Cheap
baskets are not allowed by Santana (10-4), which proved that to Patrick Henry
in Saturday's (Dec. 29) championship game of the NCAA Division 2 bracket of the
SoCal Holiday Prep Classic at El Capitan.
Guided by division MVP NICOLE
BRZECZEK's 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, the surprising Sultans were able
to stretch their winning streak to six games with a resounding 49-31 romp over
Patrick Henry.
The unsung driving fiber in Santana's latest conquest was
junior KAILA SMITH, who woke from a scoreless 1st half slumber to finish with
a powerful 17 points and 19 rebounds.
Santana was holding a precarious
16-15 advantage when the second half began.
"I knew I didn't do so
good in the first half and I wanted to make up for that," said Smith.
The 5-foot-10 Smith scored half of Santana's 18 third quarter points, which
included a 16-1 scoring run that carried over to the 4th quarter.
Even
more impressive was Smith's work on the glass.
"I just knew we had
to have the ball so I was trying to get in there," said Smith. "Once
I got a rebound I wanted to outlet to our guards as soon as possible so we could
get it down the court." Smith, an all-tourney choice, took only 9 shots
from the floor, finishing with a.667 accuracy rating.
"I know when
I should shoot and when I shouldn't," Smith said.
Santana junior
JAMIE ELIAS chipped in 11 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals.
Rebuilding
or not, the Sultans believe they'll be a title contender in the San Diego CIF
Division III playoffs.
"We want to prove what we can do because we
know we weren't looked at as one of the top-ranked teams coming into the season,"
Smith said. "We want to be known."
Santana scoring: Kaila Smith
19, Nicole Brzeczek 13 (7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Jamie Elias 11 (5 reb, 5 stl, 2
ast), Kim Gross 6 (4 reb, 2 ast), Lauren Mueller 2 (2 ast, 2 reb), Samantha White
(3 reb). OUR LADY OF PEACE 41, EL CAPITAN 37 -- Coach FRANK QUINONES
talked about overall team fatigue after his Vaqueros faltered in Saturday's (Dec.
29) NCAA Division 3 championship game of the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic in Lakeside.
"I think it took a lot out of us beating Canyon Crest in (Friday's) semifinals,"
he said. "But I don't want to make excuses even though this is the first
game when I can honestly say the officials took us out of our game."
Whistles
aside, the Vaqueros (11-4) can either credit Our Lady of Peace (12-3) for a superb
defensive effort or only blame themselves on an "off" shooting night.
Bottom line here is El Capitan shot a pitiful 23.7 percent (14 of 59) from
the field, including 2-for-17 in the final quarter.
"Give OLP credit
-- they slowed things down when we wanted to play an uptempo game," Quinones
said.
Despite El Capitan's inconsistent shooting, the Vaqueros stingy
defense made a game of it. The contest was tied 10 times before the Pilots used
a 10-0 scoring run to move in front 39-30 with less than four minutes to play.
Two baskets by all-tourney pick ASHLEY DUFFY and a trio of free throws by
all-tourney choice LIANA PITMAN cut the deficit to 39-37 with 24 seconds remaining.
"We had a chance to pull it out there at the end," Quinones said.
"But we just couldn't make a basket when we needed to." Duffy and
Pitman shared El Capitan's team scoring high with 10 points apiece. Although she
did not have a banner game, ASHLEY BUNCE also earned all-tournament honors.
El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 10 (6 ast, 5 stl, 3 blk), Liana Pitman 10
(4 reb), Samantha Spring 7, Jamie Ferguson 4 (5 reb), Ashley Bunce 2 (2 reb),
Taylor Autry 2 (4 reb), Crisela Banks 2 (5 reb). HELIX 86, NORTH BAKERSFIELD
69 -- If the Highlanders can produce the kind of offense they did in Saturday's
(Dec. 29) third place game of the NCAA D2 Division encounter of the SoCal Holiday
Prep Classic, they might cause a stir in the Grossmont South League chase.
Selected to the All-Tournament Team, senior guard BRITTANY WILLIAMS pounded
in 42 points, landing 16 of 32 shots from the field, as the Highlanders (6-7)
achieved a team scoring high for the season.
This is the second time this
season that Williams has broken the 40-point barrier. The 5-foot-10 San Jose State-bound
scoring machine opened the season with a career high 45 points against Vista.
Williams' game was confined to scoring as she spun a wheel of magnificent
7s -- as in rebounds, assists, and steals.
Nearly overlooked in Williams'
statistical bonanza was the work fo SINOI LEASAU, who buried four 3-balls en route
to a career high 26 points. The 5-foot-7 junior forward also logged 6 assists
and 5 rebounds. KAMI OLIVER topped the Scotties with 12 rebounds.
Helix
fell behind North Bakersfield 17-13 in the opening quarter, but rebounded to gain
a 37-36 edge by the break. A 49-point second half locked up the victory.
"Our
reserves came in key spots in the game and played outstanding defense," said
Helix coach TRINA HANSEN. "I'm happy with the 3rd place finish in this tournament."
Helix
scoring: Brittany Williams 42, Sinoi Leasau 26, Sam Vick 10 (3 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl),
Tatiana Jackson 4 (5 reb), Kami Oliver 2 (2 blk), Nydah Royster 2 (2 reb).
WEST HILLS 47, LA COSTA CANYON 43 -- The Wolf Pack dumped the Mavericks
on Saturday (Dec. 29) to claim the 3rd place trophy in the NCAA Division I game
of the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic.
Most believe the youthful Wolf Pack
(10-4) rate as the team to beat in the Grossmont North League.
SHERIKA
MILLER set the tone to Saturday's triumph over LCC with 12 points, 6 rebounds
and 2 steals. KIMBERLY CLARK chipped in with 8 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds.
West Hills started fast, appearing as if it would win in whirlwind fashion.
The Pack edged in front 17-13 in the opening quarter and led 30-17 by intermission.
"We started off real well but were terrible shooting in the 3rd quarter,"
said West Hills coach RYAN KINSER. "We died in the 2nd half. We were a little
bit tired and let them back into the game. We are in need of some definite gym
time. There are a few things we need to correct so practice time next week will
be good for us."
MARIAH BENNETT did not enjoy a grand finale, but was
named to the all-tournament team.
ST.
JOSEPH'S 45, VALHALLA 25 -- Although the Norsemen have played the fewest games
in East County, they did well enough to finagle their way into Saturday's (Dec.
29) championship game of the Prep Division of the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic.
That didn't matter to St. Joseph's, which marched to a 31-15 halftime
lead and then, despite a sputtering offense, managed to hang on.
"We
just ran out of gas. I'm not disappointed in the team at all -- we're just not
used to playing four games in four days," said coach JON OWENS of his 2-6
Norsemen. "Our shooting was very poor, especially in the 2nd half." All-Tournament
pick EMILY ROBERTS finished strong for Valhalla with 8 points, 10 rebounds and
4 steals.
Also earning an All-Tournament berth was senior KELANI BLACKWELL,
who pitched in 6 points and pulled down 3 rebounds.
Valhalla scoring:
Emily Roberts 8, Tanisha Lee 7, Kelani Blackwell 6, Kelley Seitz 2, Megan Tex
2 (5 reb). ESCONDIDO 62, GROSSMONT 35 -- Escondido was ranked
among the top 10 teams in the preseason ratings but hasn't lived up to it. That
might be hard to convince Grossmont coach MARK DeFEDE after the shellacking his
Grossmont Foothillers took in Saturday's (Dec. 29) WNBA Division game of the SoCal
Holiday Prep Classic.
"We hit a hot shooting team and they were lights
out," DeFede said wryly. "Every time we made a run, they shot a 3. They
just killed us." Escondido (6-8), which forged in front 20-6 during the
first 8 minutes, sank 9 three-pointers. Natalie Curin accounted for 5 of those
connections, while Whitney Wise dropped in 3.
The Cougars outscored the
Hillers in every quarter.
TINA RIOS accounted for 9 points, 4 assists
and 3 steals for the Foothillers (5-7).
HEATHER SPRINGE chipped in with
8 points and 6 rebounds, while TIFFANY TOOSON totaled 7 points and 4 steals. TERRA
MUSGROVE topped Grossmont with 9 boards.
"I was impressed with how
well we did against the L.A. teams," said DeFede. "We were in the top-flight
WNBA Division and we hung with them and beat one of them. It's going to get us
ready for league."
"I'm pleased with a 3rd place finish in our
division. This has been a tough tournament but we learned an awful lot from it.
Its nice to have 10 wins heading into the new year."
Grossmont scoring:
Tina Rios 9, Heather Springe 8, Allison Baxter 7, Tiffany Tooson 7, Danielle Balderas
2, Terra Musgrove 2.
CANYON CREST 79, GRANITE HILLS 61 -- Granite
Hills coach JERRY PARKER must feel like Alfred Hitchcock. Seems like everything
his Eagles do is a mystery -- sometimes heavenly, sometimes nightmarish.
Burdened by fouls to his three top players, the Eagles watched as the visiting
Ravens scored 48 points in the middle two quarters of Saturday's (Dec. 29) 3rd
place NCAA Division 3 game of the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic.
"We
didn't shoot well from the free throw line and we gave up a lot of second chance
points," said Parker.
Canyon Crest was 21-26 (81 percent) on free
throws, Granite Hills shot just under 50 percent.
Despite having to battle
foul woes, Granite Hills sophomore point guard, SABRINA JIMENEZ produced 20
points --11 in the 4th quarter. She included a trio of 3s in her offensive output
while dealing 5 assists and recording 5 steals.
"She was really getting
after it," said Parker.
Granite Hills front-line trio of AMY SYLVESTER,
MOLLY HILLENBRAND and LAUREN BENDER, although plagued by foul trouble, combined
for 48 rebounds, but only 21 points.
"They were about the same size
as us so they were able to compete with us on rebounds," said Parker.
Hillenbrand, who scored only 6 points, but yanked down 18 rebounds, was named
to the All-Tournament Team. Sylvester nabbed 19 boards, while Bender pulled down
11.
SWEETWATER 49, STEELE CANYON 29 --
Falling behind Sweetwater 16-6 in the first quarter forced host Steele Canyon
to play chase throughout Saturday's (Dec. 29) NAIA Division 3rd place game of
the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic.
"We got off to a bad start,"
said Steele Canyon coach PENNY SMITH.
MACE ALAMERI hit 4 of 7 from the
floor and added one free throw to lead the Cougars (3-5) with 9 points. She also
topped the team with 6 steals.
JULIANNE KOLEGRAFF also clicked on 4 of
7 from the floor for 8 points in addition to notching 4 steals.
Take those
two freshmen out of the shooting equation and the Cougars shot a sorry 28 percent
(5 of 18). As a team Steele Canyon was 3 for 9 from the free throw stripe.
Freshman GABRIELLE BEASLEY was a hawk on defense with 4 steals.
"Our
seniors were not moving the ball so I put our four freshmen in," said Smith.
"The young players played real well."
IMPERIAL 47, MONTE VISTA 39 --
The winless Monarchs were closing in on a victory as they earned a 30-29 lead
after three quarters in Saturday's (Dec. 29) Monte Vista Winter Classic contest
played at the Spring Valley Community Center.
