© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (2-28-07) -- The last time the Helix Highlanders played for a San Diego CIF girls basketball championship was in 1981. Current Helix boys basketball coach JOHN SINGER was doing double duty at the time, directing the boys in the winter and the girls in the spring.

Grossmont's La'Kenya Simon-West sinks a short, baseline jump shot. (Photo by Chris Edwards) ADDITIONAL GAME PHOTOS HERE

Although Singer’s girls lost to Patrick Henry in the 1981 SDCIF 2A championship game, a year earlier the Highlanders had beaten those same Patriots 41-40 to capture the second girls basketball title in school history.

More than a quarter-century later, the Scotties will seek their third overall title after skating past visiting Fallbrook, 56-46, in Tuesday's (Feb. 27) Division I semifinals at Caledonia Gym.

Helix (23-7), the second-seed, will battle top-seeded Eastlake (27-4) in Saturday's 6:05 p.m. (Cox Cable 4) title game at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

BRITTANY WILLIAMS poured home a game-high 29 points for the Highlanders, which led practically wire-to-wire. Besides 2-all, the only time the Warriors were even close came at the close of the first period, when Natalie Zepada tossed in a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to level the contest at 12-all.

However, when the Scotties opened the second period on a 12-4 run -- half of the points courtesy of Williams -- Helix went on to its sixth consecutive triumph and 11th win in the last 12 outings.

Both coaches attempted different versions of the same defensive strategy, but Williams & Co. made the necessary adjustments on offense to avert the opponent's attempt to clog the lane.

"We usually tend to get into foul trouble, so there have been scenarios where they get charges on us," noted Williams. "So we had to stop-and-pop it."

Many of Williams' points came by penetrating the lane, but when the extra Warriors defenders moved into position to take the charge, Williams would pull up and sink an array of unchallenged 10-to-12 footers.

"They were really smart -- that girl would stop and get in position to take the charge," noted Helix coach TRINA MERIDITH. "I told Brittany that two points is more important than an offensive foul, and she really listened and really played great offensively."

Meanwhile, on the other end, a Helix scouting report noted that only three of Fallbrook's starters scored on a regular basis, so the two remaining Highlanders defenders covering the non-shooters cheated inside.

"We knew they had three top-notch scorers," Meridith explained. "So the goal was, especially in the first half with Liz (ELIZABETH CALDWELL), was have her play what we call'door defense' and not guard anybody -- just sit in the middle and create some cluster."

Included was a risky charge created by SINOI LEASAU, who missed last Friday's quarterfinals with a mild concussion. However, she stood her ground inside and forced the turnover when Fallbrook guard Katie Gangnath stormed into her.

Leasau was okay following the violent collision just 2:47 into the ballgame, but Gangnath missed the remainder of the period after wrenching her back.

"Sinoi usually gets charges like that-- it really helped us -- so that our game goes up even more," said MELE LEASAU, who posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, plus blocking four Fallbrook shots. "That gave us the hype to go on."

Added Meridith, "That's not the girl you want taking a charge right now, but she did and it was a huge swing."

Then Williams found the lane to the basket, including a sequence of three straight drives, capped by a behind-the-back move to avert an attempt at the steal. She continued with a crossover dribble for the dramatic layin.

Early in the fourth period, Caldwell stepped into a passing lane for a steal. The ball went to reserve guard NYDAH ROYSTER, who tossed a long, downcourt pass to Williams for the breakaway layin. The transition basket pushed the Scotties' lead to 48-29, sealing their invitation to the section final.

"It feels great -- I feel honored because Helix hasn't won it in a long, long time," added Mele Leasau.

Meanwhile, the Helix boys -- still coached by Singer -- seeks to gain its own berth in the section final, giving the school an opportunity to claim championships for both genders in the same season.

"That would be nice if we both just took it home -- that would be great," added Williams.

By reaching the SDCIF finals, Helix will receive an automatic berth to the Southern California Regionals next week.

“This whole thing is a little surreal,” said Merideth. “It hasn’t hit me yet that we are going to the playoffs.

For the record MARIANNE LOFTIS guided Helix into their first ever SDCIF girls championships in 1975 and 1976. The Highlanders came up short in 1975, but defeated Fallbrook for the 1976 crown.

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 29 (8 reb.), Mele Leasau 13 (12 reb., 4 blk.), Jeminy Afusia 8, Sinoi Leasau 4 (10 reb.), Elizabeth Caldwell 2.

Foothillers center Therese Reidel (right) gets to this rebound before Montgomery's Felicia Pet can. The Aztecs nipped Grossmont, 57-56. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

MONTGOMERY 57, GROSSMONT 56 – What had become the finest season in Grossmont High girls basketball history came to an abrupt ending in Tuesday’s (Feb. 27) San Diego CIF Division II semifinals.

The top-seeded Foothillers (24-6) led the majority of the night against visiting Montgomery, but blew an 8-point lead in the final nine minutes to allow the Aztecs (20-9) to continue on to USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion for Friday’s (Mar. 3) Division II championship game.

Grossmont used a 10-0 scoring run to turn a 2-point deficit into a 43-35 advantage with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. Instead of building on that momentum, the Foothillers surrendered 5 points in 35 seconds to keep the Aztecs in contention.

Montgomery, not known for its 3-point shooting prowess, burned the Foothillers for 10 triples over the course of the night. The biggest trey belonged to Felicia Pet, who connected with 38 seconds remaining to give the Aztecs a 55-53 advantage.

“I just can’t believe that they hit all those 3s,” said Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT of the Aztecs. “Even so, our defense held them to just three points more than the first time we played them (and won 65-59).”

Jollett did not fault his team’s defense for the stunning loss. What irked him most was the fact that the Foothillers shot only 33 percent (22 of 66) from the floor – and committed 19 turnovers.

“We were averaging less than 10 turnovers a game,” he said. “Tonight we committed 19 against a team that wasn’t pressing us. And our guards only made 3 of 25 shots. You can’t have numbers like that and expect to win.”

On the upside for the Foothillers was the sparkling performance by La’KENYA SIMON-WEST. The Oregon State-bound Simon-West, who suffered a meniscus tear Feb. 9 against El Capitan, returned to the lineup for the first time and appeared to be close to full strength.

Simon-West scored a game-high 29 points on 11 of 20 shooting from the floor, which included 6 triples. The East County 3-point shooting leader concluded her senior season with 104 treys, which broke CHRISTINA ADAMS’ Grossmont High record and anchored Simon-West in third place in the SDCIF record book.

“That’s cool,” exclaimed Simon-West. “I know that I did something that will be in the record books for awhile so people can remember me for this season. But I can’t leave my teammates out because without them I would have never gotten this record.”

Grossmont’s season could well have continued had Jollett’s strategy in the final 14 seconds been executed in the manner he designed it.

Montgomery was leading 57-54 when the Foothillers inbounded the ball in the front court.

“The ball was supposed to go to me,” said Simon-West, who was 6 of 13 from 3-point range. I was supposed to get a screen at the top of the key, but it wasn’t there so I picked up my dribble way too soon.”

That created panic and junked Jollett’s design for a shot that would have created overtime.

Instead of shooting, Simon-West gave up the ball to TINA RIOS, who seemed surprised when she received an unplanned pass from Simon-West. Not knowing how much time was on the clock, Rios threw up a desperation shot that was way short of the mark.

Grossmont’s PHYLICIA SCHULTZ grabbed the airball and banked in a shot as the buzzer sounded, leaving the Foothillers one point short.

Senior THERESE RIEDEL scored 12 points, cleared 16 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and made 3 assists for the Foothillers.

“It’s hard to lose a game so close,” Simon-West said. “But we had a great season and went farther than a lot of people expected us to.”

Grossmont scoring: La’Kenya Simon-West 29 (10 reb.), Therese Riedel 12, Phylicia Schultz 6 (5 reb.), Tina Rios 5 (4 ast., 5 reb.), Michelle Gonzalez 4 (7 ast., 5 stl., 8 reb.).

MOUNT MIGUEL 64, BRAWLEY 22 – Game after game, the Matadors continue to prove they are the elite girls basketball team in the San Diego Section.

No matter how high the stakes, the No. 1 ranked Matadors (25-4) always seem to rise to the occasion. In Tuesday’s (Feb. 27) SDCIF Division III semifinals Mount Miguel led 16-0 before the (25-5) Wildcats could leave a mark on the scoreboard.

Although there are cynics and critics of coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL’s Matadors – no doubt due to their continuous success – they cannot argue with the fact that Mount Miguel has won 16 straight and weighs in as a primary Division III contender for the state championship.

Can you say envy?

Even though this was a semifinal playoff game, the talent level at Mount Miguel allows Sandoval to rotate his players without losing an ounce of quality.

Senior PRECIOUS ROBINSON rolled a quiet double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds while blocking 5 shots and recording 5 steals.

COCO FOUNTAIN came off the Mount Miguel bench to contribute 13 points – the majority coming from a trio of 3-pointers – and 4 steals.

Steady senior LaSHAWN JOHNSON did not log record-breaking numbers, but in her allotted playing time contributed 8 points, 6 assist and 5 rebounds.

“We had a real good first quarter, then we kinda got complacent in the second quarter,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “We go through that sometimes where we have droughts. But we can usually pick it up. We’re just trying to get ready for the championship game against Cathedral. The kids know the last four or five opponents have not been good teams. Their mindset is going to be totally different on Saturday.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 18, Coco Fountain 13, Danesia Williamson 9 (3 stl.), LaShawn Johnson 8, Autumn Spikes 6 (9 reb., 4 blk., 4 stl.), Marnesha Hall 6, Victoria Murphy 2, Trina Clark 2.

Shae Bass of Santana is on the drive in Tuesday's semifinalds at Cathedral Catholic. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

The game was knotted at 16-all after one period before Cathedral (26-4) crept in front 28-26 by intermission.

An emotional turning point that occurred in the final seconds of the opening half was a 3-point bucket by Cathedral that turned a deficit into a lead for the Dons.

“The game was decided in the third quarter,” said Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW. “We came out tired in the third quarter. We turned the ball over too much and didn’t shoot well at all.”

With 5 minutes remaining, Santana (24-8) was still in contention, trailing only 51-43. The Sultans were forced to foul and Cathedral made a bunch of free throws and had two breakaway lay-ups as well.

“This was not a 17 point game, not at all,” emphasized Mottershaw.

Senior ASHLEY BAKER spearheaded Santana with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and a block. The tallest of the Sultans at 6-foot, Baker was 4 for 8 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line.

DANIELLE BALOUGH was held well below her average, finishing with 11 points and 5 rebounds.

Senior point guard SHAE BASS concluded her varsity career with 8 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.

Sophomore JAMIE ELIAS added 9 points and 5 rebounds for the Sultans.

“We had a very exciting year. This team exceeded all my expectations,” said Mottershaw.

Santana scoring: Ashley Baker 12, Danielle Balough 11, Jamie Elias 9, Shae Bass 8, Nicole Brzeczek 4.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (2-25-07) -- It wasn't the calm before the storm, it was more like an ice storm before the calm.

"We came out cold, freezing cold," deadpanned Helix High coach TRINA MERIDITH. "I don't think we forced anything, we just hurried our shots."

