© East County Sports.com
LA JOLLA (1-31-10) — The big showdown between San Diego CIF basketball powers Saturday (Jan. 30) at La Jolla Country Day never materialized.

What occurred on the court between visiting Mount Miguel and the host Torreys left no doubt which team deserves the No. 1 ranking, at least on this day.

La Jolla Country Day guard Ariana Elegado scored 24 points on 8 for 14 shooting from the field and 6 of 8 on free throws as the Torreys smacked the Matadors, 66-46. In the game, which the Torreys led by as much as 25 points in the second half, Elegado became the third player in LJCD history to break the 1,000-point barrier.

Freshman Briteesha Solomon added 20 points for the Torreys (16-3).

MYISHIA WATKINS led Mount Miguel with 14 points.

“Not to take anything away from them, but I think we can play a lot better than this,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL, as the Matadors lost for only the 2nd time in 21 games.

“We played selfish – on offense and defense. It seemed like we were more interested in trying to jack up 3s than run the offense,” he continued.

Mount Miguel was 0 for 14 from above the arc. Overall, the Matadors shot slightly better than 26 percent from the field.

NICOLE FOUNTAIN was the only Matador to shoot with any respectable accuracy as she hit 4 of 8 shots.

Mount Miguel’s top two scorers were a combined 3 of 23 from the floor.

“You’re not gonna win many games when your top scorers shoot like that,” Sandoval said.

LJCD won the battle of the boards 44-35.

The Matadors collected only 10 offensive caroms in the game. The epitome of how they were dominated on the glass came after they closed the deficit to 51-38 with 6:30 remaining. The Matadors took five shots on one possession from inside the paint and failed to connect. That accounted for four of their offensive rebounds.

“This was supposed to be a big game, and we just disappeared,” Sandoval lamented.

Mount Miguel: Myishia Watkins 14 (6 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Nicole Fountain 9 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Danielle Miller 9 (5 reb, 3 stl), Dechae Evans 6 (8 reb, 1 stl), Yvonte Neal 5 (3 reb, 1 stl), Shataera Anderson 3 (3 reb, 1 ast), Shay Young (3 reb).

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SANTEE (1-30-10) — Santana High streaked to a 10-1 start and was up 23-12 by halftime of Friday’s (Jan. 29) Grossmont Valley League game in Santee.

El Capitan (8-12, 0-2 GVL) came back to score the first seven points of the third quarter to make it close. Yet Santana (6-16, 2-1 GVL) retained the 11-point cushion after three quarters, pulling away to a 51-35 victory.

“The girls finally put it together tonight,” said Sultans coach MARK TIPTON. “We came out strong. We only had 8 turnovers, and we’ve been averaging 26 a game. The difference tonight is that we made our shots while El Capitan missed theirs. Statistically speaking, this should have been a close game. We’re two evenly matched teams... the bounces finally went our way.”

SAMMY WHITE came up big in the third quarter for Santana, scoring 8 of her game-high 14 points in that period. MARGIE PANKNIN added 10 points for the Sultans, and ALYSSA PADBERG delivered 7 assists.

AMBER REL-SOLIA topped El Capitan with 13 points.

One of the intangibles of the outcome of this game was the fact that East County 3-point leader MARISSA PITMAN was limited to one shot, which she missed.

Santana: Sammy White 14 (4 reb, 1 stl), Margie Panknin 10 (2 reb, 5 stl), Delia Files 8 (5 reb, 4 stl), Alyssa Padberg 7 (2 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl), Haley Burton 6 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Kim Gross 5 (6 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Kelsey Conley 1 (2 reb), Sarah Kvederis 2 reb), Brittany Falletta (1 stl).

El Capitan: Amber Rel-Solia 13 (3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Erica Arie 8 (1 reb), Niki Spring 4 (3 reb, 3 ast), Chelsey Kyle 4 (2 reb, 2 ast), Ashley Anderson 4 (1 reb, 2 stl), Robyn Staley-Logel 2 (1 blk), Megan Drennen (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Marissa Pitman (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Darian Borras (3 reb, 2 stl), Emily Sutton (3 reb), Vanessa Sierra (1 reb).

WEST HILLS 48, GROSSMONT 34 – West Hills continued its winning ways by posting its 7th straight victory Friday (Jan. 29) with a nod over Grossmont in Grossmont Hills League action.

KIMBERLY CLARK scored 14 points and SHERIKA MILLER added 10 as the Wolf Pack (14-5, 3-0 GHL) took over first place in the GHL.

The visiting Wolf Pack outscored the Foothillers, 29-20, in the second half.

“We certainly did not play well in the 1st half, although our defense was OK,” said West Hills coach RYAN KINSER. “We picked up our defense in the 2nd half. We held them scoreless for the first six minutes of the 3rd quarter. We did not execute at all on offense; our defense won this game tonight.”

Nobody reached double figures for Grossmont.

“They were better than us tonight,” said Foothillers coach MEGAN LONG. “They rattled us with their press in the 3rd quarter – they opened up the game. I was happy with our defensive effort tonight. We shut down their transition game. Most of their offense came in the half court.”

West Hills: Kimberly Clark 14, Sherika Miller 10, Mariah Bennett 7, Marilyn Naderhoff 4 (3 ast), Daniana Ghandour 4, Jillian Brown 2, Taylor Aguirre 2, Taylor Ingraham 2, Emily Cole 2, Danielle Hays 1 (7 reb). No other stats were available.

Grossmont: Frankie Treadwell 9 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Teyshonnia Bealer-West 7 (7 reb, 2 stl), Danielle Balderas 5 (2 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Chloe Cook 4 (2 reb, 1 ast), Christa Sawyers 4 (1 reb, 1 ast), Danielle Dahle 3 (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl), Jessie Edgil 2 (2 reb, 1 stl), Carley Applegate (4 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Ashley Hargrove (2 reb).

GRANITE HILLS 37, HELIX 33 – SABRINA JIMENEZ scored 14 points and KEJI KUBARI added 11 points and 4 blocks as visiting Granite Hills (17-5, 2-1 GHL) knocked off Helix (8-9, 1-2 GHL) in Friday’s (Jan. 29) Grossmont Hills League action.

It’s surprising that this game was so close, considering Helix was 4 of 30 (13.3 percent) in field goal shooting in the 1st half and trailed 21-10 at intermission.

This game was up for grabs until the final quarter when Helix closed the deficit to 3 points in the 4th quarter.

That’s when the Highlanders’ offense stalled…again…allowing the Eagles to escape with a narrow victory.

“We couldn’t get the ball in the hoop at all,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “We got good post play and rebounding in the 2nd half. I am very pleased with the way the girls played in the 2nd half.”

One of those girls she was talking about was LEXI AUDLEY, who scored a team best 11 points for the Highlanders.

JASMINE HUNN also crashed the boards for 13 rebounds for Helix.

Granite Hills: Sabrina Jimenez 14, Keji Kubari 11 (4 blk), Jessica Harris 5, Cora Leonard 2, Skylar Williams 2, Hailey Garner 2, Samantha Silva 1. No other information was reported by the Granite Hills coaches.

Helix: Kim Scott 7 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Kristina Scott 2 (1 reb, 2 stl), Faith Leaupepe-Tele 2 (3 reb, 1 ast), Lexi Audley 11 (2 reb, 1 stl), Jacqueline Smith 9 (6 reb, 2 stl), Jasmine Hunn 2 (13 reb, 1 blk), Jasmine Williams (1 reb, 1 stl), Iesha Murray (2 reb).

STEELE CANYON 39, VALHALLA 27 – Visiting Steele Canyon won Friday’s (Jan. 29) Grossmont Hills League game in the 1st half, taking a 29-11 lead and then cruised to the finish line.

The Cougars (8-11, 1-2 GHL) relied on MICHELLE BEASLEY and SAMANTHA VERNON, who scored 8 points apiece.

“We just couldn’t make our shots,” said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH. “Our free throw shooting was terrible (4 for 12). We completely went through the motions tonight and we had no emotion on the floor.”

Steele Canyon sailed to the winner’s circle despite scoring only 10 points in the 2nd half.

TENISHA LEE turned in a strong game for Valhalla with 13 points and 9 rebounds while blocking 2 shots.

DANIELLE WILSON also blocked 4 shots while recording 3 steals, the same number as MACKENZIE CARTMILL.

“To be honest, we are battling more than strategy or inexperience here at Valhalla,” said Valhalla coach VALLI LOPEZ. “We have experienced over a decade of defeat. That is a sore past and hard to not let it affect the girls’ game. To put it simply, their minds and thoughts need as much training and practice as anything else. We defeat ourselves before the other team has a chance to.”

“I think with a developing program it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Lopez continued. “Penny and I are both experiencing that. In time if my girls can train their thoughts to be, what my high school coach DARIN CURTIS would call “big thoughts,” we’ll eventually be very competitive. That mentality takes time and lots of training. It won’t be easy but I’m not going anywhere.”

Steele Canyon: Michelle Beasley 8 (1 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Samantha Vernon 8 (2 reb, 1 ast), Janvier Barbarin 6 (3 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl), Janique Cofield 6 (3 reb), Gabrielle Beasley 5 (3 ast), Monique Van 2 (1 stl), Brianna Fair 2, Alexis Tucker 2, Chyna Stevens (1 reb, 1 blk).

Valhalla: Tenisha Lee 13 (9 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Karissa Ferrell 7, Danielle Wilson 3 (4 reb, 4 blk, 3 stl), Mackenzie Cartmill 2 (3 stl), Kandise Kalasho 2 (2 stl), Alle Mims (2 stl).

CLAIREMONT 47, CHRISTIAN 23 – In the current world of political correctness, should Clairemont High decide to drop its moniker of Chieftains, perhaps the school should select Crows as its mascot.

The nickname would honor free-lance writer Cameron Crowe, who went undercover as a Clairemont High student to write an article about his experiences for Rolling Stone magazine. The story became a 1981 book, which was later adapted for the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a coming-of-age teen comedy film.

The movie became a springboard for three future Academy Award winners in Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage and Forest Whitaker.

Some 28 years later, Clairemont's Sarah Anderson registered six of her game-high 15 points during a 12-1 Chieftains run to close the first half to take Friday's (Jan. 29) Central League contest at Clairemont, located at the top of the bluffs overlooking Pacific Beach ("Ridge-mont").

For the Patriots, ALESIA LOWERY and MONIQUE ELLIOTT shared team scoring honors with 7 points each.

