tamieka Howell 2.

FALLBROOK 52, VALHALLA 23 -- The Norsemen couldn't find the shooting track as they clicked on only 16 percent of 50 attempts in Thursday's (Dec. 29) final consolation round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.

"It is tough to win ball games with shooting like that," Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON said.

KAYLA HOUSTON had the best numbers for the Norsemen (4-9), finishing with 7 points and 7 rebounds.

Valhalla scoring: Houston 7, Kelsey McClain 6, Sarah Laine 4, Bree Martin 3, Katie Laine 2, Elicia White 1.

BRAWLEY 48, EL CAJON VALLEY 28 -- No report from the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic,

Over the top

Helix senior Racquel Primas (left) gets ready to go up with the shot, despite the efforts of Santana senior Jordan Franey (53). The Highlanders took the Santana Christmas Classic contest, 68-47, to gain a berth into Thursday's championship semifinals. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Two East County teams reach Santana semis

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (12-29-05) -- In a showdown of East County powers, Helix established itself as one of the elite by slamming Santana 68-47 in Wednesday's (Dec. 28) quarterfinals of the Santana Christmas Classic.

The Highlanders (11-2) left little doubt of their powerhouse abilities as they surged to a 22-13 first quarter lead over the Sultans (10-2) and built their lead as high as 28 points in the third quarter.

"This was a big win for us," said Helix second-year head coach TRINA HANSEN. "To beat a respected team like Santana is such a plus for our program."

Helix sophomore BRITTNEY WILLIAMS connected on 11-of-18 shots from the field on her way to a game-high 25 points, which she combined with 10 rebounds and six steals.

"Brittney made nice passes that led to layups," Hansen said. "The key for her was she stayed out of foul trouble. For the second game in a row she didn't commit a foul until the third quarter. I say that knocking on wood. Having her as our point guard is important."

DIANA LEASAU rolled a 7-of-11 shooting percentage from the field on her way to a 17-point finish. MELE LEASAU added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior JORDAN FRANEY led Santana with 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

"Helix is a very good defensive team," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "Our charts show we made only 23 turnovers and to me it must have been 43. Helix is so much quicker than we are."

Helix scoring: Williams 25, Diana Leasau 17, Mele Leasau 12, Racquel Primas 6, Sharika Thompson 2, Mallerie Brown 2, Sinoi Leasau 2, Tempy Glenn 2.

Santana scoring: Franey 17, Danielle Balough 8, Shannon Bailey 4, Ashley Baker 4, Jamie Elias 4, Kelsey Ash 2, Shae Bass 2, Carina Vickery 2, Lorena Bernal 2, Brianna Padilla 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 44, FRANCIS PARKER 38 -- Even though Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL denied the thought that his Matadors might be looking ahead in the Santana Christmas Classic, he was thankful that his girls outlasted Francis Parker in a quarterfinal victory on Wednesday (Dec.28) night.

Mount Miguel (8-2) stormed to a 12-2 early lead and then methodically held on for the win over the pesky Lancers.

JERICA WILLIAMS was the difference in this one as she scored 20 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Matadors into Thursday's (Dec.29) semifinals.

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 20, Lashawn Johnson 7, Monique Clayton 7, Precious Robinson 4, Tavasha Yarbrough 4, Shanice Howard 2.

WEST HILLS 78, OTAY RANCH 40 -- The Wolf Pack dribbled into Thursday's (Dec. 28) finals of the Lady Aztec Holiday Tournament at Montgomery by virtue of Wednesday's semifinals romp over the 6-5 Mustangs.

Senior 6-footer MEGAN EHMKE produced a triple double of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists along with three blocks that paced West Hills to its highest scoring output of the season.

DALIA GHANDOUR, who scored a triple-double on Tuesday, produced 16 points and 10 assists for the Wolf Pack (8-5), which has won six of its last seven starts.

West Hills scoring: Ghandour 16, Leilani Yawn 16, Ekmke 15, Muaau Naderhoff 13, Ilda Llamas 7 (14 reb.), Kylee Krings 5, Ashley Alderton 4, Rebecca Jones 2.

GRANITE HILLS 58, MIRA MESA 44 -- Six-foot junior forward MARNESHA HALL of Granite Hills drilled in a career-high 24 points to go along with 5 steals, 5 rebounds and a pair of assists Wednesday (Dec.28) as the Eagles earned a berth in Thursday's (Dec. 29) championship game of the Sportland Festival against Poway at 7 p.m. at Granite Hills.

Senior guard JOY EDWARDS contributed 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while MORGAN SABALA tipped in 10 points and five steals. MOLLY HILLENBRAND contributed six points, five rebounds and three assists for the Eagles (9-4).

Granite Hills scoring: Hall 24, Edwards 10, Sabala 10, Madonna Najor 6, Hillenbrand 6, Natalia Bailey 2.

VALHALLA 56, MAR VISTA 33 -- Falling behind 12-5 after only four and a half minutes into the game, the Norsemen went on a 28-5 run the rest of the half to take a commanding lead into halftime of Wednesday's (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Sportland Festival.

"I was a bit frustrated with the overall performance of the game," admitted Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "Wins have been few and far between, but after a series of good games, I have developed a new expectation."

None the less, the Norsemen (4-8) have won two of their last three starts.

SARA STANINGER slipped in 11 points, 5 rebounds and two steals, while SARAH LAINE added 11 points and three steals for Valhalla.

"They both played well today," Wilson said. "Sarah scored well and took the ball strong to the basket all day. Sara scored her career high and played the ball well defensively."

Valhalla scoring: Staninger 11, Laine 11, Elicia White 9 (6 steals), Katie Laine 8, Bree Martin 7 (10 rebounds), Emily Roberts 4, Kayla Houston 3 (6 steals), Lena Allos 3.

CHRISTIAN 60, SOUTHWEST (SD) 42 -- The Patriots posted an impressive victory in Wednesday's (Dec. 28) round of the Santana Christmas Classic at El Capitan.

Senior HOLLY ERICKSON broke out of a season-long slump with 24 points and 15 rebounds as the Patriots (6-7) pasted Southwest.

KATIE GERLEK, who was knocked out of the lineup a day earlier in a collision with an El Capitan player, returned to punch in 17 points and eight rebounds.

Christian scoring: Erickson 24, Gerlek 17, Britni McCaskill 6, JessieEkard 4, Heather Meier 4, Sarah Seymour 3, Kelsey DePriest 2.

LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 55, EL CAPITAN 39 -- When ALLISON DUFFY is on the El Capitan bench prematurely, the Vaqueros are sure to be in trouble. That was the case in Wednesday's (Dec. 28) quarterfinals of the Santana Christmas Classic.

Duffy fouled out in the third quarter after scoring just nine points and collecting seven rebounds.

El Capitan (5-6) did not have a single player reach double scoring figures in the loss to the CIF-San Diego Section's No. 2-ranked Torres (6-4).

Vaqueros freshman ASHLEY DUFFY grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds, while MORGAN CRAIG added eight points, four steals and three rebounds.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 9, Craig 8, Ashley Duffy 7, Mallorie Montgomery 6, Liana Pitman 5, Caramie Huntington 2, Crisela Banks 2.

HOOVER 31, MONTE VISTA 24 -- The Monarchs continued to struggle to find offense as they dropped a winnable Granite Hills Sportland Festival game against the victory starved Cardinals of Hoover Wednesday (Dec. 28) at Valhalla.

One of the few shining stars for the Monarchs (3-10) was BRITNEY "Not so" SMALL who shoveled seven points and a dozen rebounds into the Monte Vista coughers.

JOHNAE JACKSON added six points and 10 rebounds.

Monte Vista scoring: Jackson 6, Rachel Finks 7, Britney Small 7, Ashley Miller 4.

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (12-28-05) -- It was a case of home sweet home for the Steele Canyon Cougars, who were stuck on a trio of Black-Diamond runs during last week's tournament trip to Littleton, Colo.

"After leaving San Diego with a 4-1 record and then coming back with a 4-4 mark, I wasn't sure what to expect from our girls when we started this tournament," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES admitted.

Let's just say the Cougars found their Rocky Mountain High on the trip back home.

STEELE CANYON 68, MADISON 40 -- The Cougars gave their coach a bit of relief when they raced to an 18-4 lead against the visiting Warhawks in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) first round of the 3rd annual Lady Cougar Steele Canyon Classic.

Four Cougars finished in double scoring digits in this game which was never in doubt from the opening tip.

"It was a nice little win after we got back from freezing at Colorado," Quinones said. "Sophomore BELINDA PICKENS is coming out of her shell, got 13 rebounds to go with her 8 points. I'm delighted to have two sophomores -- Pickens (6-4) and KELLY HANSEN (6-0) for three more years.â"

Hansen settled for 6 points and 8 rebounds in this easy victory.

Not to be overlooked was the work of TINA MERLINO, who delivered a commanding double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Steele Canyon scoring: Celeste Martins 12, Merlino 12, Xanning Tyler 10, Samantha Beasley 10, Pickens 8, Hansen 6, Alexis Robinson 6, Briana Eiter 4.

STEELE CANYON 62, SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 44 -- The Cougars followed their Tuesday (Dec. 27) matinee romp with an evening rout of a San Dieguito Academy team that dealt Steele Canyon three defeats in as many meetings a year ago.

"This was a sweet win, considering what this team did to us last year," Quinones said.

KELLY HANSEN was the leader of Steele Canyon's payback from the inside with 10 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Senior guard CELESTE MARTINS was the spark from the perimeter with a game-high 21 points -- most coming on five 3-pointers -- and six assists.

TINA MERLINO turned in another solid game of 6 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

While the Cougars were securing a sweep, they did receive some bad news in that junior guard SAMANTHA BEASLEY suffered an ankle injury that could cause her to miss significant playing time.

"We're not sure the extent of her injury," Quinones said. "But we need her back in the lineup as soon as possible."

Steele Canyon scoring: Martins 21, Hansen 10, Belinda Pickens 7, Alexis Robinson 7, Merlino 6, Samantha Beasley 4, Briana Eiter 4, Xanning Tyler 3.

HELIX 67, OCEAN VIEW 40 -- BRITTANY WILLIAMS popped in 22 points and DIANA LEASAU added 21 as the Highlanders (10-2) slapped the Seahawks of Huntington Beach in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Santana Christmas Classic.

"We moved the ball really well tonight," said Helix coach TRINA HANSEN. "And just had some of the most unselfish passes we've had all season."

Williams connected on 11-of-16 shots from the field, while senior Leasau was good on 10-of-15 shots. As a team, Helix was on the mark for 60 percent of 52 shots.

"We stayed out of foul trouble -- for a change," Hansen said. "Brittney was on tonight. She stayed out of foul trouble until the third quarter, and played more aggressively. SHARIKA THOMPSON played fantastic on defense against their big girl."

Helix scoring: Williams 22 ( 6 rebs, 6 ast.,5 stl.), Diana Leasau 21 5 rebs, 4 ast., 3 blk., 2 stl.), Mele Leasau 11, Racquel Primas 5, Mallerie Brown 4, Tempy Glenn 2, Sharika Thompson 2.

WEST HILLS 69, GOMPERS 17 -- West Hills senior guard DALIA GHANDOUR hit a triple-triple with 12 points, 10 assists and 11 steals to push the Wolf Pack (7-5) to a lopsided win over Gompers in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Lady Aztec Holiday Tournament at Montgomery High.

Senior inside force MEGAN EHMKE rolled a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Pack, which built a 41-9 lead by halftime.

ILDA LLMAS crashed the boards for a dozen rebounds, LEILANI YAWN added 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals for West Hills, which has won five of its last six.

West Hills scoring: Ehmke 18, Ghandour 12, Yawn 10, Muaau Naderhoff 10, Ilda Llamas 7, Kylee Krings 6, Ashley Alderton 4, Rebecca Jones 2.

GRANITE HILLS 71, MAR VISTA 27 -- Sophomore guard MOLLY HILLENBRAND scored a season high 20 points -- half of them coming in the first quarter -- as the Eagles (8-4) took a 22-5 lead in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Sportland Festival contest.

Another sophomore, AMY SYLVESTER, popped in 14 points and made five steals for the Eagles who led 44-10 by halftime.

MARNESHA HALL chalked up 12 points and five assists for Granite Hills, while KYLEE WILSON contributed 10 points and MORGAN SABALA dished five assists.

Granite Hills scoring: Hillenbrand 20, Sylvester 14, Hall 12, Wilson 10, Joy Edwards 9, Madonna Najor 4, Morgan Sabala 2.

EL CAPITAN 58, CHRISTIAN 15 -- Those who might have believed the Vaqueros (5-5), buried in a barrel of adversity would crumble, should think again. El Capitan's defense was rock solid against a respectably talented Christian crew in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Santana Christmas Classic.

The DUFFY sisters -- senior ALLISON and freshman ASHLEY -- combined for 29 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots as the Vaqueros pummeled the Patriots (5-7).

Christian, which lost 6-foot-1 KATIE GERLEK to an injury in the second quarter, never scored more than six points in a quarter.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 15, Ashley Duffy 14, Morgan Craig 11, Caramie Huntington 8, Lisa Wilkins 6, Mallorie Montgomery 4.

Christian scoring: Sarah Seymour 5, Britni McCaskill 2, Holly Erickson 2, Heather Meier 2, Kelsey DePriest 2, Katie Gerlek 2.

GROSSMONT 65, CRAWFORD 34 -- Nobody inside the Grossmont camp is predicting the youthful Foothillers worthy of overtaking perennial powers Santana and El Capitan in the Grossmont North League race. But there are plenty of doubters elsewhere.

The Foothillers (9-2), despite a series of illness and injuries, aren't willing to concede anything just yet. This is a team that has only one senior, thus must be considered a year away from reaching its peak.

Although bogged down by first half foul troubles, juniors LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST and THERESE RIEDEL combined for 46 points to carry the Foothillers past Crawford for the second time this season in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Steele Canyon Classic at Grossmont.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 26 (6 reb., 6 stl., 3 ast.), Therese Riedel 20 (rebs, 3 blks), Liz Riedel 7 (10 reb.), Michelle Gonzalez 4 (8 ast., 6 stl., 6 reb.), Marcee Fitzpatrick 4, Kayannie Ward 2, Phylicia Shultz 2.

GROSSMONT 63, HOLTVILLE 19 -- Junior LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST scored 10 of her 16 points in the first quarter of Tuesday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the Steele Canyon Classic at Grossmont.

KAYANNIE WARD added 10 points for the Foothillers, who charged in front 22-2 after one quarter.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 16, Ward 10, Phylicia Schultz 7, Liz Riedel 6, Syna Morse 6, Therese Riedel 4, Lauren Kruger 6, Michelle Gonzalez 4, Marcee Fitzpatrick 4.

SANTANA 74, UNIVERSITY CITY 30 -- Not unlike most first-round tournament games, lopsided match-ups are commonplace. That was the case for the host team in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) opening of the Santana Christmas Classic.

Senior JORDAN FRANEY set the pace in Santana's conquest of visiting University City with 21 points and 6 rebounds in a game the Sultans led 62-28 at the close of the third quarter.