Mele Leasau of Helix skies above the crowd to grab the rebound against Escondido. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

But when the Scotties exploded out of the gate in the second half by scoring on 10 of their first 11 possessions, a 9-point deficit reverted into a 13-point advantage, as Helix went on to eliminate visiting Escondido, 58-49, in Friday's (Feb. 23) quarterfinals of the CIF-San Diego Section Div. I championship.

It was an amazing turnaround.

"With the hype of this game, we weren't missing shots short, we were missing them long," added Merideth about a 7-for-39 (17.9 percent), first-half shooting performance. "So you know the adrenaline and the nerves were going."

But when a calm came over the Scotties and the shots started to fall, the defense, in turn, did even better. Escondido was blanked for the first 4:08 of the second half, thanks to a simple change in philosophy.

"I have to give a compliment MELE LEASAU," added Merideth. "She said to me,'Coach, what about a 2-3 zone?' and I said,'Well, let's do it.'"

"Mel loves the game of basketball and I appreciate her input -- and it was the right decision."

The ensuing 19-2 run to start the half (24-2 including five straight points to close the first half) turned a 25-16 deficit -- and with it images of last season's upset loss to Montgomery, also in the quarterfinals -- into a commanding 40-27 lead.

Helix (22-7) will host Fallbrook in Tuesday's (Feb. 27) semifinals at Caledonia Gym. The Warriors (24-6) advanced by upsetting 3rd-seeded Poway, 64-52. The other half of the draw stayed true to form, with 4th-seeded San Diego going to top-seeded Eastlake for the berth in the Division I final at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion on Sat., Mar. 3 at 6 p.m.

The Highlanders defeated Fallbrook, 42-29, in the teams' season opener back on Nov. 27 in Sportland Classic tournament play.

Junior guard BRITTANY WILLIAMS, the Grossmont South League scoring champion, was among the guilty parties in missing a series of close-range shots. But when she started to penetrate the lane, then dished the ball off to open teammates before the Cougars could double-up on Williams, everything suddenly reversed; Helix seemingly couldn't miss.

Leasau and Williams drained short jumpers to tie the game at 25-all, Leasau scored on a putback -- one of 18 offensive rebounds gathered by Helix -- for the lead, then Williams found JAZ AFUSIA open in the corner for a baseline 3-point goal.

Even a pair of Escondido timeouts failed to slow Helix, as sophomore guard NYDAH ROYSTER hit three straight outside jumpers for seven of her nine points from off the bench, as the hosts rolled up 27 points in the third period to grab a commanding 48-33 cushion.

Helix guard Brittany Williams. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

"We wanted it more than Escondido, so we took it to them -- it was important to us," said Royster. "Coach just told us to take our time with our shots, then we started to make them."

Royster and ELIZABETH CALDWELL were key components, receiving additional minutes due to the absence of SINOI LEASAU, who suffered a mild concussion in Helix' opening-round triumph over La Costa Canyon.

"Oh, my gosh, we came out a little shaky, but we pulled it out because we had some key points from off the bench -- it changed the whole pace of the game."

Williams paced Helix with a game-high 23 points, but her other numbers proved more significant, collecting eight rebounds, eight steals and five assists.

"That first half seemed very long. We just couldn't put the ball into the hoop -- the ball just couldn't go in," noted Williams. "But lots of people stepped up. Nydah is only a sophomore, but made some big shots, and Jeminy came in when we were in foul trouble."

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 23 (7 reb., 8 stl.), Mele Leasau 13 (12 reb., 3 blk.), Nydah Royster 9 (4 reb.), Jaz Afusia 5 (6 ast., 5 reb.), Jeminy Afusia 5 (8 reb.), Elizabeth Caldwell 3.

GROSSMONT 83, UNIVERSITY CITY 39 – Playing without East County scoring leader La’KENYA SIMON-WEST for all but two minutes of Friday’s (Feb. 23) San Diego CIF Division II quarterfinal, the top-seeded Foothillers proved that they are not a one-player team as they demolished the Centurions (17-13).

Junior TINA RIOS, a 5-foot-3 guard, scored a career-high 25 points – most of it coming on 7 triples – as the Foothillers (24-5) won going away.

“I think it’s important that our girls proved they can still win without one of the best players in the county,” said Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT. “We played a great all-around game, especially offensively. I guess this goes to show that the system we run is something that our kids believe in.”

Grossmont connected on 13 of 29 shots from above the arc (45 percent) and made 34 of 78 shots overall (44 percent).

“If we shoot like that, we’re going to be awful hard to beat,” Jollett said.

Senior THERESE RIEDEL posted a strong double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds while blocking 5 shots and recording 6 steals.

“Therese showed why she’s a Division I player,” said Jollett of the 6-foot-4 Riedel, who will play at the University of Idaho next season.

“She has the best hands for a post player of anyone I’ve ever coached,” said the veteran Jollett. “She was really on top of her game today. Not just her shooting, but the way she crashed the boards and ran the floor.”

Grossmont’s MICHELLE GONZALEZ continues to prove that height is not everything when it comes to basketball. The 5-foot-2 senior made 11 steals, crashed the boards for 14 rebounds and scored 8 points in one of her best games every.

Playing only a quarter and a half, HEATHER SPRINGE scored 8 points on 4 of 10 shooting, made 4 steals and grabbed 3 rebounds for the Foothillers.

Simon-West, who averaged 26 points during the regular season, made a cameo appearance in the final two minutes. The senior guard, who was hobbled with a sore knee, took only two shots and both were on-the-mark 3-pointers.

The Oregon State-bound Simon-West now has 98 treys, which is two shy of the Grossmont High record.

“It was good to get her out there, even for as little as it was,” said Jollett. “When she hit that first 3 in the fourth quarter, the crowd went crazy.”

“All I can say about Simon-West at this point is she’s day-to-day,” he continued. “We hope to have her, but we can’t be sure.”

Grossmont will host No. 4 seed Montgomery (19-9) in Tuesday’s (Feb. 27) Division II semifinal. The Foothillers edged the Aztecs 65-59 in a regular season meeting.

Grossmont scoring: Tina Rios 25, Therese Riedel 21, Michelle Gonzalez 8, Heather Springe 8, La’Kenya Simon-West 6, Phylicia Schultz 6, Shandis Rios 3, Marcee Fitzpatrick 3, Allie Baxter 3.

Santana center Ashley Baker (left) duels Kearny's Te'ahnalin Harris for the rebound. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

DANIELLE BALOUGH, probably the smallest post player in the SDCIF at 5-foot-6, came up big once again for Santana (24-7). Balough made 11 of 26 shots from the floor and 10 of 14 free throws on her way to a 32 point finish.

“I’m just amazed at what she can do inside,” said Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW. “The post play was extremely physical on both sides.”

While Balough was mixing it up inside, Santana’s 6-foot senior ASHLEY BAKER was a force for the Sultans, gathering 11 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 assists and 3 steals.

“Balough and Baker played great post defense,” Mottershaw noted.

Senior floor leader SHAE BASS handed out 11 assists, blocked 3 shots, grabbed 5 rebounds and finished with 9 points for the Sultans.

The third seeded Sultans were coming off a 10-day break, having played their last regular season game on Feb. 13, and being awarded a bye.

“The kids really suffered from having been off that long,” said Mottershaw.

That was evident in the first quarter as Kearny claimed an 18-15 lead. After that, though, the game belonged to Santana.

Santana, which has won the last two SDCIF Division III titles, advances to the semifinals on Tuesday (Feb. 27) at No. 2 seed Cathedral Catholic (25-4) at 7 p.m.

Santana scoring: Danielle Balough 32, Ashley Baker 11, Shae Bass 9, Nicole Brzeczek 8 (5 reb.), Brianna Padilla 4, Miki Sankary 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 61, SAN MARCOS 14 – After rolling to a 7th straight Grossmont South League championship, the top-seeded Matadors (24-4) proved themselves playoff-ready Friday night (Feb. 23) opening post-season play with a San Diego CIF Division III quarterfinal cakewalk over visiting San Marcos.

The Matadors led 28-0 three minutes into the second quarter before the Knights (17-14) converted a free throw.

Mount Miguel led 37-8 by intermission and 51-10 after three quarters.

“We pressed them the whole first half,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “We forced them into 39 turnovers.”

PRECIOUS ROBINSON paced the Matadors with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 6 steals.

MARNESHA HALL knocked down 12 points and made 4 steals, while DANESIA WILLIAMSON pitched in 11 points, 3 assists and 4 steals.

Despite the lop-sided win, which will send the Matadors into Tuesday’s (Feb. 27) semifinals against Imperial Valley League champion Brawley (25-4) at 7 p.m. in Spring Valley, Sandoval wasn’t overly pleased.

“It’s hard to complain, but we weren’t as sharp as I’d like us to be,” he said.

VICTORIA MURPHY did not contribute to the scoring, but helped blank San Marcos scoring leader Diana Espinoza, who came into the game averaging 12.4 ppg.

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 14, Marnesha Hall 12, Danesia Williamson 11, Coco Fountain 7, LaShawn Johnson 5 (4 reb., 3 stl.), Trina Clark 4, Autumn Spikes 4 (5 reb., 3 stl.), Janelle Stroud 4.

WESTVIEW 48, WEST HILLS 45 – Not many people gave the visiting Wolf Pack a chance to win Friday’s (Feb. 23) San Diego CIF Division II quarterfinal game against No. 3 seed Westview.

West Hills (17-13), which trailed by 11 points after one half, was clinging to a 44-43 lead with 3:40 remaining.

Westview, one of the top free throw shooting teams in North County, was only 8 of 18 against the Wolf Pack. That nearly cost the Wolverines (23-7) the game.

A basket by Brittany Zych gave Westview a 45-44 edge with 2:50 remaining.

“It seemed like nobody could score in the last part of the game,” said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. “We were ‘this close’ to tasting victory.”

With Westview leading 46-44, senior MUAAU NADERHOFF hit one of two free throws with 8 seconds left.

Knowing the time was running out, West Hills had to foul.

It was sound strategy but the Wolverines’ Katie Girten swished a pair of free throws in the final 3 seconds giving Westview the win.

Freshman MARILYN NADERHOFF paced the Wolf Pack with 17 points, the majority of it coming on 11 of 13 free throw shooting. She also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and a trio of steals.

Senior MUAAU NADERHOFF settled for 10 points as she was triple-teamed by Westview defenders.

Had it not been for SHELBY RUSSO’s two 3-point connections, the Wolf Pack would have been 1 for 18 for shots from above the arc.

It was the second time in two years that Westview has eliminated West Hills from the SDCIF playoffs. The Wolverines knocked the Pack out in the first round 50-30 last year.

West Hills scoring: Marilyn Naderhoff 17, Muaau Naderhoff 10, Shelby Russo 8, Sherika Miller 4 (5 reb.), Kimberly Clark 2 (6 reb.), Mariah Bennett 2 (5 reb., 3 ast., 2 stl.), Ashley Alderton 2.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (2-21-07) -- Helix High junior BRITTANY WILLIAMS has scored more points, grabbed as many rebounds, defended just as effectively, and passed the ball with stunning precision. However, Williams never put together all four elements better than in Tuesday's (Feb. 20) San Diego CIF Division I playoff opener against La Costa Canyon.

El Capitan's Ashley Duffy goes baseline around a Conquistadors defender. Serra won, 51-39. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

"It all came together in the end -- they couldn't keep up with our speed," said Williams, who seemingly found the open teammate every time La Costa Canyon tried to double-team her. "We just tried to get our post players the ball."