Christian: Alesia Lowery 7, Monique Elliott 7, Hailey Cruz 4, Mia Johnson 3, Mary Grabowski 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 67, EL CAJON VALLEY 14 – This one was no surprise as No. 2 Mount Miguel surged to a 25-2 lead in the 1st quarter and never looked back in Friday’s (Jan. 29) Grossmont Valley League contest in El Cajon.

Five Matadors finished in double digits, with YVONTE NEAL setting the pace with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Neal scored 8 of her points and SHAY YOUNG added 6 in the blowout 1st quarter.

All Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL could think about was Saturday’s (Jan. 30) scheduled 5:30 showdown against No. 1 ranked La Jolla Country Day. Even though the Matadors have lost only one game in 20 starts, they are ranked behind the Torreys at No. 2. No question, that has to rankle Sandoval and his crew.

Meanwhile El Cajon Valley (3-16, 0-2 GVL) is to be credited for not forfeiting like many teams do when they know they are overmatched.

“Our players have never played Mount Miguel before,” said Braves coach CARLOS MOSS, who has been out of town for nearly three weeks on a family emergency. “They were not used to their speed, toughness and aggressiveness. I thought we came out and played hard all game. We didn’t back down at all.

Mount Miguel played extremely well.”

HAZEL DOE, a 5-foot-3 senior, led El Cajon Valley with 6 points. She could clearly have scored more points had she been surrounded by a more experienced lineup. But Doe is the last one to place blame on anybody.

“Hazel played tough basketball tonight – she always plays that way,” said Moss.

Mount Miguel: Yvonte Neal 14 (8 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl), Nicole Fountain 13 (6 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl), Danielle Miller 12 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl), Shay Young 12 (6 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Myishia Watkins 10 (1 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), Shataera Anderson 4 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Charity Lyons 2.

El Cajon Valley: Hazel Doe 6, Terika Williams 3, Kaylani Faten 2, Natasha Fernandez 2, Sharde Williams 1.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-28-10) — Steele Canyon snapped a three-game losing streak Wednesday (Jan. 27) by knocking off visiting Mira Mesa, 36-33, in a non-league game.

The Cougars (7-11) used a 15-8 run in the third quarter to erase Mira Mesa’s 19-16 halftime lead.

“It turned out to be a pretty decent game,” said Cougars assistant coach RODNEY VAN. “We came alive in that third quarter. JANVIER BARBARIN got some key rebounds in that period.”

Barbarin paced Steele Canyon with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

GABRIELLE BEASLEY and MONIQUE VAN each swished a 3-pointer in the pivotal 3rd period.

Steele Canyon: Janvier Barbarin 10 (11 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 10 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Monique Van 5 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Michelle Beasley 5 (1 ast, 1 stl), Janique Cofield 2 (1 ast, 1 stl), Samantha Vernon 2 (1 reb), Alexis Merlino 2.

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-27-10) — Christian’s first year head coach THOMAS LOWERY is not expecting miracles this season. He’s in the process of building a foundation for the future.

Lowery realizes that the Patriots are going to take their lumps, and so they have. What he envisions on the horizon is what keeps him going. The girls he has at the moment are learning to be competitive and he has some youthful prospects enrolling next year.

In the meantime it’s been on-the-court training for the Patriots, who in their latest endeavor dropped a 58-30 Central League decision to host Crawford on Tuesday (Jan. 26).

The highlight for the Patriots was the consistent scoring of ALESIA LOWERY, who tallied 18 points including one 3-pointer.

“We committed way too many fouls,” said coach Lowery. “Their No. 54 (Donquenae Townsend) hurt us badly.”

Townsend accounted for half of Crawford’s points with 22 markers, including a pair of treys.

“Even though we’re not winning, I see continuous signs of improvement every game,” coach Lowery said.

Christian: Alesia Lowery 18, Makala Bailey 4, Monique Elliott 4, Ricki Gentry 2, Amelia Johnson 2.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-23-10) — Monte Vista survived a late El Capitan rally to beat the Vaqueros, 51-50, in Friday’s (Jan. 22) Grossmont Valley League contest.

DEANNA BEMBRY led Monte Vista with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 6 assists and 6 steals.

With 30 seconds left Monte Vista was leading by four, when El Capitan’s MARISSA PITMAN nailed a 3-pointer – only her third shot of the game – to draw the Vaqueros (8-11, 0-1 GVL) to within 51-50.

With 14 seconds remaining El Capitan fouled the Monarchs’ DIONNA MERCER, who missed the front end of a one-and-one. El Capitan got the rebound and passed the ball to ERICA ARIE, who was fouled and missed both free throws.

Monte Vista (11-9, 1-1 GVL) got the rebound and was fouled with 5.4 seconds left, and missed both free throws.

In the 2nd half, El Capitan was whistled for eight fouls to Monte Vista’s one.

“We were up most of the game,” said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. “We tried to control the clock but we let them go on an 8-0 run to let them back into the game. Patience is not our style. That’s one of the things we are going to work on next week. We were very athletic and worked very hard tonight.”

AMBER REL-SOLIA led El Capitan with 18 points and 9 rebounds, while NIKI SPRING contributed 14 points.

“Monte Vista has so many athletic girls,” said El Capitan coach FRANK QUINONES. “This was Niki Spring’s best game ever.”

SHAMONIQUE BOYD grabbed 9 rebounds for Monte Vista.

Monte Vista: Deanna Bembry 19 (9 reb, 6 ast, 5 blk, 6 stl), Alex Ross 8 (2 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Dionna Mercer 8 (4 reb, 3 ast), Tasha Brown 6, Shamonique Boyd 6 (9 reb, 2 blk), Shantee Woods 2, Stefanie Banks 2.

El Capitan: Amber Rel-Solia 18 (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl), Niki Spring 14 (2 reb, 1 ast), Emily Sutton 5 (4 reb, 1 ast), Erica Arie 4 (1 reb, 1 stl), Robyn Staley-Logel 4 (1 reb, 2 stl), Marissa Pitman 3 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Vanessa Sierra 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Megan Drennen (2 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Chelsey Kyle (4 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk).

GROSSMONT 53, HELIX 31 – DANIELLE DAHLE probably never heard of John Havlicek, who played for the Boston Celtics during the 1960s and ‘70s and was arguably the greatest sixth man in NBA history.

Yet Dahle, a 5-foot-9 sophomore guard, has become an impact player off the Foothillers’ bench, as she was in Friday (Jan. 22) night’s Grossmont Hills League victory over the Highlanders.

“I know people ask me why I don’t start Dahle,” said Grossmont coach MEGAN LONG. “Actually, it’s kinda simple because she’s been such a force coming off the bench.

“I start a game with a defensive oriented lineup,” Long continued. “That gives Dahle a chance to look at what’s going on on the court. Then after about three minutes I put her in the game. She seems to be more comfortable once the game is established.”

Long’s strategy was right on the mark as Dahle came off the pine to score a team-high 16 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and dealing 2 assists. She was 6 for 9 from the free throw line.

“She can play the post or take a girl off the dribble,” Long said of Dahle. “She’s still learning the game but she has the best upside on our team.”

Grossmont led 38-20 after three quarters and then turned the game into a blowout.

“Grossmont created a number of issues on offense,” said Highlanders coach TRINA MERIDETH. “We are struggling putting the ball into the hoop. We picked up the intensity and moved the ball much better in the 2nd half.”

The SCOTT sisters – KIM and KRISTINA – combined for 23 points, while JASMINE HUNN grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds for Helix.

Grossmont: Danielle Dahle 16 (8 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Frankie Treadwell 8 (1 reb, 1 stl), Jessie Edgil 7 (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Teyshonnia Bealer-West 6 (8 reb, 6 stl), Christa Sawyers 5, Chloe Cook 3 ( 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Danielle Balderas 3 (4 ast, 7 stl), Carley Applegate 3 (2 reb, 4 stl), Ashley Hargrove 2 (1 stl).

Helix: Kristina Scott 12 (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Kim Scott 11 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Jasmine Hunn 4 (9 reb, 1 stl), Jacqueline Smith 2 (8 reb), Jasmine Williams 2 (3 reb), Faith Leaupepe-Tele (2 reb), Dana Hosley (2 reb).

The Eagles (16-5, 1-1 GHL), who have won 5 of their last 6, opened up a 25-3 first quarter lead and then put their game in cruise control.

The Eagles hit 5 treys in the opening quarter, including 3 by Jimenez.

“I knew it was gonna be a good night because the first set play we ran, Sabrina hit a 3-pointer,” Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER said. “The girls did a good of breaking their zone.”

For Valhalla, TENISHA LEE popped in 15 points.

Granite Hills: Sabrina Jimenez 22 (6 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Jessica Harris 11 (3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Skylar Williams 11 (7 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Keji Kubari 7 (8 reb, 3 blk), Samantha Silva 5, Kayla Kemp 4, Cora Leonard 3 (5 reb), Alyssa Canoff 3, Hailey Garner 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Michelle Ybarra 2.

Valhalla: Tenisha Lee 15, Mackenzie Cartmill 4, Karissa Ferrell 4, Kandise Kalasho 3, Jordan DeLucchi 2, Danielle Wilson 1.

WEST HILLS 57, STEELE CANYON 17 – SHERIKA MILLER scored 15 points and KIMBERLY CLARK added 12 – including three 3s – as host West Hills blew out Steele Canyon in a Grossmont Hills League contest Friday (Jan. 22).

West Hills (13-5, 2-0 GHL), which has won 6 straight, has held seven opponents to 34 points or less, and all resulted in victories. The Pack has allowed only 37 points in the last two games.

The Wolf Pack outscored the visiting Cougars (6-11, 0-2 GHL) across the board, including an 18-8 first quarter start.

Most impressive about the Wolf Pack’s defensive clasp is they held the Cougars to 2 points in the 2nd quarter and 2 points in the 4th quarter.

In spite of the lopsided victory, West Hills coach RYAN KINSER wasn’t overly pleased.

“We started off pretty well but in the 2nd quarter we didn’t do anything at all,” said Kinser. “Our defensive effort was very poor in the 1st half (15 turnovers in that period). We came out and played much better in the 2nd half.”

West Hills: Sherika Miller 15, Kimberly Clark 12, Danielle Hays 8, Marilyn Naderhoff 7, Jillian Brown 5, Alexa Evans 4, Mariah Bennett 2, Taylor Aguirre 2, Taylor Ingraham 2.