Eleven Sultans contributed to the scoring column.

"Everybody played a lot. We've got 12 kids and everybody played at least a quarter," said coach WADE VICKERY of his 10-1 Sultans.

Santana scoring: Franey 21, Danielle Balough 8 (5 steals), Shannon Bailey 8, Lorena Bernal 8, Jamie Elias 7, Shae Bass 4 (6 assists) Nicole Brzeczek 4, Brittany Fenn 4, Ashley Baker 4, Carina Vickery 3, Brianna Padilla 3.

Flying high

Mount Miguel forward Jerica Williams skies high over a fallen San Pasqual player (click picture for enlargement) to score two of her 23 points to power the Matadors to a comfortable victory at the Santana Horsman Tournament. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

MOUNT MIGUEL 99, SAN PASQUAL 13 -- For a team known more for its defense, Tuesday's (Dec. 27) scoring exposition in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Santana Christmas Classic has to rank somewhere high on the Mount Miguel records ledger.

"It was a good team effort," said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL of his 7-2 Matadors. "Our last eight games have been hard-fought games. It was nice to get an easy win under our belts (after a rare back-to-back losing sequence in last week's Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona)."

JERICA WILLIAMS led the Matadors' scoring parade with 23 points in addition to 7 steals, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

PRECIOUS ROBINSON punched in 20 points while plucking 6 rebounds. Guard SHANICE HOWARD hurled in 17 points, seven assists and six steals for Mount Miguel, which commanded a 59-10 advantage by intermission.

Mount Miguel scoring: Willliams 23, Robinson 20, Howard 17, Tavasha Yarbrough 13 ( 3 rebs., 3 steals), Monique Clayton 12 (3 rebs, 2 assists, 3 steals), Lashawn Johnson 9 (4 rebs, 4 assists, 3 steals), Victoria Murphy 5 (4 assists, 3 steals).

PALMER (Alaska) 55, MONTE VISTA 42 -- The Monarchs put themselves in the deep freeze in Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Sportland Festival game against Palmer, Alaska.

The Moose (Meese?) of Palmer outscored Monte Vista in all four quarters to gain the victory. Despite that revelation, Monarchs coach SANDY WRIGHT wasn't down on her troops.

"We played lots better than yesterday, but not enough," said Wright. "When we are tired we make bad decisions. That team didn't beat us, we beat ourselves. We played more aggressive, getting to the free throw line 20 times."

ASHLEY MILLER topped the Monarchs with 12 points, half coming on 6-for-8 free throw shooting. Miller also pitched in five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.

"JOHNAE JACKSON did a great job for us on the boards with 10," Wright added.

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 12, Britney Small 8, Rachel Finks 7, Jackson 6, Tamieka Howell 5, Victoria Richmond 2, Karisa Archer 2.

MIRA MESA 75, VALHALLA 51 -- The Norsemen (3-8) were hit by an avalanche in the first half of Tuesday's (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Sportland Festival. The high-stepping Marauders marched to a 53-20 halftime lead and then went into a glide control.

"Our scoring came in sprees tonight," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "BREE (MARTIN) got eight of her nine points in the first quarter; KAYLA (HOUSTON) hit five of her six points in the second quarter; SARAH LAINE got eight of her 13 in the third quarter; and LENA ALLOS got all 9 of her points in the fourth quarter."

Valhalla scoring: Sarah Laine 13, Kayla Houston 10, Bree Martin 9, Lena Allos 9, Elicia White 4, Katie Laine 2, Kelsey McClain 2, Sara Staninger 2.

Steele Canyon Lady Cougar Holiday Classic
GRANADA HILLS 66, EL CAJON VALLEY 25 -- No report.
CHINO HILLS 69, EL CAJON VALLEY 20 -- No report.

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-27-05) -- Following a week off, West Hills coaches CARLOS MOSS and SIG CHABROWSKI weren't sure what to expect when the Wolf Pack began play in the early morning hours of the Montgomery Lady Aztec Holiday Tournament at Montgomery.

The Pack players struck from the opening tipoff, storming to a 15-6 lead over the visiting L.A.-Pilgrim Patriots after one quarter. It was 31-14 by intermission and ended up in a 61-28 walk-off for West Hills (6-5), which claimed its fourth win in its last five starts.

"West Hills' pressure killed Pilgrim," said Wolf Pack assistant coach Chabrowski. "We needed time off to recover from a series of various ailments, such as wounds, illnesses, etc. Everybody played significant minutes tonight."

West Hills center MEGAN EHMKE rolled a nifty double-double of 15 points (on 7-of-14 shooting) and 10 rebounds, while adding three steals and a blocked shot.

MUAAU NADERHOFF cashed in a team-best 17 points, six rebounds and five steals, while DALIA GHANDOUR dished off seven assists and posted five steals. LEILANI YAWN contributed 10 points and five steals for West Hills.

The strong teamwork of the Wolf Pack results in 19 assists on their 26 baskets, while the defense produced 29 steals.

West Hills scoring: Muaau Naderhoff 17, Megan Ekmke 15, Leilani Yawn 10, Dalia Ghandour 6, Rebecca Jones 5, Melanie Bailey 4, Ashley Alderton 2, Kylee Krings 2.

VALHALLA 78, SOUTH BAY LUTHERAN 54 -- Rarely has Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON been more jovial than he was following the Norsemen's romp over South Bay Lutheran in Monday's (Dec. 26) first round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.

"This was the highest scoring output for the Norsemen in the last four years," Wilson said. "Valhalla is known for a slow down, half court style of play. We collected 28 steals on the afternoon while turning the ball over only 11 times."

Led by senior captain guard ELICIA WHITE's eight points in the first quarter the Norsemen pushed forward to a 20-point lead after one frame.

"I am excited at how we have been playing of late," Wilson said. "We have some good athletes that are trying to play basketball. It is great to see so much improvement."

Junior BREE MARTIN, one of the most improved Norsemen, completed her ninth double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) in 10 games and is "a great co-captain for this team."

"Both of these girls have worked very hard to get where they are," Wilson added. "I am truly happy to see these girls have some success on the court. I have a great group of kids. I wouldn't trade these girls for the number one team in the county."

KAYLA HOUSTON pitched in 13 points and 6 rebounds for Valhalla (3-7) and KAITIE LAINE added 11 points and 5 steals. SARAH LAINE tossed in nine points and three assists, and EMILY ROBERTS turned in an all-around game of seven points, six steals and three assists.

Valhalla scoring: Elicia White 22, Bree Martin 14, Kayla Houston 13, Kaitie Laine 11, Sarah Laine 9, Emily Roberts 7, Kelsey McClain 2.

GRANITE HILLS 60, SWEETWATER 24 -- The Eagles (7-4) used a 20-0 second-quarter scoring blitz to claim a 36-4 halftime lead and marched on to a lopsided victory in Monday's first round (Dec. 26) of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.

Granite Hills scoring: Amy Sylvester 13, Molly Hillenbrand 10, Marnesha Hall10, Morgan Sabala 10, Joy Edwards 8, Aulani Delker 4, Natalia Bailey 2, Madonna Najor 2, Kylee Wilson 1.

POWAY 70, MONTE VISTA 14 -- Only three Monarchs reached the scoring column as Monte Vista (3-8) was submerged by the Titans in Monday's (Dec. 26) first round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.

Monte Vista, which played without two of its key players due to disciplinary reasons, was down by a 23-3 count after one period and out of contention 45-9 by intermission.

Monte Vista scoring: Victoria Richmond 6, Rachel Finks 4, Britney Small 4 (4 rebounds).

East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (12-24-05) -- The El Capitan Vaqueros were "board" to death. That is, the visitors from San Francisco's St. Ignatius High refused to allow the Vaqueros near the boards in Friday's (Dec. 23) non-league contest. To the Vaqueros, the offensive and defensive glass was Death Valley," as the visiting Wildcats claimed a 55-45 victory.

St. Ignatius (5-2), guided by 6-foot-5 Nicole Canepa and 6-3 Eilse Wilson, secured a 33-17 advantage on the boards and shot 61 percent (25-41) from the field.

The Wildcats took command early and never gave up the lead to the Vaqueros (4-5).

Senior ALLISON DUFFY, hampered by early foul trouble, managed 17 points, six rebounds, five steals and a pair of assists. When Duffy was sidelined by fouls, guard MALLORIE MONTGOMERY (5-foot-9) took on the challenge of guarding the taller Wilson. This was Montgomery's first game back following an injury two weeks ago. Despite having a six-inch advantage, Wilson was not able to take advantage of the smaller but aggressive Montgomery.

Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY added 13 points, eight steals, three boards and two assists for El Capitan.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 17, Ashley Duffy 13, Morgan Craig 7, Montgomery 6, Caramie Huntington 1, Lisa Wilkins 1.

SANTA FE CHRISTIAN 59, EL CAJON VALLEY 34 -- All-tournament pick VERONICA TAMAI scored 20 points to pace the Braves, but host Santa Fe Christian outscored El Cajon Valley in every quarter to capture Friday's (Dec. 23) championship of the Crawford Lady Colts Tournament.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Tamai 20, Mercy Ledezma 6, Kim Vasquez 4, Taniya Patros 2, Tatiana Jackson 2.

East County Sports.com
PHOENIX (12-23-05) -- Perennial state powers Mount Miguel and Redondo Beach Union tangled in Thursday's (Dec. 22) third-place game of the Nike Tournament of Champions. Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL was disappointed by the outcome as his Matadors did a pratfall in falling to Redondo Union, 44-30.

"I can't remember the last time we lost back-to-back games," said Sandoval after his Matadors fell to 6-2 on the season.

As a matter of fact, the last time Mount Miguel suffered consecutive losses was Dec. 28-29 in 2001. Those setbacks -- to Vista (64-53) and Red Bluff (63-58) -- came in the Santana-Horsman Christmas Classic, a tournament that has not been too kind to the Matadors over the years. Case in point was last year's 63-57 loss to Canyon Springs in the Santana-Horsman Christmas Classic. Canyon Springs reached the state's Division I finals and Mount Miguel finished 30-2.

The Seahawks (8-1) built a 20-12 first-half lead and never looked back.

Despite the double dose of defeats this week, the Matadors are hardly hurting.

"We lost to two of the state's Top 10 teams, including Windward which won the Nike -of-C by beating Santa Margarita," Sandoval said. "That's nothing to be ashamed about. I'm not upset that we lost, just disappointed by how we played. We came out flat and never did pick up the pace. We'll get back on track."

Sandoval was aware that this bout with Redondo Union had state playoff implications.

"I told our girls the importance of this game," Sandoval said. "A win here could help us gain a crucial homecourt advantage in the playoffs. But we killed ourselves by shooting horribly and turning the ball over something like 25 times. Most of those were unforced errors."

"This was by far our worst offensive game of the season."

Mount Miguel scoring: Jerica Williams 10 (5 rebs), Tavasha Yarbrough 8 (7 rebs), Precious Robinson 6 (5 rebs), Shanice Howard 3 (4 rebs), Victoria Murphy 3.

GRANITE HILLS 54, HAMILTON (Chandler, Ariz/) 40 -- JOY EDWARDS (17 points) and MORGAN SABALA (16 points) led the Eagles to their only victory during a four-game stint in the Nike Tournament of Champions on Thursday (Dec. 22).

Granite Hills scoring: Joy Edwards 17, Morgan Sabala 16, Molly Hillenbrand 10, Madonna Najor 3, Marnesha Hall 3, Amy Sylvester 3, Aulani Delker 2.

EL CAJON VALLEY 47, HOOVER 43 -- The Braves nearly allowed a 10-point lead through three quarters to vanish, yet staved off the Cardinals behind 23 points by TATIANA JACKSON, while VERONICA TAMAI added 10 in the first of two Crawford Tournament contests on Thursday (Dec. 22).

No other details reported by the El Cajon Valley coaching staff.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Jackson 12, Tamai 10, Mercy Ledezma 9, Bianca Lewis 7, Kim Vasquez 5, Taniya Patros 2, Sheraina Moon 2.

EL CAJON VALLEY 60, VINCENT MEMORIAL 44 -- MERCY LEDESMA registered a career-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds Thursday (Dec. 22), lifting the Braves to a 4-0 record in the Crawford Tournament after whipping the Fighting Scots from Calexico. VERONICA TAMAI added 13 points, giving El Cajon Valley (6-5) its fourth straight victory.

No other details reported by the El Cajon Valley coaching staff.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Ledesma 23, Tamai 13, Tatiana Jackson 10, Taniya Patros 6, Kim Vasquez 4, Sheraina Moon 4.

East County Sports.com
PHOENIX, Ariz. (12-22-05) -- Poor free throw shooting and a flu-ridden coach didn't help the Mount Miguel Matadors in Wednesday's (Dec. 21) semifinal game of the Nike Tournament of Champions against Windward High of Los Angeles. The Matadors, who beat this same Windward team three weeks ago, came up short this time, 51-47.

The loss was the first in seven starts for the Matadors, and just the third in two seasons -- a span of 37 games. The last time Mount Miguel lost to a San Diego CIF team was Feb. 4, 2003 when Santana edged the Matadors, 47-46.

Mount Miguel nipped Windward, 47-45, in the La Jolla Country Day Sweet Sixteen Tournament despite falling behind 18-2 in the first quarter.

In the rematch, the Matadors missed half of their 22 free throws and received only eight points from team leader JERICA WILLIAMS. That's less than half the number of points Williams scored against the Wildcats (9-2) in the first go-'round.

Guard SHANICE HOWARD (16 points) and LASHAWN JOHNSON (15 points) did come up big for Mount Miguel. But it just wasn't enough on this night.

"We got beat on the offensive glass," Sandoval said. "That and our terrible free throw shooting was the difference in the game. It killed us."

Sandoval, however, isn't ready to throw in the towel.

"It's one little small bump in the road," he added. "We'll get back on track tomorrow."

The Matadors will meet Redondo Union at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday (Dec. 22) for third place in the tournament.

Mount Miguel scoring: Shanice Howard 16, Lashawn Johnson 15, Jerica Williams 8, Monique Clayton 4, Precious Robinson 2, Tavasha Yarbrough 2.

HARPETH HALL (Nashvile, Tenn.) 58, GRANITE HILLS 54 -- It's been a rugged week for the Eagles (5-4), who have suffered three losses in as many days at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix.

Granite Hills was tied 43-all after three periods against the Honeybears (6-5) from Nashville, Tenn, but stalled in the final quarter. The Division II Tennessee state champions were led by Lacey Magee's six points in the fourth quarter as they edged the the Eagles.

Despite the defeat, Granite Hills' MORGAN SABALA continued her torrid scoring pace with a game-high 22 points.

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 22, Joy Edwards 11, Marnesha Hall 9, Amy Sylvester 6, Aulani Delker 2,Madonna Najor 2, Molly Hillenbrand 2.