By the time Williams collected her seventh assist, Helix mounted a 13-point lead. The Mavericks (9-17) made one strong run to move to within 37-36 midway through the third period, when Carly Lackey scored eight of her 16 points.

La Costa Canyon's comeback was fueled but some nice post-to-post passing. But when Helix switched briefly into a zone defense, it kept the Mavs away from the basket.

"We were helping out, but our rotation wasn't quite there while they were rotating right on the money," noted Helix coach TRINA MERIDITH. "But once we got the rebound, we made clean passes -- we were on our game-- and we beat them down the court."

An unrelenting transition game saw the Scotties close the contest on a 32-15 run over the final 12 minutes.

And Williams was at the center of the action.

"She consistently comes every night ready to play," added Meridith. "And she does a lot of good thing on our behalf which makes other players on our team better."

"Brittany's been a huge asset and she's been perfecting her game all year."

Many of Williams' teammates were amazed as she elevated her game up a level in time for the postseason.

"Brittany came out ready -- she doesn't normally come out like this -- but she was really prepared for tonight's game," noted JEM AFUSIA, who finished with 15 points and took a charge on defense to help ignite Helix’s closing sprint. "I'm real proud of her. She did a really good job moving the ball."

SINOI LEASAU added 13 points for the Scotties, while JAZ AFUSIA had 10. MELE LEASAU finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, even missing a good portion of the second quarter after taking an accidental elbow to the jaw.

“La Costa Canyon was a very tough team to play,” said Merideth. “They are a very structured and well-disciplined team. I had a lot of pre-game jitters, but we came out and played a great game overall.”

For the Mavericks, Lindsay Wofford matched Lackey with 16 points, while point guard Cha-Cha Simpson posted 10 assists, but only two in the second half.

La Costa Canyon scoring: Lindsay Wofford 16, Carly Lackey 16, Melissa Murray 9, Cha-Cha Simpson 4, Charlotte Ashbrunner 3, Julie Koopmans 2, Anna Wofford 1.

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 20, Jem Afusia 15, Sinoi Leasau 13, Jaz Afusia 10, Mele Leasau 9, Elizabeth Caldwell 2.

WEST HILLS 62, SAN PASQUAL 38 – Sometimes being young is not a bad thing. West Hills, which had lost three of its last four regular season games, might want to salute its youth-laden team after Tuesday’s (Feb. 20) San Diego CIF first-round Division II victory over visiting San Pasqual (13-15).

The Wolf Pack (17-12) jumped on top 20-12 and never let go.

Freshman SHERIKA MILLER turned in a clutch double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Pack. Miller connected on 7 of 11 shots from the floor and all 3 free throws for 18 points.

Senior MUAAU NADERHOFF added 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assist and a pair of blocks for West Hills. Her freshman sister MARILYN NADERHOFF chipped in 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

“We started out slow and then picked up the pace,” said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI.

West Hills’ zone press seemed to confuse San Pasqual.

“We got lots of turnovers and turned them into easy baskets,” said Chabrowski.

It was not the best of shooting nights for West Hills, which made only one of 15 shots from above the arc.

But the Wolf Pack did pound the boards, collecting 45 caroms for a decisive edge.

West Hills scoring: Sherika Miller 18, Muaau Naderhoff 11, Mariah Bennett 9, Marilyn Naderhoff 8, Corryn Kivett 5, Kimberly Clark 4 (4 stl.), Leilani Yawn 4 (5 reb.), Shelby Russo 2, Ashley Alderton 1.

PALO VERDE 56, CHRISTIAN 52 – They put in eight hours of driving time – four hours each way – and 401 miles on their odometer just to compete in Tuesday’s (Feb. 20) first round of the San Diego Section Division IV playoffs in Blythe.

The Patriots (13-14) led Imperial Valley League champions Palo Verde (20-8) by a score of 26-23 at halftime, but seemed to run out of gas during the final 16 minutes.

From a statistical point of view, the Patriots can blame their inept shooting from the free throw line for the loss. Christian missed 21 of 37 chances from the free throw stripe.

From a physical standpoint, the loss of starting point guard, freshman MELODY CRISWELL, who went down in the third quarter with a sprained ankle and did not return.

Despite her early exit, Criswell led Christian scorers with 14 points, including 6 of 10 free throw shooting. Her sister, junior RACHEL CRISWELL assumed the role of point guard and finished with 9 points. All but two of her markers came on 7 of 8 free throw shooting.

“It was a tough way to go out,” said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. “Obviously our free throws hurt us, and so did losing Melody. We had 32 turnovers, and that didn’t help.”

Senior SARAH SEYMOUR concluded her high school basketball career with 11 points and 11 rebounds. She also blocked 5 shots and made 3 steals.

“It was a good season,” said Espelet. “It was hard to end on a game like this when it was so close.”

Christian scoring: Melody Criswell 14, Sarah Seymour 11, Rachel Criswell 9, Emily Reed 8, Nichole Miller 8 (10 reb.), Allie Scott 2.

EL CAMINO 58, GRANITE HILLS 38 – Senior MORGAN SABALA completed her four-year varsity career with 14 points – the majority coming on 4 triples – as host El Camino captured the San Diego Section Division I opener in Oceanside.

Sabala concluded her career with 179 three-point buckets, including 62 this season. Her four-year total ties Sabala with Santana’s CATHY BASS for third in the Grossmont Conference record book. Sabala and Bass are tied for 7th on the San Diego Section record annals.

El Camino decided this one early as the Wildcats (15-9) led 24-6 after one quarter and 39-14 by intermission.

“El Camino jumped out on us early,” said Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “We made a lot of mistakes with the ball. We looked a little nervous out there and they took advantage of it.”

Granite Hills Junior AMY SYLVESTER rolled a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds (and made 3 steals) for the Eagles (16-13).

“Morgan and Amy gave us everything they had tonight,” Parker added. Overall we grew a lot as a team this season, and we expect to grow more next season.”

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 14, Amy Sylvester 10, Molly Hillenbrand 4, Katrena Gabardi 4, Lauren Bender 4 (6 reb., 4 stl.), Sabrina Jimenez 2 (3 reb., 3 ast.).

El Capitan's Samantha Spring (right) seeks to score while avoiding the block attempt by Serra's Ashley McWhorter. The visiting Q's upset the Vaqueros, 51-39, at Cook Gym. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Time and time again during the frustrating loss Vaqueros first-year head coach JASON CAVAZOS threw his hands in the air then covered his eyes as he slumped back into his seat.

El Capitan marksmen connected on only 15 of 65 shots from the floor (23 percent), and missed 8 of 13 free throws in what resulted in a frustrating season-ending loss.

“We got what we wanted, high percentage shots, but just couldn’t finish,” Cavazos said.

Those disturbing numbers peaked during the second quarter when Serra (15-12) gained an 11-1 scoring edge for a 21-15 halftime lead.

Although finishing on the high end, Serra did not strike gold with its offensive thrusts. The Conquistadors converted only 18 of 54 shots (33 percent), but did manage to make the most of its free throws, hitting 11 of 14.

Sophomore ASHLEY DUFFY paced the Vaqueros – as usual – with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

VALERIE LOGEL, the lone senior on the El Capitan roster, gave a fierce effort, tallying 8 points and 13 rebounds.

“Shooting like we did just doesn’t make it in the playoffs,” said Cavazos. “Hopefully our girls remember this bitter taste when we begin next season.”

El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 18, Valerie Logel 8, Liana Pitman 7, Jamie Ferguson 3 (8 reb.), Sam Spring 3 (4 reb.).

Sam Beasley (3) of Steele Canyon rejects this shot by University City's Malinda Richard. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

UNIVERSITY CITY 63, STEELE CANYON 37 – It’s hard to imagine, considering Tuesday’s (Feb. 20) San Diego Section Division II playoff opener at University City, that a team could come out “flat” in a sudden-death affair.

But that’s what Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES saw from his Steele Canyon ballclub, which was outscored all four quarters in a season-ending loss.

“It was horrible,” Quinones summarized. “We had 37 turnovers."

University City (17-12) led 32-13 at halftime.

“We were flat in the first three quarters,” noted Quinones, who saw the Centurions take a 46-21 advantage after three periods. “We finally decided to start playing in the fourth quarter but it was too late.

TINA MERLINO, one of the most consistent players in East County, came through with 12 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Cougars (16-13).

Freshman JANVIER BARBARIN, who was sidelined for much of the Grossmont South League season, crashed the boards for a team-high 12 rebounds but scored only 4 points.

Senior guard SAMANTHA BEASLEY contributed 7 points, 4 assists and 3 steals in her final basketball game at Steele Canyon.

“We have a young team and there were a lot of butterflies out there,” he commented. “We have a lot of work to do this summer.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Tina Merlino 12, Samantha Beasley 7, Janvier Barbarin 4, Samantha Silva 4, Belinda Pickens 3, Xanning Tyler 3, Briana Eiter 2, Katerina Snew 2.

Montgomery took its first step toward a possible title by stomping on visiting Valhalla (8-17) in a game that was decided by halftime on Tuesday (Feb. 20).

The Aztecs led 24-9 after one quarter then limited the Norsemen to a single point in the second period to stand on top of a 40-10 bulge by intermission.

“ Montgomery came out and took us out of our game,” said Valhalla coach JON OWENS. “They pressed us and we couldn’t handle it.”

Steady senior BREE MARTIN rolled a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds to pace Valhalla.

None of the other Norsemen scored more than 4 points, although sophomore EMILY ROBERTS contributed 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

Senior SARA STANINGER did not score but blocked 5 shots to raise her season total to 56, which ranks 4th in East County.

“Bree and Sara finished their careers with the best season possible,” said Owens. “They were our leaders all season on and off the court. They did everything asked of them. It was a real pleasure to coach them this year. I’m going to miss them.”

Valhalla scoring: Bree Martin 16, Amy Woods 4, Kelanie Blackwell 2, Emily Roberts 2, Megan Tex 2, Kelsey Cartmill 2, Laurel Scovie 1.

Jamie Ferguson of El Capitan (left) gets above West Hills' Ashley Alderton for the rebound. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (2-17-07) — In recent weeks this season, perennial power El Capitan was fading into oblivion. Up until the last couple of weeks of the campaign, there were those that wondered whether the Vaqueros would even get a home game, let alone their usual first round bye.

Granted, the playoff system has been revised, but none of that had much effect on first-year coach JASON CAVAZOS and his Vaqueros, who had lost 6 of 7 before regrouping for a strong finish to the regular season.

After dropping a 5-point decision to Grossmont last week, El Capitan upset Santana 57-54 on an overtime scoring spree by ASHLEY DUFFY.

On this night Duffy scored 24 points, gathered 9 rebounds and made 7 steals, but most importantly she hit a 3-point bucket with 7 seconds left to give the Vaqueros a 48-46 victory over West Hills.

Early in the fourth quarter El Capitan went up 38-30 on a 3-pointer by LIANA PITMAN. With 3:39 remaining, West Hills went on a 9-0 run to take the lead back.

With 18 seconds left, MARILYN NADERHOFF hit two free throws, giving West Hills a 46-45 lead.

And then Duffy decided the issue.

“We’re putting it together,” said Cavazos. “We’re starting to blossom at the right time. We just wanted to come in and compete and give it everything we have. Hopefully, we can shock some people in the playoffs.”

Pitman punched in 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Vaqueros (12-13, 4-4 GNL).