Steele Canyon: Janvier Barbarin 6, Samantha Vernon 4, Brianna Fair 3, Michelle Beasley 2, Alexis Merlino 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 75, SANTANA 26 – There will be no surprises in the Grossmont Valley League when Mount Miguel is involved this season.

That was obvious when the Matadors took a 50-10 halftime lead in Friday’s (Jan. 22) game as they cruised to their 18th win in 19 starts.

One thing this Mount Miguel team has going for it is balance.

Five Matadors reached double scoring digits, led by DANIELLE MILLER’s 16 points. Miller also had 6 steals, as did NICOLE FOUNTAIN.

Mount Miguel shot better than 55 percent from the floor, including 7 of 14 from 3-point distance.

One irony in this contest was Mount Miguel shot only 4 free throws and Fountain made all of them.

Santana’s ALYSSA PADBERG proved that she can play with the best as she knocked down 5 of 10 shots from the floor for 11 points.

“There’s a reason why they are No. 1 in the county,” said Sultans coach MARK TIPTON. “I’ve been a basketball coach for many years and they are the best team I’ve ever seen. They are extremely athletic and very quick. They are a great basketball team and so well coached.”

Mount Miguel: Danielle Miller 16 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 6 stl), Nicole Fountain 12 (6 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 6 stl), Yvonte Neal 12 (3 reb, 1 blk), Myishia Watkins 11 (4 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl), Shay Young 10 (7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Shataera Anderson 8 (2 reb, 1 ast), Dechae Evans 6 (reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Charity Lyons (2 reb), Chantel Yell (1 reb).

Santana: Alyssa Padberg 11 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Sammy White 7 (3 reb, 1 blk), Kim Gross 4 (5 reb, 1 stl), Haley Burton 2 (4 reb, 1 ast), Margie Panknin 2 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Delia Files (7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Brittany Falletta (1 stl), Sarah Kvederis (1 reb).

CORONADO 38, CHRISTIAN 14 – The Patriots took quite a few positives out of what on the surface was a one-sided Central League setback to the visiting Islanders at Ryan Athletic Center.

"This game really helped us," said Christian coach THOMAS LOWERY. "We saw our girls break the press tonight, and we executed well on defense."

Christian demonstrated the ability to operate its offense, too, but finishing remains a problem. Only ALESIA LOWERY, who scored 20 points in the Patriots' victory over Madison earlier in the week, could connect on a first-half basket when Coroando (RECORD) took an 18-5 lead at the intermission.

MONIQUE ELLIOTT hit four shots from the outside in the second half as part of her team-best 8 points.

“I'm happy to get that first win against Madison," added coach Lowery. “In the second half of league, we'll do a lot better."

Christian: Monique Elliott 8, Alesia Lowery 3, Mia Johnson 2, Mary Grabowski 1.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (1-20-10) — It wasn’t like Monte Vista won a championship or anything, but Tuesday’s (Jan. 19) Grossmont Conference crossover victory at Helix was special for coach MICHAEL SKIBBE and his senior class.

The Monarchs (10-9) had to come from behind to beat the Highlanders 52-43. It was the first time in Skibbe’s four-year tenure at Monte Vista that the Monarchs have beaten Helix.

“We have a real family here,” Skibbe said. “These girls are close, both on and off the court. It’s been a long time coming but beating Helix is always a goal.”

Although Monte Vista isn’t ordering any championship patches, it has become apparent that Skibbe has resurrected a program that has been dormant for several years.

His Monarchs had to survive a foul fest to overcome Helix in their latest conquest. Three Monte Vista players fouled out in the game. Four Helix players were eliminated by personal fouls.

SHAMONIQUE BOYD carried the torch for the Monarchs with a career-best 19 points and 14 rebounds.

“I guess you could say the bottom line is we were much stronger than they were in the 4th quarter,” Skibbe said.

In terms of numbers that would be true, considering Monte Vista claimed a 15-8 scoring edge over the final 8 minutes.

However, poor free throw shooting helped lead to Helix’ demise. The Highlanders (8-7) netted only 4 of 14 free throw opportunities in the final period.

Actually neither team shot well from the foul line. Monte Vista was 11 of 34 overall, while Helix was 11 of 29.

“It just seems like we can’t make a free throw when we need one,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “All around we had poor shooting – from the field and the free throw line.”

Meredith wasn’t elated by the Highlanders’ defense either.

“We gave them too many second and third (scoring) opportunities,” she said.

KIM SCOTT led the Highlanders with 18 points.

One of the truly surprising things about Monte Vista’s victory is scoring ace DEANNA BEMBRY was strapped with early foul problem and could only contribute 8 points, playing less than half a game.

“We got good support from our bench,” Skibbe said. “This was a game where we really needed it.”

Monte Vista: Shamonique Boyd 19 (14 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Deanna Bembry 8 (7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Dionna Mercer 8 (5 stl), Kayla Pusey 7 (4 reb), Shantee Woods 6, Jessica Garcia 2, Alex Ross 2 (2 stl), Tasha Brown (8 reb).

Helix: Kim Scott 18, Kristina Scott 9 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jacqueline Smith 6 (3 reb), Jasmine Hunn 5 (10 reb), Faith Leaupepe-Tele 3 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Jasmine Williams 2, Dana Hosley (4 reb).

GRANITE HILLS 53, SANTANA 41 – Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER was happy for about one quarter of Tuesday’s (Jan. 19) Grossmont Conference crossover contest in Santee.

The Eagles (15-5) flew to an 18-7 first quarter advantage.

“After that I thought we played a terrible game,” Parker said. “Our girls played with heavy legs. We just seemed like we wanted to be somewhere else.”

That’s not how Santana coach MARK TIPTON viewed the Eagles.

“It seems like every team we play goes on a 3-point shooting binge,” he said.

Granite Hills dropped in 9 treys – including 4 by HAILEY GARNER.

JESSICA HARRIS landed 3 triples, while SKYLAR WILLIAMS and ALYSSA CANOFF each hit one.

“We focused our attention on trying to stop SABRINA JIMENEZ,” Tipton said.

And so they did, holding East County ’s scoring leader to 9 points – nearly 7 below her average.

“The thing that really caught my eye was none of Granite Hills’ 3-pointers hit the rim. They just swished right through the net,” Tipton said. “And it was not like we were just standing around watching them shoot – we were contesting.”

The game was closer than the final score indicates. The Sultans (5-15) trailed by only three points with 3 minutes remaining.

“Then we just stalled,” Tipton recalled. “My hat’s off to Granite Hills – they played better than we did down the stretch, and that’s why they won.”

ALYSSA PADBERG completed a double-double for Santana, scoring 12 points – half coming of 6 of 7 free throw shooting – and 10 rebounds.

Granite Hills: Jessica Harris 13 (2 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl), Hailey Garner 12 (4 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Sabrina Jimenez 9 (2 reb, 6 ast, 7 stl), Skylar Williams 9 (1 ast, 2 stl), Cora Leonard 6 (5 reb, 1 stl), Keji Kubari 1 (4 reb, 7 blk, 2 stl). Alyssa Canoff 3.

Santana: Alyssa Padberg 12 (10 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Haley Burton 7 (5 reb, 2 stl), Sammy White 6 (6 reb), Margie Panknin 4 (5 reb, 1 ast), Delia Files 4 (5 reb).

WEST HILLS 64, EL CAPITAN 20 – Senior MARILYN NADERHOFF scored only 9 points while playing little more than half of Tuesday’s (Jan. 19) Grossmont Conference crossover game against visiting El Capitan.

But it was a banner night for Naderhoff, who crossed over the 1,000 point scoring barrier for her four-year career at West Hills. The decisive basket came in the 3rd quarter, long after the game had been decided.

Once she reached the 1,000 point plateau, the game was stopped and Naderhoff, who has a scholarship to Cal State-Bakersfield in hand, was presented a basketball marking her personal milestone.

West Hills’ SHERIKA MILLER knocked down 7 of 12 shots from the field – two of the 3-pointers – for a game-high 18 points.

Freshman EMILY COLE added a career best 11 points, the majority coming on a pair of 3-pointers for the Wolf Pack (12-5).

Meanwhile, West Hills noted that MARIAH BENNETT, who had a game-high 7 assists against El Capitan, will play basketball at San Diego Christian College. DANIELLE HAYS will continue her education and career at Whittier College.

Five girls divided 20 points for the Vaqueros (8-10), but nobody scored in double digits.

West Hills: Sherika Miller 18 (2 reb, 1 blk, 5 stl), Emily Cole 11 (1 reb), Marilyn Naderhoff 9 (5 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Taylor Aguirre 8 (2 reb), Kimberly Clark 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 6 stl), Mariah Bennett 4 (2 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl), Danielle Hays 3 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Alexa Evans 2 (4 reb, 2 stl), Taylor Ingraham 1 (1 reb, 1 stl), Daniana Ghandour 1 (1 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl), Jillian Brown (4 reb, 1 stl).

El Capitan: Amber Rel-Solia 9 (4 reb, 1 blk), Emily Sutton 5 (3 reb, 1 st, 1 blk, 1 stl), Marissa Pitman 3 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Megan Drennen 2 (5 reb, 2 blk), Vanessa Carrillo 1, Chelsey Kyle (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Erica Arie (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Niki Spring (3 reb, 1 stl), Vanessa Sierra (1 reb, 1 blk), Robyn Staley-Logel (1 reb, 1 ast),

GROSSMONT at EL CAJON VALLEY – A leaky roof in the Braves gymnasium forced postponement of Tuesday’s (Jan. 19) Grossmont crossover game against the Foothillers to Tue., Jan. 26, at 6 p.m.

CHRISTIAN 47, MADISON 16 – The Patriots under first-year head coach THOMAS LOWERY posted an impressive Central League win Tuesday (Jan. 19) at Madison.

It was Christian’s first win in four starts this season and only the third win in three years overall.

Christian: Alesia Lowery 22, Monique Elliott 12, Ricki Gentry 6, Mia Johnson 3, Makala Bailey 2, Hayley Cruz 2.

© East County Sports.com
LAS VEGAS (1-18-10) — After seeing their undefeated season go up in smoke two days earlier against host Bishop Gorman, the Mount Miguel Matadors wanted to prove to the state of Nevada that they’re a pretty solid basketball team.

