Helix' Chanelle Ward forces (left) Kylie Cristini of West Hills to pick up her dribble in GHL play. (Photos by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (2-1-11) — Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER, fully aware that the Steele Canyon roster was recently trimmed to just seven players, used a parade of substitutes throughout Monday's (Jan. 31) Grossmont Hills League 46-40 victory over the Cougars at Steele Canyon.

"Coach kept subbing us out to keep someone fresh on the court," said forward RAE LUCKETT. "It allowed us to keep moving at top speed."

Although it took more than three quarters to gain the desired effect, but the Cougars finally lost their legs. Despite a series of makeable shots from the paint, Steele Canyon failed to convert any of 16 fourth-quarter shots from the floor, allowing Granite Hills (11-10, 2-2 GHL) to storm back from a 27-19 deficit to claims a 46-40 road victory.

"We were able to get into it more," added Luckett, who scored on a putback for the go-ahead score. "We talked and passed the ball more to make it work."

The Cougars (10-14, 2-2 GHL) snapped a 19-all deadlock with an 8-point scoring run, capped by a layin by MONIQUE VAN. She grabbed a defensive rebound, then dribbled the length of the court for the basket, part of her team-high 18 points.

Van drained all five of her shots in the third quarter, as the Cougars went 8-for-11 following the intermission before the fourth-quarter power failure.

Meanwhile, Luckett answered with three straight baskets. The first two came off passes from HAILEY GARNER and SKYLAR WILLIAMS to tie the game at 36-all with 4:04 remaining. Then Luckett's bucket after grabbing an offensive rebound gave Granite Hills the lead with 3:53 left -- the team's first lead after taking a 17-16 halftime advantage at the break.

"We also noticed that Steele Canyon defended wide on us," noted Williams, who registered all four of her assists over the final 10 minutes. "That made it easier for me to see the court and make passes inside."

Before the changes, only JESSICA HARRIS could keep Granite Hills in the game on offense, scoring 16 of her game-high 20 through the first three periods. But then the court opened up when the Cougars continued to tire.

"We were simply the fresher team at the end," added Williams, who also scored 11 points.

For Steele Canyon, GABRIELLE BEASLEY posted 10 points and 6 boards.

Granite Hills: Jessica Harris 20 (7 reb, 1 stl), Skylar Williams 11 (5 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Rae Luckett 9 (6 reb, 1 blk), Keji Kobari 2 (11 reb), Hailey Garner 2 (2 ast, 2 stl, 2 reb, 1 blk), Kayla Kemp 2 (7 reb, 1 stl), Cora Leonard (2 stl, 2 blk), Dayna Dunn (3 reb, 1 stl), Maddy Sheeran (2 stl, 1 blk, 1 reb).

Steele Canyon: Monique Van 18 (9 reb, 5 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 10 (6 reb, 1 stl), Sam Vernon 6 (8 reb, 4 stl, 3 ast, 1 blk), Michelle Beasley 4 (4 stl, 4 reb, 1 blk, 1 ast), Alyssa Mascari 2 (4 reb, 2 ast), Sierra Florez (6 reb), Berri Cofield (1 reb).

WEST HILLS 54, HELIX 48 – The Wolf Pack dribbled into the Grossmont Hills League lead Monday (Jan. 31) by dealing visiting Helix its first circuit loss.

Using a 19-10 third quarter scoring surge, West Hills (11-9, 3-1 GHL) erased a 22-21 Helix halftime edge.

JILLIAN BROWN nailed five of nine shots from the floor to pace the Wolf Pack with 11 points. She also collected seven rebounds, blocked a pair of shots and recorded two steals.

HALEY FORSBERG rolled a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolf Pack. Eight of her carom collection came off the offensive glass.

Playing without senior KRISTINA SCOTT, sidelined with an injured foot, the Highlanders (9-7, 2-1 GHL) fell into a second place tie with Grossmont. Her senior sister, KIMBERLY SCOTT, led all scorers with 13 points.

Helix took an early 10-7 lead, but the Pack slowly turned the game into its favor.

One of the most amazing parts of this victory for West Hills was point guard KYLIE CRISTINI – filling in for injured TAYLOR AGUIRRE – missed most of the second half with a mild concussion.

Helix: Kimberly Scott 13, Chanelle Ward 9, Jasmine Hunn 7, Faith Leaupepetele 6 (6-for-6 FT), Jacqueline Smith 5, Sarah Meredith 4, Iesha Murray 3, Hayley Singer 1.

West Hills: Jillian Brown 11 (7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk), Haley Forsberg 10 (11 reb, 1 blk), Taylor Ingraham 8 (5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Emily Cole 6 (7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Ja’Ana Diamond 6 (4 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Kylie Cristini 5 (3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Kaitlin McLucas 3 (3 ast, 2 reb, 3 stl).

GROSSMONT 46, VALHALLA 35 – TEYSHONNIA BEALER-WEST scored 8 of her game-best 17 points in the fourth quarter as the Foothillers posted a Grossmont Hills League victory over Valhalla on Monday (Jan. 31) that was tougher to come by than the final score indicates.

“They basically went to her and she scored,” noted Norsemen coach AL SILVA.

The Foothillers (15-6, 2-1 GHL) were clinging to a 38-35 edge with 3 minutes remaining when CHLOE COOK nailed a 3-pointer to double the advantage. Bealer-West followed with a bucket and the game was, for all intents and purposes, in Grossmont’s pocket.

Cook finished with 9 points, including 6-for-6 free throw shooting.

DANIELLE DAHLE bagged 14 rebounds for Grossmont, while CRISTA SAWYERS chipped in with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.

“Monday games are the toughest,” said Bealer-West. “You always have the day off before and then go right out and start playing a game without any practice. It seems like it takes a quarter or so to get warmed up.”

That was the case on this day as Grossmont led only 7-2 after the first 8 minutes.

DANIELLE WILSON clocked in with a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Norsemen (12-10, 0-4 GHL).

“ Wilson has pretty much been our workhorse,” said Silva.

“We actually had the lead for a little bit but couldn’t close the deal,” he added. “We are definitely playing hard and are definitely a team people have to prepare for.”

Valhalla: Danielle Wilson 11 (14 reb, 4 ast, 4 blk, 3 stl), Kandice Kalasho 10 (2 ast, 2 stl), MacKenzie Cartmill 5 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Chelsea Hale 5 (1 reb, 1 stl), Karissa Ferrell 2 (2 reb, 1 stl), Carli Criger-Philipp 2 (5 reb), Sandi Kagy (1 reb, 1 ast), Jordan DeLucchi (1 reb, 1 stl), Carli Gilstrap (2 reb, 1 ast).

Grossmont: Teyshonnia Bealer-West 17 (6 reb, 3 stl, 1 ast), Chloe Cook 9 (1 reb), Christa Sawyers 8 (8 reb, 5 stl, 5 ast, 1 blk), Danielle Dahle 7 (14 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Katarina Schweitzer 5 (2 reb, 3 stl), Ashley Hargrove (3 reb), Carly Lopez (1 stl), Nancy Chavez (1 reb).

MONTE VISTA 52, EL CAJON VALLEY 23 – The visiting Monarchs built a 34-3 halftime lead in Monday’s (Jan. 31) Grossmont Valley League game at El Cajon Valley .

Monte Vista shot better than 52 percent from the field (23 of 44) with SHAMONIQUE BOYD leading the offensive charge with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“Realistically for us it was about defense,” said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. “We ran a new defense that we have been working on, then we sat back in a 2-3 zone for the third and fourth quarters.”

“We were working on shutting down ( BRITTANY ) SWECKER, ( CHELSEA ) BALL and (NATASHA) FERNANDEZ,” Skibbe added.

Mission accomplished. The Monarchs held Ball to 3 points and Harris to 1, although Fernandez scored 19 points for the Braves.

“There was no sense in pressing,” Skibbe said. “We worked on what we need to work on. Most people play us in a 2-3 zone so we ran that from the other side. That’s what we expect to see against Santana on Wednesday.”

The Monarchs host the Sultans before traveling to Mount Miguel on Friday (Feb. 4) with the GVL title on the line.

But Skibbe isn’t thinking about the Matadors at the moment. His focus is on Santana.

“Santana beat Monte Vista one of two times last year and that was the first time we had seen a 2-3 zone,” the coach said. “So our goal is to work against that.”

Senior SHANTEE WOODS chipped in with 8 points and 10 rebounds for Monte Vista, and senior DEANNA BEMBRY collected 8 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for the Monarchs.

One of the unsung heroes in the Monte Vista lineup is sophomore point guard ABIGAIL VARGAS.