EL CAJON VALLEY 57, MADISON 41 -- No details reported.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Veronica Tamai 17, Mercy Ledezma 13, Kim Vasquez 9, Sheraina Moon 6, Tatiana Jackson 6, Collene Kraut 4, Taniya Patros 1, Devin Keller 1.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (12-21-05) -- Demonstrating more than one way to skin a cat, Santana High senior JORDAN FRANEY took whatever Valley Center gave her --be it inside or outside shots -- and turned them into easy baskets all Tuesday (Dec. 20) night long.

Connecting on 16-of-21 shots from the field, Franey finished with 38 points and 12 rebounds to help the Sultans steamroll to a 32-7 lead en route to an easy 77-43 washout of the Jaguars to capture the Santana Pre-Christmas Tournament.

Franey proved nearly unstoppable despite being covered by a 6-foot-3 opponent. She opened the contest with 13 points in the first quarter, then capped the blowout by sinking eight straight shots from the field. Her previous best was 35 points ­-- 20 in the first quarter -- last season, when Santana scorched Virgin Valley of Mesquite (Nev.), 73-34, in the Las Vegas El Dorado Tournament.

"The coaches gave us an excellent game plan, then we executed it with a capital 'E'," noted Franey, who turned around defenders all contest with her patented spin more to the left. "Being more versatile than Valley Center, we were able to take whatever they gave us."

Franey was selected MVP of the tournament by the media.

Even when Valley Center was there on defense, excellent passing to open players allowed Santana to keep the scoreboard numbers rolling. Included were three quick assists in the opening minutes by both KELSEY ASH and DANIELLE BALOUGH.

"We came in really ready to go," noted Ash. "And since we could play them again in the CIF (playoffs), we wanted to show them our reputation."

Last season, Santana defeated Valley Center for the section's Division III title, 47-39. But now with an even better offense to go along with their traditionally strong defense, the Sultans may have already psychologically eliminated one of their top contenders.

"We had a solid game plan," added NICOLE BRZECZEK, who came off the bench to add a spark to the team's defense while adding a career-high four assists. "I came off the bench expecting to play well in a big game -- we all had to come out and hold our own and put everything into it."

Among the benefactors to attack was SHAE BASS, who hit her first three shots. And when the Jaquars came out to cover her, she drove to the basket for layins or made the pass to open teammates -- twice to Balough -- for layins.

"We got into our offense early to shut them down," added Brzeczek. "And we forced them to make mistakes."

Leading 6-4 early, Santana's defense limited the Jaguars to just one field goal over the next 8:08 -- more than a full quarter -- for a 25-point advantage. Included was a 17-1 scoring run.

Valley Center received 16 points from guard Sage LeBlance, while center Page Minton scored seven (four in the fourth) and grabbed just six rebounds. Santana won the battle on the glass, 35-23, as the Sutlans shot a cool 51 percent (31-for-61) from the floor and 14-for-16 (88 percent) from the foul line,

Santana scoring: Jordan Franey 38 (12 reb.), Danielle Balough 11 (5 reb., 4 stl.), Shae Bass 8 (4 ast.), Ashley Baker 6 (3 reb.), Nicole Brzeczek 4 (4 ast.), Kelsey Ash 4 (3 ast.), Brittany Fenn 2 (3 reb.), Shannon Bailey 2, Jamie Elias 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 53, LYNWOOD 41 -- More than 50 college basketball scouts were in attendance for Tuesday night's (Dec. 20) Nike Tournament of Champions game in Phoenix, Ariz., involving the Matadors and California's No. 6-ranked Lynwood.

Obviously, the Matadors (6-0) were not impressed by the Knights' lofty preseason ranking.

The Matadors led 15-10 after one quarter and 25-17 at intermission.

"This was a big win for our program as we beat one of the top teams on the West Coast," Mount Miguel coach ROBBY SANDOVAL said. "We shook off the rust from yesterday and shot the ball so much better as a team."

JERICA WILLIAMS scored a game-high 25 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The UCLA-bound senior also grabbed 6 rebounds and dealt 3 assists.

Sandoval noted that scouts from Texas, LSU, Boston College and "all the big dogs were at our game."

Mount Miguel's LASHAWN JOHNSON added 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists for Mount Miguel. PRECIOUS ROBINSON raked 7 rebounds and SHANICE HOWARD handed out 4 assists.

Mount Miguel scoring: Jerica Williams 25, Lashawn Johnson 10, Monique Clayton 5, Precious Robinson 5, Tavasha Yarbrough 4, Victoria Murphy 2, Shanice Howard 2.

MONARCH (Louisville, Colo.) 39, GRANITE HILLS 35 -- The Eagles (5-3) staggered out of the gate in the first period in Tuesday's (Dec. 20) and never recovered as they bowed to their Colorado rivals.

Granite Hills made a belated comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of the final 17 points but it was a case of too little too late.

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 13, Marnesha Hall 7, Amy Sylvester 6, Joy Edwards 5, Aulani Delker 2, Madonna Najor 2.

EL CAJON VALLEY 52, HOOVER 32 ­-- The Braves snapped their five-game losing streak, yet the coaching staff failed to report details of their Crawford Tournament triumph.

East County Sports.com
PHOENIX (12-20-05) -- Mount Miguel, a team used to running its opponents off the court, had to take a different approach in Monday's (Dec. 19) opening round of the Nike Tournament of Champions. Since Arizona high school teams are not constricted by a 30-second time clock as they are in California, coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL used patience to guide his Matadors to a fifth victory in as many starts.

MOUNT MIGUEL 34, RED MOUNTAIN (Ariz.) 33 -- Shouldering up against the Red Mountain Lions, the No. 2-ranked team in Arizona and ranked seventh on the West Coast by USA Today, the Matadors relied on their nose-to-nose defense to remain undefeated.

Red Mountain's Kayla Pederson, a high school All-American who can go to any college in America, poured in 17 points for the Lions.

"Pederson is averaging 24 points a game and has Duke, U-Conn and Tennessee recruiting her," Sandoval reported. "But PRECIOUS (ROBINSON) and LASHAWN (JOHNSON) did a good job of making her work for every basket, every point she got."

"It was good for us to get back in the swing of things after a week off. Our shots weren't falling tonight but as long as we play good defense we'll be OK. With 50 seconds left we were able to run out the clock at the end of the game. Arizona doesn't use a shot clock; in fact California is the only state that does use a shot clock."

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 13, Jerica Williams 9, Tavasha Yarbrough 5, Shanice Howard 4, Lashawn Johnson 3.

SANTANA 66, BRAWLEY 21 -- To look at the team records, Monday afternoon's (Dec. 19) Santana Pre-Christmas Tournament at Our Lady of Peace shaped up as a close encounter.

Didn't work out that way, as the Sultans (8-1) used a 20-2 third quarter spread to tame the Wildcats (7-2) in surprisingly easy fashion.

Senior JORDAN FRANEY fired in 29 points to pace Santana, which shot 53 percent from the field (25-of-47). Franey scored 14 points in the first quarter as the Sultans opened up a 19-5 lead and cruised to the victory. Franey added 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

DANIELLE BALOUGH tossed in seven points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Sultans, who host Valley Center for the championship game of the Santana pre-Christmas Classic on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Santana scoring: Franey 29, Kelsey Ash 10, Balough 7, Shae Bass 7, Nicole Brzeczek 3, Ashley Baker 3, Shannon Bailey 2, Brianna Padilla 2, Lorena Bernal 2, Brittany Fenn 1.

WEST BAKERSFIELD 54, GRANITE HILLS 44 -- MORGAN SABALA rang up a season-high 26 points for Granite Hills in Monday's Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix.

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 26, Joy Edwards 12, Marnesha Hall 2, Molly Hillenbrand 2, Amy Sylvester 2.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (12-18-05) -- There is no real offensive system, except for a handful of basic plays. Everyone plays man defense because teamwork with a zone doesn't exist. And the team has never held a practice with its current coach.

Oh, and El Capitan High still almost pulled out a victory.

Despite a variety of distractions both on and off the court, the Vaqueros held the lead most of the way in Saturday's (Dec. 17) championship game of the Granite Hills Invitational. However, Eastlake closed the game's final 2:20 with an 8-2 scoring run, pulling out a 57-54 triumph.

The loss was disheartening, but the future seems bright for the Vaqueros.

"We only have three plays because we've never had a practice with the new coach," said center ALLISON DUFFY, a senior with a scholarship to San Diego State already in her hip pocket. "But once league starts, it will be a whole new season for us."

Newly named mentor JEFF GERKEN, who once coached youth level ballclubs in the Lakeside area, has all-but-guaranteed that the Vaqueros will look completely different in short order.

"We'll be a different team after our first practice on Monday morning," noted Gerken. "We start putting in an offense and take care of some court responsibilities. It will be a more diverse team."

With Duffy at center and a solid supporting cast, the Vaqueros (4-4) still are pretty good. In an exciting contest that was tied eight times and featured eight lead changes, it seemingly was a one-on-one battle between Duffy and Eastlake's Brittany Daniel.

Duffy held the early edge, collecting nine points and eight rebounds in the opening period alone. She finished with game-highs of 22 points and 18 rebounds, while blocking six Titans shots.

However, Daniel, who finished with 21 points, connected on a string of three straight 3-balls in the fourth period. She drilled a 22-footer from the wing to give Eastlake a 54-52 lead with 1:24 remaining, then she passed to fellow guard Brittany Palmer for a layin with 53 seconds left to seal the tournament title.

"It was an intense game, but we knew Allison's all they got right now," noted Daniel, acknowledging the absence of El Cap's MALLORIE MONTGOMERY, who was sporting a sling for a dislocated shoulder. "She's their team, so we had to shoot her down."

With Shatori Dearman laying her body into Duffy whenever possible, the court opened for Daniel to display her shooting ability, sinking 6-of-9 shots to close the game following a slow start.

"That's okay for now, because we know we're going to be a better team real soon," added Duffy, who recently talked with Aztecs coach Beth Burns after the coaching revolving door finally stopped. "She said to keep my head up, have fun and enjoy my senior year."

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 22 (18 reb., 6 blk.), Ashley Duffy 10 (6 reb., 5 stl.), Morgan Craig 9 (4 stl.), Lisa Wilkins 9, Caramie Huntington 4 (5 ast.).

HELIX 53, POWAY 37 -- In the third place contest of the Granite Hills Invitational Saturday night (Dec. 17), the Highlanders eased past Poway, 53-37, by taking Titans scoring leader Michelle Krall out of the offense. The senior forward was limited to just a single basket in each of the first two periods, as the Highlanders built a 26-18 cushion.

MELE LEASAU scored eight of her 15 points in the first half, while RACQUEL PRIMAS hit a pair of early 3-balls to give Helix an early 13-7 edge. Primas finished with eight points, while BRITTNEY WILLIAMS tallied 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half.

Four seasons ago, the Scotties (now 9-2) couldn't even compete with teams the caliber of Poway (5-3).

"I remember being oh-and-30-something my first year," said senior DIANA LEASAU, one of the team's leaders and captains. "I remember the post on East County Sports.com when we finally won and broke our long, long losing streak."

Now with a more diverse offense, Helix is stepping forward to join the school's boys basketball program to be among the best in East County.

"We have new coaches who are on a mission, we work the ball well to the low post on offense, and we're learning to become better and better," added Leasau, "And we want to win, too."

The Highlanders picked apart Poway's defense with a variety of close-range shots from several different players, or forced turnovers when they pressed.

"We picked up the pace and pushed the ball up the court," added Leasau. "They couldn't keep up with us."

Krall finished with 12 points, but the Titans never made a run at Helix in the second half, never getting closer than eight points over the entire second half.

"We had more balanced scoring, moved the ball better tonight and got more people involved," commented Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY.

Helix scoring: Brittney Williams 15, Mele Leasau 14, Sharika Thompson 8, Racquel Primas 8, Diana Leasau 6, Tempy Glenn 2.

TORREY PINES 47, GROSSMONT 40 -- Foothillers coach TIM JOLLETT was concerned that his team would be blown out by the Falcons in Saturday's (Dec. 17) Kiwanis Tournament Championship game at Serra.

Much to the contrary. Grossmont was down 42-40 with 1:40 left, but failed to score down the stretch.

"We didn't let them get into their half court offense," Jollett said. "They are good shooters and run a lot of high-low stuff. But I was very pleased with my girls. We competed against a quality team."

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST scored 16 points and was named to the all-tournament team along with teammate THERESE RIEDEL (7 points, 6 blocks, 5 rebounds).

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 16, Michelle Gonzalez 8, Riedel 7, Marcee Fitzpatrick 4, Shandise Rios 3, Tina Rios 2.

SANTANA 55, BELMONT 20 -- JORDAN FRANEY scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and made 8 steals as the Sultans battered the team from Victoria, British Columbia.

"I thought we played with a lot of energy," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "We played everybody a lot and rested the kids who were hurt or ill. We're trying to get healthy for next week."

Santana scoring: Franey 18, Shae Bass 12, Ashley Baker 6, Shannon Bailey 4, Nicole Brzeczek 4, Jamie Elias 4, Carina Vickery 3, Kelsey Ash 2, Danielle Balough 2.

BONITA VISTA 58, WEST HILLS 49 -- The Wolf Pack surely would like to get the Barons off their schedule. For the third time in as many meetings, Bonita Vista defeated West Hills, this time in the championship game of the Patrick Henry Tournament.

West Hills trailed by just 3 with three minutes to play.

"We had too many fouls and too many turnovers," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "Our big girls had trouble rebounding in the fourth quarter."

West Hills' MUAAU NADERHOFF punched in 12 points while hauling down 8 rebounds and handing off 4 assists. LEILANI YAWN added 11 points and 5 steals, while MEGAN EHMKE added 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 12, Yawn 11, Dalia Ghandour 8, Ekmke 8, Ilda Llamas 4, Katie Clark 3, Rebecca Jones 2, Melanie Bailey 1.

MARIAN CATHOLIC 64, MONTE VISTA 42 -- These Monarchs continue to mystify as they fell to Marian Catholic in Saturday's (Dec. 17) Coronado Tournament consolation maze.

VICTORIA RICHMOND rolled in 13 points, while RACHEL FINKS pitched with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals for Monte Vista (3-7). BRITNEY SMALL grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds and scored 6 points for the Monarchs.

Monte Vista scoring: Richmond 13, Finks 9, Britney Small 6, Tiearea Robinson 4, Tamieka Howell 3, Ashley Miller 3, Karisa Archer 2, Kim Garlarpe 2.

WHEAT RIDGE (Aurora, Colo.) 50, STEELE CANYON 38 --- At the Heritage Tournament in Littleton, Colo. No report.

SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 53, EL CAJON VALLEY 47 -- At the Lady Mustang Tournament in Encinitas. No report.

Let it fly

El Capitan guard Lisa Wilkins lets loose with a 3-point shot in Friday's semifinals of the Granite Hills Invitational. The Vaqueros advanced to the final after edging Helix, 50-43. (Photo by Lisa Craig)

Three Inland teams vie for titles;
Sultans bench triggers late binge

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (12-17-05) -- El Capitan, West Hills and Grossmont will play for tournament championships on Saturday (Dec. 17). The Vaqueros square off against Eastlake in the Granite Hills Invitational title bout at 7 p.m. The Wolf Pack takes on Bonita Vista for the Patrick Henry Tournament hardware at 11 a.m. and Grossmont meets Torrey Pines in the Kiwanis Tournament finale at 4 p.m. (See schedule for further details). On another note, Santana ran its record to 6-1 following an easy win over Mission Bay on Friday (Dec. 16), while Steele Canyon remains in the deep freeze during its trip to Littleton, Colo.