Led by YVONTE NEAL’s 20 points and 4 assists, the Matadors (17-1) scored more than 20 points in three of the four quarters as they flattened Foothill, 79-34, in Monday’s (Jan. 18) Las Vegas Bishop Gorman Elite showcase. Neal included a trio of treys in her totals.

All nine Matadors contributed to the scoring including DANIELLE MILLER, who had 16 points and a team-best 6 rebounds.

“The key to the game was the way we played on defense in the second quarter,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

The Matadors outscored Foothill 24-11 in that period to take a commanding 38-14 advantage by intermission.

“What we do on defense is what ignites our offense,” Sandoval noted. “And our defense was exceptional. Our bench had a major role in this game.”

Mount Miguel: Yvonte Neal 20 (3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Danielle Miller 16 (6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Myishia Watkins 11 (1 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Shataera Anderson 10 (5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Shay Young 9 (4 reb, 3 ast), Dechae Evans 4 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Nicole Fountain 4 (1 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl), Charity Lyons 2 (2 reb, 4 stl), Chantel Yell 3 (2 ast, 1 stl).

EL CAPITAN 52, MAR VISTA 30 – Junior AMBER REL-SOLIA scored a season best 21 points and hauled down 9 rebounds Monday (Jan. 18) as the Vaqueros rolled over the Mariners in the MLK Showdown at Horizon.

Rel-Solia connected on 10 of 11 shots from the floor and added a free throw. She scored 11 points in the third quarter when the Vaqueros (8-9) pulled away 40-26.

MARISSA PITMAN added 11 points, the majority of which came three triples. Pitman is East County ’s leading 3-point shooter with 33.

El Capitan: Amber Rel-Solia 21 (9 reb, 3 stl), Marissa Pitman 11 (5 reb, 4 ast, stl), Erica Arie 9 (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Megan Drennen 4 (6 reb, 1 stl), Chelsey Kyle 3 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Robyn Staley-Logel 2 (1 ast, 1 blk), Ashley Andersen 2, Emily Sutton (8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

WEST HILLS 60, MT. CARMEL 34 – Coach RYAN KINSER admitted that he was impressed by the defensive intensity his Wolf Pack showed against Mt. Carmel in Monday’s (Jan. 18) MLK Showdown at Horizon.

The Wolf Pack (11-5) had the Sundevils (10-7) pinned to the mat 24-5 after the 1st quarter. From there the Pack gradually widened their lead.

KIMBERLY CLARK nailed 6 of 10 shots – half of them 3-pointers – on her way to a game-high 17 points for West Hills. She also led her team with 5 steals.

“We shut down what Mt. Carmel wanted to do,” said Kinser. “We’re back playing West Hills defense. We were a consistent and smooth basketball team today.”

West Hills: Kimberly Clark 17 (2 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl), Sherika Miller 12 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Marilyn Naderhoff 10 (3 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Mariah Bennett 9 (4 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Jillian Brown 5 (5 reb, 2 stl), Taylor Aguirre 3 (1 reb, 1 ast), Taylor Ingraham 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Emily Cole 2 (5 reb), Danielle Hays (1 reb, 2 ast), Daniana Ghandour (1 reb).

© East County Sports.com
LAS VEGAS (1-17-10) — For the first time in 17 games this season, the Mount Miguel Matadors got a taste of what it felt like to be knocked around here Saturday (Jan. 16) as they were battered by Bishop Gorman, 72-60, in the Bishop Gorman Elite Showcase.

“By the time we started to play our game we were in a deep hole,” said coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL, who’s Matadors trailed 24-8 after one quarter.

“We were down by 20 at halftime,” Sandoval noted. “I dunno, but it seemed like we had two or three girls who came here just to see the Las Vegas lights. They were completely out of it.”

That wasn’t the only problem for Mount Miguel (16-1), which suffered its first loss of the season.

Gaels’ point guard Aaryn Ellenberg, a 5-foot-8 senior, scored 41 points. Ellenberg, who has a scholarship to Oklahoma in hand, tallied 14 points in Bishop Gorman’s explosive opening quarter.

“She was locked in – completely in a zone,” Sandoval said. “She owned us.”

Nevada ’s No. 2 ranked Bishop Gorman (11-5), which has played a number of nationally ranked teams, led the Matadors by as many as 25 points at one stretch.

Here’s the oddity: The Gaels lost to San Diego Bishop’s 75-47, ten days after Mount Miguel belted Bishop’s 83-47.

“That was a whole different deal,” said Sandoval. “When Bishop Gorman played ( San Diego ) Bishop’s, Ellenberg was injured and played only half the game. And their post player, who scored 18 points against us, didn’t even play against Bishop’s.

“Not to make excuses, but Bishop Gorman was a different team when Bishop’s played them than when we played them.”

Senior DECHAE EVANS turned in a strong game for Mount Miguel with a double-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and 8 steals.

“She was one of our girls who played with a lot of intensity,” Sandoval said.

Mount Miguel: Dechae Evans 16 (10 reb, 2 ast, 8 stl), Danielle Miller 15 (2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Yvonte Neal 12 (2 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Nicole Fountain 8 (1 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Shataera Anderson 7 (4 reb, 1 ast), Myishia Watkins 2 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Shay Young (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl).

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-16-10) — The tightest race in East County figures to be in the Grossmont Hills League this season. Predicted frontrunners West Hills and Granite Hills lived up to that prognostication in Friday’s (Jan. 15) opening round at West Hills.

Although the Wolf Pack (10-5, 1-0 GHL) darted to a 10-2 start, the game came down to a mad scramble in the fourth quarter.

A 3-point bucket by Granite Hills’ SABRINA JIMENEZ tied the game at 41-all with 2:11 remaining. But that would be all the scoring the Eagles (14-5, 0-1 GHL) would do, as West Hills scored the last 10 points over the final 1:54 to gain a 51-41 victory.

Naderhoff added a bucket with 0:58 remaining and MARIAH BENNETT turned a steal into a layup to make it an 8-point lead with 38.3 seconds left. Naderhoff locked the game up by hitting both ends of a one-and-one free throw situation in the final 9 seconds.

With West Hills’ last minute surge, it would be hard to pinpoint which play was the back-breaker for Granite Hills. But it was obvious that Bennett’s transition basket took the wind out of the Eagles’ sails.

“I think when I got that steal and basket, that pretty much ended it,” Bennett said.

“This is a big win because this is our first league game and they’re supposed to be our top competitors.”

West Hills is seeking its third straight league championship. To attain that goal, beating the Eagles is a must.

“We had to show them that hey, we’re here to defend our title,” Bennett added. “So this was an extremely big game for us.”

Bennett and the Pack are anything but cocky, especially with their dealing against Granite Hills.

“Granite Hills has gotten tremendously better from the years that I’ve played against them,” said the 5-foot-5 senior guard. “They gave us their all. They are a great team and all props to them. It was a really fun game and I love playing them because they bring the heat every time.”

SHERIKA MILLER paced West Hills with 13 points and 8 rebounds. But it was Clark ’s key three treys in the game that definitely swayed things in West Hills’ favor.

“My shot wasn’t falling at the beginning. I’m glad I finally got a couple of big ones,” Clark said. “But actually I think what won it for us was our defense because our offense wasn’t there for us the whole time.”

“Granite Hills is a very physical team,” she added. “I’ve got scratches all over my arms and a cut on my thumb, but you know, that’s the way it goes. You don’t complain about it. You just play through it.”

Jimenez (13 points), SKYLAR WILLIAMS (12 points) and JESSICA HARRIS (11 points, 7 rebounds) carried the Granite Hills’ attack.

West Hills: Sherika Miller 13 (8 reb, 2 stl), Marilyn Naderhoff 11 (6 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Kimberly Clark 9, Mariah Bennett 8 (6 reb, 3 ast), Jillian Brown 4 (6 reb), Taylor Aguirre 2 (4 reb), Danielle Hays 2, Emily Cole 2 (2 reb).

Granite Hills: Sabrina Jimenez 13 (4 reb, 2 ast), Skylar Williams 12 (3 reb, 2 stl), Jessica Harris 11 (7 reb, 2 ast), Keji Kubari 3 (6 reb), Hailey Garner 1 (6 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Cora Leonard 1 (8 reb).

GROSSMONT 46, STEELE CANYON 34 – Visiting Steele Canyon opened the fourth quarter with a 29-27 lead and appeared on its way to a possible upset in Friday’s (Jan. 15) Grossmont Hills League opener.

The Foothillers (7-10, 1-0 GHL), who led at halftime 22-11, refused to fold as they regained their energy in the final quarter to gain a 38-33 lead with 2 minutes remaining.

That’s when the game came to a standstill.

A Foothillers player and Steele Canyon’s JANIQUE COFIELD went up for a rebound and collided hard. Cofield landed on her head, knocking her unconscious.

The game was stopped for 25 minutes as the paramedics tended to her and took her by gurney to a waiting ambulance for transport to Grossmont Hospital. Coach PENNY SMITH accompanied Cofield to the hospital.

On Saturday morning, EastCountySports.com spoke to Smith, who advised Cofield had suffered a concussion and had chest pain when she took deep breaths. No other details were available.

Once the game continued, it was all about the Foothillers, who scored 8 of the final 9 points of the game.

The Foothillers’ DANIELLE BALDERAS scored a game-high 13 points, the majority of which came on her 10 of 12 free throw shooting. She was 8 of 10 from the charity stripe in the 4th period alone. Balderas also captured 7 rebounds and made 5 steals.

TEYSHONNIA BEALER-WEST was Grossmont’s leading rebounder with 11 boards.

“It was a game of runs,” said Foothillers coach MEGAN LONG. “Grossmont went out 8-0 to start the game and Steele Canyon closed to within 8-7 in the 1st quarter. We went on another run at the end of the quarter.

“Their pressure bothered us in the 3rd quarter. We solved their zone defense in the 4th quarter. We found the gaps and we were able to penetrate them for some good shots.”

JANVIER BARBARIN and GABRIELLE BEASLEY shared team high scoring for Steele Canyon with 10 points apiece.

Grossmont: Danielle Balderas 13 (7 reb, 5 stl), Jessie Edgil 10 (5 reb, 2 stl), Frankie Treadwell 8 (6 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl), Teyshonnia Bealer-West 7 (11 reb, 2 blk), Danielle Dahle 4 (4 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Carley Applegate 4 (3 reb, 1 blk).

Steele Canyon: Janvier Barbarin 10, Gabrielle Beasley 10, Monique Van 7, Alexis Merlino 6, Janique Cofield 1.