VALERIE LOGEL and JAMIE FERGUSON also garnered 8 rebounds apiece.

“They boxed-and-one Ashley and it confused and frustrated her a little bit,” Cavazos added. “She’s never been boxed-and-one before and it bothered her. She had a few more turnovers than she usually has, but she found out how to handle it tonight and got the win.”

Marilyn Naderhoff paced West Hills (16-12, 3-5 GNL) with 15 points and 6 steals.

“We missed too many free throws, too many lay-ups and made too many turnovers,” said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. “It was a great game, a real nose-grinder.”

El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 24, Liana Pitman 11, Jamie Ferguson 6, Sam Spring 3, Crisela Banks 2, Valerie Logel 2.

West Hills scoring: Marilyn Naderhoff 15, Muaau Naderhoff 9, Sherika Miller 7, Kimberly Clark 7, Mariah Bennett 4, Ashley Alderton 4.

HELIX 78, STEELE CANYON 40 -- Grossmont South League scoring leader BRITTANY WILLIAMS fell just two points short of a season high after posting 28 points complimented by nine rebounds and seven steals on Senior Night for the Highlanders.

Included was a huge third-quarter effort by Williams, who collected 10 points and three assists to push the contest into running time after mounting a 70-29 advantage.

"We came out prepared to play and do what we need to do to get ready for playoffs," said Williams about the Scotties, winners in 13 of their last 16 outings. "I think we're going to go deep into the playoffs. All we need to do is play hard and keep the intensity up. I think that's one reason why my shooting has been improving."

SINOI LEASAU came off the bench to hit 6 of her last 7 shots to finish with 14 points. JAZLYN AFUSIA added 11 points, while MELE LEASAU overcame a migraine by scoring 10 points, but more importantly, staying steady on defense with eight rebounds and three blocks in three quarters of action.

For Steele Canyon, TINA MERLINO, who ranks among the East County leaders in five of the seven posted statistical categories, also fell two points shy of her season best with 18 points on 9-for-19 shooting. Merlino also grabbed 14 boards.

“Merlino had another outstanding effort,” said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. “I call her a warrior.”

The visiting Cougars actually led in the opening minutes, 6-4, but Helix answered by scoring 25 consecutive points, including the final 21 of the opening period to mount a 25-6 lead.

“They pressed us the whole game,” noted Quinones of the Highlanders. “We held Mele Leasau to 10 points though, and I’m very pleased with that. We played flat, a step behind. We had some sloppy turnovers.”

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 28 (8 reb., 10 stl., 8 ast.), Sinoi Leasau 14, Jazlyn Afusia 11 (4 ast.), Mele Leasau 10 (8 reb., 3 blk., 4 stl.), Jem Afusia 7 (5 stl.), Nydah Royster 4, Sam Vick 2, Elizabeth Caldwell 2.

Steele Canyon scoring: Tina Merlino 18 (14 reb.), Jackie McGovern 7, Samantha Silva 5, Samantha Beasley 4, Katerina Snew 2, Belinda Pickens 2, Briana Eiter 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 97, VALHALLA 11 – The host Matadors bullied their way to a 36-4 first quarter lead Friday night (Feb. 16) and continued on to a lop-sided victory over visiting Valhalla in the Grossmont South League finale for both teams.

The No. 1 ranked Matadors (23-4, 10-0 GSL) celebrated their seventh league championship in as many years, and claimed its 65 win in their last 66 league starts over that stretch on Senior Night.

In a total mismatch, Mount Miguel forced Valhalla (8-16, 2-8 GSL) into 50 turnovers, and the total could have been much higher had the Matadors continued to press after the first quarter.

Sophomore point guard DANESIA WILLIAMSON scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the opening quarter to spark the Matadors. Williamson also collected a dozen steals and could easily have set a section record had Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL allowed her to play the entire game.

PRECIOUS ROBINSON added 17 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals for the Matadors, who also received 13 points, 10 rebounds and 6 steals from AUTUMN SPIKES.

Playing with a running clock, Mount Miguel outscored Valhalla 25-0 in the third quarter.

“It was senior night for Mount Miguel and the kids were ready to play,” said Sandoval. “We’re looking forward to the playoffs.”

It was a long night for Valhalla, which totaled only 5 rebounds as a team.

“I’m very pleased with the way we played all season,” said Valhalla coach JON OWENS. “We’ve shown vast levels of improvement and I feel we will only get better in the future. We definitely are not at Mount Miguel ’s level.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Danesia Williamson 20, Precious Robinson 17, Autumn Spikes 13, Cindy Ekweozor 10, Trina Clark 10, Victoria Murphy 8, Coco Fountain 7, LaShawn Johnson 6, Marnesha Hall 6.

Valhalla scoring: Sara Staninger 4, Bree Martin 3, Kelanie Blackwell 2, Amy Woods 2.

GRANITE HILLS 60, MONTE VISTA 34 – First-year coach JERRY PARKER has to be pleased by the performance of his Eagles, who were picked to finish fourth in the Grossmont South League.

Call it consolation if you’d like, but the Eagles are a solid third-place finisher, two games ahead of a Steele Canyon crew picked to finish above them in the preseason prognostications.

The game was basically over after the first quarter as the Eagles (16-12, 6-4 GSL) streaked to a 23-2 advantage.

MOLLY HILLENBRAND was the leader of the flock with 21 points.

AMY SYLVESTER added 11 points, and MORGAN SABALA, despite not hitting a single 3, finished with 10 points.

“It was a nice way to finish the season, especially for the seniors,” said Parker. “I thought we played pretty well. It was a chance to get some of the girls off the bench. KYLEE WILSON did well off the bench. It was a feel good game, especially going into the playoffs.”

Monte Vista, guided by first-year skipper MICHAEL SKIBBE, received a team-best 14 points from RACHEL FINKS.

“Rachel played as well as she has all season,” said Skibbe. “She looked good running the floor.”

Looking toward next year, Skibbe focused on bright spots MEGAN BOYCE, who had 4 blocks and 4 points, and JANAY PATTON, who ranks among the East County leaders in blocked shots.

“Boyce is starting to get offensive and that is a good thing,” Skibbe said. “Patton stepped up today and played as good as she has in the last two weeks. Good efforts from the young ones, and the future looks bright.”

Granite Hills scoring: Molly Hillenbrand 21, Amy Sylvester 11, Morgan Sabala 10, Kylee Wilson 6, Lauren Bender 6, Sabrina Jimenez 4, Katrena Gabardi 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Rachel Finks 14, Victoria Richmond 8, Janay Patton 4, Megan Boyce 4, Nicole Ashby-Jones 4.

GROSSMONT 65, EL CAJON VALLEY 16 – Foothillers coach TIM JOLLETT put together a game plan for Friday night’s (Feb. 16) season finale several weeks ago. That is, he was not going to play seniors La’KENYA SIMON-WEST or THERESE RIEDEL.

Some might say Jollett is a genuine sportsman, a man of fair play. Realistically, though, Jollett’s plan was to protect his two aces while giving the remainder of the Foothillers a chance to shine against the outmanned Braves (2-24, 0-8 GNL).

Up-and-coming standout HEATHER SPRINGE scored a season-high 16 points to pace the Grossmont North League champion Foothillers (23-5, 8-0 GNL).

SHANDIS RIOS, who is known primarily for her defense, scored a career-high 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting from above the arc.

Basically the game was over after the first quarter when Grossmont led 18-1. It was 36-4 by halftime, and the running clock took over after that.

“We made 12 threes (out of 23 attempts), can you believe that?” said Jollett. “That’s a team high for us. I was pleased with our energy tonight and the kids are looking forward to the playoffs.”

Grossmont is all but assured to be the top-seeded team in Division II.

Grossmont scoring: Heather Springe 16, Shandis Rios 15, Tina Rios 8, Phylicia Schultz 8, Michelle Gonzalez 7 (6 reb., 6 stl.), Allie Baxter 8, Terra Musgrove 3.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Adriana Ussery 7, Sheraina Moon 5, Samantha Julien 4.

MADISON 46, CHRISTIAN 40 – It was a disappointing end to the regular season Friday night (Feb. 16) for the visiting Christian High Patriots (6-4, 13-13 CNT), who suffered a stunning Central League loss to Madison (9-15, 4-6 CNT).

The Patriots were their own worst enemy, as they shot only 23 percent (17 of 75) from the field and 29 percent (4 of 14) from the free throw line.

“Our shot selection was pretty bad tonight,” said Christian coach CORI ESPELET.

Christian, which defeated the Warhawks 52-47 in the first round game, trailed 17-7 in the opening quarter of the rematch.

RACHEL CRISWELL and EMILY REED shared high-point honors for Christian with 11 markers each.

Freshman NICHOLE MILLER led the Patriots on the boards with 14 rebounds, while senior SARAH SEYMOUR captured 13 caroms and blocked 4 shots.

“We did do a good job rebounding,” Espelet said. “On defense we gave up a lot. “We started with a zone and gave up too many open shots that Madison took advantage of. In the second half, we went to man and did a better job controlling them.”

“In the second half we forced Madison to make a lot of turnovers, however, we did not capitalize on them,” Espelet added. “We had plenty of opportunities to turn the game around, but we missed it every time.”

Christian scoring: Rachel Criswell 11, Emily Reed 11, Sarah Seymour 8, Melody Criswell 7, Nichole Miller 3.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-16-07) — The Valhalla Norsemen celebrated Senior Night with a 41-28 non-league victory over visiting Julian on Thursday (Feb. 15).

The Norsemen (8-15) jumped out to a 13-2 lead and then limited the Eagles (11-12) to just 8 points in the second half.

KAYLA HOUSTON led the Norsemen with 12 points, half of them coming on 3-balls.

BREE MARTIN rolled a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, while SARA STANINGER added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks for Valhalla.

EMILY ROBERTS led Valhalla with 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

“All things considered, it’s been a successful season for us,” said first year head coach JON OWENS. “We were coming off an emotional loss to Steele Canyon on Tuesday, so we’re happy to rebound with a win.”

Valhalla scoring: Kayla Houston 12 (5 reb., 2 ast.), Bree Martin 11 (2 ast.), Sara Staninger 10, Kelanie Blackwell 4 (6 reb., 3 ast., 3 stl.), Emily Roberts 2 (3 stl.), Amy Woods 2.

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (2-14-07) — Struggling to gain a San Diego CIF Division II playoff spot, El Capitan was in desperate need of a noteworthy victory when it hosted Grossmont North League rival Santana on Tuesday night (Feb. 13).

The Vaqueros (11-13, 3-4 GNL) turned to sophomore floor leader ASHLEY DUFFY to provide the spark.

Not only did Duffy score a career-high 33 points, including two free throws to send the game into overtime, the 5-foot-9 guard scored all 7 of the Vaqueros’ overtime markers in a 57-54 thriller between these longtime traditional powers.

“We needed a quality win,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS. “We got it against a team with a long tradition that will probably be the No. 3 seed in the Division III playoffs. We’re playing pretty well right now, and I’ll be happy just to get into the playoffs and see what we can do.”

Teams playing El Capitan are not unaware that Duffy is a focal point. Santana (23-7, 5-3 GNL) threw up a curtain of defense against Duffy, who recently has taken up shooting from the perimeter. On this night, however, Duffy drove to the basket more than she has in any game this year.