“In my view Vargas should be the Newcomer of the Year,” Skibbe said.

Monte Vista : Stephanie Boyd 10 (12 reb, 1 ast), Deanna Bembry 8 (9 reb, 5 ast), Stefanie Banks 8 (7 reb, 2 ast), Shantee Woods 8 (10 reb), Tasha Brown 6 (5 reb, 2 ast), Abigail Vargas 5 (2 reb), Alex Ross 3 (4 reb, 1 ast), Dionna Mercer 2 (4 ast), Felicia Porter 2 (9 reb, 1 ast).

El Cajon Valley: Natasha Fernandez 19, Chelsea Ball 3, Miya Harris 1.

MOUNT MIGUEL 68, EL CAPITAN 19 – MYISHIA WATKINS scored a career high 26 points and dished off 12 assists as Mount Miguel rolled over El Capitan in Monday’s (Jan. 31) Grossmont Valley League action in Spring Valley .

Watkins also hit 4 triples for the Matadors (14-7, 4-0 GVL).

“To be honest, she had to be the player of the game,” said Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

If that was the case, DANIELLE MILLER was a close second with 25 points and 10 steals.

Speaking of steals, the Matadors pilfered 29 steals from the Vaqueros (3-17, 0-3 GVL).

“It was a tough game,” said El Capitan assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD. “All the teams who face Mount Miguel know that. Rob was very respectful – didn’t press us at all.”

“BEKAH LEONARD got in there and mixed it up on them, got a couple of backdoor shots,” Bickford added. “I’m very happy with her performance.”

Bickford was equally as pleased with the play of MEGAN DRENNEN, who “played probably her best game of the year defensively.”

Mount Miguel: Myishia Watkins 26 (3 reb, 12 ast, 5 stl), Danielle Miller 25 (2 reb, 7 ast, 10 stl), Shay Young 13 (11 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl), Dejanay Pope 2 (5 reb), Breahna Jones 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Dejia Blanks (11 reb, 1 stl), Chantel Yell (2 reb, 4 stl), Demetria Anderson (2 reb, 1 stl).

El Capitan: Bekah Leonard 6 (3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Robyn Logel 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Amber Rel-Solia 4 (2 reb, 3 blk, 1 stl), Deanna Reed 3 (3 reb, 3 ast), Megan Drennen 2 (3 reb, 1 ast), Vanessa Carrillo (1 stl), Kim Galvan (1 reb).

Top: Jasmine Hunn of Helix releases the jumper. Bottom: Granite Hills' Skylar Williams skies. (Photos by Nathan Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Helix: Kimberly Scott 19 (5 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, 1 block), Jasmine Hunn 11 (9 reb, 1 ast), Jacqueline Smith 8 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Kristina Scott 4 (1 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Sarah Meredith 4 (1 reb, 1 stl), Faith Leaupepetele 3 (4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Iesha Murray 3 (1 reb), Rudy Leasau 2 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk)

Granite Hills: Skylar Williams 12 (5 reb, 3 stl, 2 ast), Jessica Harris 11 (5 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Maddy Sheeran 5 (1 reb, 6 stl), Rae Luckett 4 (4 reb), Cora Leonard 2 (5 reb, 2 stl), Kayla Kemp 2 (3 reb, 3 stl), Hailey Garner 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Keji Kubari 1 (1 reb, 1 stl).

Steele Canyon's Monique Van gets hammered on her shot attempt by a Valhalla player. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Stormy weather in GHL race

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-29-11) — Things are pretty cloudy in the Grossmont Hills League’s girls basketball picture right now. Pending a possible forfeit by Helix to Grossmont, as many as four of the league’s six teams could be tied for first place.

As it is, Grossmont helped tighten up the league race with a 49-47 victory over West Hills Friday (Jan. 28) in the Wolf Pack’s den.

DANIELLE DAHLE, who was plagued by foul trouble early in the contest, scored 7 of her 9 points to help the visiting Grossmont Foothillers hold off West Hills in a Grossmont Hills League game to create a potential four-way tie at the top of the league.

One thing is certain. The Foothillers (14-6) dealt the Wolf Pack (10-9, 2-1 GHL) its first league loss and tied with Steele Canyon (10-13, 2-1 GHL).

The bone of contention at the moment is whether a Grossmont-Helix match-up, which was not played on Jan. 21 due to a transportation problem that caused the Highlanders to arrive late will be declared a forfeit, or will be rescheduled for Monday (Feb. 7) at Grossmont.

Nobody seems to be tipping their hand at the moment but – depending on who you talk to – it would appear that the Foothillers will elect to take a forfeit win rather than face the Highlanders on the court.

If that happens, Helix (9-6), which is presently at the top of the GHL standings at 2-0, would be tagged with a forfeit loss. And if that comes to fruition, four teams – Grossmont, West Hills, Steele Canyon and Helix – would all be tied for first place at 2-1.

But somebody has to make a decision – which, in this league – always seems to be difficult. It has traveled all the way up – and back down – the chain of command to retain its pending status.

Grossmont’s upset of West Hills looked like it was going to be a done deal early in the third quarter after TEYSHONNIA BEALER-WEST scored back-to-back buckets to present the Foothillers with a 35-24 lead.

“We weren’t very happy about letting the lead get away from us,” Bealer-West said. “But we just kept going. Our motivation was that we knew we needed to win this game.”

After that the winds of fate changed as West Hills embarked on a 15-0 scoring run to claim a 39-35 advantage in the opening minute of the final period.

“We’ve been struggling with our third quarters all year,” said Grossmont coach MEGAN LONG, whose team was out-pointed 13-4 in the third stanza Friday night. “When Dahle got in foul trouble and they started coming back, we got a little bit panicked. But then again we always play better in the fourth quarter (outscoring the Pack 14-8).”

Dahle came to life to score 7 points in the final 6:14.

“We never thought we were going to lose, even though we blew a big lead,” Dahle said.

Yet it was Bealer-West, who paced the Foothillers with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals that gave Grossmont a 42-41 lead on a layup with 5:05 remaining.

Even so, it was a shootout to the finish between the two teams after that. Back-to-back buckets by Dahle and Bealer-West gave Grossmont a 46-41 cushion with 2:47 remaining.

Not surprisingly West Hills refused to fold as EMILY COLE cashed in a 3-pointer to pull the Pack to within 2 points. After a series of missed shots by both teams Dahle drained a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left, handing Grossmont a 49-44 lead.

Grossmont could have iced the game but missed the front end of a one-and-one that opened the door to a 3-point bucket by West Hills’ KAITLIN McLUCAS with 4:8 seconds left.

In a repeat performance, Grossmont missed the front end of a second one-and-one with 4 seconds left, allowing West Hills to call a timeout and set up some last second strategy.

The Pack got off a desperation shot but it wasn’t close, which permitted the Foothillers to create a logjam in the league standings.

“It’s like I told my team, I think we just blew the league wide open for anybody,” Long said. “Whoever wins league is going to have a couple of losses.”

Long realized that the Foothillers were fortunate to have escaped with a victory.

“We weren’t defending wide,” she said. “And West Hills does a really good job of pushing it up the sidelines. In the third quarter we were defending straight down and West Hills got a lot of fast break opportunities.”

West Hills coach RYAN KINSER credited Grossmont’s CHRISTA SAWYERS for costing his team the victory.

“We let a girl who had made only 12 three-pointers for them all year beat us,” he said, referring to Sawyers, who landed four treys in the opening half that gave Grossmont a 31-24 advantage.

The Pack blanked Sawyers in the second half but it proved to be too little, too late.

“We put ourselves in a hole and it took a lot of energy for us to get out of that hole,” Kinser noted. “We played great offense to get back into the game, then we had too many breakdowns on defense where we didn’t guard people and turned the ball over. It was a bad combination.”

Grossmont: Tey Bealer-West 13 (6 reb, 3 stl, 1 ast), Christa Sawyers 12 (4 reb, 2 stl, 1 ast), Danielle Dahle 9 (6 reb, 3 stl, 1 ast, 1 blk), Chloe Cook 9 (3 reb, 2 ast), Katerina Schweitzer 5 (4 reb, 2 stl, 2 ast), Ashley Hargrove 1 (2 reb, 1 ast), Carly Lopez (2 reb).

West Hills: Taylor Ingraham 17, Haley Forsberg 8, Jillian Brown 8, Kaitlin McLucas 6, Emily Cole 6, Kylie Cristini 2. No other stats reported.

SANTANA 45, EL CAPITAN 24 – Trailing for all but the final minute of the first half, Sultans forward SAMMY WHITE registered 14 of her game-high 24 points in the third quarter to collect a victory over the host Vaqueros at Foster Gym.