SANTANA 46, EL CAJON VALLEY 34 – It appeared it was going to be smooth sailing for Santana in the Grossmont Valley League opener at El Cajon Valley as the Sultans steamed to a 13-2 first quarter lead.

While pleased by the quick start, Santana first-year head coach MARK TIPTON did not leave the edge of his seat.

For good reason. The Braves (3-15, 0-1 GVL) scrambled back to make a game of it, slicing Santana’s advantage to 22-13 by halftime.

“With our team nothing comes easy,” Tipton said. “So I thought we were hardly in position to think we had a lock.”

ALYSSA PADBERG led the Santana offense with 12 points and 5 assists, while SAMMY WHITE chipped in with 11 points and 4 boards. White was 5 for 5 from the free throw line.

DELIA FILES led Santana with 9 rebounds, but faltered at the free throw line making just one of 6. However she did account for Santana’s only 3-pointer.

KIM GROSS continued to be mired in a scoring slump but came up strong with 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

“We did a little triangle-3-2 zone and some 1-1-3 stack defense,” Tipton said. “I think it was effective and that’s probably because our kids play hard every night.”

KAYLANI FATEN led El Cajon Valley with 14 points and would have had more had she not missed 6 of 8 free throws.

Santana: Alyssa Padberg 12 (4 reb, 5 ast), Sammy White 11 (4 reb), Delia Files 6 (9 reb), Kim Gross 4 (7 reb, 3 stl), Brittany Falletta 4, Sarah Kvederis 2 (2 reb, 2 stl), Haley Burton 2 (2 reb), Kelsey Conley 2 (2 reb), Margie Panknin 2 (3 reb).

El Cajon Valley: Kaylani Faten 14, Natasha Fernandez 10, Hazel Doe 9, Miranda Mullens 1.

HELIX 61, VALHALLA 34 – The Highlanders once again turned out their SOS line. That would be offensive scoring guards KIMBERLY and KRISTINA SCOTT, who combined for 25 points in Friday’s (Jan. 15) Grossmont Hills League opener at Valhalla.

Kimberly Scott nailed 6 of 9 shots from the field and 3 free throws to pace the Highlanders with 15 points. Kristina Scott hit 4 of 6 shots, including 2 treys for 10 points.

For good measure, the Highlanders (8-6, 1-0 GHL) outscored the Norsemen in each of the four quarters as Helix won its third straight game.

“Our intent was to go out and put full court pressure on them to create turnovers,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “We were not able to get our running game going early. I’m pleased with the way we rebounded in the 2nd half. We had good balance in both scoring and rebounding.”

Valhalla’s TENISHA LEE held her own against the Highlanders with 15 points, including hitting 7 of 12 free throws.

“We just got outplayed,” said Valhalla coach VALLI LOPEZ. “We are young and have a whole summer to play and improve. Our shooting needs to improve and teams are taking advantage of our lack of experience.”

Helix: Kim Scott 15 (2 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Kristina Scott 10 (3 ast, 2 stl), Grace Osoimalo 9 (7 reb), Jasmine Hunn 8 (7 reb, 2 stl), Iesha Murray 7 (2 reb), Jacqueline Smith 6 (8 reb, 2 stl), Jasmine Williams 6, Faith Leaupepe-Tele (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl),Dana Hosley (5 reb).

Valhalla: Tenisha Lee 15 (3 reb, 3 stl), Alle Mims 6, Danielle Wilson 5 (7 reb, 1 blk), Kandise Kalasho 4 (2 ast), Chelsea Hale 2 (1 blk), Karissa Ferrell 2.

POINT LOMA 40, CHRISTIAN 27 –The Patriots moved a little closer in Friday (Jan. 15) night’s contest on the peninsula, but still fell short to the Pointers as their varsity and league record dipped to 0-3. No further details were reported on this Central League game.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-15-10) — Mount Miguel christened the new Grossmont Valley League with a lopsided 76-42 victory over host Monte Vista Thursday night (Jan. 14) on the Monarchs’ court.

YVONTE NEAL paced a balanced Matadors attack with 20 points, including 3 triples. DANIELLE MILLER pitched in with 18 points, and NICOLE FOUNTAIN added a dozen markers.

MYISHIA WATKINS did a marvelous job at the point, dishing out 12 assists.

“I really didn’t like our effort at the beginning,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “I wouldn’t say that we were flat, but our intensity was lacking. I guess one of the reasons for that is we haven’t played for 13 days, or it could that the girls are looking forward to going to Las Vegas (over the weekend).”

Mount Miguel (16-0) will take on Bishop Gorman, the No. 2 ranked team in Nevada, in the Silver State this Saturday (Jan. 16) at 6 p.m. They will wrap up a two-game series in Las Vegas against Foothill Monday (Jan. 18) at 11 a.m.

Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE was not crushed by the results in the first of the Monarchs two league games against crosstown rival Mount Miguel.

“When we ran our sets we got good looks,” said Skibbe, whose Matadors trailed 29-9 after one quarter. “When we went away from our sets we did a poor job shooting. But I’ll tell you this, my players are not afraid of Mount Miguel. We’re getting better against them, even though their press hurt us early.”

DEANNA BEMBRY had a double-double for Monte Vista (9-9). Bembry had 13 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks.

“Bembry is developing into a pretty good player,” Sandoval said of the Monarchs’ team leader. “And that No. 50 (SHAMONIQUE BOYD) is pretty tough in the post too.”

Boyd finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Mount Miguel recorded 22 steals against the Monarchs.

Mount Miguel: Yvonte Neal 20 (4 reb), Danielle Miller 18 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl), Nicole Fountain 12 (4 reb, 1 blk, 5 stl), Myishia Watkins 7 (12 ast, 3 stl), Shay Young 7 (7 ast, 1 blk), Shataera Anderson 6 (3 reb, 4 stl), Dechae Evans 4 (3 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 5 stl), Charity Lyons 2 (2 stl).

Monte Vista: Deanna Bembry 13 (12 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Shamonique Boyd 12 (7 reb, 2 blk), Dionna Mercer 9, Alex Ross 3 (3 ast), Jessica Garcia 2, Tasha Brown 2 ( 5 reb), Stefanie Banks 1 (3 reb).

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-14-10) — Junior ALEX ROSS scored her first layup of the season with 4 seconds remaining, giving visiting Monte Vista a 53-51 victory over Steele Canyon in Wednesday’s (Jan. 13) Grossmont Conference crossover game.

With 30 seconds to play Monte Vista’s KAYLA PUSEY hit a turnaround shot from the post to tie it at 51-51.

Steele Canyon then missed a one-and-one and the Monarchs’ DEANNA BEMBRY got the rebound. Bembry hurled a pass to Pusey, who hustled down the court with 6 seconds remaining and took a shot which missed its mark.

Ross grabbed the rebound and took care of the rest, lifting the Monarchs record to 9-8.

“I told the gals the game was going to be a fight and we played real hard for 32 minutes,” said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE.

Bembry and SHAMONIQUE BOYD anchored the Monarchs with double-doubles. Bembry contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds while blocking 7 shots. Boyd had 11 points and 15 rebounds. Ross finished with 11 points.

JANVIER BARBARIN (13 points) and GABRIELLE BEASLEY (12 points) paced Steele Canyon (6-9).

“My team played hard,” said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH. “If you were at the game you saw how it went.”

Monte Vista: Deanna Bembry 14 (11 reb, 7 blk, 3 stl), Alex Ross 11 (2 reb, 3 stl), Shamonique Boyd 11 (15 reb, 2 blk, 3 stl), Dionna Mercer 8 (2 reb, 3 stl), Kayla Pusey 7 (4 reb), Stefanie Banks 2, Shantee Woods (4 reb).

Steele Canyon: Janvier Barbarin 13, Gabrielle Beasley 12, Alexis Merlino 9, Monique Van 7, Michelle Beasley 5, Janique Cofield 5.

HELIX 34, EL CAJON VALLEY 30 – It was a narrow escape for the visiting Helix Highlanders (7-6), who led upset-minded El Cajon Valley by only 13-12 in Wednesday’s (Jan. 13) Grossmont Conference Crossover contest in El Cajon.

“We weren’t prepared tonight,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “ El Cajon Valley outplayed us. We need to play one game at a time instead of looking ahead at the schedule. I’m disappointed in our effort tonight.”

The Highlanders used a 15-9 run in the 3rd quarter, which ultimately decided the issue. Despite winning, Helix shot a paltry 24 percent from the floor and just 44 percent from the free throw line.

KIM SCOTT led Helix with 15 points.

KAYLANI FATEN tallied 11 points to top El Cajon Valley (3-14).

“I just want to say how proud I am of my girls,” said Braves interim coach and athletic director RANDY ROBINSON. “Even though we ended up losing by four, they played a really good game – they left it all on the court. They played with a lot of passion. The girls are progressing.”

Helix: Kim Scott 15 (4 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Jasmine Willliams 6, Jacqueline Smith 5 (10 reb), Faith Leaupepe-Tele 4 (3 reb), Grace Osoimalo 2 (5 reb), Alyxis Audley 2 (1 blk), Jasmine Hunn (7 reb).

El Cajon Valley: Kaylani Faten 11, Terika Williams 8, Sharde Williams 7, Hazel Doe 4.

EL CAPITAN 49, VALHALLA 46 – ERICA ARIE scored 11 points, snared 7 rebounds and dished 4 assists to help lead visiting El Capitan past Valhalla in Wednesday’s (Jan. 13) Grossmont Conference crossover game.

The pivotal quarter in this contest was the 3rd period when the Vaqueros (7-9) went on a 22-8 scoring run.

MARISSA PITMAN led the charge by hitting a pair of 3s. NIKE SPRING also hit a trey as the Vaqueros erased a 23-15 halftime deficit.

“It was one of the ugliest games I’ve ever seen, and it was a halftime talk that I hope not to have to do again,” said El Capitan coach FRANK QUINONES. “I don’t know what it is… you can’t teach heart. That’s all it is right now. ( Valhalla coach) VALLI (LOPEZ) had her team prepared. They got way too many opportunities on the offensive end.”

“We finally started penetrating, making better passes. I challenged our seniors – they had to step up and take control of the game. It could have gone either way tonight.”

Valhalla freshman KANDISE KALASHO scored a game-high 17 points which included hitting 3 of 4 shots from above the arc. She also had 4 layups and a steal.