SANTANA 62, MISSION BAY 41 -- A pair of lesser known, yet equally valuable, members of the Santana Sultans triggered the necessary changes to spark the team to Friday's (Dec. 16) relatively easy 62-41 triumph over Mission Bay in the Santana Pre-Christmas Tournament.

JAMIE ELIAS and DANIELLE BALOUGH both put their heads down and challenged the Buccaneers' defense, adding some emotion to a team playing sluggishly while only holding an 18-16 advantage early in the second period.

"We just wanted to get things started," said Elias, who only scored two points -- both from the foul line -- after taking a pass from Balough and getting fouled on her short-range shot. "The team was down, playing down to a team we should be beating."

Elias followed with another scoring opportunity while getting fouled, then on the next possession, the freshman guard made the key pass for a layin by Balough, sending the Sutlans onto a 10-2 scoring run.

"It was one of my better games," said Balough, who scored a season-high 15 points. "I felt we needed to get going. After those plays, I thought we were ready to play."

Senior forward JORDAN FRANEY kept Santana in front early, scoring 12 of her game-high 28 points in the first period. But it took the Elias-Balough combination to bring the offensive flow to the rest of the team. Balough, after missing her first shot early on, drilled six straight shots over the Mission Bay zone.

"Jamie came in and gave us some energy," noted Sultans coach WADE VICKERY. "She had a very good game, while Danielle shot great and played well on defense, too."

Balough registered six steals, while Franey and SHAE BASS each recorded five thefts.

Meanwhile, the Sultans limited Mission Bay's 6-foot-2 point guard Jadawn Holler to just four points through the first half, pressuring her enough to force seven turnovers to spark the Santana transition game. Holler finished with 20 points, but most came over the game's final 10 minutes after the Sultans pushed their lead to more than 20 points.

Bass drained several mid-range jumpers as part of her 14 points for Santana. The all-county softball pitcher also registered seven assists and blocked two shots. For the team, the Sultans shot a cool 51 percent (23-for-45) from the floor, as Santana opened the second half on a 30-11 scoring binge.

Santana scoring: Franey 28 (8 reb., 5 stl.), Balough 15 (6 stl.), Bass 14 (6 stl., 8 ast.), Kelsey Ash 2 (4 reb.), Elias 2, Brianna Padilla 1.

GROSSMONT 43, LA COSTA CANYON 41 -- Emotionally deflated by a nightmarish outing the night before against Serra, the Foothillers (7-1) roared back to edge La Costa Canyon in Friday's (Dec. 16) semifinals of the Kiwanis Tournament at Mira Mesa.

"We had a nice comeback game after last night's disappointing event," admitted Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT. "We made two good defensive stops at the end of the game that were key."

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST steered the Grossmont scoring with 16 points, while THERESE RIEDEL dropped in 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. TINA RIOS made 4 steals.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 16, Therese Riedel 10, Michelle Gonzalez 6, Tina Rios 5, Shandise Rios 3, Kayannie Ward 3.

WEST HILLS 61, HOOVER 13 -- The trophy case for girls basketball has more dust than hardware and coach CARLOS MOSS and Co. plan to do something about it this year. The Wolf Pack's first chance to claim a trophy starts Saturday (Dec. 17) against Bonita Vista.

Acknowledging the possible suggestion that they were running up the score, West Hills coaching staff responded that they were told they would need to win this game by more than 30 points in order to make it to the championship game.

But it was more than the Wolf Pack's offense that crushed the Cardinals, who scored 1 point in the second quarter and 2 points in the fourth.

MUAAU NADERHOFF led the Pack in the win over Hoover with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while DALIA GHANDOUR tossed in 14 points while posting 4 assists. West Hills had 10 players score in this lopsided conquest.

West Hills will face Bonita Vista for the third time this season when they meet in the championship game at Patrick Henry.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 17, Ghandour 14, Leilani Yawn 8, Rebecca Jones 7, Katie Clark 4, Kylee Krings 3, Ilda Llamas 2, Melanie Bailey 2, Megan Ehmke 2, Ashley Alderton 2.

In the chops

Helix's Diana Leasau (right) accidentally lands an elbow into the jaw of El Capitan defender Jamie Ferguson. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

EL CAPITAN 50, HELIX 43 -- In a battle of two of East County's premier teams, the Vaqueros came from behind to stun the Highlanders in Friday's (Dec. 16) Granite Hills Invitational semifinal.

The Highlanders (8-2) led by as many as 8 points through most of three quarters before their offense stalled and El Capitan's defense took charge.

The DUFFY sisters -- senior ALLISON and freshman ASHLEY -- combined for 38 points, 20 rebounds, 15 steals and 4 assists as the Vaqueros (4-3) won their third straight to qualify for a championship showdown against Eastlake on Saturday at Granite Hills.

Playing without senior guard MALLORIE MONTGOMERY due to an injury in the previous game, the Vaqueros relied on freshman point guard Ashley Duffy and senior MORGAN CRAIG to fill in the void. Both girls were hawks on defense, combining for 10 steals.

Helix's offense was based on streak shooting in this particular affair. DIANA LEASAU was red hot in the first half, scoring 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting (two of them 3s) and 6-for-6 accuracy from the free throw line. Her second half slate was clean -- as in five missed shots and no points. Team scoring leader BRITTNEY WILLIAMS scored all of her 8 points in the final period.

MELE LEASAU added 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks for the Highlanders, who will face Poway for third place on Saturday (Dec. 17) at Granite Hills.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 22, Ashley Duffy 16, Morgan Craig 9, Lisa Wilkins 3.

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 20, Mele Leasau 13, Brittney Williams 8, Racquel Primas 2.

MONTEBELLO (Colo.) 59, STEELE CANYON 26 -- The Cougars (4-3) were overmatched by the Denver-based Warriors (2-2) on Friday (Dec. 16) in the consolation semifinals, although no details were reported in their second straight loss in the Heritage Tournament at Littleton, Colo.

EL CAJON VALLEY vs. PREUSS -- No report by the Braves from the Lady Mustang Tournament at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas.

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-16-05) -- Coaches demand patience from their players when operating the offense, but how West Hills executed its offense in Thursday's (Dec. 15) Patrick Henry Classic reached new heights.

Through nearly three full quarters of play, every single Wolf Pack basket came via a layup or a putback from an offensive rebound, as West Hills easily downed Castle Park, 61-24.

By the time West Hills guard KYLEE KRINGS drained a 3-ball with 2:17 left in the third, West Hills had already built a 39-12 lead following a series of 18 layins. The first foul shot wasn't made until it was 28-8 after 14 buckets from under the basket.

"You have to give the team credit for being patient passing the ball around," noted center MUAAU NADERHOFF, the recipient of many of the inside passes, finishing off nearly every play en route to a game-high 18 points. "We worked it and got the ball to the low post."

Naderhoff connected on all four of her shots in the opening quarter to jump to a 14-6 lead, then the Wolf Pack shutout the Trojans for the first 7:06 of the second period to put the game away early. The junior pivot later completed her double-double after grabbing 10 rebounds.

DALIA GHANDOUR (12 points) and LEILANI YAWN each added to the defense with five steals, as the Wolf Pack forced 31 turnovers. The Pack also controlled the boards, 45-41.

Meanwhile, MEGAN EHMKE posted 12 points, seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots for the Wolf Pack.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 18, Ghandour 12, Ehmke 12, Katie Clark 6, Rebecca Jones 5, Krings 3, Yawn 3, Ilda Llamas 2.

MONTE VISTA 41, ORANGE GLEN 34 -- Senior ASHLEY MILLER put together a break out game of 19 points, which included five 3-pointers and 7 steals as the Monarchs (3-6) knocked off Orange Glen in a Coronado Tournament game.

BRITNEY SMALL muscled in 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks for Monte Vista.

"We did a great job as a team hitting the open player and finishing our shots," Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT recalled. "JOHNAE JACKSON had a game-high 12 rebounds. She really did a great job hitting the boards and having 7 offensive rebounds. ASHLEY MILLER had a great offensive game, hitting 5 threes as well as 7 steals. RACHEL FINKS got the job done with 5 assists. This was a great win for us."

Monte Vista scoring: Ashley Miller 19, Britney Small 10, Johnae Jackson 6, Kim Garlarpe 2, Tamieka Howell 2, Karisa Archer 2.

PATRICK HENRY 51, VALHALLA 45 -- The visiting Norsemen (2-7) made a major comeback after falling behind 40-20 with 1:56 left in the third quarter of Thursday's (Dec. 15) Patrick Henry Classic contest.

Valhalla embarked in a major comeback in the fourth period, outscoring the Patriots 19-8.

Accurate shooting by KAYLA HOUSTON, strong defensive efforts from ELICIA WHITE, KELSEY McCLAIN, EMILY ROBERTS and SARA STANINGER (6 blocks), the Norsemen cut the deficit to 49-45 with 26 seconds left. An out-of-bounds play with 12 seconds left led to an eventual three-point shot by freshman McClain that missed just off the front iron.

"We took a big step forward with this game," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "I am confident that with the struggles we have had with our inexperience, we can be competitive with many of the teams remaining on our schedule."

Valhalla scoring: Houston 15, Bree Martin 8 (13 rebounds), McClain 6, Roberts 5, Sarah Laine 4, Lena Allos 2, Elicia White 2, Sara Staninger 2, Katie Laine 1.

SERRA 38, GROSSMONT 35 -- Coach TIM JOLLETT was in disbelief at the horrific shooting by his undefeated Foothillers in Thursday's (Dec. 15) Kiwanis Tournament loss at Serra.

All Jollett could do was focus on the Hillers miss-guided shooting that produced misfiring numbers of 0-for-12 from 3-point range, 13-of-55 accuracy from 2-point distance and 9-for-23 free throw shooting.

"We played great pressure defense, but you can't expect to win when you shoot like we did," Jollett said. "I mean we missed about a dozen of uncontested layups. It was a frustrating game to coach considering I think we are 20 points better than this team."

Trailing 36-34 with less than a minute to play, Grossmont (6-1) had a chance to tie when MICHELLE GONZALES was fouled. Gonzales netted her first toss, but missed the second and the Conquistadors grabbed the defensive rebound.

"This is one of the most frustrating games I've ever coached," Jollett said. "Let's just say I'dlike to play this team again."

Grossmont scoring: La'Kenya Simon-West 19, Tina Rios 5, Michelle Gonzalez 2, Kayannie Ward 2.

CALVIN CHRISTIAN 46, CHRISTIAN 45 -- The Patriots came up short in a nip-and-tuck struggle in Thursday's (Dec. 15) against undefeated Calvin Christian (7-0) at Ryan Athletic Center.

KATIE GERLEK paced the Patriots with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

"It's hard to explain how disappointed we are," said Christian assistant coach LEO ESPELET.

SARAH SEYMOUR added a dozen points and 5 rebounds for Christian, which also received 5 steals from BRITINI McCASKILL.

Christian scoring: Gerlek 19, Seymour 12, Holly Erickson 8, Britni McCaskill 6.

CANYON CREST 79, EL CAJON VALLEY 46 -- Host El Cajon Valley was unable to stop the offensive onslaught by the Ravens of tiny Canyon Crest High in Thursday's (Dec. 15) Lady Mustang Tournament at San Dieguito Academy.

The Ravens winged their way to a 27-8 first quarter lead and never looked back as the Braves fell to 2-2.

All details reported by Canyon Crest.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Mercy Ledesma 14, Taniya Patros 13, Kim Vasquez 8, Veronica Tamai 4, Irma Oliver 3, Tatiana Jackson 2, Sheraina Moon 2.

SMOKY HILLS (Colo.) 58, STEELE CANYON 18 -- The visiting Cougars went snow blind in Thursday's (Dec.15) first round of the Heritage Tournament in Littleton, Colo.

The Smoky Hills Buffalos ran roughshod over the Cougars (4-2), taking a 35-11 lead after three quarters.

The Buffs' Jordan Wood scored more for Smoky Hills of Aurora, Colo., with 23 points (including a pair of 3-pointers) than did the visiting Cougars.

No details reported by Steele Canyon.

East County Sports.com
VISTA (12-15-05) -- The debut of El Capitan coach JEFF GERKEN was anything but uneventful in Wednesday's (Dec. 14) Granite Hills Invitational game against Rancho Bernardo.

The Vaqueros presented their new head coach with a 57-38 victory over the Broncos in a game played at Vista High. That's the good news. The bad news is El Capitan senior guard MALLORIE MONTGOMERY suffered an injury that will keep her out of action for at least two weeks.

A source close to the El Capitan team who wished to remain anonymous, said Montgomery was injured while going after a loose ball near mid-court when she collided with a Rancho Bernardo player in the third quarter. Montgomery sustained a dislocated shoulder and a neck sprain. She was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for precautionary reasons.

Meanwhile, senior ALLISON DUFFY dropped in 30 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to help the Vaqueros balance their season slate at 3-3. Duffy scored 10 points in the third quarter when the Vaqueros snapped a 24-24 halftime tie to take a 45-32 lead. Duffy nailed 7 of 8 free throws, but was only 11 of 29 from the field.

Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY added 12 points, hitting 5-of-11 shots from the floor and 2-of-3 free throws. She also snagged nine rebounds, made 4 steals and handed out four assists.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 30, Ashley Duffy 12, Lisa Wilkins 5, Mallorie Montgomery 5, Morgan Craig 5.

WEST HILLS 56, PATRICK HENRY 43 -- Despite an overall poor shooting night, the Wolf Pack (3-4) bowled over the host Patriots in Wednesday's (Dec. 14) Patrick Henry Classic contest.

"It was a great win," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI after the Pack sacked the 6-2 Patriots. "It was an up-and-down game with a lot of rough play. We did a great job defensively in the fourth quarter."

It was a 2-point game until the final quarter when West Hills claimed a 13-2 scoring advantage over the final eight minutes.

Although pleased with its biggest "knockout out" to date, the Pack brass could not be happy with the West Hills shooting game. The Wolf Pack netted only 30 percent of 73 shots from the field, which included 3-for-16 marksmanship from 3-point range. One plus was the Pack did make 9 of 11 free throws.

MUAAU NADERHOFF led the Wolf Pack with 18 points and 13 rebounds. MEGAN EHMKE added 11 points and 10 rebounds. LEILANI YAWN chipped in with 10 points and 4 steals.

As a team, West Hills recorded 21 steals.

Patrick Henry was led by Emily Osga with 15 points and Catherine Markwardt with 14.

West Hills scoring: Muaau Naderhoff 18, Megan Ehmke 11, Leilani Yawn 10, Dalia Ghandour 9, Melanie Bailey 4, Katie Clark 2, Kylee Krings 2.