"The tempo was much
slower than we wanted," said Monte Vista coach MIKE SKIBBE. "We were
right up there with them up to the end. I really believe that we are getting close
to being a competitive team." Imperial (3-5) was not a believer, as the
Tigers gained an 18-9 scoring edge during the final 8 minutes.
"We
play Imperial again in two weeks at their place," said Skibbe. "We will
beat them the next time." Freshman DeANNA DEMBRY turned in an impressive
double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. She also had 3 steals.
JILL
MIRANDA chipped in with 10 markers.
"I was really happy with our
defensive effort," said Skibbe. "I like the progress we have made so
far this season." Monte Vista scoring: DeAnna Bembry 13 (3 stl), Jill
Miranda 10, Alex Ross 6, Kayla Pusey 3, Ailene Pamintuan 2, Randi Houser 2, Megan
Boyce 2, LiAiesha Brandon 1.
CASTLE PARK 55, CHRISTIAN 23 -- There
hasn't been much to celebrate for the Christian High Patriots this season. Fifteen
starts, 15 losses. However, Patriots coach SKIP GERLEK believes he saw a ray of
sunshine in Saturday's (Dec. 29) consolation Prep Division game of the SoCal Holiday
Prep Classic.
"We got off to a good start," said Gerlek, whose
team trailed only 14-9 after one quarter. "We were missing three starters
from our normal group. Castle Park had a real good transition game. It got to
us in the 2nd quarter -- we gave them too many layups." The Trojans blanked
the Patriots 21-0 in the 2nd quarter to put the game out of reach.
MARISA
MARVIN had two 3s and 2 free throws in the 3rd quarter to account for 8 of Christian's
12 points.
Christian scoring: Marisa Marvin 11, Joanne Park 4, Jenny
Harrison 4, Kelsey DePriest 2, Carissa Johnson 2.
Dec.
28: Canyon Crest at El Capitan highlights (Photos by Greg Eichelberger)
Tournament
host El Capitan (11-3) will meet Our Lady of Peace for the NCAA Division 3 championship
at 3 o’clock in Lakeside. In Division 2, Santana (9-4) takes on Patrick Henry
for the hardware at that level before Valhalla (2-5) hosts St. Joseph ’s
for the Prep Division crown at 7:30 p.m.
EL CAPITAN 69, CANYON CREST
61 – The word around El Capitan these days is balance. And that’s
what the Vaqueros used to clip Canyon Crest in Friday’s (Dec. 29) NCAA Division
3 game of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
ASHLEY DUFFY, the acclaimed
leader of the Vaqueros, garnered only one rebound. It didn’t matter, as she
used her multiple skills to finish with a team-best 20 points, 8 assists, 5 steals
and 4 blocks to lead the Vaqueros to their fifth straight win and a berth in Saturday’s
finals.
El Capitan coach FRANK QUINONES, who has been preaching “teamwork”
from the first day he was hired last fall, has seen his team grant that wish.
ASHLEY
BUNCE scored 9 of her 13 points in the 4th quarter as the Vaqueros snapped a 46-46
tie during the final 8 minutes.
Quinones was quick to credit JAMIE FERGUSON
for “coming up with 3 key defensive rebounds in the 4th quarter. That’s
what I’m talking about. I know a lot of people think the game of basketball
is measured by which player scores the most points. I don’t believe that.”
LIANA
PITMAN added 15 points to El Capitan ’s coffers, which obviously pleased
Quinones, but the first-year mentor pointed to the 3 rebounds that CRISELA BANKS
garnered in the pivotal 4th quarter.
“This is a key win for us because
it came against a Division 3 rival,” Quinones said.
GROSSMONT 52, LEUZINGER 49 (OT) –
The Foothillers (5-6) snapped a 3-game losing streak against a quality opponent
in Friday’s (Dec. 29) El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic action.
Grossmont
went after the Inglewood Leuzinger Olympians with aggression they haven’t
shown in the topflight WNBA Division thus far.
Not surprisingly, senior
guard TINA RIOS accounted for 9 of the Foothillers’ 11 overtime points, scoring
5 from the floor and 4 from the charity stripe. Rios finished with 17 points,
7 assists, 4 steals, and was 7 for 7 on free throws.
“Rios hit a clutch
3 to put us into overtime, and then hit another one in overtime,” said Grossmont
coach MARK DeFEDE. “That was huge.”
Pivot TERRA MUSGROVE enjoyed
probably her best game of the season with 17 points and 9 boards.
HEATHER
SPRINGE was right there too, with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Springe
has scored 45 in the last two games.
“Heather carried us most of the
game, then Tina took over in overtime,” said DeFede. “And Terra did
real well, both from the field and on free throws.”
“They were
fast,” said DeFede of Leuzinger. “But Tina, Terra and Heather just kept
scoring.”
Grossmont scoring: Tina Rios 17, Terra Musgrove 17, Heather
Springe 16, Allison Baxter 2 (5 reb).
SANTANA 54, EL CENTRO-CENTRAL 40
– For one half the Sultans made it look easy as they slashed their way
to a 33-10 halftime lead in Friday’s (Dec. 29) El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic
action.
“We looked pretty good at that point,” said Santana coach
JIM MOTTERSHAW, who is not one to pass out compliments freely. “But it seemed
like the second half was never going to end.”
“We’re in that
changeover that most teams go through,” Mottershaw added. “We’re
basically an inexperienced team trying to find itself.”
At 9-4 with
a 5-game winning streak and a berth in the NCAA Division 2 finals, Mottershaw
is pleased by the progress of his youthful squad.
Senior NICOLE BRZECZEK
led the charge against Central Union with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and
3 steals.
Junior KAILA SMITH added 14 points, 7 rebounds and a pair of
assists.
GRANITE HILLS 61,
MISSION HILLS 42 – Not many teams are going to get the best of the Granite
Hills Eagles on the boards this season. That, in itself, makes Granite Hills a
solid power in the San Diego CIF.
Senior MOLLY HILLENBRAND, the Eagles’
ringleader, powered in 21 points and hauled in 15 rebounds as Granite Hills tamed
the Grizzlies in Friday’s (Dec 29) NCAA Division 3 game of the El Capitan
Holiday Prep Classic.
“Molly had a really good night, rebounded really
well,” said Eagles coach JERRY PARKER. “She was real aggressive attacking
the basket. We try to make it a focus to go after the rebounds – we have
the size so we want to take advantage of it.”
Granite Hills totaled
63 rebounds to help offset the big scoring effort of Mission Hills’ Keisha
Cox.
“Cox is probably the best player we’ve faced all year, but
fortunately she fouled out early in the 4th quarter,” said Parker. “We
were doubling her and she still finished with 28 points.”
AMY SYLVESTER
did not score but made major contributions on the boards with 14 grabs.
SABRINA
JIMENEZ turned in a solid all-around game with 19 points – nearly half coming
on a trio of 3s – 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
LAUREN BENDER
added a dozen points, 7 boards and 3 blocks for the Eagles (8-4).
“Mission
Hills played a 2-3 zone, and Molly, Amy and Lauren worked on the inside and Sabrina
worked on the outside,” Parker said.
HELIX
47, SAN DIMAS 33 – As the Highlanders captured their third win in four
starts by downing the Saints of San Dimas in Friday’s (Dec. 29) NCAA Division
2 game of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic, they did so without a sterling
solo effort by senior standout BRITTANY WILLIAMS.
Williams, the East County
scoring leader with a 27-point average, tallied only 16 points, but it was enough
to lead the Highlanders. The multi-talented guard, who has a San Jose State scholarship
in hand, also dealt 7 assists, made 7 steals and had 2 blocks.
“Brittany
Williams and SINOI LEASAU really played well again,” said Helix coach TRINA
HANSEN. “Their efforts were key to our performance. I was really pleased
with our defensive effort. We played 32 minutes of hard defense tonight.”
Leasau
pitched in with 10 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.
A pleasant surprise
was the efforts of Helix junior guard NYDAH ROYSTER, who contributed 7 points,
3 steals and 2 rebounds to the mix.
Helix (5-7) secured a 30-14 halftime
lead and then coasted to the finish. Or more accurately, boxed its way to the
finish.
“This game was like a foul fest – the officials didn’t
call fouls at all in the 1st half, but they sure did in the 2nd half. Neither
team was able to build any momentum,” noted Hansen.
Helix scoring:
Brittany Williams 16, Sinoi Leasau 10, Kami Oliver 4 (7 reb), Nydah Royster 7,
Tatiana Jackson 4 (2 reb), Sam Vick 3 (3 (4 stl, 2 ast), Cierra Coleman 2, Natalia
Cano 1.
STEELE CANYON 44, EC SOUTHWEST 30 – Although no one
in the Cougars’ lineup reached double scoring digits in Friday’s (Dec.
29) NAIA Division of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic duel with El Centro Southwest,
Steele Canyon still found a way to win.
“I honestly think we were
kinda down from yesterday’s game,” said Steele Canyon coach PENNY SMITH.
“With 4 minutes to go in the 1st quarter, BELINDA PICKENS, our leader, picked
up a technical. I challenged our young girls to step it up, and they did.”
“Freshmen
GABRIELLE BEASLEY and JULIANNE KOLEGRAFF both stepped it up big time,” said
Smith. “I’ve got to give great credit to them. They played pressure
up-in-your-face defense – made it real uncomfortable for Southwest. It was
a two-thumbs-up performance.”
Junior G’KIA MYLES grabbed a game-best
13 rebounds for the Cougars.
VALHALLA 42, MADISON
22 – Junior guard EMILY ROBERTS rolled a triple-double as the Norsemen
mauled Madison in Friday’s (Dec. 29) Prep Division game of the El Capitan
Holiday Prep Classic.
Roberts registered team-highs of 13 points, 11 rebounds
and 10 steals, giving the Norsemen their second win in seven starts. She also
handed out 6 assists.
Valhalla put this one on ice early, taking a 13-1
first period advantage and stretching it to 28-8 by the break.
“We
got off to a great start tonight,” said Valhalla coach JON OWENS. “Our
defense was key – it was better than last night’s defense. This was
a big win for us. Tomorrow’s game (versus St. Joseph ’s) will be our
first chance to play for a championship. It will be nice to play it in our own
gym.”
MISSION PREP 61, WEST HILLS
50 – For one quarter at least, the Wolf Pack had the Royals (10-3) of
state power Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo a little bit wide-eyed in Friday’s
(Dec. 29) NCAA Division 1 game of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic at Santana.
The
Pack shot better than 50 percent in the first period to take a 19-12 lead and
maintained that advantage to hold a 31-24 halftime edge.
The 3rd quarter
was a disaster for West Hills (9-4) as the Pack was outscored 18-4.
“SHERIKA
MILLER and MARILYN NADERHOFF got into foul trouble in the 3rd quarter and we had
to sit them, and Mission Prep took advantage of it,” said West Hills coach
RYAN KINSER. “Mission Prep came back from halftime ready to play, and we
didn’t.”
MARIAH BENNETT attempted to carry the Pack with her season-best
17 points, more than half of which came on a trio of treys. The ever-reliable
KIMBERLY CLARK also canned 15 points, but West Hills could not find much offense
from the rest of the troops.
West Hills scoring: Mariah Bennett 17 (3 ast,
2 reb), Kimberly Clark 15, Shelby Russo 5, Sherika Miller 4 (6 reb), Marilyn Naderhoff
4 (6 reb, 4 ast), Connie Hines 4 (3 reb), Amber Darby 1 (3 blk).