“She was on fire – she’s really developing well,” said Lopez. “I enjoy coaching her.”

TENISHA LEE added a dozen points for the Norsemen. She connected on 5 of 9 shots from the floor but only 2 of 9 free throws. She led Valhalla with 7 rebounds.

“We are coming along. It’s painful to always lose by just a bucket,” said Lopez.

“It came down to the last few seconds… we just didn’t convert our layup. We also didn’t play a complete game. We have moments of good basketball and then our inexperience will cost us. All in all, the girls are learning how to compete. We are in every game for the most part. I don’t think we’ve faced a team we are incapable of beating in the last two months.”

“I’m excited to see these girls grow more and develop as time goes on.”

El Capitan: Erica Arie 11 (7 reb, 4 ast), Marissa Pitman 9 (4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Amber Rel-Solia 8 (7 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Niki Spring 6, Chelsey Kyle 5 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Emily Sutton 4 (5 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Megan Drennen 2 (4 reb), Robyn Staley-Logel 2, Vanessa Sierra 2, Dorian Borras (2 reb).

Valhalla: Kandise Kalasho 17, Tenisha Lee 12 (7 reb, 1 blk), Danielle Wilson 9 (4 reb, 2 stl), Mackenzie Cartmill 2 (4 stl, 5 reb), Chelsea Hale 4, Karissa Ferrell 2.

GROSSMONT 51, SANTANA 33 – The Foothillers outscored the Sultans in all four quarters as they stormed to a lopsided Grossmont Conference crossover encounter Wednesday (Jan. 13) in Santee.

“We ran into a buzzsaw,” said Santana coach MARK TIPTON. “They played real well. They took us out of our game, played outstanding defense. They were quicker than I anticipated. We are really struggling right now – the girls are a little frustrated.”

DANIELLE BALDERAS led Grossmont with 16 points, including a pair of treys. DANIELLE DAHLE added 13 points and a pair of 3-pointers. All of FRANKIE TREADWELL’s 6 points came from 3-point range as Grossmont connected on 8 of 16 shots from above the arc.

By comparison Santana hit only two 3-pointers, both by ALYSSA PADBERG, who topped the Sultans with 14 points overall.

Holding Santana to 33 points was the third best effort by the Foothillers.

“What worked for us tonight was a lot of good defense,” said Grossmont coach MEGAN LONG. “We were able to rebound and get the ball upcourt real fast. We got some good looks at the basket from this.”

Grossmont: Danielle Balderas 16 (2 reb, 3 ast, 7 stl), Danielle Dahle 13 (7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Frankie Treadwell 6 (5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Chloe Cook 5, Jessie Edgil 4 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), Carley Applegate 3 (5 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl), Teyshonnia Bealer-West 2 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Christa Sawyers 2 (3 reb).

Santana: Alyssa Padberg 14 (11 reb, 5 ast), Kim Gross 6 (6 reb), Haley Burton 5 (7 reb), Sammy White 4 (3 reb), Margie Panknin 3 (4 reb), Delia Files 1 (10 reb).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-13-10) — Kearny High, the Central League co-leaders with Coronado out of the gate, flew to a fast 21-3 first-quarter lead to stop Christian in Tuesday's (Jan. 12) contest at Ryan Athletic Center.

Christian: Alesia Lowery 7, Mia Johnson 5, Mo Elliott 3. No other game information was reported.

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-12-10) — In days gone by, Helix and Santana high schools were two basketball programs ranked among the best in East County. This season, both teams are scrambling for respectability.

The visiting Highlanders escaped with a 44-40 victory thanks to a 12-5 scoring run in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s (Jan. 11) Grossmont Conference crossover encounter.

It’s literally been and up and down season for Helix (6-6), which only once has posted back-to-back victories.

Senior guard KIM SCOTT paved the way for the Highlanders against Santana (4-13) with 22 points. She hit 8 of 16 shots from the floor, including a pair of treys. The 5-foot-2 playmaker also created 8 steals, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 5 assists.

“I told the girls that this game would probably go the full four quarters and right down to the wire, and it did,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “KIM SCOTT was outstanding in all phases of the game. That’s the kind of effort we need from her every game.”

JACQUELINE SMITH, a 5-foot-10 junior post, clicked on 4 of 5 shots from the floor for 8 points. She also led the team with 8 rebounds.

Although she did not have eye-popping numbers, Merideth praised 5-foot-2 senior point guard JASMINE WILLIAMS for her ability to direct the offense while also playing clamp down defense.

“Jasmine Williams played real well, both on offense and defense,” Merideth noted.

For Santana, HALEY BURTON turned in one of her better games of the year, pouring in 11 points, snagging 6 rebounds, blocking 3 shots and recording 3 steals.

The Sultans’ DELIA FILES hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds, one more than teammate KIM GROSS.

Helix: Kim Scott 22 (7 reb, 5 ast, 8 stl), Jacqueline Smith 8 (8 reb), Grace Osoimalu 6 (3 reb), Faith Leaupepe-Tele 3 (6 reb, 3 stl), Jasmine Williams 3, Iesha Murray (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Jasmine Hunn 2 (6 reb), Alyxis Audley (2 reb).

Santana: Haley Burton 11 (6 reb, 3 stl, 3 blk), Alyssa Padberg 7 (4 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk), Kim Gross 7 (9 reb, 2 ast), Sammy White 7 (2 reb, 1 blk), Delia Files 4 (10 reb, 2 stl), Brittany Falletta 2, Margie Panknin 2, Sarah Kvederis (2 reb).

GRANITE HILLS 67, EL CAPITAN 39 – After jumping out to a 12-2 start in Monday’s (Jan. 11) Grossmont Conference crossover contest, the visiting Granite Hills Eagles ran out the El Capitan Vaqueros.

“They are a very talented team,” said Vaqueros coach FRANK QUINONES. “I thought we were prepared for them. In the 1st quarter we just laid a goose egg. We let them get a couple of threes (5 to be exact).”

JESSICA HARRIS carried the torch for Granite Hills (14-4), knocking down 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

It was the Eagles’ sixth win in their last seven decisions, and 10th in 12 games.

“Granite Hills is playing well right now – (Coach) JERRY (PARKER) has those girls working hard,” Quinones added.

Steady SABRINA JIMENEZ turned in a double-double for Granite Hills with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also had 6 steals and 4 assists.

Freshman guard SKYLAR WILLIAMS, who is making a strong bid for East County Rookie of the Year honors, chipped in with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for the Eagles.

“In the 3rd quarter we picked it up defensively,” said Parker. “We started forcing some turnovers and started to put more pressure on them. I thought my girls did a great job rebounding tonight. We’re trying to get our guards more involved in rebounding.”

AMBER REL-SOLIA accounted for nearly half of El Capitan ’s points with 16 to go along with 6 rebounds.

Granite Hills: Jessica Harris 16 (5 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl), Sabrina Jimenez 12 (10 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 6 blk), Skylar Williams 12 (8 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Hailey Garner 6 (2 reb), Keji Kubari 6 (7 reb, 2 stl), Samantha Silva 6 (5 stl), Alyssa Canoff 3, Kayla Kemp 2, Cora Leonard (2 reb, 1 blk).

El Capitan: Amber Rel-Solia 16 (6 reb), Megan Drennen 6 (5 reb, 2 stl), Erica Arie 5 (6 reb, 3 blk, 5 stl), Emily Sutton 4 (3 reb), Niki Spring 3 (2 stl), Ashley Andersen 3 (2 stl), Darian Borras 2, Marissa Pitman (4 reb), Robyn Staley-Logel (3 ast), Chelsey Kyle (2 stl), Vanessa Carrillo (2 reb).

WEST HILLS 68, MONTE VISTA 30 – No team in the Grossmont Hills League has better balance than West Hills. The Wolf Pack proved that again in Monday’s (Jan. 11) Grossmont Conference crossover game at Monte Vista.

MARILYN NADERHOFF spun in 8 of 10 shots from the floor on her way to a game high 17 points. KIMBERLY CLARK nailed a trio of triples to finish with 11 points for the Wolf Pack.

Ten players contributed to the West Hills scoring totals. The Wolf Pack outscored host Monte Vista in all four quarters, beginning with a 23-6 first period run.

“We came out really well and jumped on them early,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “We were abele to maintain our advantage. We shot the ball much better tonight than we have been lately. We had too many turnovers and rebounded poorly in the 2nd half.”

Defensively West Hills held the Monarchs to a season low 30 points. The Wolf Pack’s defensive bite started by shutting down East County ’s leading scorer, DEANNA EMBRY, holding her to 7 points, which is less than half of her 15.8 season average.

SHAMONIQUE BOYD led the Monarchs with 8 points.

“We were down 28-14 with two minutes left in the 1st half,” said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. “We made too many late mistakes in the half. I thought we gave a real good effort tonight. They are a very difficult team to match up against. West Hills took us completely out of our offensive scheme of things.”

West Hills: Marilyn Naderhoff 17 (4 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Kimberly Clark 11 (4 reb, 2 stl), Sherika Miller 9 (4 reb, 1 blk), Emily Cole 9 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Taylor Aguirre 8 (3 ast), Mariah Bennett 5 (3 reb, 3 ast), Danielle Hays 5 (5 reb), Alexa Evans 2, Jillian Brown 1 (2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Daniana Ghandour 1 (3 reb, 2 stl), Taylor Ingraham (3 reb).

Monte Vista: Shamonique Boyd 8, Deanna Bembry 7, Jessica Garcia 6, Dionna Mercer 5, Stefanie Banks 2, Shantee Woods 2, Alex Ross (3 stl), Tasha Brown (3 reb).

STEELE CANYON 53, EL CAJON VALLEY 28 – JANVIER BARBARIN jammed in 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead visiting Steele Canyon to a Grossmont Conference crossover victory over El Cajon Valley Monday night (Jan. 11).

Barbarin netted 8 of 12 shots from the floor and added two free throws for the Cougars (6-7), who sprinted to a 19-4 first quarter lead.

“Tonight I let my girls go,” said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH. “I completely scrapped our offense and our defense. I’m letting them play what they want to play. I told my players if we want to make playoffs we had to start winning tonight. Basically all I did was control the substitutions.”

MONIQUE VAN added 13 points and MICHELLE BEASLEY chipped in with 11 for Steele Canyon. TERIKA WILLIAMS topped El Cajon Valley (3-13) with 13 points.