GROSSMONT 65, MIRA MESA 46 -- LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST poured in 28 points to guide Grossmont to its sixth win without a loss in Wednesday's (Dec. 14) Kiwanis Tournament action.

"This was our best shooting night of the season," said Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT. "We were hitting in the upper 40 percent."

Grossmont grabbed a 22-10 first quarter lead behind the 4-for-4 shooting and 9 points of TINA RIOS and then cruised to the lopsided win over the Marauders.

THERESE RIEDEL chalked up an impressive double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Foothillers.

Grossmont scoring: La'Kenya Simon-West 28, Tina Rios 13, Michelle Gonzalez 13, Therese Riedel 11.

HELIX 81, CHULA VISTA 31 -- These Highlanders are proving that they may be more than "just a Top 10 Team." For the eighth time in nine starts, Helix rolled to victory Wednesday night (Dec. 14) in the second round of the Granite Hills Invitational.

BRITTNEY WILLIAMS (22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 steals), DIANA LEASAU (20 points) and MELE LEASAU (16 points, 12 rebounds) paced Helix’s latest stampede.

A 26-1 scoring burst in the second quarter allowed the Highlanders to lead 45-6 by intermission.

"We wanted to keep our intensity up, and even though we had a big lead, I'm happy the way they kept the intensity up in the second half," said Helix head coach TRINA HANSEN. "And our bench played real well again tonight. I found that that I can go to the bench at anytime, put any player in and that player is going to produce."

Helix scoring: Brittney Williams 22, Diana Leasau 20, Mele Leasau 16, Sharika Thompson 6, Racquel Primas 6, Jazlyn Afusia 6, Adriana Horner 3, Tempy Glenn 2.

HILLTOP 52, VALHALLA 45 -- BREE MARTIN tallied her seventh double-double in eight games with 16 points and 11 rebounds and KAYLA HOUSTON finished with her season high of 15 points that included 3 treys (and 6 rebounds) but it wasn't enough to save the Norsemen (2-6) in Wednesday's (Dec. 14) Patrick Henry Classic.

Valhalla was enjoying a 33-22 lead with 5:02 left in the third quarter, then Hilltop went on a 17-1 run to go ahead 39-34, and the Norsemen were stuck playing catch-up the rest of the way.

"No other words than 'utter frustration,'" commented Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "We played so much better than we have been playing."

SARA STANINGER blocked four shots and played a strong game off the bench for the Norsemen.

Valhalla scoring: Martin 16, Houston 15, Emily Roberts 5, Sarah Laine 4, Sara Staninger 4, Katie Laine 1.

WESTVIEW 60, MONTE VISTA 18 -- The Monarchs (2-6) were totally overwhelmed by the Wolverines in Wednesday's (Dec. 14) Coronado Round-Robin game at Westview.

"We are two different teams," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "I have no idea what team is going to show up to play. Against Mar Vista we seemed to do everything right. Go against a much better team and we are beat before we start. The truth was sure told tonight."

Monte Vista scoring: Ashley Miller 9, Victoria Richmond 6, Britney Small 2, Kim Galarpe

East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (12-14-05) -- The El Capitan Vaqueros were a team in transition Tuesday night (Dec.13) when they dumped Chula Vista, 68-34, in the opening round of the Granite Hills Invitational.

With athletic director SANDY MARTINEZ handling the coaching chores for this one game, the Vaqueros (2-3) increased their lead in each quarter against the Spartans.

That one-night stand is over now, as JEFF GERKEN takes the reins as coach on Wednesday (Dec. 14). Gerken is familiar with most of the El Capitan girls through his work with the Lakeside AAU program. He also spent three years an assistant JV girls basketball coach for the Vaqueros.

Meanwhile, the Vaqueros were in high gear from the opening tip against Chula Vista. ALLISON DUFFY scored 13 of the Vaqueros' 16 points in the first quarter, and MALLORIE MONTGOMERY chipped in with a 3.

Duffy concluded the evening with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 8 steals. Montgomery added 10 points and 6 assists.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 28, Montgomery 10, Ashley Duffy 7, Morgan Craig 6, Caramie Huntington 6, Lisa Wilkins 3, Crisela Banks 3, Jamie Ferguson 2, Taylor Autry 2, Brittney Loring 1.

HELIX 65, RANCHO BERNARDO 58 --Sophomore BRITTNEY WILLIAMS continued her torrid scoring with a 27-point outburst in Tuesday's (Dec. 13) opening round of the Granite Hills Invitational.

Williams whistled in 11 of 24 shots, including a pair of threes, while snagging 9 rebounds, blocking 5 shots, recording 6 steals and dishing 4 assists.

"Brittney Williams is an exceptional player," noted Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. "She's a big addition (transfer from Monte Vista) to our team. She takes the pressure off of DIANA (LEASAU). She's got great hands, very quick and can really jump."

Leasau canned 16 points, most coming on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor.

Helix head coach TRINA HANSEN wanted to talk defense.

"Rancho Bernardo has impressive shooters," Hansen said. "We wanted to play them aggressively and have a hand in their face when they shot. MELE LEASAU did a yeoman's job on the boards (collecting 6 rebounds) -- she tried to grab every rebound."

SHARIKA THOMPSON added 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals, while RACQUEL PRIMAS hauled down 7 rebounds and dished 6 assists.

"Our bench did a great job," she added. "Everyone contributed to our success. It's been that way all season. We rebounded from a very tough loss last Saturday against San Diego. We came out and competed very well tonight."

Helix scoring: Williams 27, Diana Leasau 16, Thompson 11, Mele Leasau 4, Primas 4, Tempy Glenn 3.

SANTANA 63, SOUTHWEST (SD) 19 -- Santana was a bit short-handed when the Sultans (5-1) ventured to South Bay for a non-league encounter Tuesday night (Dec. 13). JORDAN FRANEY was sidelined with the flu and BRITTANY FENN was on the shelf with an injury.

"We had to spread it around and other people got to do some things," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "It was pretty balanced."

KELSEY ASH paced Santana with 11 points and 5 assists. DANIELLE BALOUGH added 10 points and 8 steals, while SHAE BASS chipped in with 8 points, 8 steals, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.

Santana scoring: Ash 11, Balough 10, Shannon Bailey 9, Bass 8, Carina Vickery 6, Ashley Baker 5, Jamie Elias 4, Nicole Brzeczek 4, Lorena Bernal 3, Brianna Padilla 3.

VALHALLA 57, HOOVER 24 -- Make that two wins for the Norsemen of Valhalla. Coach ROBERT WILSON's girls opened Tuesday's (Dec. 13) Patrick Henry Classic with an impressive romp over Hoover.

The Norsemen (2-5) opened up a 34-13 lead by halftime.

"We put together our best quarter of the season so far with 22 points in the second quarter,"Wilson said.

That 8-minute scoring spree was paced by BREE MARTIN (6 points), ELICIA WHITE (6) and SARAH LAINE (5). Martin finished with a game-best 12 points and 13 rebounds. Laine added 11 points and 8 rebounds. KAYLA HOUSTON, who missed 3 of the first 4 games, scored 11 points all in the second half.

EMILY ROBERTS contributed 8 rebounds and 7 steals for Valhalla.

Valhalla scoring: Martin 12, S. Laine 11, Houston 11, White 6, Lena Allos 6, Jessica Applebaum 5, Emily Roberts 4, Kelsey McClain 2.

BONITA VISTA 58, WEST HILLS 45 -- MEGAN EHMKE turned in a splendid double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, but the Wolf Pack (2-4) still came up short in Tuesday's (Dec.13) Patrick Henry Classic opener.

Ehmke's marks didn't stop there. The 6-foot senior also blocked 6 shots and made 3 steals.

"We lost our composure,"said Wolf Pack assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "We were out of place, not in position. Bonita Vista had the green light to shoot from anywhere on the court and they made 'em."

West Hills shot 38 percent from the field (18 of 47), but failed to connect on any of its 8 three-pointers. The Wolf Pack netted only half of its 18 free throws.

Junior Muaau Naderhoff, who was limited to just 8 shots, added 10 points for West Hills.

West Hills scoring: Ehmke 19, Naderhoff 10, Leilani Yawn 5, Dalia Ghandour 2, Ilda Llamas 2, Kylee Krings 2, Rebecca Jones 2, Melanie Bailey 2, Ashley Alderton 1.

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (12-13-05) --Credit the Monte Vista Monarchs for never giving up. After dropping four of their first five decisions, coach SANDY WRIGHT's squad mauled visiting Mar Vista 57-21 in a non-league game on Monday night (Dec. 12).

Monte Vista senior BRITNEY SMALL posted her first double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) to lead the Monarchs (2-4). ASHLEY MILLER also netted 11 points.

"It is a good win for the girls," Wright said. "They came out intense and focused. Britney did a great job on the offensive boards with 7. Ashley Miller did an excellent job sharing the ball with 7 assists and 0 turnovers. JOHNAE JACKSON stepped up her offensive game with 10 points."

"We play very well as a team," Wright added. "But the truth will come on Wednesday (Dec. 14) against Westview."

Monte Vista scoring: Small 11, Miller 11, Jackson 10, Miller 9, Rachel Finks 7, Victoria Richmond 6, Stacey Leavitt 4, Tiearea Robinson 4, Karisa Archer 3, Heather McFaden 1.

POINT LOMA 58, EL CAJON VALLEY 34 -- The Braves suffered their first loss after opening the season with back-to-back victories Monday night (Dec.12), falling to the visiting Pointers (3-2) who posted their third straight win.

No other information was provided.

BONITA VISTA 57, VALHALLA 25 -- No report from the Norsemen from the Patrick Henry Tournament.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (12-10-05) -- Santana High senior forward Jordan Franey poured in a season-high 36 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line, lifting the Sultans to a third-place 74-65 victory over Mt. Carmel in the third place game of the Santana Pepsi Classic.

Franey's foul-shooting tied for the 12th-best in CIF-San Diego Section history, and, coincidentally, came a few days after the longtime boys basketball section record finally fell, which was held for more than 30 years by Sultans head coach WADE VICKERY.

Playing for El Capitan last century against Monte Vista in Jan. 1971, Vickery went 14-for-14 at the foul line.

"I've had it a long time," noted Vickery. "I'm glad it went to (El Camino's Marquis) Navarre, who is a quality, first-class type of player."

However, Vickery would rather talk about the efforts of his Sultans on defense, which limited the potent Sundevils (3-2) to just 12 points in the third period, allowing Santana (4-1) to push the lead into double digits.

"We played great defense in the second half," noted Vickery. "Then we were able to get the ball to Jordan in places where she likes to have it in the second half."

Along with her scoring total, Franey added 10 rebounds and seven assists, while rejecting seven Mt. Carmel shots with blocks.

"And she only committed one turnover," added the coach.

Meanwhile, SHEA BASS was noted for "an excellent game distributing the basketball" to her teammates, collecting eight assists to lead the Sultans.

Santana scoring: Franey 36, Bass 14, Bailey 12, Ash 6, Elias 3, Bernal 2, Baker 1.

GRANITE HILLS 61, SCRIPPS RANCH 42 -- MORGAN SABALA scored a season-high 26 points as the Eagles won the Navy Division crown of the Sportland Classic on Saturday (Dec. 10) afternoon.

No other details were provided.

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 26, Marnesha Hall 16, Joy Edwards 12, Molly Hillenbrand 6, Amy Sylvester 1.

RANCHO BUENA VISTA 53, CHRISTIAN 36 -- The Patriots got plastered in a consolation game in the Santana Pepsi Tournament at Montgomery Middle School in Vista.

"In summary, we did not play great," said Christian assistant coach LEO ESPELET. "We are still having trouble taking care of the ball (27 turnovers). Rancho Buena Vista played harder, rebounded better and took better care of the ball. Tonight we got outplayed. The point of these kinds of games is to learn to play against tough defense and be able to take care of the ball. Hopefully, we are getting a little bit better every game."

Even strong foul shooting couldn't save the Pats, as KATIE GERLEK went 4-for-5 at the line for her team-high 12 points, while HOLLY ERICKSON was 5-for-6 as part of her nine points.

Christian scoring: Gerlek 12, Erickson 9, Britni McCaskill 8, Sarah Seymour 4, Jessie Ekard 1.

SAN DIEGO 59, HELIX 52 -- The Cavers collapsed Helix's unbeaten string at six with a narrow hard-fought loss to San Diego in Saturday's (Dec.10) Sportland Classic's Columbia Division championship.

No other details were reported.

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 23, Mele Leasau 13, Racquel Primas 6, Brittney Williams 6, Angela Rawles 4.

East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (12-10-05) -- The undefeated Helix Highlanders suddenly found themselves in a ballgame Friday (Dec, 9), tied with host Montgomery through three periods at 43-all.

However, the Scotties pulled away in the fourth period to secure a 63-56 non-league decision over the Aztecs.

DIANA LEASAU overcame a poor shooting effort from the floor (4-for-12) by hitting 11-of-12 foul shots -- most in the final period -- for her 19 points, while BRITTNEY WILLIAMS scored a game-high 21 points to pace the Highlanders.

Helix now meets a ranked team when they face San Diego in Saturday's (Dec. 10) title game of the Sportland Classic at Granite Hills. The Scotties will play in the Columbia Division final at 2 p.m., while Scripps Ranch tangles with the host Eagles in the Navy Division finale at noon.

Helix scoring: Williams 21, D. Leasau 19, M. Leasau 9, Thompson 8, Primas 6.

HELIX 58, VALLEY CENTER 32 -- After battling the flu all week, Helix junior MELE LEASAU showed she was back in top form Thursday, holding Valley Center's Paige Mintun (who scored 12 points in the first half) to none in the second half.

"We had one of those games tonight," said Helix coach TRINA HANSEN. "Mele was a monster inside -- she dominated the middle."

Mele Leasau rolled a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, while making 4 steals and dishing 2 assists. Her senior sister DIANA LEASAU chipped in 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, while sophomore BRITTANY WILLIAMS muscled in 11 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, made 5 steals, blocked 3 shots and handed out 3 assists.

"We played an outstanding game defensively, hit the boards hard and were able to get the running game going because of our board work," Hansen said. "The girls were really excited to have started the season 5-0, but we all know it's a long season."

Helix scoring: Mele Leasau 17, Diana Leasau 15, Brittney Williams 11, Racquel Primas 5, Angela Rawles 4, Adriana Horner 3, Sharika Thompson 3.

GRANITE HILLS 59, BONITA VISTA 55 -- The Eagles (4-1) overcame a 13-point deficit in the third quarter to dump the visiting Barons in Thursday's (Dec. 8) Sportland Classic action.

"In the first half we were just not playing defense like we're accustomed to," said Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT. "We got lucky tonight. I'll take a lucky win anytime of day. But in order for us to compete against better teams we've got to get it together."

MORGAN SABALA landed a trio of 3-pointers on her way to a 17-point finish as the Eagles set their sights on the tournament championship.

MOLLY HILLENBRAND added 13 points and JOY EDWARDS and MARNESHA HALL banked in 11 each for the Eagles, who have four straight since a season-opening loss.

"Hillenbrand has been playing consistently well all-around for us," Rowlett said.