“I don’t know if she’s unstoppable or not when she drives to the basket,” said Cavazos. “But I do know that she’s hard to stop. She got in the key at least 8 or 9 times in this game, and as she found out, it made a difference to our team overall.”

Cavazos admitted that Santana’s DANIELLE BALOUGH, who scored a game-high 29 points, was a menace inside the key.

Two of El Capitan ’s defenders on Balough fouled out, but CRISELA BANKS and VALERIE LOGEL attempted to keep the Santana scoring machine from going crazy.

“We had four eyes on her everywhere she went,” said Cavazos. “I thought our defense was sound against her, but she still got a lot of points. It could have been worse – she could have gotten even more if it hadn’t been for Banks and Logel.”

“This wasn’t the way we wanted to end our regulation schedule,” said Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW.

El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 33, Liana Pitman 8, Sam Spring 8, Valerie Logel 3, Crisela Banks 2, Jamie Ferguson 2, Ashley Bunce 1.

Santana scoring: Danielle Balough 29, Ashley Baker 10, Shae Bass 6, Nicole Brzeczek 5, Jamie Elias 2, Brianna Padilla 2.

HELIX 56, GRANITE HILLS 52 – Riding a 21-11 second-quarter edge, host Helix locked up second place in the Grossmont South by turning back the visiting Eagles in Tuesday’s (Feb. 13) GSL contest.

BRITTANY WILLIAMS paced the Highlanders (19-7, 7-2 GSL) who scored 15 points and 5 steals.

MELE LEASAU contributed her usual double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds for Helix, who pulled off the victory with a 15-8 scoring spree in the final quarter.

“We were able to hold onto the ball better and close them out late,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “When they made a run at us in the 4th quarter we were able to maintain our composure. This game was a good test for us. It will help us next week.”

MORGAN SABALA scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and dished 3 assists for the Eagles (15-12, 5-4 GSL). Sabala hit a couple of triples for the Eagles, boosting her 3-point total to 58, second in East County.

“It was a well played game by both teams,” said Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “The 2nd quarter hurt us. We had too many turnovers and gave them too many easy shots in that quarter. I feel we have played our toughest basketball in the second half of the league season. Playing a team as tough as Helix this late in the season is a real help in preparing for the playoffs.”

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 15, Mele Leasau 10, Jaz Afusia 8, Jem Afusia 8 (6 ast., 7 reb., 3 stl.), Sinoi Leasau 7, Elizabeth Caldwell 5, Nydah Royster 2, Sam Vick 1.

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 22, Molly Hillenbrand 12 (3 stl.), Sabrina Jimenez 7, Lauren Bender 5 (5 reb.), Katrena Gabardi 3 (8 reb.), Amy Sylvester 3.

STEELE CANYON 53, VALHALLA 47 – A 19-8 fourth quarter scoring run lifted the visiting Cougars to a Grossmont South League victory over Valhalla Tuesday night (Feb. 13).

Steele Canyon (16-11, 4-5 GSL) did not take the lead until there were 3½ minutes left in the contest.

“We won this one by the hair of our chinny chin chin,” said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. “We came out flat. I think the girls underestimated them and took them too lightly. ( Valhalla ) came out ready to play.”

Despite being tagged with three fouls in the opening quarter, senior TINA MERLINO came on to roll a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Cougars.

XANNING TYLER also supplied an influx of offense with 16 points, and SAMANTHA BEASLEY coined a double-double of 10 points and 10 steals to go along with 7 assists for Steele Canyon.

“Samantha Beasley has winning in her blood – she plays to win,” said Quinones.

BELINDA PICKENS matched Merlino’s rebound total with 12 of her own for the Cougars.

“I want to give props to Xanning Tyler and Belinda Pickens. They stepped up tonight. Tyler did a good job offensively while Tina was on the bench and Pickens controlled the boards on Martin, not giving her many outside points,” he added.

Senior BREE MARTIN was the standout on the floor with 25 points and 12 rebounds for Valhalla (7-15, 2-7 GSL).

KELANIE BLACKWELL netted 14 points and dished 5 assists for the Norsemen, who also received 10 rebounds and 8 assists from EMILY ROBERTS.

“It was a one possession game until we missed a late 3-pointer, then we had to foul,” said Valhalla coach JON OWENS. “We played well all game. We knew they would make a serious run on us in the second half and the girls didn’t quit at all. We did a good job of getting the ball in to Bree Martin all night.”

Steele Canyon scoring: Tyler Xanning 16, Tina Merlino 16, Samantha Beasley 10, Belinda Pickens 6, Briana Eiter 3, Jessica Hardy 2.

Valhalla scoring: Bree Martin 25, Kelanie Blackwell 14, Kayla Houston 5 (8 reb.), Emily Roberts 2, Sara Staninger 1 (4 blk.).

MOUNT MIGUEL 80, MONTE VISTA 9 – It’s a shame games like this have to be played, but these Spring Valley rivals are both in the Grossmont South League, although miles apart in terms of talent.

The No. 1 ranked Matadors raced to a 30-0 first quarter lead and held a 57-3 halftime advantage in Tuesday’s (Feb. 13) GSL at Mount Miguel.

“We stopped pressing them after the first quarter and the second half was played with a running clock,” said Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

MARNESHA HALL scored 8 of her game-high 17 points in the first quarter, while AUTUMN SPIKES scored half of her 12 points in the opening eight minutes for Mount Miguel.

“We just tried to work on some things,” said Sandoval, whose Matadors have won 7 league titles during his 7-year tenure.

As it was, Monte Vista turned the ball over 43 times and did not score until MEGAN BOYCE made a free throw with two minutes left in the first half.

“We played zone defense in the second half,” said Sandoval, whose Matadors (22-4, 9-0 GSL) play man-to-man 99 percent of the time. “I’d hate to think how many points we would score against a team like this if we played our regular game.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Marnesha Hall 17 (6 reb., 3 ast.), Danesia Williamson 13 (6 ast., 4 reb., 3 stl.), Autumn Spikes 12 (3 blk., 3 stl.) Coco Fountain 11 (4 reb., 5 ast., 3 stl.), Precious Robinson 10 (3 reb., 3 blk.), Cindy Ekweozor 7 (3 reb.), LaShawn Johnson 4 (5 stl.), Victoria Murphy 4 (3 ast., 3 stl.), Trina Clark 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Rachel Finks 6, Janay Patton 2, Megan Boyce 1.

CHRISTIAN 53, CLAIREMONT 42 – The Christian Patriots raced out to a 12-2 lead and never looked back in Tuesday’s (Feb. 13) Central League game against Clairemont at the Ryan Athletic Center.

SARAH SEYMOUR, who is going to Dordt College in Sioux City, Iowa on a full ride basketball, softball and academic scholarship, led the Patriots with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocked shots.

EMILY REED added 13 points and 8 rebounds for the Patriots (11-12, 5-4 CNT), and MELODY CRISWELL matched those exact numbers for Christian.

“We are a team that is so inconsistent with how we play,” said Patriots coach CORI ESPELET. “Sometimes we show up ready to play and do exactly what I know we can, and sometimes we play like we did tonight, and I wonder what we were thinking.”

“Though we did many things right, if we could cut down the mistakes by half, we could be a great team instead of just a good team,” said Espelet

Losing KELSEY DePRIEST with a re-injured knee towards the end of the game doesn’t help Christian’s future.

“I am afraid it is the end for her this season,” said Espelet. “This will hurt us.”

Christian scoring: Sarah Seymour 14, Emily Reed 13, Melody Criswell 13, Rachel Criswell 7, Kelsey DePriest 4, Nichole Miller 2.

WEST HILLS 65, EL CAJON VALLEY 28 – The Wolf Pack used a balanced attack to dispatch the Braves on Tuesday’s (Feb. 13) West Hills Senior Day to hopefully enhance its playoff seeding position in the Division II San Diego CIF playoffs, which begin next week.

Ten members of the Pack (16-11, 3-4 GNL) contributed to the scoring, with freshman KIMBERLY CLARK leading the way with 14 points. Clark, who netted 6 of 11 shots from the floor, also led West Hills with 7 steals.

West Hills led the Braves (2-23, 0-7 GNL) 34-13 at halftime and never looked back.

Freshman SHERIKA MILLER hit 4 of 8 shots from the floor, including a pair of triples, to finish with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Wolf Pack collected 27 steals in the contest.

West Hills scoring: Kimberly Clark 14, Sherika Miller 11, Muaau Naderhoff 8 ( 8 reb., 6 stl.), Rebecca Jones 7, Lelani Yawn 7 (5 reb., 2 ast., 3 stl.), Mariah Bennett 5 (6 ast., 3 stl.), Corryn Kivett 4, Ashley Alderton 4 (10 reb.), Shelby Russo 3, Marilyn Naderhoff 2 (4 ast.).

El Cajon Valley scoring: Adriana Ussery 12, Taniya Patros 7, Leena Norwarekar 4, Sheraina Moon 2, Samantha Julien 2, Stephanie Jacobs 1.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-10-07) — When word spread by cell phone Friday night (Feb. 9) that El Capitan led host Grossmont 28-26 at halftime in a Grossmont North League encounter, panic was in order for the heavily favored Foothillers.

West Jills center Mua'au Naderhoff (54) drives around Santana's Ashley Baker to gain position in the paint (top), but help-side defender Miki Sankary (4, bottom) fouls her on the shot. (Photos by Adolfo Villanueva)

In addition to trailing at intermission, the Foothillers had lost East County scoring leader La’KENYA SIMON-WEST to a knee injury one minute into the second quarter.

Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT was apprised of the injury evaluation, which was labeled as a knee strain. Although Simon-West could possibly have continued to play, Jollett elected to bench his super-star and go with the supporting cast.

Bold move? Not as it turned out, as the Foothillers thwarted El Capitan’s upset bid with a 53-48 victory, which clinched the Grossmont North League title for No. 6 ranked Grossmont (22-5, 7-0 GNL).

“I didn’t actually see what happened, but when I looked up and saw La’Kenya lying there on the floor I had to be concerned,” Jollett said. Her knee had some swelling so I decided why risk it.”

So Jollett called on the remainder of his Foothillers to finish the job.

El Capitan (10-13, 2-4 GNL), who had lost 10 of its previous 14 games, trailed the Foothillers by only 3 points with less than 3 minutes to play.

That’s when MICHELLE GONZALEZ, a 5-foot-2 senior guard, made the play of the game with a steal and a lay-up to seal the deal for Grossmont.

“Michelle’s steal was incredible,” said Jollett. “It was transition at its best. That was the dagger.”

Not many teams could succeed losing a player of Simon-West’s caliber. The Oregon State-bound senior, who is averaging almost 27 points per game, tallied 5 before retreating to the sidelines.

Jollett admitted that the immediate loss of Simon-West hurt his team emotionally, but the Foothillers’ second year head coach was positive his team would prevail in spite of the loss of his leading scorer.

“I know it sounds cocky or pompous, but I really never thought we were going to lose,” he said. “I have confidence in these girls and it was just a matter of me trying to find the proper combination to get us this win.”

Junior TINA RIOS, who scored a career-high 19 points, was the driving force in Grossmont’s great escape.

Six-foot-4 Idaho-bound THERESE RIEDEL delivered 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Foothillers, who won their 9th straight and 12th in 13 starts.

The shining star off the Grossmont bench was HEATHER SPRINGE, who contributed 7 points. PHYLICIA SCHULTZ didn’t score but provided clamp-down defense and grabbed 6 rebounds for Grossmont.