“I thought Steele Canyon ’s kids came out real strong,” said El Cajon Valley interim coach RANDY ROBINSON. “We crawled back into the game by the end of the 2nd quarter, but they took control in the 3rd quarter. We played hard. Their experience was hard to overcome.”

Steele Canyon: Janvier Barbarin 18 (13 reb), Monique Van 13, Michelle Beasley 11, Janique Cofield 5 (6 ast), Gabrielle Beasley 3 (7 ast, 7 stl), Samantha Vernon 2, Fair 1.

El Cajon Valley: Terika Williams 13, Kaylani Faten 8, Hazel Doe 4, Natasha Fernandez 2, Sharde Williams 1.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-10-10) — RANDY ROBINSON returned to the coaching ranks on an interim basis Saturday (Jan. 9) and his El Cajon Valley Braves responded with a 37-22 win over San Ysidro in the Mount Miguel LBA Elite Classic.

Braves head coach CARLOS MOSS is out of town due to a family emergency.

“When I stopped to think about it I’ve been coaching for five decades,” Robinson said. “I started back in 1977 at Kearny. I’m not saying I’ve coached for 50 years but it just seems like every time I think I’ve retired, there seems to be a need for me to come back.”

This is the first of four games Robinson will coach in Moss’ absence.

Guys like Robinson… coaching is in their blood because they can always come back without skipping a beat.

The Braves (3-12) had to scramble to get past San Ysidro as they led only 23-22 after three quarters.

Sophomore NATASHA FERNANDEZ sparked a 14-1 fourth quarter run to secure the victory for El Cajon Valley. She hit a 3-pointer and then two free throws and made a great pass inside to KAYLANI FATEN to put the Braves up by 11.

“We started out OK in the 4th quarter but we were only up by four, and then Fernandez took over the game,” said Robinson.

Faten finished with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Guard HAZEL DOE chipped in with 11 points, 9 steals and 7 assists.

“Our girls played with great purpose and poise,” Robinson noted. “Our intensity was up where it needs to be.”

Robinson also credited Doe and TERICKA WILLIAMS for holding down San Ysidro’s top scorer 11 points below her season average.

El Cajon Valley: Hazel Doe 11 (7 ast, 9 stl), Kaylani Faten 11 (11 reb), Natasha Fernandez 7 (4 reb), Tericka Williams 6 (3 ast, 3 stl), Miranda Mullens 2.

SAN DIEGO 54, SANTANA 26 – Plain and simple, Santana did not have the speed to keep up with the San Diego Cavers in Saturday’s (Jan. 9) LBA Elite Classic at Mount Miguel.

Perhaps that’s why San Diego took a 28-13 halftime lead and never looked back.

Santana (4-12) made only six baskets in the contest, shooting at less than a 15 percent clip.

On the upside half of the baskets were 3-pointers, including two by ALYSSA PADBERG, who also made 8 of 10 free throws to finish with 14 points.

MARGIE PANKNIN grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Sultans.

Speedy Tia Dixon has 12 points and 9 assists for San Diego (12-4).

“ San Diego is so quick and athletic,” said Sultans coach MARK TIPTON. “Our schedule has been very difficult. We got off to a strong start but could not maintain the momentum. We did a good job on the boards.”

“We have played almost all of the top ranked teams in San Diego, including the top Division II teams.”

Santana: Alyssa Padberg 14 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk), Delia Files 3 (2 reb), Sammy White 3 (2 reb), Kim Gross 2 (3 reb), Sarah Kvederis 2 (4 reb), Kelsey Conley 2, Margie Panknin (2 reb, 2 stl), Haley Burton (10 reb).

IMPERIAL 45, STEELE CANYON 44 – It was a long drive to lose a game by inches. But Steele Canyon Cougars narrowly missed pulling out a non-league victory when GABRIELLE BEASLEY missed a shot at the buzzer Saturday (Jan. 9) in the Imperial Valley.

“There were a lot of turnovers and a lot of missed shots, especially layups,” said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH.

JANVIER BARBARIN rang up a double-double for Steele Canyon of 14 points and 12 rebounds, but easily could have had more.

“We got the ball in to our post just about any time we wanted to,” Smith said. “But we couldn’t complete the play.”

Steele Canyon: Janvier Barbarin 14 (12 rebounds), Gabrielle Beasley 10, Janique Cofield 5 (9 reb), Michelle Beasley 5, Monique Van 6, Alexis Merlino 4.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-9-10) — The Monte Vista Monarchs, who figure to be the only challenge to superpower Mount Miguel in the Grossmont Valley League, used a 19-2 second quarter run on its way to a 59-37 victory over visiting Valhalla in Friday’s (Jan. 8) Grossmont Conference crossover contest.

As usual, 5-foot-9 junior DEANNA BEMBRY led the way for the Monarchs (8-7) with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.

“We started out sluggish and jumped on them in the second quarter,” said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE.

Monte Vista (8-7) held a 46-19 lead after three quarters.

“Because of that we were able to get our bench into the game,” Skibbe said. “We were handling the ball much better. We were making good passes and we were setting up good open shots. The girls continue to play hard and improve each game.”

ALEX ROSS added 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals for the Monarchs. All but one of her points came on 3-point buckets.

SHAMONIQUE BOYD dominated the board by corralling 13 caroms to go along with 7 points.

“We play three games in four days next week against three good teams (West Hills, Steele Canyon, Mount Miguel),” noted Skibbe. “We should know where we stand by Thursday night (Jan. 14).”

DANIELLE WILSON carried the torch for Valhalla with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while TENISHA LEE added 11 points and 4 boards for the Norsemen (5-10).

“We only had 17 points after two and a half quarters,” Valhalla coach VALLI LOPEZ. “They know they didn’t play well at all. We got no production from our key players.”

Monte Vista: Deanna Bembry 21 (10 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl), Alex Ross 10 (3 reb, 3 stl), Shamonique Boyd 7 (13 reb), Dionna Mercer 7 (3 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Shantee Woods 6 (2 ast, 2 stl), Stefanie Banks 4 (6 reb), Kayla Pusey 2 (4 reb), Tasha Brown 2 (4 reb).

Valhalla: Danielle Wilson 18 (7 reb, 3 stl), Tenisha Lee 11 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Kandise Kalasho 4 (2 reb), Alle Mims 3 (3 reb), Karissa Ferrell 1 (2 reb), Ashlee Alfonso (2 reb, 3 blk).

EL CAPITAN 47, GROSSMONT 32 – Host El Capitan outscored the visiting Foothillers in all four quarters Friday (Jan. 8) night to walk away with an easy Grossmont Conference victory at Foster Gymnasium.

AMBER REL-SOLIA, the kingpin of the Vaqueros’ arsenal, landed 5 of 9 shots from the field and 3 of 4 free throws for a game high 13 points.

Freshman NIKI SPRING popped in a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 12 points to lead the supporting cast of the Vaqueros (6-8).

“Grossmont plays a 1-1-3 match-up zone, and we practiced against it for the last three days,” said El Capitan coach FRANK QUINONES. “Our game plan was to slow the game down and make their defense work. We did that.”

El Capitan led 28-18 by intermission.

“We had some extra motivation before the game that pumped the girls up,” said Quinones, declining to say just what it was that lit the spark. Whatever it was, it was effective.

“I thought we prepared very well for them,” he said. “There were no standouts on our team tonight. Overall we played great defense and got the rebounds we needed.”

El Capitan: Amber Rel-Solia 13 (3 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Niki Spring 12 (2 stl), Chelsey Kyle 6 (5 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl), Marissa Pitman 6 (7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Erica Aries 6 (6 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl), Emily Sutton 4 (5 reb, 1 blk).

Grossmont: Teyshonnia Bealer-West 9, Jessie Edgil 9, Chloe Cook 6, Carley Applegate 3, Frankie Treadwell 3, Danielle Dahle 2. (No other details provided.)

STEELE CANYON 43, SANTANA 35 – A technical foul on Steele Canyon coach PENNY SMITH nearly cost the Cougars a victory in Friday night’s (Jan. 8) Grossmont Conference crossover contest in Sante.

No question after one period, Smith was disgruntled as the Sultans had sprinted to a 13-4 lead. Smith and his Cougars regained their poise and shaved the Santana lead to 18-17 by halftime.

Steele Canyon (5-7) maintained its momentum to outscore the Sultans in each of the final two quarters.

“In the 1st half we didn’t do so well,” Smith said, “but in the 2nd half we came out hard and dominated.”

With 4:22 remaining, Steele Canyon was whistled for a foul and Smith’s protest drew a technical.

At that point, had the Sultans converted all four free throws, they would have tied the game. That didn’t happen as Santana made only 1 of the 4.

In the final minutes of the game Santana missed 5 of 6 free throws, which tagged them with their 11th loss in 15 decisions.

“The girls played really hard,” said Santana coach MARK TIPTON. “We were still in the game until the very end.”

Statistically speaking the Sultans could have easily been blown out. They committed 33 turnovers, converted only 18 of 40 free throws and shot 8 of 38 from the field.

DELIA FILES led Santana’s defensive effort with 10 boards and 5 steals.

Steele Canyon: Janvier Barbarin 11, Gabrielle Beasley 11, Janique Cofield 7, Alexis Merlino 7, Monique Van 5, Michelle Beasley 1.

Santana: Margie Panknin 10 (4 reb, 6 stl), Alyssa Padberg 7 (4 ast, 2 stl), Delia Files 6 (10 reb, 5 stl), Haley Burton 6 (3 reb, 1 blk), Sammy White 4 (6 reb), Kim Gross 2, Sarah Kvederis (2 stl).

CLAIREMONT 43, CHRISTIAN 27 – The revamped Patriots may need a little more time in order to become competitive again, yet with an influx of fresh talent and a new coaching staff led by Christian Heritage College graduate THOMAS LOWERY, the ballclub seems headed in the right direction.

Taking an extra month to prepare for the season, the Patriots became the final East County team to finally take the court for their opener Friday (Jan. 8). They stayed with visiting Clairemont for three quarters before watching the winless Chieftains capture the Central League affair at Ryan Athletic Center.

"They jumped on us late, but it's still a step up for us after playing in a couple of JV tournaments," said ALESIA LOWERY, a sophomore among Christian's crop of new faces. "If we keep this up, we're sure to get a win our next time out."

Lowery paced the Pats with 9 points, sharing scoring honors with MONIQUE ELLIOTT, who is better known as an All-East County shortstop for the school's fastpitch team.