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 17, Hillenbrand 13, Edwards 11, Hall 11, Amy Sylvester 5, Madonna Najor 2.

LA COSTA CANYON 50, WEST HILLS 36 -- Junior MUAAU NADERHOFF netted 16 points and nabbed 7 rebounds, but the Wolf Pack (2-3) still came up short in Thursday's (Dec. 8) Sportland Classic contest.

West Hills' shooting eye was out of focus, as the Wolf Pack connected on only 25 percent of 48 shots from the field.

MEGAN EHMKE was strong on the boards for the Wolf Pack, with 13 rebounds.

"There's nothing much to say," commented West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "We came out flat and stayed flat the whole game. We weren't ready to play tonight."

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 16, Kylee Krings 6, Ehmke 6, Dalia Ghandour 3, Katie Clark 2, Leilani Yawn 1 (4 steals), Ashley Alderton 1 (8 rebounds), Ilda Llamas 1.

East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (12-8-05) -- El Capitan girls basketball coach DARIN CURTIS, one of the San Diego Section's winningest coaches of the decade, shockingly turned in his immediate resignation from the Vaqueros girls basketball program.

Following a team meeting on Monday, Curtis informed the school the next morning that he would step down and no longer guide one of the East County's most successful programs.

Curtis said his sudden departure was due in part to a difference of opinion on how the team should be run. The players thought the team rules should be one way, and Curtis had different ideas.

Curtis, who teaches at a nearby middle school, produced ballclubs which annually advanced deep into the San Diego CIF playoffs. Over his first five full seasons, the Vaqueros twice advanced to the Division II championship contest, while gaining berths in the semifinals two other times.

"I hate to leave them (the girls) hanging," Curtis noted. "But it's also a relief off of my shoulders. If the girls don't want me, so be it."

According to factually unreliable website blogs, it is believed that several players expressed displeasure with Curtis' coaching methods and tactics. Apparently, there was some truth to the computer 'chatter' with his sudden resignation.

In his five seasons, Curtis posted 20 victories or more four times, finishing his 5-plus season with a stellar 104-47 (.689) record, including a 1-3 mark this year, all at the prestigious Sweet 16 Classic at La Jolla Country Day.

Last season, despite an SDCIF runner-up finish to Mount Miguel, a school which eliminated the Vaqueros three times from the section playoffs under Curtis' reign, El Capitan still advanced to the CIF State playoffs due to the strength of the Division II teams in San Diego which Curtis helped create, although the team fell to Fullerton-Troy in the first round of the South regional.

El Capitan administrators are seeking an immediate replacement to fill Curtis' old position. The Vaqueros' next scheduled contest isn't until next Tuesday.

Is Helix ready to contest the Matadors?

East County Sports.com
LA MESA (12-8-05) -- Nobody disputes who the Grossmont South League kingpin is. After all, the Mount Miguel Matadors have won 46 straight games en route to capturing five consecutive league championships. Based on early non-league returns, the Matadors may have a challenger waiting in the wings this season. The Helix Highlanders, fresh off a 62-36 romp over La Costa Canyon in Wednesday night's (Dec. 7) Sportland Classic contest, have to think of themselves as contenders for the crown. No one in the Helix camp is spouting off just yet, however.

HELIX 62, LA COSTA CANYON 36 -- Sophomore BRITTANY WILLIAMS nailed 11 of 18 shots from the floor and continued on for a season high 24 points as the Highlanders (4-0) hammered the visiting Mavericks from start to finish.

A transfer from Monte Vista, Williams also grabbed 8 rebounds, made 5 steals and notched 4 assists for the Highlanders.

DIANA LEASAU spun in 17 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, logged 4 assists and made 3 steals for Helix, which also received 10 points from MELE LEASAU.

"We hurt them with our press, and then got back on defense the few times they did break through," Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY.

The Highlanders led 34-19 at the break and continued to pull away in the second 16-minute stanza.

Helix scoring: Williams 24, Diana Leasau 17, Mele Leasau 10, Sharika Thompson 5, Mallorie Brown 4, Raquel Primas 2.

MONTGOMERY 56, SANTANA 43 -- The visiting Aztecs (3-1) dropped in seven 3-balls and then shut down the majority of the Santana scorers to register a key Santana Pepsi Tournament victory on Wednesday (Dec. 7) night.

Santana senior JORDAN FRANEY turned in another excellent performance for the Sultans (3-1), scoring 24 points -- most coming on 14-of-18 free throw shooting. Franey also bagged 13 rebounds and made 3 steals.

"Jordan played well tonight but didn't have a lot of help," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "(Montgomery) was very athletic, and well coached. They are a good team -- very quick."

Santana scoring: Franey 24, Brittany Fenn 6, Kelsey Ash 4, Shae Bass 4, Ashley Baker 3, Lorena Bernal 2.

CHRISTIAN 53, SAN PASQUAL 45 -- By their own admission, the Patriots did not play with great intensity against San Pasqual in Wednesday's (Dec. 7) Santana Pepsi Tournament. But the bottom line is the Patriots (4-4) did a little bit better job of taking care of the ball and came away with a victory.

BRITNI McCASKILL, who led Christian with 12 points and pulled down 5 rebounds, had a good second half. JESSIE EKARD turned in a solid performance with 11 points and just one turnover.

From the bench KELSEY DePRIEST did a great job bringing good intensity and adding 10 points.

KATIE GERLEK did not play much due to foul trouble, but garnered 8 points and 6 rebounds for the Patriots.

Christian scoring: McCaskill 12 (5 rebounds), Ekard 11, DePriest 10, Gerlek 8, Holly Erickson 6 (5 rebounds), Sarah Seymour 6 (6 rebounds).

EL CAJON VALLEY 43, SWEETWATER 28 -- No details reported

East County Sports.com
FALLBROOK (12-7-05) -- After one of the referees informed both teams there would be no talking during free throws, including by coaches to their own players near the bench, Helix calmly sank a series of foul shots in silence to take the lead to hold off Fallbrook, 62-59, in a Sportland Classic contest.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Scotties assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "First, he told the girls along the foul line, which I guess was fine, but when he told the coaches we couldn't talk to our girls, too..."

Hathaway wisely declined to finish his sentence.

Quiet discussions on strategy near the bench, even without disturbing the foul shooters, were warned against with threats of technical fouls by one official, who obviously owns little concept on the proper application of the rules on proper conduct.

So in silence, DIANA LEASAU poured in 27 points, while BRITTANY WILLIAMS added 10 points, plus team highs of six rebounds and a half-dozen steals, to pump the lead to six points. Fallbrook hit a late 3-point basket, but the Highlanders ran off the final few seconds.

"It was a good, hard-fought game," added Hathaway. "But we were able to pull it out, even though it was a long trip up here."

The Scotties sank 16-of-22 foul shots, including a 4-for-4 efforts by both SINOI LEASAU and JAZLYN AFUSIA.

Several players on undefeated Helix (3-0) also were slowed with symptoms of the flu. Fallbrook received a team-high 21 points from Tiffany Hunter, a forward who played at guard for the Warriors, while senior center Jessica Goble added 16 points.

Helix scoring: D. Leasau 27 (5 reb.), Williams 10 (6 reb., 6 stl.), Thompson 6 (5 reb.), S. Leasau 6, Mallorie Brown 5 (5 reb.), Raquel Primas 4 (8 ast.), Afusia 4.

GRANITE HILLS 79, ESCONDIDO 63 -- The Eagles scored a season-high as they won their third straight game in knocking off the Cougars to hike their season record to 3-1 in the Sportland Classic.

JOY EDWARDS paced Granite Hills with 19 points -- including 9 of 10 free throw shooting -- and 8 rebounds. MOLLY HILLENBRAND pitched in 17 points and 4 steals, while AMY SYLVESTER chipped in with 14 points and 6 rebounds.

Despite being bogged down with foul troubles, MORGAN SABALA added 12 points and four steals for the Eagles, who flew out to a 24-17 lead and never looked back. Edwards did all of her scoring in the middle two quarters, including 9 in the pivotal third when Granite Hills extended its lead to 65-49.

"Edwards had a good all around game and Hillenbrand and Sylvester stepped up for us tonight," said Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT.

Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 19, Hillenbrand 17, Sylvester 14, Sabala 12, Madonna Najor 7, Marnesha Hall 6, Kylee Wilson 2, Aulani Delker 2.

SAN DIEGO 69, WEST HILLS 49 -- The visiting Wolf Pack gave No. 3-ranked San Diego a bit of a challenge in Tuesday's (Dec. 6) Sportland Classic contest downtown. But the Wolf Pack 2-2), which clipped a 19-7 first-quarter deficit to 7 points by halftime, was unable to match the Cavers' speed and aggressiveness.

San Diego (4-0) outscored West Hills 23-11 in the third stanza.

"We made some mistakes to start the second half," commented Wolf Pack assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "They took advantage of everything we did to run away with the game. It was a very fast game on both ends of the floor."

ILDA LLAMAS scored a career high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead West Hills. The 6-foot-3 senior center also grabbed 7 rebounds, while 6-foot senior MEGAN EHMKE grabbed 13 rebounds, scored 9 points and blocked 4 shots.

MUAAU NADERHOFF did not have a good shooting night underneath against the Cavers, but still managed 10 points and 8 rebounds.

West Hills scoring: Llamas 17, Naderhoff 10, Ehmke 9, Leilani Yawn 7, Dalia Ghandour 6.

SAN YSIDRO 45, MONTE VISTA 35 -- The Monarchs blew a 32-28 lead when the visiting Cougars claimed a 17-3 fourth quarter scoring edge to steal the Sportland Classic win on Tuesday (Dec. 6).

"(There are) no words I can say to understand the loss we had tonight," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT.

ASHLEY MILLER scored a team-high 12 points and dished 4 assists for the Monarchs (1-5).

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 12, Johnae Jackson 7 (9 rebs), Victoria Richmond 7, Britney Small 3, Karisa Archer 2, Tamieka Howell 2, Rachel Finks 2.

East County Sports.com
CLAIREMONT (12-6-05) -- Visiting Monte Vista snapped a season-opening, four-game losing streak Monday (Dec. 5), thanks greatly to a 24-point scoring spree from senior ASHLEY MILLER that lifted the Monarchs to a 57-37 Sportland Classic victory over host Clairemont.

It was a breakout game for Miller, who averaged slightly less than 10 points per game in her first four starts. Miller landed 10 field goals -- one from three-point range -- to go along with 3-for-4 free throw shooting.

JOHNAE JACKSON turned in a strong performance of nine points and 10 rebounds. STACEY LEAVITT added five steals to the Monte Vista totals.

"It was a win, but letting them score 29 points in the second half is unacceptable," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT, after the Monarchs lifeted the Chieftains to just eight first-half points..

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 24, Jackson 9, Britney Small 6 (5 rebs.), Victoria Richmond 6, Rachel Finks 5, Stacey Leavitt 4, Tamieka Howell 3.

EL CAJON VALLEY 50, TRI-CITY CHRISTIAN 31 -- The Braves opened their season with an easy victory Monday (Dec. 5) over visiting Tri-City Christian in the Lady Mustang Tournament.

No details were reported.

CHRISTIAN 57, OCEANSIDE 52 -- The Pats (4-4) claimed this rescheduled Santana Pepsi Tournament contest. No details reported

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-4-05-Modified 12-5-05) -- Following slow starts in three previous Sweet 16 Tournament outings, Mount Miguel made sure Saturday's (Dec. 3) championship contest would follow a different script.

Behind 17 points and 7 rebounds by tournament MVP JERICA WILLIAMS, the Matadors took care of business early to bury Perris, 64-49, to claim the crown at La Jolla Country Day School.

"Perris is a really good team, but we got off to a better start and played strong for all four corners," noted head coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. "Everyone contributed throughout the whole game."

Joining Williams on the all-tournament team was SHANICE HOWARD, who scored 15 points, but contributed heavily in other areas with 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, as Mount Miguel extended an early 4-point lead into a dominating 36-20 halftime edge.

Mount Miguel (4-0) next participates in the Nike Tournament of Champions against nationally-ranked Red Mountain in Phoenix in two weeks.

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 17, Howard 15, Tavasha Yarbrough 10, Precious Robinson 9, Monique Clayton 7, Lashawn Johnson 6.

SANTANA 66, RAMONA 36 -- JORDAN FRANEY scored a game-best 20 points, but it was her dominance on defense which powered the Sultans to another Pepsi Classic triumph. Franey posted 15 rebounds and was part of a defensive effort which refused to allow the Bulldogs access to the basket inside, giving the tournament hosts a perfect record (3-0) through pool play.

"We forced them to take a lot of outside shots, rebounded well, then were able to push the ball up the floor for good shots," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY.

The defensive pressure limited Ramona standout London Houchin to half of her scoring average, as only senior center Kate Snider (10 points) could reach double figures for the visitors.

"Defensively, we did a great job on Houchin," noted Vickery on the USD bound senior. "We rotated defenders on her all game and didn't give her a decent look at a good shot all night."

Both teams still advance to Wednesday's (Dec. 7) semifinals. Ramona (2-1) will meet Mt. Carmel at 5:45 p.m., followed by the Sultans and Montgomery at 7:30 p.m.

Santana scoring: Franey 20, Ashley Baker 9, Brittany Fenn 8, Shae Bass 7, Danielle Balough 7, Kelsey Ash 6, Shannon Bailey 4, Jamie Elias 3, Brianna Padilla 1, Lorena Bernal 1.

GROSSMONT 57, STEELE CANYON 36 -- In a battle of rebuilding unbeatens host Grossmont stopped Steele Canyon in Saturday's (Dec. 3) championship game of the Grossmont Thanksgiving Tournament.

Sure-fire shooter LAâ'KENYA SIMON-WEST knocked down 22 points to pace the Foothillers (5-0).

One glaring statistic was Grossmont secured the lopsided victory despite sinking only 2-of-3 free throw chances.

Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT had to bite his tongue when making his report.

"That was a little unusual," Jollett admitted. "But both teams played hard."

Grossmont powered in front 13-2 after one quarter and led 17-2 early in the second period. But the Cougars clawed back.

Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES felt his team rebounded from the slow start to hold its over the final three quarters.

"I think a lot of our girls had butterflies because they haven't played in many championship games like this," Quinones said. "Once we settled down I think we played them pretty even. And, at the end, I gave a lot of kids who don't play much some court time."

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 22, Michelle Gonzalez 11, Kayannie Ward 7, Therese Riedel 6, Tina Rios 5, Shandise Rios 4, Lauren Krueger 2.

GRANITE HILLS 60, VISTA 28 -- Junior forward MARNESHA HALL collected 18 points and junior guard MORGAN SABALA added 16, leading the Eagles (2-1) past the hapless Panthers (0-3).

"Sabala and Hall were a force for us offensively," noted Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT. "We played a great game -- we finally played without fouling."

The Eagles built quarter leads of 21-4, 31-7 and 42-14 to breeze in the Sportland Classic contest.