HORIZON
78, MONTE VISTA 21; OTAY RANCH 49, MONTE VISTA 37 – An ever-optimistic
Monarchs coach, MIKE SKIBBE is not discouraged by Monte Vista’s 0-8 start.
The veteran skipper realizes that injuries and inexperience are impeding the development
of a program he started two years ago at ground zero.
“Our puppies
are playing a lot,” Skibbe said. “Right now it’s like on-the-job
training. Our kids haven’t played a lot of basketball.”
In the
first game of Friday’s (Dec. 29) contests in the Monte Vista Winter Classic,
the Monarchs put up a decent fight against Otay Ranch and trailed only 36-31 after
three quarters.
“We should have won that game,” Skibbe said. “But
again this is an extremely inexperienced team we’re putting on the floor
right now. We’re still making critical mistakes, but we need to remain calm.”
“If
you watched this team from Day One and see where we are now, you can see the progress
that’s being made. We’re not the same team we were a month ago.”
Skibbe
is banking on the return of three key players who have been sidelined by either
injuries or academic problems. He hopes to have all that solved by the time the
Grossmont South League season begins (Jan. 11).
Monte Vista scoring vs.
Horizon: Alex Ross 8, DeAnna Bembry 8, Megan Boyce 2, LiAiesha Brandon 2, Kayla
Pusey 1.
Monte Vista scoring vs. Otay Ranch: Jill Miranda 8, Kayla Pusey
8, LiAiesha Brandon 6, DeAnna Bembry 5, Ailene Pamintuan 4, Randi Houser 2, Megan
Boyce 2, Alex Ross 2.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (Wash.) 50, CHRISTIAN 6 –
KELSEY DePRIEST scored 4 points and MARISA MARRIN scored 2 in Friday’s (Dec.
29) Prep Division game of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
Christian
scoring: Kelsey DePriest 4, Marisa Marrin 2.
Dec.
27: Brawley at El Capitan highlights (Slideshow by Leslie Autry)
This trio is fearless, they play a
physical brand of ball inside the paint.
“We’re a real good rebounding
team,” said Hillenbrand, who scored 18 points and bagged 14 rebounds in the
Eagles’ 75-41 romp over visiting Reseda in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) NCAA
Division 3 contest of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
“If we rebound
like we can, we’re golden,” Hillenbrand continued. “We’re
all about 6-foot-1 and we play about 6-foot-7.”
Sylvester chimed in
with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Eagles improved to 7-4. Bender added 8 points
and 8 boards, but could have had more as well as her inside comrades had the game
not been so lop-sided.
“Amy is a huge part of our team,” said
Hillenbrand. “I’m still working on getting more post moves like she
has.”
While Granite Hills’ strength is clearly inside the paint,
the Eagles are hardly vulnerable outside, where SABRINA JIMENEZ operates. The
sophomore southpaw punched in 16 points while dealing 5 assists and notching 6
steals in the Eagles’ latest victory.
“Sabrina lives basketball,
it’s her life,” Hillenbrand said. “She’s so good with a ball
in her hands.”
Granite Hills stormed to a 39-15 lead and would have
won by an even larger margin had Reseda not landed 6 long-range 3-pointers.
EL
CAPITAN 60, BRAWLEY 17 – After an ultra-sluggish start, host El Capitan
used three consecutive baskets by SAMANTHA SPRING to turn a 10-6 lead into a 17-point
halftime advantage in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) NCAA Division 3 game of the El
Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
The Vaqueros (10-3) closed out the 2nd quarter
with a 17-0 run for a 27-6 lead by intermission. El Capitan’s onslaught continued
as the Vaqueros forged in front 42-8 before El Capitan coach FRANK QUINONES benched
his starters for unusual amounts of time.
No doubt Quinones thought Brawley,
which came in with an 8-2 record, would provide a greater challenge for his Vaqueros.
That never materialized as the Wildcats committed 32 turnovers and were clearly
overmatched.
After netting only 2 of 16 shots in the first quarter, the
Vaqueros hit 59 percent over the final three frames.
This is a team where
everybody seems to know their role.
“I feel like we have an arsenal
of girls who can score,” said Quinones. “We’re not one dimensional.
If they want to concentrate on one of our players, so be it. We’re going
to attack you from somewhere else.”
Eight Vaqueros pitched into the
scoring totals led by ASHLEY DUFFY’s 19 markers. Duffy continues to be the
Vaqueros’ ringleader as she dealt 8 assists and recorded 8 steals.
LIANA
PITMAN tossed in 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, while CRISELA BANKS
also tacked on 9 points, hitting 4 of 5 shots from the field.
SANTANA 69, KEARNY
34 – Never count the Santana Sultans out, whether it’s injuries,
lack of experience or a shortage of talent, coach JIM MOTTERSHAW’s crew will
always be heard from.
Maybe they shouldn’t be called the Sizzling Sultans
(8-4), but Santana outscored the visiting Komets in every quarter of Thursday’s
(Dec. 27) NCAA Division 2 blowout of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
“Everybody
played well tonight,” said Mottershaw, who is not liberal in passing out
praise. “We got strong contributions from everybody.”
Junior KAILA
SMITH punched in 17 points to lead a truly balanced Santana offense that included
11 contributors.
JAMIE ELIAS added 15 points, including a pair of treys,
and shared team-high rebounding honors with SAMANTHA WHITE and NICOLE BRZECZEK.
The return of Brzeczek, a four-year varsity letterman, no doubt helped
light a fire under the Sultans. Sidelined with a thumb injury for several games
recently, Brzeczek received clearance from her doctor and has made an immediate
impact.
While wearing a cloth brace on her injured hand, the 5-foot-7 Brzeczek
hardly skipped a beat as she pitched in 11 points and 6 assists.
Santana
scored the last 8 points of the 1st quarter to take a 16-10 lead and never looked
back.
The poker-faced Mottershaw kept all the good news under his sleeve,
uttering only one thing: “It was nice to see that we only turned the ball
over 12 times, especially after throwing it away 34 times the night before.”
Santana
scoring: Kaila Smith 17, Jamie Elias 15, Nicole Brzeczek 11, Chelsea Eason 4,
Tawnya Proctor 4, Samantha White 3, Kim Gross 3, Mikaela Samuels 2, Keila Morris
2.
HELIX 67, HILLTOP 52 – When senior standout BRITTANY WILLIAMS
receives offensive support from her teammates, the Highlanders can be pretty hard
to beat, as they proved in Thursday’s (Dec. 27) NCAA Division 2 contest of
the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
While Williams was generating her
usual spectacular game of 26 points, 12 assists, 8 steals and 8 rebounds, SINOI
LEASAU was casting the swing vote as the Highlanders low-bridged the Lancers.
Leasau, a 5-foot-7 junior, connected on 6 of 12 shots from the field and
2 free throws to finish with 16 points. She also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished
4 assists.
“Brittany Williams played her typical outstanding all-around
game, and Sinoi Leasau was aggressive on both ends of the floor. She was the key
to our overall effort,” said Helix coach TRINA HANSEN.
Senior KAMI
OLIVER made the most of 5 shots to finish with 8 points, but her story was about
how she dominated the glass with 18 rebounds.
“Kami Oliver was really
aggressive on the boards,” said Hansen. “I told her after the game how
proud I was of her efforts.”
It wasn’t until the 4th quarter
that Helix (4-6) could celebrate a victory. Sparked by Williams’ 11 points,
2 treys by Leasau and a couple of buckets by SAM VICK, the Highlanders salted
away the victory.
Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 26, Sinoi Leasau 16,
Kami Oliver 8, Sam Vick 8 (6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Tatiana Jackson 7 (8 reb, 1 blk),
Mariah Walker 2.
CASTLE PARK 70, VALHALLA 66 (OT) – Only a week
ago the Castle Park Trojans clubbed the Norsemen by 20 points. So the fact that
the Norsemen lost by only 4 in overtime to that same team has to indicate that
coach JON OWENS’ ballclub is making rapid improvements.
The score was
knotted at 21-all by intermission of Thursday’s (Dec. 27) Prep Division contest
of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic. Valhalla took a 5 point lead by the end
of the 3rd period, only to surrender it to the Trojans by the end of regulation
to force overtime.
To Valhalla ’s way of thinking, the game should
have ended in regulation.
The Norsemen led 58-57 with 12 seconds left to
play, but committed a critical turnover. With one second left, TANISHA LEE fouled
out in double bonus.
Castle Park was at the line and Owens called for a
time out. The referee denied the request, and Castle Park missed the first shot.
Owens got his time out, and Castle Park missed the second free throw… but
a Valhalla player was called for a lane violation. Castle Park made the free throw
to send the game into overtime.
“We couldn’t make a shot in overtime,
the emotions of how the game ended in regulation took a lot out of us,” said
Owens. “I thought we played well and should have won the game.”
Despite
the loss senior KELANI BLACKWELL scored a team-best 21 points in a balanced Valhalla
offense. Tanisha Lee added 14 points and 7 rebounds and 7 rebounds, while KELSEY
CARTMILL had 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Ever reliable EMILY ROBERTS turned
in a triple double of 11 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and 6 steals.
Valhalla
scoring: Kelani Blackwell 21, Tanisha Lee 14, Kelsey Cartmill 13, Emily Roberts
11, Nichole Miller 4, Amy Woods 2, Megan Tex 1.
POWAY 60, WEST HILLS
46 – Although they hadn’t played a game in two weeks, the Wolf Pack
was flirting with an upset that could cause their name to be rattled around among
the San Diego CIF elite teams.
West Hills (8-3) used a strong 2nd quarter
to gain a 28-25 halftime lead of Thursday’s (Dec. 27) NCAA Division 1 game
of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
The Pack, however, could not maintain
their intensity in the 2nd half.
MARIAH BENNETT was the only West Hills
player to reach double digits with 15 points, anchored by her 7 of 9 free throw
shooting. She also had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
“I knew
we’d struggle in this game,” said West Hills coach RYAN KINSER. “We
died in the 2nd half, just didn’t have any intensity.”
WEST
HILLS 56, GARDENA 48 – Considering it had lost an earlier showdown against
No. 5 ranked Poway, the Wolf Pack (9-3) came back strong against Gardena in Thursday’s
(Dec. 27) second NCAA Division 1 game of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
“It
was tough to play two games in one day,” said West Hills coach RYAN KINSER.
“We got off to a great start in this game and rode that to the victory. We
had more energy tonight than in the earlier game.”
Nobody was more
electric than sophomore guard KIMBERLY CLARK, who sank 6 three-pointers on her
way to a career-high 24 points. Clark was also 4 for 4 from the charity stripe
and still found time to gather 4 rebounds.
“Kimberly was really on
top of her game tonight,” said Kinser.
MARILYN NADERHOFF, who seems
to have a sense for delivering whatever her team needs at the moment, contributed
13 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 rebounds.
West Hills (9-3) jumped out
to a 15-5 first quarter lead and made it stand up despite repeated challenges
from Gardena. The closest the Panthers got was 4 points in the 3rd quarter, but
the Wolf Pack methodically pulled away.
West Hills scoring: Kimberly Clark
24, Marilyn Naderhoff 13, Sherika Miller 9 (2 treys, 3 stl), Connie Hines 4, Shelby
Russo 2, Amber Darby 2, Mariah Bennett 1 (4 ast, 5 stl), Corryn Kivett 1 (5 reb).