Lowery's debut started well, registering a steal for a breakaway layin for a 2-0 lead, then opening the second quarter with a 14-foot jumper to close to within a point of Clairemont (1-5, 0-1 CL).

However, the Chieftains closed the third period on a 10-2 run by dominating on the boards to finish with a 63-30 edge in rebounds, with center Priscilla Murillo grabbing 17 boards.

"It's about what we expected," added Lowery. "But if we keep running our offense and work hard on defense, we'll do okay."

Elliot led Christian with 5 steals, while RICKI GENTRY, another softball import, led the team under the glass with 8 rebounds.

The highlight of the night came during a dead-ball situation after an errant shot landed and remained on top of the backcourt. A new ball was about to be put in play, but one of the referees thought he could dislodge the ball from its heights. It took three tries, but he not only jarred it loose, the ball then sailed down and straight through the basket.

Fortunately, the officials did not award themselves two points.

Christian: Alesia Lowery 9 (5 reb, 3 stl), Monique Elliott 9 (5 reb, 4 stl), Mia Johnson 3 (4 reb), Ricki Gentry 2 (8 reb), Makala Bailey 2 (4 stl, 4 reb), Anaya Tobiason 2.

CANYON CREST 37, HELIX 33 – The visiting Highlanders faltered in the paint, hitting just 3 of 25 shots and that was the difference in Friday’s (Jan. 8) non-league game at Canyon Crest.

“The guards were working the ball down into the post but we couldn’t get our shots to drop,” said Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH. “We were getting the shots but the ball wouldn’t drop.”

Once again the SCOTT twins – KIM and KRISTINA – carried the offense with 24 points between them. But the lack of inside support cost the Highlanders the victory.

Helix (5-6) led 16-13 at halftime and maintained a 23-21 lead after three quarters.

The Highlanders shot only 24 percent from the field and 48 percent from the free throw line. Most of that offensive output was generated by the Scotts. The sisters were 7 for 15 from the field and 9 for 16 from the free throw line.

“We have been trying to get the players to play with more intensity, and tonight we were very intense,” said Merideth. “I liked our defensive effort. Our defense kept us in the game, but we really need to work on our free throws.”

Helix: Kim Scott 13 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Kristina Scott 11 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Jacqueline Smith 4 (2 reb, 1 blk), Grace Osoimalo 3 (5 reb), Jasmine Hunn 2 (5 reb), Jasmine Williams (3 reb).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-6-10) — Winners in 9 of their last 11 games, the Granite Hills Eagles knocked off visiting Monte Vista in rather methodical fashion 65-48 in a Grossmont Conference crossover game on Tuesday (Jan. 5).

The Eagles (13-4) blazed to a 17-10 lead and built a 61-36 advantage after three quarters.

Once again, the Eagles relied on a balanced attack guided by senior SABRINA JIMENEZ, who punched in a game-high 22 points.

“We went on a run at the end of the second quarter and pulled away from them,” said Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “Then we put in some of our bench girls to give them some experience, some playing time.”

Four Eagles reached double scoring digits. Sophomore JESSICA HARRIS added 13 points, freshman SKYLAR WILLIAMS tossed in 12 and sophomore HAILEY GARNER pitched in 10.

Monte Vista was led by junior DEANNA BEMBRY, who generated 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 5 steals.

“In the last minute of the second quarter, we made some mistakes and they jumped on it,” Monte Vista coach MIKE SKIBBE said. “Every time we made a mistake they took it and scored. We made some young choices. It was something we learned from.”

Granite Hills: Sabrina Jimenez 22 (4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Jessica Harris 13, Hailey Garner 10 (2 reb), Cora Leonard 4 (5 reb, 3 stl), Alyssa Canoff 3, Keji Kubari 2 (5 reb, Skylar Williams 2 (2 ast), Kayla Kemp (1 blk).

Monte Vista: Deanna Bembry 13 (7 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk, 5 stl), Kayla Pusey 8 (2 reb), Jessica Garcia 6 (3 reb, 2 stl), Stefanie Banks 6 (3 reb), Shantee Woods 6, Dionna Mercer 5 (5 reb), Shamonique Boyd 4 (9 reb), Tasha Brown 2, Alex Ross (6 reb).

WEST HILLS 54, SANTANA 31 – Even though West Hills had gone nearly two weeks without playing a game, the Wolf Pack looked reasonably sharp in Tuesday’s (Jan. 5) Grossmont Conference crossover victory over Santee rival Santana.

“I don’t think the break was a real issue tonight,” said West Hills coach RYAN KINSER. “Overall it wasn’t a bad effort for our first game back after the holidays. Santana played real well in the 1st quarter.”

The game was knotted 11-11 after the first period before the Pack embarked on a 33-9 scoring spree over the middle two quarters

“We turned our defense up during the 2nd and 3rd quarters and really took control of the game,” Kinser said.

West Hills (8-5) committed only 10 turnovers, half of them coming in the first quarter.

Nine players contributed to Wolf Pack’s scoring total led by SHERIKA MILLER’s 13 points.

ALYSSA PADBERG paced Santana (4-10) with 13 points.

“Our girls played great in the 1st quarter,” Santana coach MARK TIPTON said. “West Hills is a very disciplined and balanced team. There were no cheap plays in this game. Ryan has a really nice team and showed a lot of class.”

Tipton was referring to the Wolf Pack not running up the score.

West Hills: Sherika Miller 13 (5 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Mariah Bennett 8 (2 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Danielle Hays 8 (7 reb, 2 stl), Marilyn Naderhoff 7 (3 reb, 5 ast), Kimberly Clark 6 (2 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Taylor Aguirre 6 (3 reb), Jillian Brown 4 (7 reb, 1 blk), Taylor Ingraham 2, Alexa Evans (2 reb).

Santana: Alyssa Padberg 13 (7 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Delia Files 9 (4 reb, 1 blk), Margie Panknin 4 (5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Kelsey Conley 4 (3 reb), Kim Gross 1 (8 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Amanda Grable (1 blk).

PATRICK HENRY 53, GROSSMONT 38 – Trailing out of the gate, the visiting Foothillers gave the Patriots, a ballclub listed among the honorable mention in both major county polls, all they could handle for three periods in Tuesday's (Jan. 5) annual Battle of Cowles Mountain.

Down 14-7, Grossmont (5-9) shocked the Pats (12-3) by controlling the middle to ignite a 14-2 scoring run to hold the lead for four minutes on both sides of the intermission.

"We handled their pressure pretty well," said Hillers forward TAY BEALER-WEST, who shared game honors with teammate DANIELLE DAHLE with 13 rebounds. "We just settled down and didn't get rattled."

Dahle collected 10 of her team-high 12 points in the first half, including the go-ahead basket.

Dahle collected an inbounds pass from DANIELLE BALDERAS for a layin while being fouled for a 17-16 advantage. Although she missed the foul shot, Bealer-West grabbed the rebound for the putback and a 3-point lead with 3:38 left in the half. The 4-point play was the centerpiece of a 10-0 run by the Hillers.

Meanwhile, Grossmont's defense finally found a way to contain Patrick Henry scoring leader Farrah Shokour. The forward scored 10 points in the first period, but just 10 additional points the rest of the way.

Making up the Patriots' scoring slack came courtesy of guard Lindsey Thorstenson, who drained a pair of 3-balls to close the third period, and center Mel Ferback, who tallied half of her 12 points in the fourth period for the two-time defending Eastern League champions.

For Grossmont, JESSIE EDGIL sank 5 of her 7 shots from the field for 10 points, while Balderas finished with 9 points.

“I have never been more proud of a team after a loss than I was after this game,” said Foothillers coach MEGAN LONG. “Our defense got us back into the game after Patrick Henry jumped out to an early 10-point lead. Patrick Henry is a very physical team – they out-physicaled us in the third quarter to take control of the game.”

Grossmont: Danielle Dahle 12 (13 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Jessie Edgil 10 (3 reb), Danielle Balderas 9 (3 ast), Frankie Treadwell 5 (5 reb), Tay Bealer-West 2 (13 reb), Carley Applegate 0 (6 reb, 3 ast).

HELIX 55, SAN YSIDRO 15 – The SCOTT sisters – KRISTINA and KIM – led the Highlanders to a lopsided romp over San Ysidro in a non-league game Tuesday (Jan. 5) in La Mesa.

The 5-foot-2 junior guards combined for 34 points as the Highlanders balanced their ledger at 5-5.

Kim Scott cranked in 10 of 14 shots from the field and added one free throw for a game high 21 points. Kristina Scott was 6-for-8 shooting, including one 3-pointer.

JACQUELINE SMITH added 12 points and 7 rebounds to the Helix coffers.

“We definitely had a height advantage right across the board,” Helix coach TRINA MERIDETH said. “Our front court took complete control. We did a great job of moving the ball and getting everyone involved. I was pleased with our balance in the scoring columns. Defensively we completely shut them down.”

Helix: Kim Scott 21 (5 reb, 5 ast), Kristina Scott 13 (2 reb, 3 ast), Jacqueline Smith 12 (7 reb, 1 blk), Grace Osoimalo 4 (6 reb), Faith Leaupepe-Tele 2, Dana Hosley 2, Brittany Hollie 1, Jasmine Hunn (5 reb, 1 blk).

© East County Sports.com
PACIFIC BEACH (1-3-10) — Junior guard CHLOE COOK nailed a 3-point bucket with 50 seconds remaining, giving Grossmont a 43-42 victory over Escondido in Saturday’s (Jan. 2) Mission Bay Shootout.

With 38 seconds left, Grossmont (5-8) had possession of the ball and held it until 8 seconds remained. The Foothillers took a shot that would have iced the game but missed the mark and Escondido got the rebound and called timeout. However, the Cougars never got off a final shot.

Grossmont had 23 turnovers and forced 30 turnovers from Escondido.

“It was a very sloppy game – a statistical nightmare,” said Foothillers coach MEGAN LONG. “I told the team I was proud of their effort down the stretch. Our perimeter defense late in the game was outstanding.”

Grossmont: Danielle Dahle 11 (2 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl), Danielle Balderas 9 (3 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl), Frankie Treadwell 6 (2 reb, 3 ast, 6 stl), Carley Applegate 6 (3 reb, 4 stl), Chloe Cook 5, Teyshonnia Bealer-West 4 (3 reb), Jessie Edgil 2 (5 reb).