White nailed four 3-point goals during a 24-4 Santana scoring spree coming out of the intermission.

At one time, El Capitan (3-16, 0-2 GVL) owned an 11-5 lead before getting shut down the rest of the way.

"The difference was our intensity in the second half," said White, who finished with five treys for the contest. "It was an important game for us because we still have something to play for."

Even though the Grossmont Valley League will undoubtedly go to Mount Miguel , the Sultans (9-11, 2-1 GVL) still possess their own San Diego CIF aspirations.

"Since we're in a different division as the rest of the teams in our league, we can still get a home playoff game, which is important to us," White added.

The Vaqueros' DEANNA REED registered five quick points to jump-start El Capitan to a 9-4 advantage through the first quarter, maintaining the lead until White registered five points on consecutive baskets to close the half with a 17-14 lead.

MARJIE PANKNIN and AMANDA GRABLE also hit triples for Santana during its third-period run. Panknin finished with 10 points.

For El Capitan (3-16, 0-2 GVL) Reed was matched by MEGAN DRENNEN and ROBYN LOGEL for team scoring honors with 5 points each. Meanwhile, VANESSA SIERRA added four before leaving the game with an injured knee in the fourth quarter.

Sierra was taken to the hospital to have her knee checked out, according to Vaqueros assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD.

“We were pumped up, we were ready for this game but they shot the ball well,” Bickford said. “Those threes in the third quarter killed us. I told the girls our goal for the game was to have no more than 15 turnovers, and we met that goal. We’ve been turning the ball over a lot more than that.”

Santana: Sammy White 24 (5 reb, 3 blk, 1 stl), Marjie Panknin 10 (6 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk), Amanda Grable 4 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Haley Burton 3 (3 reb, 3 stl, 4 blk, 1 ast), Emerald Branson 2, Kim Gross 3 (8 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk, 1 ast), Sydney Blackburn 2 (3 ast, 1 reb), Kelsey Conley (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Taylor Barry (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Rebecca Martinez (3 reb), Lena Moss (3 reb), Alex Breidt (1 ast).

El Capitan: Deanna Reed 5 (9 reb, 4 stl), Robyn Logel 5 (2 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl), Megan Drennen 4 (3 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl), Vanessa Carrillo 4 (5 reb, 3 stl), Amber Rel-Solia (3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Vanessa Sierra (2 reb, 1 stl), Kim Galvan (1 reb, 2 stl).

STEELE CANYON 45, VALHALLA 39 – SAMANTHA VERNON scored 9 of her team-high 15 points in the final quarter as host Steele Canyon slipped past Valhalla in a Grossmont Hills League contest Friday (Jan. 28) night in Rancho San Diego.

While it was a victory that vaulted Steele Canyon (10-13, 2-1 GHL) into a tie for the GHL, it was hardly a thing of beauty.

On the flip side it was a frustrating loss for Valhalla (12-9, 03 GHL).

“It was our bread to take and we couldn’t close the deal,” said Valhalla coach AL SILVA. “We had 16 turnovers and 15 points in the first half.”

Valhalla had 28 turnovers for the game and did not record a single assist.

KANDICE KALASHO scored a game-high 18 points for the Norsemen, while DANIELLE WILSON turned in a powerful performance with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks.

“The game went back-and-forth in the second half,” said Silva. “I thought we did a good job denying their big girl (6-foot-1 Vernon ) in the first three quarters.”

There were no comments from the Steele Canyon coaching staff.

Steele Canyon: Samantha Vernon 15 (4 reb, 3 blk, 4 stl), Michelle Beasley 8 (3 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 8 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Monique Van 6 (11 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Sierra Florez 6 (8 reb, 2 stl), Alyssa Mascari 2 (5 reb), Sonceri Cofield (2 stl).

Valhalla: Kandice Kalasho 18 (3 reb, 7 stl), Danielle Wilson 10 (15 reb, 7 blk, 4 stl), MacKenzie Cartmill 5 (2 reb, 1 stl), Karissa Ferrell 4 (1 reb, 3 stl), Jordan DeLucchi 2 (2 reb, 1 stl), Chelsea Hale (3 reb), Carli Gilstrap (3 reb, 1 stl), Shyla Criger-Philipp (1 reb).

MOUNT MIGUEL 70, EL CAJON VALLEY 28 – Although the Matadors breezed to their 96th win in 97 league decisions over the last 11 seasons, Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL was hardly elated by his team’s performance in Friday’s (Jan. 28) Grossmont Valley League game against the visiting Braves (5-14, 0-2 GVL).

“I had to really yell at my girls at halftime,” said Sandoval, whose team led 33-15 at intermission. “We were just going through the motions. I told them you can do that against some teams but if we want to go anywhere in the playoffs we can’t play like this.”

Clearly the Mount Miguel girls reacted to Sandoval’s rant as the Matadors gained a 29-10 scoring spread in the third quarter.

During that burst DANIELLE MILLER scored 20 of her game-high 26 points.

For El Cajon Valley , NATASHA FERNANDEZ scored the majority of her 13 points from beyond the arc as she netted a trio of triples.

Mount Miguel did not press but the Braves turned the ball over 29 times.

Mount Miguel: Danielle Miller 26 (6 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 7 stl), Shay Young 18 (7 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl), Myishia Watkins 16 (6 ast, 5 stl), Dejanay Pope 5 (4 reb, 2 stl), Dejia Blanks 4 (6 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Breahna Jones (2 reb, 1 stl).

El Cajon Valley: Natasha Fernandez 13 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Chelsea Ball 8 (8 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl), Brittany Swecker 7 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Miya Harris (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Danielle Santana (2 reb), Miranda Mullens (1 reb).

KEARNY 46, CHRISTIAN 29 – Host Kearny outscored the Patriots across the board in Friday (Jan. 28) night’s Central League action on the Komets’ court.

The victory allowed the Komets (11-7) to extend their unblemished league mark to 7-0.

It wasn’t like the Patriots (5-7, 3-4 CL) got pounded in any particular quarter, but Kearny gradually expanded its lead.

“They pressured us pretty good,” said Christian coach THOMAS LOWERY. “We didn’t shoot well at all – either from the field or from the free throw line.”

The Patriots shot 24 percent from the floor (10-for-41) and connected on only 7 of 20 free throws.

To make matters worse, Lowery said, “We were not able to get into our press as much as we wanted.”

Christian: Chayan Lowery 12 (14 reb, 2 stl), Jillian Sexton 8 (4 reb), Alesia Lowery 7 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Monique Elliott 2 (3 reb, 3 stl).

Christian High's Jillian Sexton (left) (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-26-11) — CHAYAN LOWERY, Christian High’s 6-foot-2 freshman standout, muscled in 21 points and corralled 14 rebounds but it wasn’t enough as Coronado (13-6, 5-1 CL) clipped the Patriots, 49-34, in Tuesday’s (Jan. 25) Central League action at Ryan Athletic Center.

Lowery netted 8 of 15 shots from the field and 5 of 7 free throws for the Patriots (5-6, 3-3 CL).

“We concentrated on stopping their main scorer (Irene Curtis) and did a good job holding her to 3 points in the first half,” said Christian coach THOMAS LOWERY.

However, Curtis finished with 16 points in the game.

“We didn’t challenge shots the way we wanted to do,” coach Lowery said. “My players were sad coming off the floor tonight because we didn’t play the way we have been lately. It’s tough to come to the end of a three-game win streak.”

Not that coach Lowery has given up on his Patriots.

“I think we can play with – and competitively – any team in our league,” he said.

Christian: Chayan Lowery 21 (14 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl), Jillian Sexton 5 (2 reb), Hayley Cruz 4, Monique Elliott 2 (1 stl), Alesia Lowery 2, Mia Johnson (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

Mount Miguel's Shay Young (24) races in front of everyone for the fast-break basket. Defending for the Santana Sultans is Sydney Blackburn. The host Matadors won, 68-27. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Mount Miguel's Myishia Watkins (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Adults fail to 'Get Smart' © East County Sports.com EL CAJON (1-22-11) — In a scene too often found in sports like Little League baseball, administrators and coaches from both Helix and Grossmont high schools failed to find common ground after the bus carrying the visiting Highlanders to meet their crosstown rivals arrived late to the Grossmont High campus, causing havoc and heartache. The ultimate losers: players from both ballclubs. The "final" result depends on which school you talk to. Grossmont declared the game is a forfeit and will not be made up; Helix counters the game will be played in its entirety at a future date. Expect Grossmont Union High School District officials to get involved on Monday (Jan. 24) and the game to be rescheduled. “I guess technically it’s a forfeit,” said Grossmont coach MEGAN LONG. “All I want is what is best for my girls. I think the bottom line is both teams are frustrated.” The rub started when the GUHSD bus to transport the Highlanders arrived late by an estimated hour, then was stranded on I-8 in rush-hour traffic. The controversy came over the amount of time allowed to the Scotties to warm-up. Helix stated the time was too short (ranging from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on who you talk to), thus there were liability issues in case a player became injured. Grossmont countered that Helix demanded too much time (some say 40 minutes), leaving Foothillers players to sit around upwards of two hours. The delayed start would also create problems for a boys game that would be played to a near-capacity crowd. Keep in mind all tournaments require a minimum warmup period of only 10 minutes. That time period was offered to Helix. But due to the panic mode of the moment. Scotties coach DEAN BRUNSON felt he was short-sheeted. Interestingly, the dispute and resulting chaos regarding the girls game forced the boys game to not start on time either. Chalk up this one as another interesting footnote between these longtime rivals.