BURROUGHS
45, STEELE CANYON 36 – This was a painful loss for the Steele Canyon
Cougars, who folded down the stretch against Ridgecrest Burroughs in
Thursday’s
(Dec. 27) NAIA Division of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
With 4:32
remaining, Steele Canyon was clinging to a precarious 32-31 lead.
“Then
we had 8 consecutive turnovers,” said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH. “It
was a lack of discipline. We had way too many turnovers tonight (24) – 10
in the 4th quarter alone. You can’t win games doing that. As a coach, I take
full responsibility for the way we played tonight.”
It was not all
dismal for the Cougars (2-4), as 5-foot-10 senior forward BELINDA PICKENS produced
a powerful double-double of 16 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals. Pickens also
had a keen shooting eye, clicking on 5 of 9 from the floor and 6 of 9 from the
free throw stripe.
“Belinda Pickens carried us tonight – she played
her heart out,” said Smith.
“There were no excuses for the way
we played defense tonight,” he added. “We gave them the game. We’ll
learn from it though.”
CASTLEMONT
57, GROSSMONT 51 – HEATHER SPRINGE was assigned a support role in last
year’s Foothillers drive to the Grossmont North League championship and a
24-6 finish.
She was clearly overshadowed by Division I college standouts
La’KENYA SIMON-WEST and THERESE REIDEL, who are both now playing at the University
of Idaho this season.
So Springe had to be ecstatic after scoring a career-high
29 points in
Thursday’s (Dec. 27) WNBA Division of the El Capitan
Holiday Prep Classic, even though the results were a loss to Oakland ’s Castlemont.
“Springe
ran the floor real well and TINA RIOS did a good job getting the ball to her,”
said Grossmont coach MARK DeFEDE.
DeFede said the Foothillers were down
by 17 points with 2 minutes left but were able to cut the lead to 3 points.
“Then
we missed a couple of easy shots,” he said.
Rios, the senior sparkplug,
finished with 7 assists, 4 steals and 6 points.
“Castlemont was big
and they were athletic, with three girls well over 6 feet, and they had quick
guards,” said DeFede. “They keyed on Tina a lot. We got in a little
bit of foul trouble, but we played great help defense.”
ST. JOSEPH’S 42,
CHRISTIAN 19 – The painful rebuilding process continues for the Christian
High Patriots, who took it on the chin for the 13th straight time in Thursday’s
(Dec. 27) Prep Division of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
A couple
of high points for the Patriots was KELSEY DePRIEST reached double digits with
10 points and MARISA MARRIN landed a 3-pointer.
“We played well tonight
because they didn’t pressure us,” said Christian coach SKIP GERLEK.
"This is a young team
with talent, but a different kind of talent," said the point guard, who directed
the Hillers to the 2007 GNL title. "This year's team is just a lot different
than last year's team."
And one showing signs of improvement.
Despite
not fielding a single go-to scoring threat, the Hillers stayed close and even
made a late run against Orange County's Villa Park before the Spartans pulled
away in Wednesday's (Dec. 26) 73-51 first round decision in the opening round
of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic WNBA Division.
"We just keep working
together -- we're getting closer," Rios added about a team which posted 46
victories (Santana won 45 in four additional games) over her sophomore and junior
years. "Once we start finishing off plays, we might be able to contend for
the title."
Grossmont was frustrated after shooting just 27 percent
from the floor against the Spartans. But the figure is misleading, as the Foothillers
were fouled all night, leading to a parade of free throws. And shooting a respectable
70 percent from the line kept the team close until the fourth period.
Moments
after Grossmont turned three steals into a series of layins to trim a 24-point
deficit down to 41-31 moments into the fourth period, Villa Park guard Brianna
Salvatore got hot, scoring 10 of her game-high 36 points over the next six minutes
to pull away. Most of Salvatore's scoring came courtesy of guard Nicole Ballestero,
who finished with 18 points and 10 assists.
"They were passing the
way we want to pass," noted Rios, who officially registered just two assists,
but lost six others on plays which led to foul shots.
Grossmont forward
HEATHER SPRINGE posted 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals, while center TERRA
MUSGROVE also scored 11 and grabbed 6 boards.
EL CAPITAN
72, SHAFTER 36 – One of the goals coach FRANK QUIONNES has set for his
Vaqueros this year is not to let an invader beat El Capitan on its home floor.
So
far, so good. The Vaqueros (9-3) ran their home gym mark to 4-0 in Wednesday’s
(Dec. 26) first round of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic, NCAA Division 3
contest.
Bakersfield Shafter hardly offered a challenge as the Vaqueros
grabbed a 21-9 first quarter lead and ballooned that advantage to 41-20 by halftime.
“One
of our biggest goals this year is not to lose a home game,” said El Capitan
coach FRANK QUINONES. “It’s a nice feeling when you have the girls playing
hard and jelling together – it’s a fun environment.”
ASHLEY
DUFFY was the grand marshall of El Capitan ’s latest victory parade with
21 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals.
“Our strength today
was we passed a lot and made good passes,” said Duffy, a junior guard. “Today
was one of our more together games. We finished a lot of our shots – we were
taking good shots and playing smart. I like playing at home.”
Teammate
ASHLEY BUNCE, who tallied 10 points and 7 rebounds, agreed.
“We have
got to protect our home court,” said Bunce. “I liked in the fourth quarter
when we were up by a lot and were able to still push the ball and get steals.
We never quit.”
SAMANTHA SPRING enjoyed one of her best outings of
the campaign with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals for the Vaqueros (9-3).
SANTANA 72,
NORTH BAKERSFIELD 63 – Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW has to like what
he sees in the Sultans’ future after his club equaled its season-high against
a quality opponent in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) NCAA Division 2 of the El Capitan
Holiday Prep Classic.
“We scored 72 points tonight with just one senior,
BRITTANY FENN, contributing,” said Mottershaw. “Their press hurt us.
Without NICOLE BRZECZEK (missing due to a thumb injury), teams are going to continue
to press us. We played well but our 34 turnovers hurt us.”
Sophomore
ALYSSA PADBERG scored a career-high 15 points to lead the Sultans with 15 points
and 4 assists. She was 7 for 7 from the free throw line, helping Santana (7-4)
convert better than 74 percent of 35 free throws.
“Our three freshmen
(KIM GROSS, MIKAELA SAMUELS and SAMANTHA WHITE) all were a key part of our victory
tonight, accounting for 24 of our 72 points (33 percent),” said Mottershaw.
KAILA
SMITH made a solid contribution of her own. The 5-foot-10 junior dropped in 14
points and muscled down 13 rebounds for the Sultans.
“ North Bakersfield
is a fine team. They will win their three other games here in San Diego,”
Mottershaw predicted.
Santana scoring: Alyssa Padberg 15, Kaila Smith 14,
Kim Gross 11, Jamie Elias 8, Samantha White 8, Lauren Mueller 6, Brittany Fenn
5, Mikaela Samuels 5.
VALHALLA 47, VALLEY CENTER 45 – The Norsemen
broke into the win column for the first time in five starts in Wednesday’s
(Dec. 26) Prep Division of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
With 11
seconds remaining in the 4th quarter and Valhalla leading 46-45, the Norsemen
forced a jump ball and got the ball on the alternate possession.
With 6
seconds left KELANI BLACKWELL was fouled. She made the first free throw to move
the score to 47-45, but was called for a lane violation on the second.
Valhalla
put on full-court pressure to deny Valley Center any chance at a desperation shot.
Blackwell,
a senior guard, paced the Norsemen with a career-high 16 points, while sophomore
TANISHA LEE tossed in 11 points.
Junior EMILY ROBERTS led a strong Valhalla
rebounding effort with 12 caroms to go along with 6 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.
“Valley
Center is a real good team and this was a good win,” said Valhalla coach
JON OWENS. “It was nice to get our first win of the season in front of the
home crowd. Everybody stepped up and played well.”
Valhalla (1-4) led
30-16 after one half and then fell on its face as the Jaguars claimed a 12-2 scoring
edge in the 3rd period.
“We were really flat after the 3rd quarter
– the second half was a real battle,” Owens noted.
STEELE CANYON 46, POINT LOMA 39 – Having sized
up the competition, Steele Canyon coach PENNY SMITH likes the Cougars chances
in the NAIA Division of the El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic.
“We can
win this division,” Smith said optimistically.
KATY SNEW, who had
been unavailable to the team for two games due to bereavement commitments, centered
7 of 10 shots from the floor and finished with a team-best 16 points to go along
with 6 steals as the Cougars punched out the Pointers on Wednesday (Dec. 26).
BELINDA
PICKENS turned in a strong double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. G’KIA
MYLES also cleared 11 caroms off the glass.
“We got contributions
from everyone who played. Our defense was outstanding today. I’m happy with
the way we played,” said Smith.
PATRICK HENRY 55, HELIX 50 – BRITTANY WILLIAMS scored
23 points and SINOI LEASAU added 16, but it wasn’t enough as the Highlanders
tumbled in
Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic,
NCAA Division 2 contest at Santana.
Williams hit 11 of 20 shots, including
one trey, for the Highlanders (3-7). Leasau knocked down a trio of treys, grabbed
7 rebounds and logged 2 steals.
“It actually was a pretty good game,”
said Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. “We didn’t play as well defensively
as I thought we would. I’m a little disappointed in our overall effort –
we can improve.”
Patrick Henry (8-3) led 32-29 at halftime. The Highlanders
drew within 50-49 late in the 4th quarter and Patriots popped their bubble with
a 3-pointer.
KAMI OLIVER did a nifty job inside for the Highlanders, corralling
10 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. TATIANA JACKSON also snagged 7 rebounds for
Helix.
Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 23 (4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Sinoi
Leasau 16, Sam Vick 6 (3 reb, 2 ast), Tatiana Jackson 3, Nydah Royster (2 ast).
OCEANSIDE
73, MONTE VISTA 31 – One thing can be said about Monte Vista’s second-year
head coach MIKE SKIBBE – the guy is optimistic. His positive influence never
wanes despite the trials and tribulations of his rebuilding Monte Vista squad.
Eight Monarchs scored in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) first round of the
Monte Vista Winter Classic. That in itself is a team high for the season.
JILL
MIRANDA set the scoring pace with 8 points, while freshman DeANNA BEMBRY enjoyed
a more balanced effort which included 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals to go
along with 4 points.
“We had four girls – and all four are guards
– out today for one reason or another,” said Skibbe. “Our (four)
freshmen played a lot and we’re showing well. I know that we’re getting
a whole lot better. We walked in today with one guard against Oceanside, who ran
and pressed us.”
Monte Vista scoring: Jill Miranda 8, Alex Ross 5,
Janay Patton 4, LiAiesha Brandon 4, DeAnna Bembry 4 (7 reb, 3 blk, 3 stl), Randi
Houser 2, Megan Boyce 2, Kayla Pusey 2.
CALEXICO 50, CHRISTIAN 14 –
The struggle continues for the Patriots of Christian High, who were cuffed around
by Calexico in Wednesday’s (Dec. 26) first round of the El Capitan Holiday
Prep Classic, Prep Division.
The Patriots fell behind the Bulldogs (2-2)
16-4 in the first quarter and trailed 19-8 at halftime.