Unsung senior Gonzalez also collected 8 rebounds and made 3 steals for Grossmont.

Victory-starved El Capitan could smell and upset after Simon-West went down.

“After Simon-West got hurt, we had to switch our strategy,” said El Capitan coach JASON CAVAZOS. “Their big girl, No. 42 (Riedel) stepped up for them, hit big shots when they needed to. The big girl carried them. My little 5-foot-7 senior VALERIE LOGEL guarded her – she bumped and pushed her all night long. It was the first time we’ve played as a complete team – everybody was there together.”

ASHLEY DUFFY was at the forefront of the El Capitan attack with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7 steals and 5 assists.

LIANA PITMAN pitched in 9 points, while JAMIE FERGUSON nailed 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

Logel finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds.

“We were up at halftime 28-26, but in the 4th quarter we missed a lot of easy buckets,” said Cavazos. “We had chances, and let them know we can play with them. They are a very good team and we are still improving.”

Grossmont scoring: Tina Rios 19, Therese Riedel 16, Heather Springe 7, Michelle Gonzalez 6, La’Kenya Simon-West 5.

El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 15, Liana Pitman 9, Jamie Ferguson 8, Valerie Logel 8, Sam Spring 6, Ashley Bunce 2.

HELIX 76, VALHALLA 33 – BRITTANY WILLIAMS and MELE LEASAU each completed a triple-double, which has to be some kind of Grossmont record in Friday’s (Feb. 9) Grossmont South League match-up at Valhalla.

Playing in only three quarters, Williams, a junior guard, matched her career-high of 30 points while recording a personal best 13 steals and dishing 10 assists for the Highlanders (18-7, 6-2 GSL).

Senior center MELE LEASAU completed a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals.

For Williams, it was her first triple-double of the season and second of her career. It was a first for Leasau.

"I didn't even know I got one," said Leasau, who plans on taking several recruiting trips over the next few weekends. "We just went out there to get ready for the playoffs."

“We played well tonight,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “It was a positive note, coming back from Tuesday’s game (a loss) vs. Mount Miguel. We shot well tonight (31-62). It’s a lot easier shooting lay-ups than 17-footers. Our press and overall defense were both very effective.”

Ball-handling was the difference as the Scotties were able to gain a bushel of turnovers.

"We're usually focused in the game ahead of us," added Leasau. "We just want to keep improving and get to the CIF final."

Williams out-scored Valhalla in the first half, collecting 20 points to build a 49-15 lead at the intermission.

JAZ AFUSIA hit 5 of 7 floor shots for 11 points and her sister JEM AFUSIA added 10 points for the Highlanders.

Valhalla’s BREE MARTIN registered her usual double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds on this night.

“We played well,” said Valhalla coach JON OWENS. “We were able to hang in there with them early, but we missed a lot of easy shots and they took advantage of it to pull away. It’s tough to play a team as strong as Helix when you are down to seven players.”

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 30 (5 reb.), Mele Leasau 11 (4 ast., 2 blk.), Jaz Afusia 11 (3 ast., 2 stl.), Jem Afusia 10 (4 reb., 3 blk.), Nydah Royster 6, Sam Vick 4 (5 reb.), Elizabeth Caldwell 2, Tatiana Jackson 2, Sinoi Leasau 2.

Valhalla scoring: Bree Martin 10, Sara Staninger 8, Emily Roberts 7 (6 reb.), Kayla Houston 6, Amy Woods 2 (5 reb.).

MOUNT MIGUEL 58, GRANITE HILLS 32 – Even when top-ranked Mount Miguel is not at the top of its game, the Matadors (21-4, 8-0 GSL) are difficult to derail. That was the case in Friday night’s (Feb. 9) Grossmont South League encounter at Granite Hills.

The host Eagles (15-11, 5-3 GSL) were still in contention, trailing only 15-10 early in the second quarter. That’s when the Matadors’ PRECIOUS ROBINSON took control, scoring 10 of her 17 points during that 8-minute stanza, propelling Mount Miguel into a 31-15 halftime lead.

Mount Miguel had an opportunity to blow the Eagles out in the third quarter as the Eagles committed five straight turnovers. Although the Matadors scored only 2 points during the Eagles’ lapses, it didn’t matter as a putback by MARNESHA HALL upped Mount Miguel ’s advantage to 39-17 with 5:10 remaining in the 3rd period.

“If we would have taken better care of the ball and capitalized on their lapses, it might have been closer,” said Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “But we changed our approach for this game from the last time we played them, where we played them really passive in a 2-3 zone.”

Parker turned his Eagles loose in the rematch.

“I said this time we’re going to be more aggressive and if we go down, it’s going to be go down swinging,” said Parker.

One major change in the Granite Hills’ front was provided by senior MORGAN SABALA. Limited to just 2 points in the first-round 61-23 loss at Mount Miguel, Sabala obviously enjoyed the home court atmosphere as she tallied 15 points. Nearly half of her points came at the free throw line where she converted 7 of 9 chances.

“I like our chances in the playoffs,” said Parker, “because we’re finally healthy and at full strength. Some of our early losses might have gone our way had it not been for injuries and other off the court problems.”

For Mount Miguel it was not a team-oriented game. In fact, it was streaky.

The fourth quarter belonged to Mount Miguel junior AUTUMN SPIKES, who scored 10 of the Matadors’ final 15 points.

“Our biggest problem is we get complacent too easily,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “We’ve beaten all these teams before and our girls think all we have to do is show up and we’ll win.”

Spikes matched Robinson’s 17 points, but the 6-foot senior Robinson also had 15 rebounds, 6 blocks and 2 steals. Spikes totaled 8 rebounds, as did VICTORIA MURPHY.

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 17, Autumn Spikes 17, LaShawn Johnson 8 (5 ast., 4 stl.), Danesia Williamson 7 (5 ast., 4 stl.), Marnesha Hall 4 (6 reb., 5 stls.), Victoria Murphy 3 (3 ast., 2 stl.), Coco Fountain 2.

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 15, Molly Hillenbrand 7 (6 reb.), Katrena Gabardi 4, Amy Sylvester 3 (8 reb.), Kylee Wilson 2, Sabrina Jimenez 1.

STEELE CANYON 56, MONTE VISTA 17 – The Cougars had added motivation when they took the floor for Friday’s (Feb. 9) Grossmont South League game against visiting Monte Vista.

“We were upset by Granite Hills’ remarks of how fired up they were (when they beat us on Tuesday),” said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. “So we took our frustration out on Monte Vista tonight.”

The result was a Steele Canyon record 15th win for the Cougars (15-11, 3-5 GSL).

“I challenged the girls and they played well, held Monte Vista to 6 points in the first half,” added Quinones. “Our goal was to keep (RACHEL) FINKS under control, and she ended up with just two points.”

Six of Monte Vista’s 17 points were on free throws.

TINA MERLINO produced her usual double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with 7 steals for the Cougars.

Senior JOBETH DEVERA had a career game of 12 points and 5 rebounds. Devera made 5 of 7 field goals, including a couple of triples for Steele Canyon.

“It was Senior Night for us and all our seniors scored,” Quinones said. “They started the game and they finished it. Jobeth Devera has never scored in double digits before.”

Steele Canyon guard SAMANTHA BEASLEY claimed a game-high 13 rebounds, added 5 assists, 8 points, 2 blocks and one steal for the Cougars.

Steele Canyon scoring: Tina Merlino 14, Jobeth Devera 12, Samantha Beasley 8, Jessica Hardy 7, Katerina Snew 6 (3 stl.), Briana Eiter 3, Xanning Tyler 3 (5 stl.), Jazmin Daigle 2, Samantha Silva 1.

Monte Vista scoring: Victoria Richmond 7, Kim Galarpe 4, Rachel Finks 2, Janay Patton 2, Nicole Ashby-Jones 2.

CHRISTIAN 56, HOOVER 27 – The visiting Patriots broke open a close game with a 27-12 second half to capture a Central League victory in Friday’s (Feb. 9) encounter at Hoover.

“Tonight we played like I always knew we could,” said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. “It has taken a whole season, but we played good team basketball tonight. Though we made our share of mistakes, we made up for it with hard work and effort. Together we played as a team and that is why we were successful.”

Steady senior SARAH SEYMOUR submitted 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocked shots to pace the Patriots (12-12, 5-3 CNT).

“Sarah Seymour demonstrated her leadership on the floor,” said Espelet.

The game started with Christian winning the tip, then getting 3 lay-ups in a row. This sparked Christian’s defense, as the Cardinals only scored 5 in the first quarter compared with the 16 cashed in by the Patriots.

The CRISWELL sisters ­– RACHEL and MELODY – combined for 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks for Christian.

Senior EMILY REED dominated the boards with 12 rebounds to go with 7 points, 4 steals and 2 assists.

“Emily Reed had an incredible defensive game tonight,” Espelet added. “And Melody Criswell showed poise on the court when she had three people guarding her. She was able to bring the ball up the court and not let her emotion ruin her game.”

Christian scoring: Sarah Seymour 19, Rachel Criswell 11, Melody Criswell 10, Emily Reed 7, Allie Scott 5, Kelsey DePriest 4.

West Hills' Mariah Bennett (34) battles Santana center Ashley Baker for rebounding position on a 3-point shot in the Sultans win. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

SANTANA 58, WEST HILLS 43 – After suffering a stinging defeat of soon-to-be clear cut champion Grossmont, Santana rebounded to batter crosstown rival West Hills in Friday’s (Feb. 9) Grossmont North League action.

The Sultans (23-6, 5-2 GNL) used a balanced scoring attack led by DANIELLE BALOUGH with 18 points on 8 of 12 shooting.

ASHLEY BAKER produced one of her finest games of the season, hitting 7 of 11 shots from the floor on her way to a 17-point finish that also included a team-best 10 rebounds.

Not known for her scoring, SHAE BASS contributed 10 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for Santana, while JAMIE ELIAS accounted for the Sultans’ only 2 triples to finish with 11 points.

Santana stepped out to a 15-12 first quarter lead and gradually extended that advantage throughout the game.

“This was a different game from the last time we played them,” said Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW. “There were not as many fast breaks and more set-up offense.”

Freshman MARILYN NADERHOFF was the main cog in the West Hills offense, just missing her personal career high with 21 points. Naderhoff was deadly from the free throw line where she netted 9 of 12 chances. She also led the team with 4 steals and was second in rebounding with 6.

“It was an even game at the beginning, then it went back and forth,” said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. “After trailing 25-18 at the half, West Hills got as close as 4 in the 3rd quarter before Santana pulled away. We had too many unforced turnovers and we missed 9 point blank layups.”

Santana scoring: Danielle Balough 18 (4 ast., 2 blk.), Ashley Baker 17 (5 ast.), Jamie Elias 11, Shae Bass 10, Brianna Padilla 2.

West Hills scoring: Marilyn Naderhoff 21, Muaau Naderhoff 9 (5 reb.), Kimberly Clark 3 (7 reb. 3 stl.), Mariah Bennett 3, Ashley Alderton 3, Leilani Yawn 2, Sherika Miller 2.

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (2-7-07) — Senior La’KENYA SIMON-WEST loves the 3-point shot and is closing in on the Grossmont High record for long distance connections in a season.