Granite Hills guard Skylar Williams (left) faces a double-team from a pair of Valhalla defenders – Kandice Kalasho (1) and Jordan DeLucchi. (Photo by Ruth Mims) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Despite the reach of Danielle Wilson of Valhalla (left), somewhere in the back is Granite Hills' Keji Kubari with two hands on the basketball. (Photo by Ruth Mims)

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-22-11) — The Grossmont Hills League race looks like a wild one after co-leading West Hills and Steele Canyon went down to the wire in Friday's (Jan. 21) showdown.

But after the Wolf Pack almost played themselves out of first place following an awful start, the team switched gears to escape with a 44-43 triumph to collect undisputed possession of first place.

“We started out in a zone but switched to man in the second quarter,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “We were giving them too good of looks against a zone. We played pressure man and they had a tough time switching defenses against us.”

“We almost lost the game because we played such a poor first quarter,” Kinser added.

TAYLOR INGRAHAM led the Wolf Pack in scoring with 16, while KYLIE CRISTINI scored 3 treys for West Hills on her way to a 15-point game.

HALEY FORSBERG fueled the defense with 16 rebounds and 3 blocks, while guard EMILY COLE put the offense into gear with 7 assists along with 6 points for the defending league titlists.

“The goal was to feed it in to SAMANTHA VERNON inside, but then they started firing threes,” said Cougars assistant coach RODNEY VAN. “Most of our shots were coming from the inside. We missed eight free throws and that killed us. Most of the game we led but we couldn’t convert our free throws down the stretch.”

SAMANTHA VERNON paced the Cougars with 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

West Hills (10-8 overall, 2-0 GHL) holds a half-game lead over Helix after the Scotties' game against Grossmont was not played. With the setback, Steele Canyon (9-13, 1-1) drops into a tie for third place with Granite Hills.

West Hills: Taylor Ingraham 16 (4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Kylie Cristini 15 (4 ast, 1 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk), Emily Cole 6 (7 ast, 1 reb), Haley Forsberg 3 (16 reb, 3 blk, 2 stl), Jillian Brown 2 (2 reb, 2 blk), Kaitlin McLucas 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), Alexa Evans (4 reb, 1 blk).

Steele Canyon: Samantha Vernon 21 (12 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Michelle Beasley 8 (3 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Alexis Merlino 5 (3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Monique Van 4 (4 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Jenesys Hayes 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Sierra Florez 2 (2 reb, 1 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 1 (2 reb, 1 ast).

MONTE VISTA 57, EL CAPITAN 18 – The Monte Vista Monarchs held the Vaqueros to one point in the second quarter and one point in the fourth as they balanced their Grossmont Valley League record at 1-1 Friday night (Jan. 21) in Lakeside .

“We played hard,” said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. “Everybody got on the boards except for (STEFANIE) BANKS. We played good defense and ran the floor well. Ninety percent of the time we sat back in match-up man – we know we can run with them.”

FELICIA PORTER, ALEX ROSS and DIONNA MERCER punched in 9 points apiece to drive the Monarchs to their East County leading 19th win of the season.

In the second quarter El Capitan took only four shots total and no field goals. In the fourth quarter the Vaqueros shot no field goals and were 1 of 4 on free throws.

“Our goal was to pack it inside and let them shoot outside,” said Vaqueros assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD. “They were killing us on the offensive glass and did a good job of boxing out.”

It didn’t help that the Vaqueros suffered 35 turnovers, which contributed to the Monarchs getting plenty of transition points.

Monte Vista: Felicia Porter 9 (4 reb), Alex Ross 9 (2 reb), Dionna Mercer 9 (2 ast, 5 stl), Shantee Woods 7 (2 reb, 2 stl), Deanna Bembry 6 (5 reb, 8 stl), Tasha Brown 6 (5 reb, 3 stl), Shamonique Boyd 6 (6 reb, 2 stl), Abigail Vargas 5 (7 reb, 3 stl).

El Capitan: Amber Rel-Solia 6 (8 reb, 1 ast), Vanessa Sierra 6 (4 reb, 2 stl), Deanna Reed 2 (3 reb, 1 ast), Bekah Leonard 2 (2 reb), Megan Drennen 1 (4 reb), Vanessa Carrillo 1 (2 reb).

GRANITE HILLS 42, VALHALLA 32 – One of these teams was going to suffer an 0-2 start in Grossmont Hills League play, making it a rough go for any sort of title contention. But the Eagles avoided the scenario after JESSICA HARRIS poured home a game-high 13 points.

“Jessica played really well, played up-tempo,” said Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “HAILEY GARNER got hot and hit 3 threes for us."

Garner totaled 11 points, but the all-around play of guard SKYLAR WILLIAMS (6 points, 7 steals and 7 rebounds) was the key to maintaining the lead throughout the second half.

“(Valhalla coach) AL SILVA was on our coaching staff and Valhalla shoots the ball pretty well," added Parker. "I was kind of worried abut playing a zone against them.”

“It was a 2-point game at halftime. We tried to switch defenses to throw them off balance.”

Only Norsemen forward DANIELLE WILSON could counter, finishing with a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards for a ballclub which posted the best preseason record among GHL ballclubs, yet are now 0-2 in league play.

“Al’s done a great job at Valhalla. He’s done a good job scheduling and their confidence is up now and they know they’re going to compete. My girls really respect Al a lot – they want to beat him but they respect him.”

Granite Hills: Jessica Harris 13 (2 reb, 1 ast), Hailey Garner 11 (5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Skylar Williams 6 (7 reb, 3 ast, 7 stl), Maddy Sheeran 4 (3 reb, 1 ast), Cora Leonard 4 (1 reb), Keji Kubari 3 (6 reb, 3 stl), Kayla Kemp 1 (6 reb, 3 stl), Rae Luckett (3 reb).

Valhalla: Danielle Wilson 10 (11 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk), MacKenzie Cartmill 9 (2 ast), Kandice Kalasho 5 (3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Jordan DeLucchi 2 (6 reb, 1 stl), Chelsea Hale 3 (6 reb, 2 stl), Carli Gilstrap 3 (6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Alle Mims (2 reb, 1 ast), Karissa Ferrell (1 reb).

MOUNT MIGUEL 68, SANTANA 27 – The Matadors outscored visiting Santana across the board with SHAY YOUNG leading the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds in Friday’s (Jan. 21) Grossmont Valley League contest in Spring Valley.

Matadors senior point guard MYISHIA WATKINS scored 22 points, including 5 three-pointers to go along with 7 assists and 5 steals.

This game was never close as the Matadors led 31-12 at halftime and 49-20 after three quarters.

“I don’t know why it is but we always seem to start slowly,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “But once we caught fire after that we started to play like we are capable.”

DEJANAY POPE grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for the Matadors.

Mount Miguel: Shay Young 23 (10 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Myishia Watkins 22 (7 ast, 2 reb, 5 stl), Danielle Miller 17 (6 reb, 6 stls, 4 ast, 1 blk), Dejanay Pope 2 (15 reb, 2 stl), Chantel Yell (3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Breahna Jones (1 reb, 3 stl).

Santana: Haley Burton 7 (6 reb, 6 blk, 4 ast, Sammy White 7 (3 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Marjie Panknin 3 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Kim Gross 2 (6 reb), Amanda Grable 2 (1 reb), Sydney Blackburn 2 (1 ast, 3 blk), Alex Breidt 2, Rebecca Martinez 2, Kelsey Conley (2 reb), Taylor Barry (1 reb).

CHRISTIAN 60, CLAIREMONT 38 – The LOWERY sisters – CHAYAN and ALESIA - pounded in 52 points as the Patriots destroyed Clairemont in Friday’s (Jan. 21) Central League action.