Chrisitian scoring:
Kelsey DePriest 5, Jenny Harrison 4, Marisa Marrin 2, Ricki Gentry 2, Joanne Park
1.
OUR LADY OF PEACE 57, GRANITE HILLS 54 (OT) – Wednesday (Dec.
26) El Capitan Holiday Prep Classic, NCAA Division 3. No further details reported.
Granite Hills had plenty of opportunities
to fold, especially after the Red Devils mounted a 10-point lead late in the third
quarter of Saturday's (Dec. 22) Colts-Eagles Classic championship contest.
"We
were getting frustrated as a team but we kept at it," said point guard SABRINA
JIMENEZ. "We kept pushing and encouraging each other. We thought it was our
game from the beginning and we knew we could finish this."
Despite
losing a pair of starters to fouls, the Eagles still found steam enough behind
the play of Jimenz, the tournament MVP, who hit key 3-point goals late in both
the fourth period and overtime, to finally nip the Red Devils, 56-52.
Sweetwater
does well in two phases of the game: disrupting an opponent's offense despite
its lack of height, then shooting the triple. In fact, every time Granite Hills
moved into position to tie or take the lead, the Devils would manage to immediately
answer with a basket on a shot from the outside.
"We were trying to
get the ball down low, runnng different plays to get the ball in there,"
said center LAUREN BENDER. "And when we did, it was getting frustrating because
their defense was collapsing on us."
Jonalynn Furetes, who joined
teammate Jennifer Valentin on the all-tournament team, registered all of her 15
points on treys. But when Sweetwater's shooters finally went cold -- sinking just
one field goal in the fourth period, and one more in overtime -- Granite Hills
rediscovered its inside-outside attack.
A Jennifer Fuentes steal for a layin
while being fouled gave Sweetwater a 3-point play and a 40-30 lead with 50 second
left in the third. However, the Eagles started to hit some shots, including a
Jimenez triple to move within 46-44, followed by a putback by LAUREN BENDER to
tie the contest with 2:17 remaining.
Sylvester then took a feed from KYLEE
WILSON to drain a 10-footer with 1:20 left for the Eagles' first lead since the
first half. But when Sarah Guerrero hit two fouls shots in the final minute, the
game was extended an extra four minutes.
“We didn't have Molly, then
we lost Amy (late in overtime), so our main post players were gone," added
Jimenez. "Sometimes you have to take control and know where your strengths
are."
In overtime, after the teams exchanged baskets, Jimenez (13 points,
9 rebounds) hit another 3-ball, then her inbounds pass to Sylvester (team-high
15 points) resulted in a layin to clinch the tournament title.
"We
were grinding and working -- the girls kept their head and kept their cool --
but they fought through everything and didn't make excuses," said Eagles
coach JERRY PARKER. "And I can't give Sabrina enough credit for her work
ethic. She had big shoes to fill for MORGAN (SABALA, now at Whittier College )
by coming into the gym and working hard all summer."
Granite Hills
stayed close in the first half behind MOLLY HILLENBRAND, who collected 10 points
and 14 boards by the intermission. However, a fourth foul early in the third period
left her effectively ineffective the rest of the night. Hillenbrand, an all-tournament
pick, finished with 14 points, 16 boards, and blocked three shots.
Hillenbrand,
Sylvester and Bender all finished with double-doubles, as the Eagles held a 67-52
rebounding advantage.
SANTANA 35, GROSSMONT 27 – What occurred
between these longtime Grossmont North league rivals in Saturday’s (Dec.
22) final day of the Kiwanis Tournament is probably not indicative of the intensity
level that will occur when these teams face of in league action next month.
“This
was a typical 10:45 a.m. early game,” said Santana coach JIM MOTTERSHAW.
“I feel both teams were not ready to play. It was our fourth game in four
days and it was another one of those meaningless tournament games that, when you
look back at the end of the season, you will be glad you had a chance to play.”
Talk
about slow starts – this one got out of the gates pretty lethargically with
Santana leading 5-3. Grossmont has scored only 5 points in the first quarter of
their last two games combined.
Santana’s JAMIE ELIAS sank a pair of
3-pointers on her way to a game-high 12 points. She also shared team-high rebounding
honors with freshman SAMANTHA WHITE at 6 apiece.
White was a force at the
free throw line for the Sultans, hitting 6 of 7 chances as she finished with 10
points for the game.
“Although we had too many turnovers (25), we played
better basketball today,” said Mottershaw.
Santana (6-3) used a 13-6
scoring spread to secure the victory in the final quarter.
NICOLE BRZECZEK,
who suffered a heavy sprain in her left thumb in a drill on Monday, will miss
all next week. The Sultans hope to get her back in January.
TERRA MUSGROVE
(11 points) and HEATHER SPRINGE (10) accounted for the bulk of the offense for
Grossmont (4-4).
“We’re just not shooting the ball very well
right now,” said Grossmont coach MARK DeFEDE.
Santana scoring: Jamie
Elias 12, Samantha White 10, Lauren Mueller 6, Kaila Smith 5, Alyssa Padberg 2,
Kim Gross (3 ast).
Grossmont scoring: Terra Musgrove 11, Heather Springe
10, Tina Rios 5, Carley Applegate 1.
RANCHO BUENA VISTA 70, MONTE VISTA
30 – The Monarchs aren’t exactly ready to throw a parade, but they
have to be pleased that they’re gradually finding their offense.
After
totaling just 22 points in their first three games combined, Monte Vista scored
17 markers in the second quarter of Saturday’s (Dec. 22) Kiwanis Tournament
consolation game to trail the North County Longhorns 34-23 at halftime.
Monte
Vista (0-4) could not keep up the momentum in the second half, however.
JANAY
PATTON paced the Monarchs with 7 points. No other information was reported.
Monte
Vista scoring: Janay Patton 7, DeAnna Bembry 6, Alexandria Conwright 6, Jill Miranda
6, Kayla Pusey 3, Megan Boyce 2.
Granite Hills will host Sweetwater for
the tournament title at 6 p.m.
The Eagles’ semifinal punch-out of the
Patriots was bittersweet for Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER.
“As
much as I am excited about getting this impressive victory, it’s kind of
an awkward situation for me, since I coached so many of Patrick Henry’s players
in the past,” said Parker. “When I first came out here, the Patrick
Henry people were so kind to me, invited me out to barbecues and stuff like that.
I coached these kids for quite a while as sixth graders, seventh graders, eighth
graders and as their JV coach too.”
But that’s the past. Parker’s
present focus is on Granite Hills (6-3), and his Eagles performed masterfully
against a quality Patrick Henry squad (7-2).
Sophomore SABRINA JIMENEZ lit
up the Granite Hills offense by swishing five 3-pointers on her way to a game-high
19 points.
The Eagles trudged to an 18-13 halftime lead before turning the
game into a blowout in the final 16 minutes by outscoring the Patriots 30-6.
“This
is a big win for us because it came against a quality Division I team,” Parker
said. “We don’t have that many games against Division I teams and the
only team in our (Grossmont South) league that’s Division I is Helix. So
we have to make the most of any opportunity we get like this.”
Parker
was most proud about his girls rationing the Patriots to a mere 6 points in the
second half.
“I’d have to say that this is one of the better defensive
games for us,” he said. “We came out and tweaked our 2-3 zone and forced
them to go left. I think dictating which side we wanted them to play was a major
factor.”
SANTANA
56, RANCHO BUENA VISTA 32 – Playing without scoring leader NICOLE BRZECZEK,
who is out indefinitely with an injury, the Sultans looked to other sources to
find a victory combination during Friday’s (Dec. 21) consolation contest
of the Kiwanis Tournament at Mira Mesa.
Santana (5-4) outscored the Longhorns
(1-6) in all four quarters.
KAILA SMITH stepped to the forefront as Santana’s
scoring leader with 13 points and 8 rebounds.
JAMIE ELIAS and ALYSSA PADBERG
led the Sultans’ supporting cast with 10 points apiece.
“We played
a little bit better than we have in the last few games,” said Santana coach
JIM MOTTERSHAW. “We also shot better than we have recently and did not have
as many turnovers. We had a good balance offensively and played well defensively.”
Santana
scoring: Kaila Smith 13, Alyssa Padberg 10, Jamie Elias 10, Lauren Mueller 6,
Samantha White 6, Mikaela Samuels 4, Brittany Fenn 4, Kim Gross 3.
GROSSMONT
52, MONTE VISTA 6 – Although these teams are not scheduled to meet during
the regular season, the Foothillers rumbled to a lop-sided victory in Friday’s
(Dec. 21) Kiwanis Tournament contest.
Senior sparkplug TINA RIOS rang up
20 points, 6 assists and 6 steals for the Foothillers (4-3), who streaked to an
18-0 first quarter lead and extended that advantage to 28-2 by the break.
“We
needed a win after shooting 12 percent last night,” said Foothillers’
coach MARK DeFEDE. “Tina ran the show, had a good night for us. She was 8
for 12 shooting. TERRA MUSGROVE did a good job inside.”
Monte Vista scoring: Ruby Ross 2, DeAnna Bembry 2, Megan Boyce 2.
BONITA
VISTA 51, VALHALLA 29 – Despite losing for the fourth time in as many
starts, the Norsemen under second-year head coach JON OWENS, are making marked
improvement.
The Norsemen were competitive against Bonita Vista in Friday’s
(Dec. 21) Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational tilt, even though they were outscored
in all four quarters.
EMILY ROBERTS continues to be the stalwart for the
Norsemen (0-4) as she led the squad with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals and
3 assists.
Even though she did not score a points, junior AMY WOODS secured
9 rebounds for Valhalla.
“We started out much better than we have in
the last few games,” said Owens. “We rebounded better and played better
defense tonight. Our shooting still needs to improve for us to improve. We are
paying the price for being such a young team.”
UNIVERSITY CITY 53, EL CAJON VALLEY
35 – El Cajon Valley was overmatched by University City in Friday’s
(Dec. 21) Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational at Granite Hills. But the much-improved
Braves (5-9) forced the more experienced Centurions to work for their points.
JEENA
NORWAREKAR led the Braves with 10 points, while SAMANTHA JULIEN contributed 9
points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
El Cajon Valley scoring: Jeena Norwarekar
10, Samantha Julien 9, Kaylani Faten 8, Hazel Doe 3, Sheraina Moon 3, Kelly Wimberly
2.
Redondo Union (8-0),
ranked No. 3 in the state, used a pivotal 18-9 scoring advantage in the 3rd quarter
to down No. 7 ranked Mount Miguel 57-43 in a non-league game here Thursday night
(Dec. 20).
“The final score does not show how close the game really
was,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “People might think I’m
talking silly, but I really think we could have won this game.”
“These
two teams, us and them, are so similar in makeup, but our inside people got in
foul trouble and that allowed them to score easily underneath.”
Redondo
Union jumped out to a 21-9 lead early in the 2nd quarter, but the Matadors fought
back to trail by only 5 by intermission.
The game was still in doubt midway
through the 3rd quarter with Redondo clinging to a 35-32 advantage.
Things
changed drastically for Mount Miguel when 6-foot-1 senior wing AUTUMN SPIKES picked
up her fourth personal foul at that point.
After Spikes retreated to the
bench Redondo rolled to a 10-0 streak to end the quarter with a 47-33 lead.