Granite Hills scoring: Marnesha Hall 18, Morgan Sabala 16, Molly Hillenbrand 9, Joy Edwards 9, Amy Sylvester 4, Aulani Delker 4.

VALHALLA 54, CALEXICO 47 -- And they said the Norsemen wouldn't win a game -- Phooey!

Valhalla took a 12-point lead (35-23) with 2 minutes left in the third period. Calexico fought back to take the lead (43-42) with three minutes to play in the game

But the Norsemen refused to rollover. KATIE LAINE had a basket and made 4 of 6 free throws in the final minutes to help Valhalla to its first win of the season.

"Katie showed a truly gutty performance, as she has been nursing a weak ankle from an injury suffered last Saturday vs. Southwest," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON.

Laine finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in 15 minutes.

"She had a strong desire to play through the pain and lead her teammates to the win," Wilson said.

Assisting in the win was BREE MARTIN with 17 points and 23 rebounds, her second game in a row with 20-plus rebounds.

Martin has averaged 13 points and 15 rebounds per game.

"No player on the team put in more time this off season than Bree," noted Wilson. "She is reaping the rewards of all that hard work this season."

Valhalla scoring: K.Laine 18, Martin 17, Sarah Laine 6, Kayla Houston 5, Elicia White 5, Lena Allos 2, Sara Staninger 1.

BONITA VISTA 62, WEST HILLS 42 -- A balanced scoring attack by the Barons was too much for the Wolf Pack to overcome in the Sportland Classic, giving both sides 2-1 records in the event.

Bonita Vista saw five players score eight or more points, yet none with more than 12, offsetting a team-high 11 points by Wolf Pack senior DALIA GHANDOUR.

The contest was also a foul-fest by the game officials, which Bonita Vista took advantage of by shooting well from the foul line, while West Hills hit only 13-of-43 of its free throws.

"It was an ugly game and we were out of if from the very beginning," noted assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI.

West Hills scoring: Ghandour 11, Leilani Yawn 9, Megan Ehmke 8, Ilda Llamas 8, Ashley Alderton 2, Rebecca Jones 2, Kylee Krings 2.

CARLSBAD 73, EL CAPITAN 34 -- The shorthanded Vaqueros (1-3) were bounced by the Lancers (2-2) to settle for 12th place in the Quizno's Sweet 16 Tournament at La Jolla Country Day.

"It was the worse loss I've ever had as a coach," lamented head coach DARIN CURTIS, who lost standout center ALLISON DUFFY to an injury during Friday's contest.

However, there were signs of progress by others who gained additional playing time against a quality opponent, which could help carry El Capitan when league postseason plays begins.

"Our young players inside, like KATIE DUDLEY and CARAMIE HUNTINGTON did a good job under trying circumstances," added Curtis. "Their experiences and what they learned today will benefit them later during the season."

El Capitan scoring: Mallorie Montgomery 8, Dudley 6, Morgan Craig 6, Abby Carlino 5, Brittney Loring 4, Lisa Wilkins 3, Liana Pitman 2.

CHRISTIAN 46, CHULA VISTA 27 -- The Patriots punched out the Spartans in Saturday's (Dec.3) round of Coronado Thanksgiving Tournament action.

KELSEY DePRIEST paced the Patriots with 12 points and seven rebounds. SARAH SEYMOUR tipped in nine points and snagged 9 rebounds. KATIE GERLEK grabbed nine rebounds and rolled in si xpoints.

Christian scoring: Kelsey DePriest 12, Seymour 9, Jessie Ekard 7, Gerlek 6, Heather DePriest 6, Britni McCaskill 2, Holly Erickson 2, Rachael Criswell 2.

MISSION HILLS 47, MONTE VISTA 23 -- The Monarchs woes continued as they dropped their fourth game in a row in Saturday's (Dec.3) non-league loss to the Grizzlies.

Monte Vista scoring: Victoria Richmond 7, Britney Small 6 (5 rebs), Ashley Miller 6, Johnae Jackson 3 (7 rebs.), Tamieka Howell 1.

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-03-05) -- Three East County teams will be dribbling for tournament championships Saturday night (Dec. 3). Top-ranked Mount Miguel (3-0) faces Perris (3-0) in the Sweet Sixteen finale at La Jolla Country Day at 7 p.m., while unbeatens Steele Canyon (4-0) and host Grossmont (4-0) meet to decide the Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic title in a 5 p.m. tipoff in the Foothillers' hut.

MOUNT MIGUEL 47, WINDWARD 45 -- For the third time in as many games, the Matadors fell dreadfully behind by an 18-2 count after the opening eight minutes in Friday's (Dec. 2) Sweet Sixteen semifinal. That has been a discouraging trend for coach ROBBY SANDOVAL, who has seen his team outscored 49-11 in the first quarter this season.

"I don't know what it is," said Sandoval. "When I see us turn things around I'm thinking we go from a 'Me and I' team to a 'We and Us' team. I'd like our girls to take the latter approach from the start, but so far that hasn't been happening."

JERICA WILLIAMS paced the Matadors with 17 points, including 8-for-10 free throw shooting. She also grabbed 6 rebounds.

SHANICE HOWARD scored a season-high 11 points on a night when 6-foot junior center PRECIOUS ROBINSON was limited to 2 points for Mount Miguel.

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 17, Howard 11, Tavasha Yarbrough 7, Lashawn Johnson 6, Monique Clayton 4, Robinson 2.

HELIX 64, VISTA 43 -- The Highlanders' press produced a double-digit lead in the first quarter, racing to an easy Sportland Classic victory over the Panthers Friday (Dec. 2) night.

BRITTANY WILLIAMS paced Helix (2-0) with game-highs of 14 points and nine steals, while joining teammates SHARIKA THOMPSON and SINOI LEASAU with five rebounds each.

"We had a couple of players with the flu, yet we put together a strong game and came out strong in the first quarter," said Scotties assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "Our (man) press really bothered them."

DIANA LEASAU added 12 points for Helix, while RAQUEL PRIMAS and MELE LEASAU added eight points each.

Helix scoring: Williams 14 (4 ast.), D. Leasau 12 (8 ast.), Primas 8, M. Leasau 8, Thompson 5, Jazlyn Afusia 4, Angela Rawles 4, Tempy Glenn 4, Adriana Acorner 3, S. Leasau 2.

SAN DIEGO 71, EL CAPITAN 44 -- Injuries and situational challenges have left the Vaqueros coach DARIN CURTIS looking for answers. Three games into the season and his probable Top 10 team is 1-2.

ALLISON DUFFY, who was physically knocked around throughout the night, managed 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for the Vaqueros before leaving the game with a sore back.

While unhappy by the outcome, Curtis was pleased with the play of senior guard MORGAN CRAIG, who tossed in 9 points and gathered 12 rebounds (8 offensive). Craig also dished off 4 assists.

"Morgan had the best game she's ever played, and she had to play the point guard tonight until the fourth quarter," Curtis said. "She got the first basket of the game and did it on both ends of the court for us."

"We were up 10-2, then San Diego went on a 20-0 run," Curtis said.

"Sophomore (KATIE) DUDLEY (6-foot-2) had some big minutes for us tonight -- her first varsity game," Curtis said. "She had to guard (6-4) Paris Johnson, one of San Diego's two big girls and did a really good job."

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 18, Morgan Craig 9, Ashley Duffy 6, Mallorie Montgomery 5, Lisa Wilkins 4, Abby Carlino 2.

VALLEY CENTER 46, MONTE VISTA 18 -- It was another long night for the Monarchs (0-3), who had only three players score in Friday's Sportland Classic contest.

Monte Vista scoring: Ashley Miller 10 (3-4 FTs), Britney Small 6 (4 rebs), Victoria Richmond 2 (5 steals), Johnae Jackson (5 rebs.).

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (12-01-05) -- When the game ended, Mount Miguel coach ROBBY SANDOVAL's primary concern was the health of freshman point guard DANESIA WILLIAMSON, who left Thursday's (Dec. 1) game against St. Mary's of Berkeley in round two of the Sweet 16 Tournament with an apparent broken leg.

Later reports, however, were more positive. Williamson's X-Rays indicated no broken bones.

"She's going to be on crutches for two days and then she'll wear a brace and should be able to play in a couple of days," Sandoval said. "And that is good news."

For the second time in as many days, the Matadors fell behind in a hurry as St. Mary's was on top 18-4 six minutes into the game.

Never a team to be intimidated, Mount Miguel (2-0) came roaring back for the win. MONIQUE CLAYTON knocked in a pair of three-pointers, SHANICE HOWARD and JERICA WILLIAMS each netted a pair of free throws down the stretch to help keep top-ranked Mount Miguel undefeated.

Another key to Mount Miguel's win was the defensive job PRECIOUS ROBINSON did on Colorado-bound Courtney Dunn. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Dunn tallied just 7 points -- all in the first half.

Robinson paced the Matadors with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Williams added 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals.

Mount Miguel now faces in San Diego HS in the tournament semifinals, being played at La Jolla Country Day School.

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 14, Williams 13, Clayton 10, Tavasha Yarbrough 3, Howard 2, Trina Clark 2, Williamson 1.

EL CAPITAN 50, EL CAMINO 48 (OT) -- Vaqueros coach DARIN CURTIS was less than elated by the Vaqueros first winning effort that stretched into overtime at Thursday's (Dec.1) Sweet Sixteen at La Jolla Country Day School.

"Our guard play leaves a lot to be desired," Curtis said. "We turned the ball over 27 times and our guards rarely looked for a shot. They leave it all up to ALLISON (DUFFY)."

The 6-foot-1 Duffy did not disappoint, scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. After scoring 12 of the Vaqueros 14 points in the third quarter, Duffy was physically manhandled by the Wildcats, who limited her to three free throws in the final quarter.

El Capitan (1-1) pulled out a victory in overtime as LISA WILKINS snapped a 43-40 tie with a 3-point bull's-eye. Duffy hit two free throws to make it a five point lead, but El Camino countered with a 3-point bucket. Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY scored on a layup for the Vaqueros, but again the Wildcats connected on a 3-pointer.

El Capitan sealed the victory as MALLORIE MONTGOMERY hit a free throw and Allison Duffy scored on a layup.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 28, Ashley Duffy 8, Wilkins 5, Montgomery 4, Morgan Craig 4, Abby Carlino 1.

GRANITE HILLS 62, PATRICK HENRY 52 -- The Eagles found their offense as JOY EDWARDS knocked down 19 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, posted 4 assists and made 5 steals in Thursday's (Dec.1) Sportland Classic contest.

MOLLY HILLENBRAND added 13 points and MORGAN SABALA netted 12 points as Granite Hills balanced its season ledger at 1-1.

"We had foul trouble tonight, had three starters on the bench in the first half," said Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT. "We were pressing too much early in the game. I'm going to have to make some coaching adjustments."

EMILY OSAGA paced the Patriots (2-1) with 18 points.

Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 19, Hillenbrand 13, Sabala 12, Marnesha Hall 7, Madonna Najor 6, Amy Sylvester 5.

Patrick Henry scoring: Osga 18, Catharine Marckwardt 10, Lauren Compton 8, Muriah Pettifiord 5, Elisa Nguyen 4, Erika Sauter 4, Victoria Moreno 1.

GROSSMONT 55, EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 46 -- Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT is pleased that his Foothillers are 3-0 and poised to face unbeaten Steele Canyon in Saturday's finals of the Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic.

But he was not overjoyed by the performance of his Foothillers in Thursday's (Dec. 1) win over the Eagles from Imperial Valley.

"We gave a full effort, but didn't play smart basketball," Jollett said. "We didn't take care of the ball on the offensive end and didn't play well off the ball."

Grossmont junior La'KENYA SIMON-WEST continued her torrid scoring with 28 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 28, Therese Riedel 9, Michelle Gonzalez 7, Kayannie Ward 6, Tina Rios 5.

STEELE CANYON 69, CALEXICO 47 -- The Cougars (4-0) rode the powerful inside play of 6-foot-4 KELLY HANSEN (20 points, 15 rebounds) to down the Bulldogs (Dec.1) and earn a berth in Saturday's (Dec. 3) Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic championship game at 7:30 p.m.

TINA MERLINO added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars who are off to their best start in Steele Canyon's brief history.

"Kelly and Merlino were forces inside, and so was ALEXIS ROBINSON, who was strong on the boards (with 11 rebounds)," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "I was pleased with the effort at halftime, but we didn't come back out as hard as we should have in the second half. I was very disappointed with the effort in the second half."

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 20, Merlino 14, Xanning Tyler 8, Robinson 6, Hayley Johnston 5, Briana Eiter 4, Snew 4, Samantha Beasley 3, Celeste Martins 3 (8 assists), Belinda Pickens 2.

SAN MARCOS 44, VALHALLA 36 -- The Norsemen were dribbling their way to a first victory in the first half of Thursday's (Dec. 1) Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic contest against the Knights at Grossmont High.

But San Marcos closed the half with an 8-0 rush to lead 27-23 at the break. The Knights maintained that advantage as Valhalla lost for the fourth time in as many starts.

"We started well," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "But San Marcos finished the first half strong. I was pleased with the effort but not the statistics."

BREE MARTIN scored a team-high 15 points for the Norsemen.

"Bree is the most improved and most coachable athlete on the court," commented Wilson. "She is a joy to coach."

Valhalla scoring: Martin 15, Sarah Laine 9, Lena Alos 6, Emily Roberts 3, Elicia White 3.

East County Sports.com
LA JOLLA (12-1-05) -- Its preseason ranking as the top girls basketball team in the CIF-San Diego Section looked to be in question after the Mount Miguel Matadors quickly fell behind 13-1 after the first period to state-ranked Long Beach Millikan.

However, the Matadors shook off the pregame jitters by going to their stars.

PRECIOUS ROBINSON and JERICA WILLIAMS keyed two major runs, one to get back into the ballgame, then one to close out the victory, as Mount Miguel bounced the Lady Rams, 42-35, in Wednesday's (Nov. 30) opening round of the Sweet 16 Tournament at La Jolla Country Day School.

"It was a fight, but we wanted to win," said Robinson, who scored six points during a 9-0 run to push the Matadors' lead to 32-21 with 4:35 to play. "We just came on and did what we had to do for the win."

Robinson, who scored 13 points, took consecutive feeds from Williams for open shots. First, she sank a short, turnaround jump shot in the paint, then got clobbered on a layin attempt, yet sank 1-of-2 foul shots to push the lead to four.

SHANICE HOWARD followed with a steal and a nice pass to MONIQUE CLAYTON for a layin, Williams fed Robinson for another layin, then a steal by TAVASHA YARBROUGH allowed her to go coast-to-coast on a breakaway for a 41-31 advantage with 2:01 remaining.

"In the first quarter, it was all on us -- it was all mental," noted Williams, who scored 7 points and added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. “It was a case of over-excitement, not of fundamentals."

But once the Matadors got their collective heads back into the basics, they outscored Millikan, 41-22, over the final three periods against a school with nearly three times their enrollment. Included was eight points by Clayton, who scored half of her points in the decisive fourth period.

Mount Miguel (1-0) then kept the Rams off the boards down the stretch, including a pair of rebounds in traffic by Howard.