By winning, the No. 6 Foothillers (21-5, 6-0 GNL) guaranteed themselves of the first girls basketball Grossmont North League championship in Grossmont High history. For the record, the Foothillers did capture Grossmont 3A League titles in 1993 and 1994. The San Diego CIF sanctioned the sport in the spring of 1975.

“Oh, man, this is great,” exclaimed Simon-West, who scored 30 points to pace the Foothillers to the monumental victory. “I know there were a lot of people out there that didn’t think we could do it, but look at us now.”

More than half of Simon-West’s scoring total against Santana came from above the arc as she hit 6 of 18 long rangers. She now has 95 triples this season, which is five shy of CHRISTINA ADAMS’ school record 100 set in 1990.

Since Grossmont has two regular season games and multiple playoff games remaining, Simon-West should break the Grossmont record and climb higher up the CIF ladder for season treys.

Santana’s KELLY SIMERS set the record of 134 in 1996. At present Simon-West is only 22 treys out of second place on the SDCIF ladder.

“All that stuff is nice, and I want it,” said Simon-West.“But this night belongs to all of us.”

THERESE RIEDEL, Grossmont’s 6-foot-4 Idaho-bound center, was on top of her game against the Sultans. Riedel hit 7 of 14 shots for 14 points, reeled in a game-high 20 rebounds, blocked 4 shots and dished 4 assists.

“We’ve worked hard for four years and have come together as a family,” Riedel said. “And we just took this (championship) because we wanted to. It’s heart – that’s all it took, and we’ve got it.”

Grossmont used several scoring runs to finally break the game open in the second half. The Foothillers held the Sultans (22-6, 4-2 GNL) to a mere 13 points over the final two quarters.

“We believe in our defense,” said senior MICHELLE GONZALEZ. “We have good quickness and aren’t afraid to go after people. It’s been that way all year for us.”

One area where Grossmont hasn’t been consistent has been their ability to deliver scoring passes. The Foothillers recorded 20 assists against Santana with TINA RIOS topping the list with 6. Gonzalez added 5 and SHANDIS RIOS and Riedel had 4 each.

“We work together – we’re all in each others’ minds,” said Riedel.

Grossmont shot better than 42 percent from the floor, including 10 of 33 from above the arc.

Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT, who initiated the “bearcat defense” a year ago, wasn’t surprised that the Foothillers forced 28 Santana turnovers.

“We challenged our girls at halftime, telling them that the 24 points that we gave up in the first half was way too much,” said Jollett. “Our girls just shut them down in the second half.

Senior DANIELLE BALOUGH, Santana’s potent pivot, hit 5 of 11 shots from the floor and added 2 free throws despite a 10-inch height disadvantage going against Riedel. Balough also topped the Sultans with 9 rebounds.

“They can shoot, and when they do that, they’re very good,” said Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW. “The No. 23 (Simon-West), how do you defend her? And those three little kids out front are very difficult to deal with.”

Grossmont scoring: La’Kenya Simon-West 30, Therese Riedel 14, Tina Rios 9, Shandis Rios 5, Heather Springe 5, Marcee Fitzpatrick 3, Phylicia Schultz 2, Michelle Gonzalez 1.

Santana scoring: Danielle Balough 12, Ashley Baker 10 (7 reb.), Nicole Brzeczek 8, Kaila Smith 4, Miki Sankary 2, Shae Bass 1 (4 ast., 7 reb., 3 stl.).

MOUNT MIGUEL 62, HELIX 45 – Coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL’s No. 1 ranked Mount Miguel Matadors have lost only one of 63 Grossmont South League games during his tenure as head coach. That lone setback came at the hands of the Helix Highlanders a year ago.

The Highlanders (17-7, 5-2 GSL), although playing in a visitor’s role on Tuesday night (Feb. 6), fought to a 22-22 tie by intermission.

Sandoval must have said the magic words during the break, as the Matadors came out to dominate the second half to post the victory that will probably present Sandoval with his 7th league title in as many years.

What had to stun Sandoval was watching his Matadors blow a 20-5 lead in the 2nd quarter. It took a 17-2 run by the Highlanders to produce the deadlock.

Such scoring runs are all but unheard of against this Mount Miguel team.

“Games like this one should really help us throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs,” said Sandoval. “DANESIA WILLIAMSON hit a big 3-point shot to help us spread the game.”

PRECIOUS ROBINSON scored 22 points, bagged 8 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and made 3 steals to pace the Matadors (20-4, 7-0 GSL).

Williamson finished with 17 points, 5 steals and 3 assists.

“It came down to our press, which is gonna win a lot of games for us – like it did in this one,” Sandoval noted.

BRITTANY WILLIAMS did not have her best shooting night from the floor for the Highlanders, but connected on 8 of 10 free throws, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished 6 assists and made 6 steals.

JEM AFUSIA was 3 for 5 from above the arc on her way to an 11-point night for the Highlanders.

MELE LEASAU matched those 11 points but came down with only 5 rebounds for Helix.

The game was called closely, which caused foul problems for both teams. Mount Miguel had four of its primary players on the bench in the second quarter due to foul trouble.

Two of Helix’s aces fouled out before the final whistle.

“We committed too many turnovers and missed too many shots in the second half,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “They made a run on us and we couldn’t come back. It was a competitive game on both sides, one that was very physical. We played real hard the whole game and never gave up.”

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 22, Danesia Williamson 17, LaShawn Johnson 8 (5 reb., 3 ast.), Marnesha Hall 7 (5 reb.), Victoria Murphy 6 (4 stl., 4 reb., 3 ast.), Autumn Spikes 2 (5 reb., 2 blk.).

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 14, Mele Leasau 11, Jem Afusia 11, Jaz Afusia 5, Sinoi Leasau 4 (6 reb.).

VALHALLA 46, MONTE VISTA 36 – BREE MARTIN and EMILY ROBERTS helped the Valhalla Norsemen overwhelm host Monte Vista in a Grossmont South League encounter Tuesday night (Feb. 6) in Spring Valley.

Martin mustered a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds while blocking 3 shots to guide the Norsemen (7-13, 2-5 GSL) into a 4th place tie with Steele Canyon.

Roberts, a sophomore, put together one of the finest games of her career, reeling off 10 points, 15 rebounds, 9 steals and 6 assists.

The game started out slowly as the Monarchs led 6-4 after one quarter and the Norsemen scrambled to a 14-11 halftime lead.

Both teams picked up the pace in the second half, but Martin proved to be the difference.

Martin scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half as Valhalla gradually pulled away. Ironically, the last time Valhalla played Monte Vista (a 58-44 victory in the first round), Martin scored all 21 of her points in the second half of that game.

“We just weathered the storm in the first half. We fed Bree Martin quite a bit in the second half and were able to ride her to the victory,” said Valhalla coach JON OWENS.

Despite suffering an 11th straight loss, Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE remained optimistic.

“It was a very competitive game the whole way,” Skibbe said. “We have a very good group of young players. They are going to play a lot during the off-season and will be ready to play next season.”

RACHEL FINKS, still recovering from the effects of the flu, topped the Monarchs with 11 points.

VICTORIA RICHMOND added 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals for Monte Vista.

JANAY PATTON pitched in 7 points and a team-high 8 rebounds for the Monarchs.

Valhalla scoring: Bree Martin 23, Emily Roberts 10, Kayla Houston 6, Sara Staninger 4, Kelanie Blackwell 3.

Monte Vista scoring: Rachel Finks 11, Victoria Richmond 8, Janay Patton 7, Nicole Ashby-Jones 4, Kim Galarpe 3, LiAiesha Brandon 3.

GRANITE HILLS 50, STEELE CANYON 31 – MORGAN SABALA regained her 3-point shooting touch, and MOLLY HILLENBRAND was a force inside as host Granite Hills smashed Steele Canyon for the second time in Grossmont South League action Tuesday night (Feb. 6) in El Cajon.

The victory pushed the Eagles (15-10, 5-2 GSL) into a second place tie with Helix. Steele Canyon (14-11, 2-5 GSL) fell into the second division.

Sabala pumped up her 3-point shooting total to 56 as she burned the Cougars four times from above the arc. The senior guard also converted 3 of 4 free throws and made 3 steals.

Hillenbrand hammered down a game-high 19 points, secured 7 rebounds and dished 2 assists for the Eagles, who led 26-15 at halftime.

“We jumped out on them early with our pressure,” said Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “We really got our fast break going. Molly Hillenbrand hit a 3 on her first shot. It was a big pick-me-up. Our girls were up for both Steele Canyon games this year since they were picked ahead of us in the preseason polls.”

AMY SYLVESTER added 8 points and 7 rebounds for Granite Hills, while LAUREN BENDER led the Eagles with 8 rebounds.

The Eagles broke the game open with a 21-6 scoring spread in the third quarter.

Granite Hills scoring: Molly Hillenbrand 19, Morgan Sabala 17, Amy Sylvester 8, Katrena Gabardi 3, Sabrina Jimenez 2, Kari Hubert 1.

Steele Canyon scoring: Tina Merlino 7, Katerina Snew 7, Samantha Beasley 7, Briana Eiter 5, Jessica Hardy 4, Belinda Pickens 1.

EL CAPITAN 57, EL CAJON VALLEY 27 – The Vaqueros used a balanced attack to snap a 5-game losing streak in a Grossmont North League at El Cajon Valley on Tuesday (Feb. 6). El Capitan barged in front 15-4 and proceeded to add to its lead in every quarter.

El Capitan (10-12, 2-3 GNL) enjoyed one of its better shooting nights of late, hitting better than 38 percent of 65 shots.

LIANA PITMAN set the pace, connecting on 5 of 10 shots for a team-high 11 points. She also had 4 steals and was responsible for one of the Vaqueros’ three triples.

ASHLEY DUFFY popped in 10 points – the majority coming from her 2 treys – and led the team with 6 assists and 8 steals. She also blocked two shots.

It was a good night for BRITTNEY LORING, who knocked down 4 of 7 shots for 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

CRISELA BANKS also had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals for the Vaqueros.

El Capitan scoring: Liana Pitman 11, Ashley Duffy 10, Brittney Loring 8, Crisela Banks 7, Ashley Bunce 4, Jamie Ferguson 4 (4 stl), Taylor Autry 4, Valerie Logel 3 (6 reb., 3 stl.), Sam Spring 2, Abby Carlino 2, Kara Brown 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Adriana Ussery 10, Sheraina Moon 7, Stephanie Smith 4, Taniya Patros 2, Leena Norewarekar 2, Samantha Julien 2.

CRAWFORD 61, CHRISTIAN 42 – However slim it was, Christian’s chance of winning or at least gaining a share of the Central League championship was dashed Tuesday night (Feb. 6) by the host Crawford Colts.

Crawford (15-8, 61 CNT) stomped to a 17-8 first quarter lead and never looked back, as it took over sole possession of first place.

Christian (11-12, 2-3 CNT) fell two games off the pace, with three games remaining.

Senior SARAH SEYMOUR scored 12 points, snagged 22 rebounds and blocked 4 shots for the Patriots.

MELODY CRISWELL had 14 points, 3 assists and 2 steals for Christian.

RACHEL CRISWELL contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds for Christian. Freshman NICHOLE MILLER grabbed 14 rebounds, but the Patriots were unable to overcome 36 turnovers.

Raquel Tucker led all scorers with 26 points for Crawford.