“To
be honest, we were right there with them till we lost Autumn,” Sandoval said.
“Spikes was doing a really good job defensively on their bigs inside even
though she didn’t give us any offense.”
Redondo Union’s Atonye
Nyingifa, a 6-foot-1 UCLA-bound pivot for 18 points and 10 rebounds.
“They
run a triangle offense, which means everything goes through her,” Sandoval
noted. “Spikes was doing a decent job against her, but when Autumn got in
foul trouble, we were in trouble.”
Spikes finished with just 4 points
but did manage 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
CINDY EKWEOZOR added 10 rebounds
and 2 blocks but also struggled on the offensive end with only 4 points.
“They
killed us on the glass,” Sandoval said of Redondo’s 49-33 advantage
on the boards. “We gave them a lot of second-chance points.”
One
Matador player Redondo Union did not have an answer for was junior guard DANESIA
WILLIAMSON, who scored her season-high 26 points. The speedy Mount Miguel floor
leader nailed 8 field goals – including a pair of treys – and also converted
8 of 13 shots from the charity stripe.
Nobody else in the Mount Miguel lineup
scored more than 4 points.
Mount Miguel scoring: Danesia Williamson 26 (4
reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Shateara Anderson 4 (3 reb), Autumn Spikes 4, Cindy Ekweozor
4, Nicole Fountain 3 (5 reb, 1 trey), Danielle Miller 2 (3 reb, 2 stl).
EL
CAPITAN 66, EL CENTRO-CENTRAL 38 – Buoyed by a week’s rest, the
host Vaqueros looked a little more crisp as they used a 22-7 scoring spree to
blow out visiting El Centro-Central Union in a non-league game Thursday (Dec.
20) in Lakeside.
SAMANTHA SPRING paced the Vaqueros (8-3) with 17 points,
while ASHLEY DUFFY chimed in with 9 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists and 9 steals.
Rested
as they were, El Capitan found itself down 8-2 in the early stages of the game,
but rebounded by scoring the final 9 points in the period.
“After the
1st quarter I challenged them,” said Vaqueros coach FRANK QUINONES. “One
thing about this team is I’ve got nine girls. If Duffy is covered, I’ve
got other girls who can score. Duffy contributes offensively with her assists.
She continues to amaze me – every game she does something better and better.”
LIANA
PITMAN pitched in with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. CRISELA BANKS added
8 points and 3 boards, while JAMIE FERGUSON garnered 6 points and 7 rebounds,
as did BRITNEY LORING.
“Ferguson reminds me of Dennis Rodman getting
rebounds,” chuckled Quinones. “I’m almost positive she could dunk
a golf ball.”
LA
COSTA CANYON 44, GROSSMONT 33 – First-year Grossmont High head coach
MARK DeFEDE was so frustrated he could hardly speak after his Foothillers (3-3)
shot only 12 percent in the first half as they fell behind La Costa Canyon 23-12
in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Kiwanis Tournament game.
“We only made
two free throws in the first quarter, whose Hillers trailed the Mavericks 17-2
after the first eight minutes. “I couldn’t believe it when I looked
at the shooting charts that we’d made only 4 of 31 shots in the first half.”
Grossmont
warmed up a bit in the second half to hit 8 of 25 shots from the field, but by
then it was too late.
Foul-plagued TINA RIOS paced the Hillers with 10 points,
6 steals and 4 assists.
CASTLE PARK 59, VALHALLA 52 – EMILY
ROBERTS turned in a powerful performance for Valhalla in Thursday’s (Dec.
20) Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational at Crawford.
The junior guard rang
up team-highs of 18 points, 19 rebounds, 8 steals and 5 assists. But it wasn’t
enough to help the Norsemen avoid their third straight loss.
“EMILY
ROBERTS played a great all-around game on both ends of the floor,” said Valhalla
coach JON OWENS.
KELSEY CARTMILL punched in 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3
assists, while KELANI BLACKWELL tossed in 9 points, and TANISHA LEE tallied 8
points and bagged 9 boards.
“We can’t start from behind like we
did these last two nights,” said Owens. “We’re paying for being
a young team – too little experience, not enough good shooting, too many
mistakes.”
SWEETWATER 39, EL CAJON VALLEY
26 – If nothing else, credit the El Cajon Valley Braves for being in
tip-top shape. Playing their 13th game in 15 days, the Braves have to be proud
of their 5-8 record, which far surpasses their forgettable showing of 2-24 a year
ago.
El Cajon Valley enjoyed a small lead in the 3rd quarter Thursday’s
(Dec. 20) Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational, but trailed 26-21 entering the final
eight minutes.
“I believe for 22 minutes we played great basketball,”
said Braves coach RANDY ROBINSON. “There was electricity. To me it was the
best sustained effort we’ve had.”
Bottom line though, is Sweetwater
used a 13-5 fourth quarter flourish to deny the Braves.
“We had a lead
in the 3rd quarter but couldn’t hold it,” said Robinson. “That
ultimately caused us to be frustrated. The fact that we were 10 for 49 from the
floor didn’t help. We have learned to lead, we are learning to adjust. We
backed off a little late in the 3rd quarter. We played as good a defensive “man”
as I’ve seen since coaching for the last year and a half. It was one of our
best defensive efforts.”
El Cajon Valley scoring: Jeena Norwarekar
6, Sheraina Moon 6 (12 reb), Kelly Wimberly 6 (6 reb), Samantha Julien 4 (6 reb),
Shelena Moon 2, Kaylani Faten 2 (6 reb), Hazel Doe (4 stl).
RANCHO BERNARDO
71, MONTE VISTA 11 – The Monarchs doubled their scoring output from the
day before, but it didn’t matter, as their anemic attack was hardly challenging
to the Broncos (4-2) in Thursday’s (Dec. 20) Kiwanis Tournament action.
“We
were a whole lot better tonight,” said Monte Vista coach MIKE SKIBBE. “We’ll
be OK by the time league starts. We’re playing real tough teams at the start
of the season. We’re in the toughest girls’ tournaments and that will
help us later on.”
Monte Vista scoring: Ailene Pamintuan 4, Jill Miranda
3, LiAiesha Brandon 2, Janay Patton 2.
That
includes Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) 49-35 triumph over Madison in the Colts-Eagles
Holiday Invitational at Crawford High.
Unlike last year when the Braves
rarely led any game at any stage, El Cajon Valley pounced on Madison to take a
12-6 first-quarter lead and then expanded that advantage to 27-10 by the break.
“We
jumped out to a good lead early and played consistent,” said Robinson. “Our
evolution is working. We can’t sustain our intensity but this whole thing
is a process.”
Senior SHERAINA MOON was the shining star as she tallied
21 points, including 9 of 11 free throws. Her efforts did not stop there, however,
as she also topped the Braves (5-7) with 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
KAYLANI
FATEN pitched in 11 points and 5 rebounds for El Cajon Valley.
SAMANTHA
JULIEN garnered 5 points and 6 rebounds, while HAZEL DOE joined the statistical
parade with 5 points and 5 steals.
“We are no longer in the bottom
20 in the county,” said Robinson. “It shows the kids what hard work
can do. Madison beat us last year, but we beat them this year.”
El
Cajon Valley scoring: Sheraina Moon 21, Kaylani Faten 11, Hazel Doe 5, Samantha
Julien 5, Kelly Wimberly 4, Shelena Moon 2, Jeena Norwarekar 1.
GRANITE
HILLS 47, ORANGE GLEN 38 – Paced by the career-high 24 points of sophomore
SABRINA JIMENEZ, the Eagles won their fourth straight during Wednesday night’s
Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational.
By winning their pool, Granite Hills
(5-3) now advances to the bracketed segment of the tournament.
“Jimenez
was looking to set up players last year,” said Granite Hills coach JERRY
PARKER. “This year she is looking to be more aggressive and so is MOLLY HILLENBRAND.”
“Sabrina
has really worked a lot on her game – she was shooting 300-500 threes during
her workouts as soon as the season was over last year. Right now she’s a
little over 40 percent at the 3-point line.”
Jimenez landed 4 treys
in the Eagles squeeze of Orange Glen.
Hillenbrand, meanwhile, scored only
5 points but led the Eagles on the glass with 15 boards.
Not to be overlooked
was AMY SYLVESTER, who punched in 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
“Orange
Glen was pretty solid,” said Parker. “It was pretty even most of the
game. We pounded the ball inside and got some of their girls in foul trouble.
I wish we would have shot from the free throw line a little better (the Eagles
were only 7 of 18).”
MISSION
HILLS 52, GROSSMONT 51 (OT) – This was an interesting duel between San
Diego CIF Division II rivals that surely will by jockeying for a Top 4 seed come
playoff time.
Thanks to a 35-point scoring spree by Keisha Cox, Mission
Hills (3-3) gained the early edge over Grossmont in playoff consideration by coming
from behind to dump the Foothillers in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) first round
of the Kiwanis Tournament.
It took the Grizzlies overtime to nip the Foothillers.
Cox accounted for 4 of Mission Hills’ 7 overtime points. The Foothillers
(3-2) did not go down easily, as they forced the game into overtime. Once again,
Mission Hills counted on Cox, who cabled in 4 of the Grizzlies’ 7 points
in the extra stanza.
But according to Grossmont coach MARK DeFEDE, the Foothillers
were in position to avoid overtime as they led by 4 points in the waning seconds
of regulation. Two turnovers, however, allowed Mission Hills to forge a tie and
send the game into OT.
“We were down by 10 points and came back and
took a 10-point lead,” said DeFede. “We started out real slow, we were
rusty. In the 2nd half we pressured them a lot. We hadn’t played in two weeks
but we turned it on in the 2nd half.”
“It just came down to free
throws,” added DeFede.
TINA RIOS, who did not shoot a free throw during
regulation, was 4 of 6 in overtime. CHANEL PUTRIS scored her only basket in the
extra period. Still, it was not enough.
Rios finished with 11 points, 6
steals, 5 assists and 5 rebounds – a typical night for her.
It was
a career night for her teammate HEATHER SPRINGE, who muscled in a 20 points and
12 rebounds to lead Grossmont.
TERRA MUSGROVE added 9 points and 8 rebounds.
“Springe
played real well in the 2nd half,” said DeFede. “She was very consistent
in the middle two quarters. She picked up the slack, rebounded well, and Musgrove
did well on the boards.”
LA JOLLA
36, VALHALLA 24 – Give Valhalla coach JON OWENS credit for letting his
feelings be known. A man of reality is this Owens.
Just the thought of seeing
his Norsemen shoot a paltry 19 percent (19 of 53) would be enough to make the
man cringe. But dig deeper and the tale gets even more frustrating. That was the
case in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) Kiwanis Tournament opener.
“I’ll
never complain again about shooting 20 percent in a game,” said Owens. “We
were 0-14 in the 1st quarter. It seemed like an eternity until we scored.”
While
the Norsemen (0-2) failed to score until the 2nd quarter, they should have felt
thankful they were down only 25-11 by intermission.
Things didn’t get
a whole lot better in the 2nd half.
Junior JENN GOLD suffered a broken nose
in the 4th quarter and will be out for 4-6 weeks. Senior forward LAUREL SCOVIE
rolled her ankle also in the 4th quarter.