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 13 ( 7 rebs., 4 blocks), Clayton 8, Williams 7, Danesia Williamson 7, Tavasha Yarbrough 4, Howard 3 (4 assists).

PERRIS 60, EL CAPITAN 56 (OT) -- The Vaqueros had three chances to snap a 52-all tie in the final minute of regulation, but couldn't get a shot to fall. And when All-State center ALLISON DUFFY fouled out, any further chance to pull out a victory vanished as well, as perennial power Perris nipped El Capitan in the opening round of the Sweet 16 Tournament at La Jolla Country Day.

"We still have a long way to go," noted Vaqueros coach DARIN CURTIS. "We had several chances, but we're not at the point to know how to close out close games like this."

The Panthers outscored the Vaqueros 8-4 in the overtime session to gain the victorty.

"It's the happiest I've been with a loss," said Curtis. "I was happier with this loss than I've been with some wins. Our free throw percentage killed us."

El Capitan missed 14 of 22 free throws.

On top of that, Perris had the Vaqueros playing catch-up from the first quarter as the Panthers led 16-7 after one period.

The San Diego State-bound Duffy posted a handsome double-double of 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 accuracy from the foul line. She also collected 17 rebounds, blocked 2 shots, made 3 steals and dished off 2 assists.

"Allison is going to SDSU, and so is Perris' 6-1 center Kendra Calvin," Curtis said. "Allison held her to 9 points and 6 rebounds. We felt pretty good about that."

MALLORIE MONTGOMERY added 13 points and 8 rebounds for El Capitan.

"We came out with first game jitters," Curtis said. "They were just too much for us. We played hard, but we have to get in better shape."

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 24, Montgomery 13, Morgan Craig 6, Ashley Duffy 6, Caramie Huntington 3, Lisa Wilkins 2, Liana Pitman 2.

WEST HILLS 48, POINT LOMA 42 -- Despite a subpar shooting night from the free throw line (4-for-10) and from above the arc (0-for-8), the Wolf Pack managed to win its second game in as many nights in Sportland Classic action.

MEGAN EHMKE was the leader of the Pack, tallying 18 points and 8 rebounds while blocking three shots.

MUAAU NADERHOFF added eight points, six rebounds and four steals, while IIDA LLAMAS snagged a game-high 11 rebounds.

West Hills scoring: Ehmke 18, Naderhoff 8, Llamas 7, Leilani Yawn 6, Ashley Alderton 4, Dalia Ghandour 3, Kylee Krings 2.

SANTANA 69, OCEANSIDE 43 -- Seems there is no stopping JORDAN FRANEY. The Santana senior registered 23 points and 15 rebounds as the Sultans (2-0) pushed the visiting Pirates off the plank in the Pepsi Classic.

Franey has scored 52 points in the first two starts of her senior season.

While coach WADE VICKERY was obviously pleased with Franey's production, he also praised senior LORENA BERNAL for her defensive spark.

"Overall Bernal only scored 4 points but keyed our defense," Vickery said. "She harassed Oceanside all night and was a big key to the game tonight. She played with a lot of energy, always works hard. She's a great example of what it takes for us to be successful."

Senior SHAE BASS also came up big for Santana with eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Santana scoring: Franey 23, Kelsey Ash 11, Bass 8, Brittany Fenn 6, Ashley Baker 6, Jamie Elias 4, Shannon Bailey 4, Bernal 4, Carina Vickery 3.

RAMONA 72, CHRISTIAN 29 -- No information reported.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (11-30-05) -- Anybody who might think that UC Santa Barbara-bound JORDAN FRANEY will suffer from senioritis in her final year at Santana should have seen Tuesday's (Nov. 29) season opener of the Pepsi-Cola Classic against Christian.

Franey was on top of her game, hitting 12-of-20 shots from the floor -- including a pair of 3-pointers -- and 3-of-5 free throws for 29 points as the Sultans sailed to a 71-46 romp over the visiting Patriots (2-3).

Franey also gathered eight steals as the Sultans' pressure defense forced Christian into 34 turnovers.

"Jordan had a nice start as did our whole team," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "You're always happy to get that first win under your belt. But we know we played less than a perfect game and still have a lot of work to do."

Franey added fourassists to her account, while junior ASHLEY BAKER pitched in 11 points. KELSEY ASH added eight points and four assists for Santana, which also received a solid effort from SHAE BASS (6 points, 9 assists, 5 steals).

Sophomore BRITANNY FENN chipped in with seven points and five rebounds for the Sultans, who host Oceanside in Wednesday's (Nov. 30) second round of the Pepsi Classic.

HEATHER MEIER led Christian with 14 points, most of which came on a trio of 3-pointers. JESSIE EKARD canned a trio of treys for nine points. No other stats were provided by Christian.

Santana scoring: Franey 29, Baker 11, Ash 8, Fenn 7, Bass 6, Jamie Elias 5, Danielle Balough 4, Shannon Bailey 1.

Christian scoring: Meier 14, Ekard 9, Katie Gerlek 6, Britni McCaskill 5, Heather DePriest 5, Sarah Seymour 5, Holly Erickson 2.

ELSEWHERE
HELIX 53, TORREY PINES 40 -- Transfer BRITTANY WILLIAMS chalked up 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists as the Highlanders opened the season with a victory over the Falcons in the Sportland Classic.

"This was a great way to get the season off," said Helix head coach TRINA HANSEN. "We got started on the right foot. It was important to play a team with a reputation such as Torrey Pines. They played us real hard."

DIANA LEASAU added 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists for the Highlanders, who hope to challenge Mount Miguel for Grossmont South League supremacy. MELE LEASAU contributed 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 steals and a pair of assists.

"Having Mele available to us in the second half was important," Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY said of the junior sharp-shooter, who was called for two quick fouls at the start of the game and ended up sitting the rest of the half. "She came back after halftime and played real well in the second half."

Helix scoring: Williams 16, Diana Leasau 14, Mele Leasau 11, Sharika Thompson 6, Raquel Primas 3, Sinoi Leasau 2, Mallory Brown 1.

WEST HILLS 46, HILLTOP 36 -- MUAAU NADERHOFF scored 14 points, made 4 steals and grabbed 4 rebounds as host West Hills deep-sixed the Hilltop Lancers in Tuesday's Sportland Classic opener.

The Wolf Pack forced the Lancers into 28 turnovers as MEGAN EHMKE and ASHLEY ALDERTON picked up three steals apiece. Ehmke also scored 8 points and cleared a game-high 14 rebounds.

West Hills rallied from a 24-19 first half deficit to pull out the victory.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 14, Dalia Ghandour 8, Ehmke 8, Ilda Llamas 7, Leilani Yawn 5, Ashley Alderton 3, Kylee Krings 1.

FALLBROOK 44, GRANITE HILLS 40 -- Earning a preseason ranking of No. 8 in the San Diego Section, had the Eagles thinking big. But the first time out of the chute, the Eagles crashed and burned.

The visiting Warriors outscored the Eagles in each of the first three quarters and then held on for the upset win in Tuesday's Sportland Classic opener.

"We were just going through the motions," lamented Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT. "We're just not hungry. We played like we were disinterested. I haven't been this disappointed in quite a while. But it's my fault that I haven't been able to get the girls to know what it means to compete.

"The bottom line is our play-makers aren't making plays."

Granite Hills stats: Joy Edwards, 12 (8 rebounds), Molly Hillenbrand 12, Marnesha Hall 8, Morgan Sabala 5, Amy Sylvester 3 (rebounds), Madonna Najor 0 (5 rebounds).

MISSION BAY 39, MONTE VISTA 31 -- After Monday's opening round disaster against San Diego, the Monarchs regained their footing Tuesday night (Nov. 29) and gave visiting Mission Bay a run for its money.

ASHLEY MILLER knocked down 4 three-pointers on her way to a game-high 16 points for Monte Vista (0-2).

"This was a great game for us," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We did a better job of boxing out and shared the ball with some assists."

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 16 (2 rebs), Britney Small 7 (3 rebs), Johnae Jackson 3 (7 rebs), Tamieka Howell 2 (4 rebs), Karisa Archer 2 4 rebs), Rachel Finks 1 3 assists).

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (11-29-05) -- Elise Paty scored a game-high 16, while Paris Johnson added 14, as San Diego High (2-0) utilized its pressure defense to subdue Monte Vista, 70-15, in the Sportland Classic opener for both schools Monday (Nov. 28).

ASHLEY MILLER registered seven points and four rebounds for the Monarchs (0-1), who will entertain Mission Bay on Wednesday (Nov. 30) at 6:30 p.m.

Monte VIsta scoring: Miller 7 (4 reb.), Rachel Finks 4, Victoria Richmond 2, Karisa Archer 2.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-27-05) -- TINA MERLINO scored a game-high 20 points, as Steele Canyon got off the deck from a slow start to whip El Centro-Central, 57-33, in Saturday's (Nov. 26) Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic.

After winning two games on Friday, the Cougars (3-0) started slowly, but switched tactics in the second half to outscore the visitors from Imperial Valley by a 31-8 count in the second half.

"Some of the players remembered we beat them twice last season, so they underestimated them and didn't give them respect. Then we were flat after playing two games the previous day," noted Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "So we went to a full-court press in the second half, holding them to just eight points."

Merlino also added 14 rebounds, while center KELLY HANSEN also posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Meanwhile, CELESTE MARTINS almost posted a triple-double, finishing with 9 points, 8 boards and 7 assists.

Steele Canyon scoring: Tina Merlino 20, Kelly Hansen 12, Celeste Martins 9, Xanning Tyler 6, Belinda Pickens 2, Briana Eiter 2, Alexis Robinson 6.

GROSSMONT 59, SAN MARCOS 30 -- LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST continued her torrid early season scoring streak with a career high 33 points Saturday (Nov. 26) as the host Foothillers (3-0) clobbered the Knights in a Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic contest. Simon-West is averaging 28 points per game, which includes better than 55 percent shooting (31-57) from the floor in Grossmont's first three games.

Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT praised SHANDISE RIOS for her defensive work on the Knights leading scorer.

Grossmont scoring: La'Kenya Simon-West 33, Therese Riedel 9, Tina Rios 6, Liz Riedel 4, Marcee Fitzpatrick 3, Shandise Rios 2, Kayannie Ward 2.

Other Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic results:
El Centro Southwest 52, Valhalla 36 (No information reported)
Crawford 44, Valhalla 43 (No information reported)

Coronado Thanksgiving Classic
CHRISTIAN 50, SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 14
Christian scoring: Heather Meier 12, Katie Gerlek 12, Holly Erickson 10 Sarah Seymour 5, Heather DePriest 3, Britni McCaskill 2, Jessie Eckard 2, Kelsey DePriest 2, Rachael Criswell 2.

CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 36, CHRISTIAN 33
Christian scoring: Katie Gerlek 13, Holly Erickson 7, Heather Meier 7, Britni McCaskill 4, Rachael Criswell 2.

Getting Air

Grossmont's La'Kenya Simon-West pulls up for a jump shot, getting major air and scoring on Valhalla's Kelsey McClain. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-26-05) -- Junior LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST began the season with a hot hand as she guided the host Grossmont Foothillers to a pair of victories in Friday's (Nov. 25) Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic. Simon-West scored 31 points in three quarters, as the Foothillers crushed Crawford 67-32 and then came back for a 20-spot in a 63-25 romp over Valhalla.

Grossmont 67, Crawford 32 -- Simon-West scored 27 points in the middle two quarters as the Foothillers quickly pulled away.

Grossmont scoring: West 31, Tina Rios 13, Liz Riedel 10, Kayannie Ward 4, Michelle Gonzalez 3, Phylicia Schultz 3, Therese Riedel 3.

Grossmont 63, Valhalla 25 -- TINA RIOS led Grossmont's supporting cast for Simon-West, scoring 16 of her 29 points in the sweep against Valhalla in Friday's nightcap.

Grossmont jumped on top 18-4 in the first quarter, led 38-12 at halftime and 59-19 after three periods.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 20, Tina Rios 16, Therese Riedel 12, Michelle Gonzalez 6, Kayannie Ward 4, Lauren Krueger 2, Marcee Fitzpatrick 2, Phylician Schultz 1.
Valhalla scoring: Breanna Martin 10, Sarah Laine 4, Kayla Houston 3, Emily Roberts 3, Kelsey McClain 2, Sara Staninger 2, Kaitlen Laine 1.

In other Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic games:
Steele Canyon 52, Castle Park 25 -- Look for marked improvement from coach FRANK QUINONES' Cougars this season. Led by CELESTE MARTINS' 18 points, including 10-for-10 free-throw shooting, the Cougars clawed their way past Castle Park in the season opener at Grossmont. Martins, a senior guard, hit a pair of 3-pointers, handed out 4 assists and made 6 steals.

"We had great senior leadership and that was important because it gives our younger kids an idea of what it takes to be successful," Quinones said. "We played aggressive and got on the boards well."

Junior TINA MERLINO grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds, while 6-foot-4 sophomore KELLY HANSEN cleared 10 rebounds for Steele Canyon.

Steele Canyon scoring: Martins 18, Xanning Tyler 6, Merlino 6, Belinda Pickens 5, Briana Eiter 4, Alexis Robinson 4, Hansen 4, Samantha Beasley 4, DeVera 1.

Steele Canyon 46, Crawford 33 -- This wasn't as close as the score indicates. The Cougars (2-0) built a 26-7 lead by halftime and then breezed the rest of the way to clip the Colts. TINA MERLINO netted 12 points (10 in the second half) and grabbed 7 rebounds, while CELESTE MARTINS extended her free-throw streak to 12-for-12 and finished with 11 points. KELLY HANSEN chipped in 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Steele Canyon scoring: Merlino 12, Martins 11, Xanning Tyler 10, Hansen 8, Samantha Beasley 3, Briana Eiter 2.

Coronado Thanksgiving Tournament
Our Lady of Peace 51, Christian 40 -- JESSIE EKARD dropped in 10 points and HOLLY ERICKSON added 9 points and 5 steals in Friday's (Nov. 25) in the Patriots season opener versus Our Lady of Peace at Coronado.

Christian scoring: Ekard 10, Erickson 9, Britni McCaskill 5, Sarah Seymour 4, Katie Gerlek 4, Heather Meier 4, Rachel Criswell 2, Kelsey DePriest 2.

Christian 67, Southwest (SD) 49 -- HOLLY ERICKSON, BRITNI McCASKILL, HEATHER MEIER and KATIE GERLEK combined for 59 points in Friday's late afternoon matinee as the Patriots (1-1) evened their season record. Erickson set the scoring pace with 18 points, while McCaskill added 16 points, 8 assists and 3 steals.
Christian scoring: Erickson 18, McCaskill 16, Meier 15, Gerlek 10, Eckard 4, Kelsey DePriest 2, Rachel Criswell 2.

Then on Monday, the boys kickoff with a slate of games, including the feature matchup pitting preseason All-State selection CHASE BUDINGER and his La Costa Canyon Mavericks making their lone scheduled East County appearance when they play at El Cajon Valley, 7 p.m. Monday.