Christian scoring: Melody Criswell 14, Sarah Seymour 12, Rachel Criswell 10, Nichole Miller 4, Kristy Gaus 2.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-4-07) — Not unlike many of the teams that have gone before them, visiting Ramona designed a special defense in hopes of stopping Grossmont’s La’KENYA SIMON-WEST Saturday night (Feb. 3) in a non-league game.

“They came out and threw one of their junk defenses – a Diamond-and-two – in hopes they could stop La’Kenya,” said Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT.

It didn’t work.

“TINA RIOS hit two 3s in the first minute to help us go up 9-0,” Jollett said. “We got 37 points in the first half against that defense, so they had to get out of it.”

Grossmont led 20-9 after the first period and 37-22 at the half and continued on for a 71-44 victory.

The Foothillers (20-5) are now 9-0 against Division II teams and should gain the top seed in the San Diego CIF playoffs. Earning the top seed would assure Grossmont of a home court advantage all the way to the finals at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday (Mar. 2).

Simon-West paced the Foothillers with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals. She connected on 4 of 11 shots above the arc. Rios hit 4 of 8 treys.

As a team Grossmont was 10 of 25 shooting triples for a solid 40 percent.

Rios finished with 14 points as did 6-foot-4 center THERESE RIEDEL. The Idaho-bound Riedel also corralled 17 rebounds and also swatted away 5 Ramona shots.

Jollett was pleased to note that the Foothillers committed only five turnovers. The coach was equally as pleased by the defensive tenacity of 5-foot-2 senior SHANDIS RIOS.

“Shandis was a monster out there,” Jollett said. “We put her on (Ramona’s) Amanda Gray and she just ate her up.”

Gray, who came in averaging more than 16 points a game, was limited to a pair of 3-pointers.

MICHELLE GONZALEZ garnered 10 rebounds and led the Foothillers with 7 steals.

Grossmont scoring: La’Kenya Simon-West 29, Therese Riedel 14, Tina Rios 14, Michelle Gonzalez 5, Marcee Fitzpatrick 3, Shandis Rios 2, Heather Springe 2, Phylicia Schultz 2.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-3-07) — Tabbed as an also-ran in most preseason polls, the Christian High Patriots find themselves only one game out of first place with four games remaining in the regular season.

In an old-fashioned, low-scoring game of cat-and-mouse, the Patriots overcame a 12-6 first quarter deficit to edge previously undefeated Coronado, 24-23, Friday night (Feb. 2) at the Ryan Athletic Center.

The 24 points tied for the 4th-lowest winning total in CIF-San Diego Section history. For the Patriots, it was as good as 24-karat gold.

“Well, we pulled it off tonight,” said an elated Christian coach CORI ESPELET. “We beat the only undefeated team in our league!! Coronado always plays us tough, and we were prepared tonight. Though we started soft and slow, we picked it up when it mattered and finished well tonight.”

Senior SARAH SEYMOUR paced the Patriots (11-11, 4-2 CNL) with 9 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks.

MELODY CRISWELL added 7 points and 7 rebounds for Christian, which also received 4 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists from RACHEL CRISWELL.

This was quite a tightrope walk for Christian, which overcame 29 turnovers to gain the stunning victory.

“Our defense in the second half is really what saved us and helped us to get back in the game,” Espelet said. “To our benefit, Coronado had a low scoring percentage and we were able to take advantage of that.”

Nobody on Coronado scored more than seven points.

“Although the stats show a low-scoring game, it was intense from start to finish, and both teams did not shoot well,” Espelet added. “In the end we did the things we needed to and we kept our composure in the end. I was proud to see my girls hold their poise and be smart at the end of the game.”

Christian scoring: Sarah Seymour 9, Melody Criswell 7, Rachel Criswell 4, Kristy Gaus 2, Allie Scott 2.

GROSSMONT 79, WEST HILLS 40 – Oregon State-bound La’KENYA SIMON-WEST scored 27 points and bagged 15 rebounds to guide the Grossmont North League-leading Foothillers to the lopsided victory Friday night (Feb. 2) over visiting West Hills.

This game wasn’t all about Simon-West, as Grossmont’s Idaho-bound THERESE RIEDEL came up strong with 17 points and 21 rebounds for the Foothillers (19-5, 5-0 GNL), who are bidding for the top seed in Division II of the San Diego CIF playoffs.

Grossmont broke the game open in the middle two quarters with a 45-18 scoring advantage.

It was one of the Foothillers’ better shooting nights as they connected on 30 of 67 field goals for 45 percent. Riedel made 7 of 14 shots inside, while Simon-West hit 10 of 22 from the perimeter, including 4 triples.

TINA RIOS, known more for her defensive prowess, hit the mark on 6 of 10 shots from the field for 14 points while notching 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

MICHELLE GONZALEZ, Grossmont’s defensive kingpin, collected 6 steals and 9 rebounds for the Foothillers who have won 6 straight and 9 out of 10 games.

SHERIKA MILLER was West Hills statistical leader with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.

MARILYN NADERHOFF added 10 points, most of it coming from her 8 of 14 free throw shooting.

“It was ugly,” said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. “They got very physical with us and completely out-played us.”

Grossmont scoring: La’Kenya Simon-West 27, Therese Riedel 17, Tina Rios 14, Marcee Fitzpatrick 8, Terra Musgrove 4, Allison Baxter 4, Phylicia Schultz 3, Michelle Gonzalez 2.

West Hills scoring: Sherika Miller 11, Marilyn Naderhoff 10, Ashley Alderton 8, Mariah Bennett 6, Muaau Naderhoff 3, Kimberly Clark 2 (6 reb.).

GRANITE HILLS 62, VALHALLA 48 – With playoff aspirations in mind, the Eagles of Granite Hills claimed a much-needed Grossmont South League victory over visiting Valhalla in a battle of GSL archrivals.

The game came down to the Eagles’ (14-10, 4-2) ability to press the Norsemen into 41 turnovers.

Steady MORGAN SABALA scored a game-high 24 points, including a trio of triples, to lead the Eagles, who outscored the Norsemen in all four quarters.

MOLLY HILLENBRAND added 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 steals for Granite Hills (13-10, 4-2 GSL).

Freshman point guard SABRINA JIMENEZ broke into the scoring column for one of the few times this season with 13 points while adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

“We ran a very consistent offense,” said first-year Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “Our passing game gave us some good shots and we were able to make them.”

The Eagles led 25-17 at halftime and never looked back.

BREE MARTIN rolled a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds for Valhalla (6-12, 1-5 GSL).

KELANIE BLACKWELL added 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for the Norsemen, who also received 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals from EMILY ROBERTS.

“Granite Hills has some very good players,” said Valhalla coach JON OWENS. “They jumped out to a 10-2 lead and it was hard to recover from that. We fought back and played hard all night. We gave a superior effort for a team with only seven healthy players. I’m happy with our effort tonight.”

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 24, Molly Hillenbrand 14, Sabrina Jimenez 13, Amy Sylvester 5, Lauren Bender 2, Kari Hubert 2, Kylee Wilson 2.

Valhall scoring: Bree Martin 20, Kelanie Blackwell 11, Kayla Houston 7, Emily Roberts 6, Laurel Scovie 2, Sara Staninger 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 67, STEELE CANYON 30 – Defeating Mount Miguel has become next to impossible for Grossmont South League rivals the past 7 years. Coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL’s Matadors are 61-1 over that span and are a sure bet to make it 7 straight league titles this season.

PRECIOUS ROBINSON was a dominant force for the Matadors, delivering 27 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

DANESIA WILLIAMSON added 13 points, 5 steals and 4 assists for the streaking Matadors (19-4, 6-0 GSL) who have won 10 games in a row.

“We weren’t as sharp tonight as we need to be,” said Sandoval. “We’re never going to have the same person consistently with outstanding numbers, the scoring is usually more balanced.”

The Matador led 24-5 after one quarter and 42-15 by halftime.

There simply is not a challenge to this Mount Miguel team, which has the makeup for a state championship.

Since victories are highly unlikely for the Matadors’ Grossmont South League opponents, coaches create mini-goals.

“We did a pretty good job,” said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. “Our goal was to score 30 points tonight. We haven’t ever scored 30 points on Mount Miguel. The last time we played them, we scored 28 points (in the GSL first round game). Another goal was not to have a running clock, and we didn’t.”

Steele Canyon stalwart TINA MERLINO paced the Cougars with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 27, Danesia Williamson 13, Marnesha Hall 8, Coco Fountain 6, Victoria Murphy 6, Autumn Spikes 4, LaShawn Johnson 3.

Steele Canyon scoring: Tina Merlino 16, Samantha Beasley 5, Jessica Hardy 4, Xanning Tyler 2, Jobeth Devera 2, Samantha Silva 1, Katerina Snew (6 reb.).

HELIX 63, MONTE VISTA 17 – The Highlanders prepped for their big Tuesday (Feb. 6) showdown against Mount Miguel by racing to a first-quarter lead of 22-1 to top the Monarchs in a Grossmont South League contest Friday (Feb. 2).

BRITTANY WILLIAMS contrived an interesting double-double of 21 points and 13 steals to lead the Highlanders to their 5th straight win in their last eight starts.

MELE LEASAU also turned a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for Helix (17-6, 5-1 GSL).

JEM AFUSIA pitched in 10 points, while SAM VICK added 6 points and 6 rebounds. Not to be lost in the statistical morass was the 7 assists by Williams.

Helix extended their advantage to 49-6 by halftime.

Monte Vista (4-20, 0-6 GSL) suffered its 10th straight setback.

“We full court pressed them to start the game,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “We shut down their offense and did a good job getting into the passing lane to disrupt their passes. We were working on maintaining our intensity, denying passes and playing tough defense.”

VICTORIA RICHMOND paced the Monarchs with 11 points.

Monte Vista scoring ace RACHEL FINKS played sparingly, coming off an illness.

“We played very well in the third and fourth quarter,” said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. “We got off to a rough start in the first half. We’re a young team who hasn’t played much basketball together. We’re slowly improving as the season has gone on.”

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 21, Mele Leasau 12, Jem Afusia 10, Sinoi Leasau 8, Sam Vick 6, Jaz Afusia 4, Natalia Cano 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Victoria Richmond 11, Nicole Ashby-Jones 3, Kim Galarpe 3.

SANTANA 56, EL CAJON VALLEY 16 – The visiting Sultans skated to an 18-2 first quarter lead, maintained a 27-6 halftime edge and held a 45-10 advantage Friday night (Feb. 2) to keep its Grossmont North League aspirations alive.

Steady DANIELLE BALOUGH converted 7 of 9 shots from the field and added a free throw to pace the Sultans (22-5, 4-1 GNL) with 15 points.

NICOLE BRZECZEK hit 4 of 7 shots from the field for 8 points to go along with 3 assists, while SHAE BASS delivered 8 assists and 6 points for Santana.

JAMIE ELIAS contributed 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists for the Sultans.

“We got a lot of players in the game and they got quite a few minutes tonight,” said Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW. “Our young players really need to get some floor time.”

Santana scoring: Danielle Balough 15, Nicole Brzeczek 8, Jamie Elias 7, Shae Bass 6, Ali Padberg 5, Ashley Baker 4, Brianna Padilla 4, Brittany Fenn 3, Lauren Mueller 2, Kaila Smith 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Sheraina Moon 5, Samantha Julien 5, Leena Norwarekar 4, Adriana Ussery 2.