Chayan Lowery nailed 10 of 15 shots from the floor and 8 of 16 free throws for 28 points. She also garnered 17 rebounds.

Alesia Lowery tacked on 24 points for Christian.

“I’m extremely happy that we are where we are, but not even close to being satisfied,” said Patriots coach THOMAS LOWERY. “We have a lot of ground to cover.”

Christian: Chayan Lowery 28 (17 reb, 2 blk, 1 ast, 1 stl), Alesia Lowery 24 (4 reb, 2 ast), Jillian Sexton 4 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Mia Johnson 2 (3 reb, 1 blk, 2 ast), Monique Elliott 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-19-11) — The visiting Santana Sultans knew what was facing them in preparations for Tuesday's (Jan. 18) Grossmont Conference crossover contest at Granite Hills.

"They're quicker than us, they're taller than us, and they shoot better than we do," admitted junior forward HALEY BURTON. "So we had to work our butts off."

Knowing they couldn't eliminate all three elements, Santana packed into a zone defense and hoped the Eagles would suffer through a poor shooting night. And they did.

Granite Hills shot a dismal 4-for-24 in the first half to trail 23-9 at the intermission, then could never catch-up in the Sultans' upset 44-31 road victory.

"We also had to get through their press, which we did pretty well," added Burton, who posted 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. "We knew what we had to accomplish and we executed pretty well."

After limping to an 8-5 lead after the first quarter, Santana burst open with a 13-2 run to open the second quarter thanks to scoring contributions from six different players.

And when SAMMY WHITE went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the third period, the advantage stretched to 33-19. White finished with a team-high 12 points.

Meanwhile, Granite Hills posted its lowest point total since a 41-31 setback to West Hills on Jan. 9, 2009, after shooting a paltry 17 percent (10-for-58) from the floor. Included was a 4-for-29 mark from the arc and a sub-.500 effort from the foul line.

Even Eagles scoring leader SKYLAR WILLIAMS had a difficult night. Despite game-highs of 15 points and 9 steals, the guard made just one of her first 11 shots until finally tallying 12 of her points over the final nine minutes after the ballgame was decided.

The Sultans were also pleased with a near-draw on the boards; Granite Hills led, 41-40, including 9 rebounds by KAYLA KEMP, In addition, Santana guard MARJIE PANKNIN registered 9 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 4 boards in a nice all-around performance.

Santana: Sammy White 12 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Haley Burton 10 (15 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Marjie Panknin 9 (5 ast, 4 reb, 4 stl), Amanda Grable 6 (5 reb, 1 ast), Sydney Blackburn 4 (2 ast), Kim Gross 3 (7 reb, 1 blk), Lena Moss (2 reb), Kelsey Conley (1 blk), Alex Breidt (1 reb).

Granite Hills: Skylar Williams 15 (9 stl, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Keji Kubari 5 (5 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl), Rae Luckett 3 (3 reb), Haley Garner 3 (6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Kayla Kemp 3 (9 reb, 2 stl), Cora Leonard 2 (1 reb), Maddy Sheeran (3 reb, 1 ast), Jessica Harris (2 reb, 1 ast), Dayna Dunn (2 reb).

CHAYAN LOWERY knocked down 10 of 19 shots from the floor and 4 of 8 free throws for 24 points while gobbling up 15 rebounds and blocking 6 shots.

“Chayan had a tremendous game again,” said her father, Patriots coach THOMAS LOWERY. “She’s beginning to realize that she doesn’t have to block every shot. She altered at least 15 shots. Her wing span is 6-feet, 8-inches – from little fingertip to little fingertip.”

Christian led 15-4 after one quarter and outscored the Colts in all four frames.

“My players are beginning to have fun playing basketball again, both in practice and in games,” coach Lowery said. “I am very proud of my team. Our defensive efforts lately have been outstanding. Today we played a superb man-to-man defense.”

Christian: Chayan Lowery 24 (15 reb, 1 ast, 6 blk, 2 stl), Monique Elliott 11 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Mia Johnson 8 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Alesia Lowery 7 (3 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl), Jillian Sexton 4 (7 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Hayley Cruz 2 (6 reb), Annie Atterbury (3 reb, 1 stl).

WEST HILLS 62, EL CAPITAN 18 (revised) – West Hills outscored El Capitan across the board, leading 30-8 by halftime and expanding its advantage in a lopsided victory in Tuesday’s (Jan. 18) Grossmont Conference crossover.

Four members of the Pack reached double scoring digits, led by HALEY FORSBERG, who matched her season-high with 16 points and 9 rebounds. The 6-foot sophomore connected on 8 of 13 shots from the floor.

TAYLOR INGRAHAM made 6 of 9 field goals and both of her free throws for 14 points, while EMILY COLE chipped in 12 points – the majority coming on 8-for-8 free throw shooting.

Junior KAITLIN McLUCAS knocked down 4 of 5 shots from the floor – half of them 3-pointers – on her way to an 11-point finish.

“We played very well – we moved the ball,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “We were able to feed the post and run our offense off those plays. Our post players - Haley and Taylor – played very aggressive. They combined for 30 points.”

JILLIAN BROWN, out with an injured ankle, may get limited playing time on Friday (Jan. 21) in the Wolf Pack’s game at Steele Canyon .

“We were able to dig deep into our roster tonight,” said Kinser. “With the number of injured players we have had lately that was a big plus.”

On the flip side for El Capitan DEANNA REED accounted for 8 points in the Vaqueros’ paltry attack.

“We took our first charge tonightl,” said El Capitan assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD. “We didn’t get to the free throw line once. That shows our lack of aggressiveness.”

West Hills: Haley Forsberg 16 (9 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 5 stl), Taylor Ingraham 14 (6 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl), Emily Cole 12 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Kaitlin McLucas 11 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Daniana Ghandour 4 (2 reb, 1 ast), Kylie Cristini 3 (3 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl), Ja’Ana Diamond 2 (1 reb).

El Capitan: Deanna Reed 8 (2 reb, 4 stl), Megan Drennen 2 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Robyn Logel 2 (1 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Bekah Leonard 2, Vanessa Carrillo 2 (5 reb), Vanessa Sierra 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Alejandra Parsons (1 stl).

GROSSMONT 59, EL CAJON VALLEY 30 – TEYSHONNIA BEALER-WEST netted 10 of 18 shots from the floor on her way to a game-high 21 points that, coupled with 10 rebounds, gave her a double-double for the Foothillers (13-6) in Tuesday’s (Jan. 18) Grossmont Conference crossover action.

“All of Bealer-West’s points were scored in the paint,” said Foothillers coach MEGAN LONG.

DANIELLE DAHLE chipped in with 12 points, hitting 6 of 9 shots from the floor while blocking 2 shots and recording 5 steals.

Grossmont led 23-12 at halftime and 41-18 after three periods.

“Both teams lacked a lot of energy – it was a lack-luster type of game,” said Long. “We shot outstanding 2-point field goals but we were not hitting our transition threes. That slowed us down considerably.”

CHELSEA BALL led El Cajon Valley (5-13) with a double-double of 11 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks.

“We just missed shots tonight and that took us out of our rhythm,” said Braves coach CARLOS MOSS. “I’m not upset with the team’s effort. They continue to play hard. We did not back down from them.”

Grossmont: Teyshonnia Bealer-West 21 (10 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Danielle Dahle 12 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 5 stl), Chloe Cook 9 (3 reb, 3 ast), Christa Sawyers 7 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Katarina Schweitzer 4 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 ast), Carly Lopez 3 (5 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), Ashley Hargrove 3 (6 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl), Jamie Kautzman (3 reb), Nancy Chavez (2 reb).

El Cajon Valley: Chelsea Ball 11 (15 reb, 4 blk), Brittany Swecker 7 (4 ast, 4 stl), Natasha Fernandez 5 (7 reb, 2 blk, 5 stl), Elizabeth Aguilar 3, Danielle Santana 2 (4 stl), Miranda Mullens 2 (6 reb).

STEELE CANYON 51, MIRA MESA 23 – The visiting Cougars (9-12) all but tucked Tuesday’s (Jan. 18) non-league game into the win column by speeding to a 23-5 first quarter advantage.

Three Cougars reached double scoring digits led by SAMANTHA VERNON’s 15 markers.

“We played successfully well tonight,” Cougars coach PENNY SMITH said. “These players are learning how to play together. This game showed us that we can win on the road (this was the Cougars first road victory). Every girl stepped her game up another notch tonight.”

Steele Canyon: Samantha Vernon 15 (7 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl), Alexis Merlino 13 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Monique Van 11 (4 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Michelle Beasley 6 (5 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl), Jenesys Hayes 5 (1 ast, 3 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 1 (4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Sierra Florez (1 reb), Alyssa Mascari (1 ast), Sungerie Cofield (1 reb).