KELSEY CARTMILL led the Norsemen
with 9 points, including one trey. EMILY ROBERTS added 5 points, a team-high 11
rebounds, and a team-best 4 steals. AMY WOODS didn’t score but did corral
8 rebounds.
“We’re a very young team, return only two starters
and have a long way to go,” said Owens.
Valhalla scoring: Kelsey Cartmill
9, Emily Roberts 5, Megan Tex 5 (4 reb.), Tanisha Lee 5 (4 reb.).
POWAY
54, MONTE VISTA 5 – Talk about a painful beginning. First of all, Monte
Vista coach MIKE SKIBBE needs to have a word with the person who pitted the Monarchs
against unbeaten and No. 5-ranked Poway (8-0) in the opening round of Wednesday’s
(Dec. 19) Kiwanis Tournament at Scripps Ranch.
“It was our first game
out of the chute and it was bad,” said Skibbe. “Our girls weren’t
interested in summer or fall league, they just wanted to show up and play. We’re
a lot better team than we looked like tonight. This group of girls is going to
figure it out. We will play 16 games in the next two weeks. We just need to be
a little more aggressive.”
Monte Vista scoring: LiAiesha Brandon 2,
DeAnna Bembry 2, Angelica Miranda1.
SERRA 67, SANTANA 27 – No
other information was reported in Wednesday’s (Dec. 19) Kiwanis Tournament
opener at Serra.
Santana scoring: Kaila Smith 11, Alyssa Padberg 6, Jamie
Elias 5, Kim Gross 2, Lauren Mueller 2, Samantha White 1.
Included was Tuesday's (Dec. 18) yawner against Kearny in
a Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational contest. Once again, the Eagles vaulted to
a double-digit lead before the opponent could score, with the fourth quarter again
employing a running clock in the 59-21 blowout.
Following the contest, Eagles
starters AMY SYLVESTER and MOLLY HILLENBRAND were showing off their reptiles.
In the school parking lot, members of Sylvester's entourage noted she's had snakes
since elementary school, but the one she currently sporting around her wrist on
this occasion actually belonged to Hillenbrand.
"This one isn't poisonous,
but it does bite," Sylvester noted.
However, Hillenbrand remained in
basketball mode.
"We're playing so much better because we know where
we are on the court, so our ball movement is so much better," said the senior.
"We just need to work on our press offense, so SABRINA (JIMENEZ, the point
guard) doesn't need to work so hard -- we need all of us to help her move the
ball down court and not give her all of the responsibility."
Should
no upsets occur during the remainder of pool play, Granite Hills foresees a showdown
with tournament co-host Crawford in the final.
"Crawford can run, but
we can defend," added Hillenbrand. "Hopefully, that will get us ready
when we play Mount Miguel."
Unlike Monday's first period shutout, the
Komets got on the scoreboard with a 3-point shot with 2:01 remaining after Granite
Hills (4-3) raced to a 14-0 advantage. The leads went to 20-3, 30-5 and 45-7 in
the one-sided affair.
Granite Hills scoring: Molly Hillenbrand 24, Sabrina
Jimenez 12, Amy Sylvester 8, Lauren Bender 6, Kylee Wilson 4, Kari Hubert 2, Monique
Ybarra 2, Sam Silva 1.
The on-the-court fruits include already doubling
last season's victory total, as ECV moved to 4-7 overall after rolling Mountain
Empire, 62-26, in Monday's (Dec. 17) opening Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational
contest.
"We just stayed pumped up -- always," said sophomore
KAYLANI FATEN, who scored 12 points. "We get along now, so we're hustling
on offense and defense and just working hard."
The Braves jumped to
a quick 18-5 lead through the first period, when Faten scored six of her points
out of the gate, while JEENA NORWAREKAR posted 5 of her 7 points to quickly put
away the visiting Redhawks (0-5).
"For me, my shooting is a lot better,
while the team's defense is a lot better," added Faten, the team's power
forward. "We're going to go far and hope we have a good season."
The
experience playing for the Braves has included much more than basketball, which
should aid the developing program.
"We finally are coming together
on the court," noted junior center SAMANTHA JULIEN. "We went to Brawley
and the trip really brought us together -- we had some good times."
Remembered
from the roadie included a first-time experience; erasing the memory of the team's
winless record at the tournament.
"When we came back, we pulled off
to the side of the road and there was snow," Julien recalled. "For some
of our girls, it was the first time they'd ever seen snow, so it was pretty funny
throwing snowballs at each other."
The team bonding is making life
easier for veteran East County coach RANDY ROBINSON, who is being assisted by
former El Capitan High and Grossmont College standout JESSICA CABLE.
"We
can go pretty far over the next year or two -- even this year," added Julien.
"But we have to keep working together and making good passes and good shots."
SHERAINA
MOON paced the Braves with 14 points and 5 assists, while TERICKA WILLIAMS registered
6 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals.
Mountain Empire, which received a team-high
10 points by Cynthia Durflinger, were coached for the first time by Thomas Silva
following the resignation of Rod Davis, who accepted a position out of the school
district. The Redhawks also received 9 points from Laila Oden.
El Cajon
Valley scoring: Sheraina Moon 14 (5 ast.), Kaylani Faten 12, Samantha Julien 8,
Jeena Norwarekar 7, Tericka Williams 6 (6 reb., 5 stl.), Hazel Doe 5 (6 stl.),
Stephanie Jacobs 4, Aundria Myles 2, Kelly Wimberly2, Shelena Moon 2.
Set
the screen
Granite
Hills forward Amy Sylvester springs teammate Molly Hillenbrand (far left) for
a layin with this screen in a 56-12 win over Mar Vista. (Photo by Chris
DeRosier)
GRANITE HILLS 56, MAR VISTA 12 -- The
tournament co-host Eagles skated to a 29-0 lead before the Mariners finally got
on the scoreboard with 4:15 remaining -- in the second quarter.
Strides
were made by Granite Hills in starting a new winning streak with its second victory
in as many starts.
"There's always the team bonding thing, so every
game is helpful," said guard SABRINA JIMENEZ, who scored 16 points and added
five steals in the opening minutes to ignite the romp.
Jimenez likes to
emulate the skills of Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash to get the ball to teammates.
"Steve
Nash has style and is a great passer," said Jimenez. "He can get the
ball to his teammates, and his knows how to control a game, whether to go fast
or slow down the court. And he knows where everybody's at -- he's just a great
point guard."
Jimenez attempted one of Nash's patented behind-the-back
passes against the Mariners (1-7), although without the same results.
"If
I learned one thing in this game, it was not to try a round-the-back pass,"
she mused.
MOLLY HILLENBRAND paced Granite Hills with a double-double, scoring
17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, helping the Eagles reached the.500 plateau
with a 3-3 record.
Meanwhile, Steele Canyon transfer SAM SILVA marked her
return from nearly a year-long absence due to an ACL injury by nailing a 3-point
shot to open the second period after the Eagles mounted a 15-0 lead through the
first quarter.
On defense, AMY SYLVESTER paced the Eagles with 8 rebounds
and blocking a pair of Mar Vista shots.
CRAWFORD
66, VALHALLA 33 – Even though Valhalla coach JON OWENS intentionally
delayed the start of the Norsemen’s basketball season, he still encountered
scheduling conflicts among some of his players for Monday night’s (Dec. 17)
opening game of the Colts-Eagles Holiday Invitational at Crawford.
Bottom
line, Valhalla played with a limited roster, missing four team members, including
two starters, for one reason or another.
Not that Owens was making excuses,
because the Colts of Crawford came out kicking up their heels – nailing 8
three-pointers for the game.
Crawford led 28-17 at halftime and broke the
game open with a 22-7 spurt in the 3rd quarter.
Junior guard EMILY ROBERTS
led the Norsemen with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
Sophomore TANISHA
LEE connected for Valhalla ’s only 3-pointer and totaled 11 points in the
game.
“This was a positive first step,” said Owens. “The
kids played hard, but we didn’t shoot very well. We’re not good enough
to trade baskets with anybody yet.”
In
Saturday’s (Dec. 15) final round of the Mount Miguel Invitational, Naderhoff
injected a healthy dose of offense as the Wolf Pack toppled Temecula’s Chaparral,
67-57.
Naderhoff did the majority of her damage from the free throw line,
where she converted 13 of 21 free throws and – not to mention – tagged
Chaparral defenders with several personal fouls.
KIMBERLY CLARK charted
17 points, including a pair of 3-balls for the Wolf Pack (8-2). She also grabbed
5 rebounds, as did Naderhoff and AMBER DARBY.
The Pack’s game leader
on the boards, however, was SHERIKA MILLER with 8.
“Everybody did their
part, everybody contributed in their own way,” said West Hills coach RYAN
KINSER. “Today’s game was a very tough one, Chaparral is a very good
team.”
West Hills trailed by 2 at the end of the opening quarter, but
used a 23-10 burst to forge in front 35-24 by intermission. The Wolf Pack led
by as many as 15 points midway through the 3rd quarter and was never threatened
thereafter.
“I’m very happy with the team’s performance thus
far,” said Kinser. “Considering how late I got the team, I’m pleased
with the way things have gone. To be 8-2 at this point in the season is a great
accomplishment.”
West Hills scoring: Marilyn Naderhoff 21, Kimberly
Clark 17 (2 ast.), Sherika Miller 8, Shelby Russo 7, Amber Darby 4 (2 blk.), Danielle
Hays 3 (3 reb.), Connie Hines 2, Corryn Kivett 2 (2 ast.), Mariah Bennett 2 (2
ast.), Becca Jones 1.
HELIX 50, BONITA VISTA 47 – Although the
box scores at the high school level won’t show it, Helix junior forward SINOI
LEASAU made a game-turning stand as the Highlanders edged the Barons in Saturday’s
(Dec. 15) Mount Miguel Invitational.
With less than a minute remaining and
Helix clinging to a 48-47 lead, Leasau drew an offensive charging foul against
the Barons’ Danielle Boykins. It was her 5th foul.
“That one defensive
play in particular stood out,” said Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY.
From
there, Helix took possession and put the ball into the hands of ever-reliable
guard BRITTANY WILLIAMS. Forced to foul as time was running out, the Barons challenged
Williams by sending her to the charity stripe.
Williams responded by making
both of her free throws to secure the victory for the Highlanders (3-6).
“It
was a good win for us,” said Helix coach TRINA HANSEN. “Bonita Vista
was unbeaten in this tournament. We needed this win going into the holidays. I
was concerned how we might react after last night’s game (a 61-36 loss to
Chaparral).”
As always, Williams was Helix’ offensive force with
a game-high 26 points. She also handed out 6 assists, made 6 steals, blocked 2
shots and gathered in 4 rebounds.
“Williams handled the ball and distributed
it well, and Sinoi Leasau played outstanding defense,” said Hansen.
Leasau
claimed 4 of Helix’s 11 steals in the game.
Not to be overlooked was
the play of senior center KAMI OLIVER, who turned in a double-double of 14 points
and 12 rebounds. Oliver was deadly from the field, making 7 of 9 shots. She also
rejected 3 enemy shots in one of her better efforts of the year.
Helix scoring:
Brittany Williams 26, Kami Oliver 14, Sinoi Leasau 4 (3 reb.), Sam Vick 3 (3 ast.),
Krista Ronning 2 (3 reb., 2 ast.), Mariah Walker 1.