© East County Sports.com
CLAIREMONT (1-18-11) — Mount Miguel High senior DANIELLE MILLER had that lonely feeling even though she scored a game-high 32 points in Monday’s (Jan. 17) MLK “I have a dream” Showcase at Horizon High School.

“Even when I score that many points it doesn’t really mean anything when we lose,” Miller said after the Matadors succumbed to the Perris Panthers 62-48.

“I really don’t know what happened,” Miller added. “It just seemed like we didn’t want to come out and play hard. We didn’t put up much of a fight.”

That’s surprising, considering Perris and Mount Miguel are both CIF Division III teams and could well again meet in the SoCal Regional playoffs.

Miller nailed 12 of 25 shots from the field and 8 of 13 free throws as she broke the 30-point plateau for the third time this season.

Mount Miguel (11-7) held two brief leads that added up to a combined total of 10 seconds.

A basket by MYISHIA WATKINS gave the Matadors a 12-10 edge with 6 seconds left in the first period.

Perris countered on a banked in 3-pointer by Aniya Baker to close the quarter with a 1-point advantage.

A bucket by Miller put Mount Miguel back in front 14-13 but after that Perris was burning and led 30-21 by halftime.

Miller scored 10 of Mount Miguel ’s 11 second quarter points. She continued to have the hot hand in the third quarter, scoring 6 points to pull the Matadors to within 33-27 with 6:13 remaining in the period.

After that Perris took off again and led by as many as 19 points before sealing the victory.

The key difference between the two teams was on the boards where Perris (12-6) claimed a 47-28 advantage.

“We weren’t very good on the offensive glass,” Miller said, noting that the Matadors had only nine second chance shots.

“I knew offensive rebounding was going to be an issue coming into the season,” said Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “In the last two games it’s really hurt us.”

The Matadors’ SHAY YOUNG collected 16 rebounds but 13 of them were on the defensive end. She also finished 10 points below her regular scoring average.

“Thankfully we’ve got a month to go before the playoffs start and that’ll give us time to get better in practice,” said Sandoval.

Mount Miguel: Danielle Miller 32 (6 reb, 3 stl), Myishia Watkins 8 (6 ast, 2 reb. 4 stl), Shay Young 6 (16 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Dejanay Pope 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Breahna Jones (1 reb), Chantel Yell (1 reb, 1 ast).

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-16-11) — The Mount Miguel Matadors continued their stroll through shark infested waters Saturday (Jan. 15) when they succumbed to No. 2 ranked San Diego, 59-44, in the Martin Luther King Hoopfest on the Cavers’ home court.

The Cavers (13-4) stormed to an 11-0 lead but the Matadors scrambled back to tie matters at 19-all in the second quarter. San Diego regained control and maneuvered to a 25-20 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Cavers punched out eight straight points to extend their advantage to 13 points.

“Even though we lost I was happy with our effort,” Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said.

Next up for Mount Miguel (11-6) is a duel with Riverside Perris in the MLK “I Have a Dream” Showdown at Horizon at 4:15 p.m.

Mount Miguel: Danielle Miller 24 (10 reb, 2 stl), Shay Young 10 (8 reb, 2 ast), Myishia Watkins 4 (4 reb, 8 ast, 5 stl), Breahna Jones 4 (2 reb), Chantel Yell 2 (3 reb), Dejanay Pope (4 reb, 1 ast).

SAN CLEMENTE 43, WEST HILLS 33 – The visiting Wolf Pack (8-8) was bullied by the host San Clemente Tritons 28-12 in the second and fourth quarters which led to Saturday’s (Jan. 15) non-league loss in south Orange County.

“We were ice cold in the second quarter,” West Hills coach RYAN KINSER said after the Tritons snapped an 11-11 tie with a 13-4 second quarter run.

Despite that chilling eight minutes West Hills fought back to tie the game at 29-29 early in the fourth period.

“We were missing three key players and just ran out of gas,” Kinser added.

Point guard TAYLOR AGUIRRE is injured, post JILLIAN BROWN is injured and ALEXIS EVANS is ill, which left the Pack with only eight players.

San Clemente (10-9) used a 15-8 scoring run in the fourth quarter to decide the issue.

West Hills: Emily Cole 12 (9 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Haley Forsberg 9 (12 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Kylie Cristini 6 (2 ast, 4 stl), Taylor Ingraham 3 (8 reb, 1 stl), Kaitlin McLucas 3 (1 ast, 1 stl), Arielle Bowers (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-15-11) — In a contest between ballclubs expected to finish 1-2 in the Grossmont Valley League, the host Monte Vista Monarchs were positioned a little too close for comfort to Mount Miguel guard MYISHIA WATKINS.

"This game was important because it could be for the league championship and it could be important for playoff seedings," noted Watkins.

So Watkins took over and made the fourth quarter hers.

Operating the high-octane offense with stellar passing, Watkins registered six of her 10 assists down the stretch, while adding 13 points to post a double-double to lift the Matadors to a 59-39 victory in Friday's (Jan. 14) GVL opener.

"DANIELLE (MILLER) and I came out strong," added the Grand Canyon University bound Watkins. "This will give us confidence for (San) Diego tomorrow."

Mount Miguel (11-5, 1-0 GVL), ranked as high as No. 3 among major media polls, will meet the second-ranked Cavers in Saturday's (Jan. 15) Martin Luther King Hoop Fest at San Diego High.

Miller tallied six points in each of the final two quarters, finishing many of Watkins' plays for layins and short jumpers. Miller tallied a game-best 20 points while grabbing 10 boards for her own double-double, as did teammate SHAY YOUNG (12 points, 10 rebounds).

Monte Vista senior DEANNA BEMBRY registered 8 of her 12 points in the third quarter, keeping Monte Vista (17-5, 0-1 GVL) within 10 points. Bembry also recorded 14 boards and 4 assists. However, the Matadors made their first 7 of 11 shots to open the final period thanks to Watkins, lifting the team's record to 94-1 in league ballgames since 2000-01.

A putback basket by Bembry while being fouled brought Monte Vista to within 21-17 in the second quarter. But Mount Miguel responded when CHANTEL YELL took a charge on defense, sparking a 15-0 run.

Monte Vista 's STEFANIE BANKS countered by draining three straight shots in the third period, two coming off nice passes for assists by DIONNA MERCER, before Watkins took over the ballgame.

Despite the loss Monte Vista is 16-2 against San Diego County competition, losing only to the Matadors and top-ranked La Jolla Country Day.

Mount Miguel: Danielle Miller 20 (10 reb, 4 stl, 3 ast, 1 blk), Myishia Watkins 13 (10 ast, 6 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Shay Young 12 (10 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Breahna Jones 6 (7 reb, 2 ast), Chantel Yell 6 (2 stl, 1 reb, 1 charge taken), Dejanay Pope 2 (6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl).

Monte Vista: Deanna Bembry 12 (14 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Stefanie Banks 8 (2 stl), Abby Vargas 6 (2 ast, 1 reb), Dionna Mercer 6 (3 ast, 3 reb), Tasha Brown 3 (2 reb), Felicia Porter 2 (3 reb, 1 stl), Shantee Woods 2, Mo Boyd (3 reb, 1 stl), Alex Ross (6 reb, 1 blk), Dee Dee Morrison (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

HELIX 53, VALHALLA 32 – The host Helix Highlanders used a 17-0 third quarter to turn what was a 2-point game at halftime into a rout during Friday’s (Jan. 14) Grossmont Hills League opener.

“Our 26 turnovers killed us,” said Valhalla coach AL SILVA. “We played close to a perfect first half and then in the second half they amped up the pressure on the ball and we just threw the ball away.”

The SCOTT sisters – KIMBERLY and KRISTINA – were ball hawks in the second half, producing 5 steals apiece for Helix, with six of the thefts resulting in transition baskets.

Helix coach DEAN BRUNSON noted that the Highlanders went from full court press in the first half to a three-quarter press in the final two quarters.

“I think we befuddled them because they did not adjust to our change in defense,” Brunson said. “We took them out of what they wanted to do offensively.”

Kimberly Scott scored a game-high 15 points for the Highlanders (8-5, 1-0 GHL).

“I think we changed the game into our favor with our overall intensity,” Kimberly noted. “We had good ball pressure, which ignited our transition game.”

Helix has had three coaches in the last two seasons.

Asked if that has made a major difference, Kimberly said, “Yeah, sure it has. It took us awhile to get used to Coach Brunson but he likes the up-tempo game like I do.”

Will that be good enough to produce a league championship for Helix?

“I think we’re as quick as any team in our league, and our scoring is improving,” Kimberly added. “If our defense also continues to improve, who knows? I think we could beat anybody.”

Helix: Kimberly Scott 15, Kristina Scott 8, Iesha Murray 8, Chanelle Ward 8, Rudy Leasau 4, Kai Penn 4, Sarah Meredith 3, Jacqueline Smith 2, Jasmine Hunn 1.

Valhalla: Danielle Wilson 9 (1 reb), Kandice Kalasho 5 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Alle Mims 5 (3 reb, 1 ast), MacKenzie Cartmill 4 (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Karissa Ferrell 4 (2 stl), Carli Gilstrap 3 (8 reb, 1 stl), Jordan DeLucchi 2 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Shyla Criger-Philipp (5 reb), Chelsea Hale (1 stl).

WEST HILLS 43, GRANITE HILLS 40 – In a battle of the projected top two teams in the Grossmont Hills League, visiting West Hills proved that it has eyes to repeat as champions of the GHL.

Trailing 21-14 at halftime, the Wolf Pack turned on the heat to dominate the second half and pull out the victory.

The pillar in the victory was sophomore HALEY FORSBERG, who generated 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Pack. She received solid offensive support from teammate EMILY COLE, who pitched in 15 points.

“We played very good defense all night long,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “But we couldn’t have played any worse offensively in the first half. We fell down 30-18 in the third quarter then went on a 25-10 run to finish the game.”

TAYLOR AGUIRRE and JILLIAN BROWN did not play for the Pack tonight as both are injured. And that is a credit to West Hills’ depth that the Pack still finished on top.

SKYLAR WILLIAMS, playing with a scratched contact lens, led the Eagles (9-8, 0-1 GHL) with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

JESSICA HARRIS landed a trio of treys and finished with 10 points and 5 steals.

West Hills: Haley Forsberg 16 (16 reb), Emily Cole 15, Taylor Ingraham 5, Arielle Bowers 4, Kaitlin McLucas 3.

Granite Hills: Skylar Williams 14 (6 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Jessica Harris 10 (3 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl), Rae Luckett 6 (3 reb), Maddy Sheeran 4 (1 ast, 2 stl), Hailey Garner 2 (2 reb, 1 stl), Cora Leonard 2 (2 reb, 1 ast), Kayla Kemp (2 reb), Keji Kubari (2 reb).

STEELE CANYON 49, GROSSMONT 41 – ALEXIS MERLINO cashed in 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals to direct host Steele Canyon to a

Grossmont Hills League opening victory over Grossmont on Friday (Jan. 14).

Merlino hit 8 of 15 shots from the field and 5 of 12 free throws for her game-high totals.

Grossmont (12-6, 0-1 GHL) shot a paltry 19 percent from the field (13 of 69), including only one connection in 15 shots from 3-point distance.

“They are very physical,” said Grossmont coach MEGAN LONG of the Cougars. “I think they got under our skins. They made us take a lot of bad shots. You are not going to win many games when you shoot 19 percent from the floor.”

The Cougars took a 23-16 halftime lead but nearly gave it up in the third period before escaping with a 34-32 edge.

“Defensively we did okay but I didn’t like the way we played on offense,” said Steele Canyon coach PENNY SMITH. “This was a good way to get our league started tonight.”

TEYSHONNIA BEALER-WEST had a solid performance of 17 points to go along with 19 rebounds and 5 steals for the Foothillers. But her Foothillers teammates made only seven buckets, and nobody scored more than six points.

SAMANTHA VERNON grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for Steele Canyon.

Steele Canyon: Alexis Merlino 21 (6 reb, 2 blk, 3 stl), Monique Van 8 (8 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Samantha Vernon 7 (12 reb, 5 blk, 2 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 7, Michelle Beasley 5 (2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Jenesys Hayes 1 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Sierra Florez (1 reb).

Grossmont: Teyshonnia Bealer-West 17, Danielle Dahle 6 (3 reb, 3 ast, 5 blk, 1 stl), Katarina Schweitzer 6 (4 reb, 1 stl), Ashley Hargrove 5 (5 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Chloe Cook 5 (1 reb, 3 ast), Christa Sawyers 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Carly Lopez (1 reb, 1 stl), Jamie Kautzman (1 reb).

SANTANA 55, EL CAJON VALLEY 27 – One of the hardest teams to figure out in East County are the Santana Sultans. You never know which direction this crew is coming from.

But Sultans coach MARK TIPTON had to like the fast start in Friday’s (Jan. 14)

Grossmont Valley League against visiting El Cajon Valley, as the Sultans took a 20-3 first quarter lead. It was 32-8 by halftime.

SAMMY WHITE set the pace for the Sultans (7-9, 1-0 GVL) with 14 points.

“It was a nice way to get our league started,” said Tipton. “We got everybody into the game – 11 of our 12 players scored. We did a good job switching our defenses all game.”

According to Tipton the plan was to stop ( CHELSEA ) BALL and (NATASHA) FERNANDEZ. The Sultans held the duo to 2 points apiece, fronting Ball all night.

“That was the key to our defense,” Tipton said.

Santana: Sammy White 14 (1 reb, 1 stl), Amanda Grable 7 (3 reb, 1 ast), Margie Panknin 7 (1 reb, 1 ast, 6 stl), Lena Moss 6 (6 reb), Haley Burton 5 (7 reb, 3 blk), Kim Gross 5 (8 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl), Kelsey Conley 4 (2 reb, 1 stl), Taylor Barry 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk), Sydney Blackburn 2 (1 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Alex Breidt 2 (1 reb), Emerald Branson 1 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Rebecca Martinez (4 reb).

El Cajon Valley: Brittany Swecker 9 (3 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Miranda Mullens 6 (1 reb, 1 ast), Joanna de la Cruz 6 (1 stl), Miya Harris 2 (7 reb), Chelsea Ball 2 (4 reb, 3 stl), Natasha Fernandez 2 (2 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl), Sharde Williams (3 reb, 1 ast).

VALLEY CENTER 57, EL CAPITAN 28 – Host Valley Center outscored the Vaqueros 16-1 in the second quarter to take a 35-8 halftime lead in Friday’s (Jan. 14) non-league contest in North County.

What had to be stinging for the Vaqueros is the fact that they lost to the same team 46-38 on December 1st.

“We only got four shot attempts in the second quarters, which explains our scoring totals,” said Vaqueros assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD. “The only thing I can say is we played a lot better in the second half of this game as they outscored us only 22-20.

“I would like to give props to our point guard DEANNA REED, who always plays hard every game. It’s too bad she didn’t get more help from her teammates.”

Deanna Reed 7 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Robyn Logel 7 (1 stl), Vanessa Carrillo 5 (4 reb, 2 stl), Megan Drennen 4 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Vanessa Sierra 3 (3 reb, 1 ast), Amber Rel-Solia 2 (1 reb, 1 blk), Bekah Leonard (2 ast, 1 st), Kim Galvan (1 reb).

Mount Miguel center Shay Young (center) gets hacked while going up for a shot. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com / ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE)

CalHiSports State Stars of the Week HERE Selections include: Deanna Bembry, Monte Vista; Alexis Merlino, Steele Canyon; plus Myishia Watkins & Shay Young, Mount Miguel (East County gets 4 of 22 in CA).

Monarchs prep for Mount Miguel after bending Steele

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-13-11) — As one might surmise, the Monte Vista Monarchs might have been looking ahead to Friday’s (Jan. 14) Grossmont Valley League opener against perennial champion and crosstown rival Mount Miguel.

Although possibly distracted in Wednesday’s (Jan. 12) final leg of the Grossmont Conference crossover action against Steele Canyon, the Monarchs pulled out a last-second 50-47 win over the Cougars to collect their East County best 17th victory.

DEANNA BEMBRY, who paced the Monarchs with 17 points and 13 rebounds, broke a 47-all tie with her seventh field goal in 14 attempts with 17 seconds remaining.

After Steele Canyon (6-12) came downcourt and missed a chance to re-tie the game or go ahead, the Monarchs’ SHAMONIQUE BOYD grabbed the rebound and was fouled.

Boyd made the first of her one-and-one free throw opportunities. She missed the second and STEFANIE BANKS grabbed the offensive rebound for the putback to make like Trevor Hoffman and record the save for Monte Vista.

“We did a lot of good things so I think we’re ready for league play,” said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE.

Skibbe said that with some concerns, however. The Monarchs failed to make a 3-pointer against Steele Canyon and were only 10 of 32 from the free throw line.

“Free throw shooting continues to be a problem for us and we have to correct that,” he said.