EL CAJON VALLEY 46,
PREUSS 27 – El Cajon Valley rebounded from an earlier loss in Saturday’s
(Dec. 15) final day of the San Dieguito Tournament to slam Preuss.
It was
the third win in 10 decisions for the Braves, who have won two of their last three
starts.
Senior SHERAINA MOON came up big for the Braves, knocking down 18
points, snaring 7 rebounds, logging 6 steals and dishing 5 assists.
“Sheraina
played very well, is providing nice senior leadership,” said El Cajon Valley
coach RANDY ROBINSON. “She plays so hard that she sets the tone of how we
should be playing.”
The Braves took a 15-11 first-quarter lead and
opened up a 25-15 advantage by halftime. In the second half they gradually broke
the game open.
“Again, we played hard, played pretty well defensively,’
Robinson said. “We’re young, our team is mostly sophomores.
El
Cajon Valley was tough on the boards. KAYLANI FATEN grabbed a team-best 8 caroms,
while Moon, HAZEL DOE and KELLY WIMBERLY gathered in 7 rebounds apiece. Doe also
had a game-high 8 steals.
“Where other kids start playing basketball
in the 3rd grade and then get to play travel ball, we are just now learning the
game,” said Robinson. “We’ll continue to improve.”
El
Cajon Valley scoring: Sheraina Moon 18, Samantha Julien 8, Kaylani Faten 6, Jeena
Norwarekar 6, Kelly Wimberly 4, Hazel Doe 2, Aundria Myles 2.
SAN DIEGUITO
48, EL CAJON VALLEY 26 – Coach RANDY ROBINSON’s Braves couldn’t
find their offense in Saturday’s (Dec. 15) first game of the San Dieguito
Tournament.
“There were good things that we did, just not enough of
them,” Robinson said. “We needed to cut down on turnovers. Our effort
was right and the intensity was pretty good.”
El Cajon Valley scoring:
Samantha Julien 7, Sheraina Moon 6, Hazel Doe 4, Kaylani Faten 3, Jeena Norwarekar
2, Stephanie Jacobs 2, Tericka Williams 2.
CHULA VISTA 50, STEELE CANYON
41 – The Cougars used a strong 3rd quarter to pull even with Chula Vista
at 36-36 with 8 minutes remaining in Saturday’s (Dec. 15) Mount Miguel Invitational
consolation contest.
But Steele Canyon ’s comeback bid stalled in the
final quarter, as the Spartans claimed a 14-5 scoring edge to take the victory.
“We
tried something new, to be a more structured and disciplined basketball team,”
said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH. “We were in the game until the last three
or four minutes. We were tired and we had no bench.”
One of the reasons
that the bench was depleted some was the absence of KATY SNEW, who was out of
town on bereavement leave.
On the bright side, the Cougars (1-4) received
another power-packed performance from BELINDA PICKENS, who contributed 13 points
and 17 rebounds. The 5-foot-10 senior put through 6 of 10 shots from the field.
BRIANA
EITER scored a game-best 14 points, which included a pair of treys, for Steele
Canyon.
Although she only scored 2 points, G’KIA MYLES claimed 17 ricochets
off the glass. MACE ALAMERI added 10 points for the Cougars.
West Hills
(7-2) scored an impressive 57-24 romp over San Diego in Friday night’s (Dec.
14) Mount Miguel Invitational encounter.
Although the Cavers are only 5-4,
there were those who were sure that San Diego was of Top 10 caliber in the preseason
voting. If that is true, West Hills has to be in there somewhere, based on its
convincing crushing of the Cavers.
SHERIKA MILLER (18 points, 8 rebound,
4 steals, 2 blocks), KIMBERLY CLARK (14 points, 6 rebounds) and CONNIE HINES (10
points, 3 steals) carried the offensive load in the Wolf Pack’s smearing
of San Diego.
“We emphasized trying to come out strong and jumping
out early, and we did that tonight,” said West Hills coach RYAN KINSER.
West
Hills led 18-5 after one quarter and 32-12 by intermission.
One of the keys
to the victory was the Pack’s ability to force 29 turnovers.
“Our
pressure took them away from what they wanted to do,” Kinser noted.
Although
she scored more points in her freshman season, MARILYN NADERHOFF has become more
of a quarterback to the West Hills offense. She dealt 5 assists in the Pack’s
latest conquest.
“Marilyn Naderhoff and Sherika Miller were our leaders
tonight,” said Kinser. “They played outstanding on both ends of the
floor. Marilyn distributed the ball well. We played an excellent game defensively.”
West
Hills scoring: Sherika Miller 18, Kimberly Clark 14, Connie Hines 10, Amber Darby
5 (9 reb., 2 ast., 2 blk.), Shelby Russo 4, Marilyn Naderhoff 4 (3 reb.), Danielle
Hays 2.
EL CAPITAN 49, VISTA 45 – After falling behind 10-5
in the opening quarter, the Vaqueros came to life in the 2nd period to score 25
points and claim a 20-30 halftime advantage in Friday’s (Dec. 14) non-league
game in Vista , snapping a 3-game losing streak.
“I’m not making
excuses, but a 2-hour bus trip to Vista in traffic on a Friday night… it
took us some time to get going, but we pulled it out,” said El Capitan coach
FRANK QUINONES. “ Vista is my alma mater and it was nice to see some of the
staff members that were there when I was.”
It was not that the Panthers
faithful were rolling out the welcome mat for Quinones’ crew.
“We
shot 1-for-7 on free throws in the 1st quarter and that didn’t help us,”
Quinones admitted. “In the 2nd quarter we started making better passes and
that started turning things in our favor.”
The indomitable ASHLEY DUFFY
hurled in a trio of 3s on her way to 11 points, crashed the boards for 10 caroms,
picked off 8 passes and logged 8 assists.
SAMANTHA SPRING also added 11
points, while CRISELA BANKS popped in 10 points, snagged 3 boards and made 2 steals
for the Vaqueros (7-3).
El Capitan’s defensive focus was on stopping
Vista ’s 5-foot-10 Monique Cable.
“We tried containing Coble,
who will attend San Diego State on scholarship,” said Quinones. “We
held her to 12 points in the 1st half and 8 in the 2nd. Our main concentration
was stopping her.”
Another distraction for El Capitan was finding practice
times.
“The only day we practiced in our own gym this week was Monday
because of drama performances. We weren’t in our own element this week,”
Quinones noted.
El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 11, Sam Spring 11, Crisela
Banks 10, Liana Pitman 9 (4 stl., 3 reb., 2 ast.), Jamie Ferguson 4 (5 reb.),
Taylor Autry 2, Ashley Bunce 2.
MOUNT MIGUEL 69, LINCOLN 19 –
It seems like the Matadors are having difficulty finding teams that are brave
enough to engage them on the basketball court. When you’re top-ranked, such
problems exist.
Playing for only the 6th time this season, the Matadors
stormed out to a 25-8 first quarter lead and then breezed past the 1-6 Hornets
in Friday night’s (Dec. 14) non-league encounter at Lincoln.
Junior
DANESIA WILLIAMSON was at the point of the undefeated Matadors’ latest conquest,
pouring in 25 points as part of a triple-double that included 10 assists and 10
steals.
“I think our kids were playing kinda inspired tonight because
the ( San Diego ) CIF denied two of our kids’ eligibility today – sisters
SOULIJAH and DECHAE EVANS. Now we have to appeal to the state (CIF),” said
Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.
CINDY EKWEOZOR added 16 points and 8
rebounds, while AUTUMN SPIKES contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 6
steals and 5 assists.
The Matadors (6-0) held the Hornets to 5 points in
the 2nd half.
Mount Miguel scoring: Danesia Williamson 25, Cindy Ekweozor
16, Autumn Spikes 14, Danielle Miller 8 (3 reb., 3 stl.), Nicole Fountain 4, Trina
Clark 2 (3 ast.).
CHAPARRAL 61, HELIX 36 – The Highlanders found out
that shooting 26 percent is not conducive to winning basketball games in Friday’s
(Dec. 14)
Mount Miguel Invitational duel with Temecula Chaparral at Bishop’s.
In
spite of not being able to score with any consistency, the Highlanders (2-6) trailed
only 31-30 midway through the 3rd quarter.
After that the bottom fell out
for Helix. Chaparral scored 30 of the final 36 points over the last 12 minutes,
turning the game into a rout.
Senior guard BRITTANY WILLIAMS tried to pick
up the slack for the Highlanders as she scored 24 points, made 7 steals, dished
4 assists and snagged 4 rebounds.
Even so, it was not one of Williams’
better shooting nights as she missed 27 of 38 attempts. Her teammates did not
give her much help, as collectively they were 3 of 17 from the field.
“We
need to play better team ball,” said Helix coach TRINA HANSEN. “Tonight
we didn’t. We need to block out better, our rebounding effort was very poor.”
Helix
scoring: Brittany Williams 24, Sinoi Leasau 6 (5 reb., 2 blk.), Tatiana Jackson
3 (5 reb.), Sam Vick 2, Chanelle McNutt 1, Kami Oliver (5 reb.).
MONTGOMERY
48, STEELE CANYON 27 – This was a strange game. The Aztecs of Montgomery
scored 32 of their points in the opening quarter of Friday’s (Dec. 14) game
of the Mount Miguel Invitational and coasted from there.
If you look at
it from the eyes of Steele Canyon coach PENNY SMITH, the Cougars held the Aztecs
to 16 points over the final three periods.
The Cougars played without one
of their floor leaders, KATY SNEW, whose grandmother passed away,
“Katy
flew the Mexico for her grandmother’s funeral,” said Smith. “Without
her everyone was thinking about her. It was strange not having her – she
is our motor.”
BELINDA PICKENS scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds
to pace the Cougars (1-2). Pickens also made 9 of 11 free throws in the contest.
Only
two other Steele Canyon players reached the scoring column, including MACE ALAMERI,
who netted 6 points and BRIANA EITER, who dropped in 2.
Although she did
not contribute to the scoring, G’KIA MYLES collected 10 rebounds.
“Credit
Belinda and Mace for picking it up,” said Smith. “I really give them
two thumbs up for leading the team tonight.”
OCEANSIDE
58, EL CAJON VALLEY 18 – This was not a game the El Cajon Valley Braves
plan to dwell upon. Consider Friday’s (Dec. 14) San Dieguito Tournament blow
out nothing more than a blip on the screen.
Thirty-three turnovers and poor
shooting added up to a forgettable disaster for the Braves (2-6). El Cajon Valley
fell behind Oceanside (5-2) by a 15-2 count in the opening quarter and trailed
31-8 by halftime. Things only got worse after that.
“We continue to
play hard,” said El Cajon Valley coach RANDY ROBINSON. “I’m very,
very happy with the fact that my kids don’t quit. Today we were overmatched.
We just weren’t able to do the things we’d have liked to have done.
We’re just awfully young and (basketball skills) take awhile to develop.
Like the song, “You can’t hurry love.”
El Cajon Valley scoring:
Sheraina Moon 4 (4 rebs), Hazel Doe 4 (3 rebs), Tericka Williams 3, Kaylani Faten
3, Kelly Wimberly 3, Samantha Julien 1.
Her development was evident Thursday (Dec. 13) when Brzeczek
took over the ballgame in the third quarter against Hilltop. During the period,
the senior passed for six of her game-high 10 assists while also scoring si