Never one to be fond of officiating, Steele Canyon coach PENNY SMITH pointed out that four of his players fouled out.

“We lost our three bigs to fouls and Monte Vista was shooting the double bonus in both halves,” Smith said. “We had our moments but the only thing that bothers me is we didn’t play with very much emotion.”

Monte Vista: Deanna Bembry 17 (13 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk), Dionna Mercer 9 (2 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Shamonique Boyd 7 (12 reb, 2 ast, 7 stl), Abigail Vargas 5 (1 stl), Dee Dee Morrison 4 (3 reb), Stefanie Banks 4 (2 reb), Felicia Porter 2 (9 reb, 1 ast), Tasha Brown 1 (4 reb, 1 ast), Shantee Woods 1 (3 reb).

Steele Canyon: Alexis Merlino 17 (3 reb, 1 blk), Gabrielle Beasley 11 (4 reb, 2 stl), Jenesys Hayes 7 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Michelle Beasley 6 (2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Samantha Vernon 4 (5 reb, 3 blk), Monique Van 2 (2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Sierra Florez (1 reb).

Mount Miguel center Shay Young releases a mid-range jumper against top-ranked La Jolla Country Day. (Frank Price photo, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

The wafer thin Mount Miguel roster was once again exposed as DANIELLE MILLER drew her third foul early in the second quarter with the Matadors trailing 17-11.

By the time Miller returned to the floor, the visiting Torreys led 29-11 and continued on to a 33-13 halftime advantage.

“Obviously not having Miller out there hurt us, but to be honest, we were just missing too many easy baskets,” said Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

To Mount Miguel’s credit, sophomore BREAHNA JONES shut out the Torrey’s 3-point shooter Kaylah Miller.

What Mount Miguel did not have an answer for was 5-foot-8 sophomore Kelsey Plum, the daughter of Helix High Parade All-American quarterback Jim Plum. Kelsey scored a game-high 25 points, including 18 in the first half.

The No. 1 ranked Torreys (13-3), who earlier beat Monte Vista 69-33, received 16 points from Malina Hood and 15 from Maya Hood.

Despite her foul problems, Danielle Miller managed to lead Mount Miguel (10-5) with 23 points and 7 rebounds.

It won’t get any easier for Mount Miguel, which opens the Grossmont Valley League season at Monte Vista on Friday (Jan. 14) at 5:30.

Following that encounter the Matadors will play at San Diego on Saturday at 7:30, and then face off against Riverside Perris at Horizon on Monday at 4.

Mount Miguel: Danielle Miller 23 (7 reb, 3 stl), Myishia Watkins 8 (1 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Shay Young 7 (5 reb), Chantel Yell 2 (2 stl), Breahna Jones 2 (2 stl).

GROSSMONT 43, SANTANA 39 (updated 1-13-11) – TEYSHONNIA BEALER-WEST snapped a 39-39 tie with 1:20 remaining and that proved to be the winning basket in the Foothillers’ Grossmont Conference crossover victory on Wednesday (Jan. 12) in Santee.

It was not one of Bealer-West’s finest scoring hours as she finished with only 8 points. While it was her bucket that helped Grossmont improve to 12-5, she had plenty of help.

Santana was clinging to a 37-36 lead with just under 2 minutes to play when CHLOE COOK landed one of her six 3-pointers, giving Grossmont a 2-point lead.

But Santana (6-9) refused to fold as HALEY BURTON made both ends of a one-and-one to tie the game at 39-all.

“We switched from zone to man-to-man and forced two turnovers after that,” said Foothillers coach MEGAN LONG.

Grossmont (12-5) capitalized on both Santana miscues, beginning with Bealer-West’s go ahead basket.

In their mad scramble to get one last chance, the Sultans fouled DANIELLE DAHLE, who put the game away by making two free throws.

Cook finished with a game-high 18 points, doing all of her shooting from above the arc where she hit 6 of 12 attempts.

“We tried to mess with the tempo of the game in the first quarter and it worked,” said Long, whose Foothillers led 9-6 after the first period. “But their coach (MARK TIPTON) made some adjustments and Santana went on a 10-0 run to take a half time lead (22-18). It was a game of adjustments after that.”

Burton paced the Sultans with 18 points, including 6-for-6 free throw shooting. She blocked five shots.

AMANDA GRABLE landed a trio of triples and finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while SAMMY WHITE also scored 10 points, hitting a pair of treys.

Grossmont: Chloe Cook 18 (3 reb, 1 stl), Danielle Dahle 15 (7 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl), Teyshonnia Bealer-West 8 (5 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl), Christa Sawyers (2 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Ashley Hargrove (2 reb, 2 stl), Katarina Schweitzer (2 stl), Carly Lopez (1 reb, 1 ast).

Santana: Haley Burton 18 (5 blks, 2 ast, 1 stl), Amanda Grable 10 (7 reb), Sammy White 10 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Kim Gross 2 (2 ast, 2 blk), Margie Panknin (3 ast, 2 stl), Sydney Blackburn (1 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl).

El Capitan's Megan Drennen (13) dribbles away from Valhalla defender Alle Mims (33). (Photo by Ruth Mims) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Valhalla (11-6), however, outscored El Capitan, 30-9, in the middle two quarters to pick up the victory.

“We started really, really slow,” said Norsemen coach AL SILVA. “We played man in the first quarter with no press. Then we put the press on in the second and third quarters and played really good defense.”

KANDICE KALASHO led the offensive charge for Valhalla with 16 points and 4 assists.

Teammate DANIELLE WILSON dominated the boards, collecting 17 caroms and blocking 3 shots.

The Norsemen put down a trio of treys and were 10 of 14 from the free throw line.

“I was really pleased with our free throw shooting,” Silva said. “We shot 71 percent. That made a difference.”

On the flip side, El Capitan (3-12) committed 25 turnovers and made only 6 of 14 free throws.

“We’re making too many unforced errors,” said Vaqueros assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD. “We didn’t crash the boards and we missed too many free throws. This is a game we could have won, but not by making all those mistakes.”

Bickford did praise the work of 5-foot-4 junior point guard DEANNA REED.

“She plays so hard,” he said. “And BEKAH LEONARD gave us 7 points and 4 rebounds.”

Valhalla: Kandice Kalasho 16 (4 ast, 3 stl), MacKenzie Cartmill 8 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Karissa Ferrell 8 (3 reb, 1 stl), Danielle Wilson 4 (17 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl), Carli Gilstrap 4 (4 reb, 2 stl), Chelsea Hale 3 (2 reb), Alle Mims 2 (2 stl), Jordan DeLucchi (5 reb).

El Capitan: Vanessa Sierra 7 (7 reb), Cora Leonard 7 (4 reb), Vanessa Carrillo 6 (8 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Amber Rel-Solia 6 (1 reb, 1 ast, 4 blk, 4 stl), Megan Drennen 6 (3 reb, 3 ast), Deanna Reed 3 (5 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Robyn Logel 1 (4 reb, 1 stl).

HELIX 63, EL CAJON VALLEY 29 – Five-foot-2 senior guard KIMBERLY SCOTT scored a season-high 24 points Wednesday (Jan. 12) as the Highlanders closed out Grossmont Conference crossover play in a lopsided victory over visiting El Cajon Valley.

The Highlanders led 55-19 by the close of three periods and Kimberly Scott had completed her scoring at that point.

“We came back from the last game (a 51-48 loss to Santana) playing defense with a vengeance,” said Helix coach DEAN BRUNSON. “We pressed the first half and then called it off. That allowed us to get some much needed work on our zone defenses. I think we’re ready for league play but I guess I’ll find out come Friday.”

The Highlanders (7-5) host Valhalla on Friday (Jan. 14) at 5:30.

CHELSEA BALL paced the Braves with 15 points and 6 rebounds, while BRITTANY SWECKER added 10 points and 3 assists.

The Braves (5-11) shot 25 percent from the floor and did not make a three against Helix.

“We’re in some kind of funk,” said El Cajon Valley coach CARLOS MOSS. “This has really been frustrating for me as a coach.”

Helix: Kimberly Scott 24, Jacqueline Smith 9, Chanelle Ward 7, Kristina Scott 6, Iesha Murray 6, Kai Penn 4, Rudy Leasau 2, Sarah Meredith 2, Grace Osoimalo 2, Jasmine Hunn 1.

El Cajon Valley: Chelsea Ball 15 (6 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Brittany Swecker 10 (2 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Natasha Fernandez 2 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Miya Harris 2 (6 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl), Miranda Mullens (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Danielle Santana (2 reb, 1 stl), Joanna de la Cruz (2 stl), Sharde Williams (2 reb), Elizabeth Aguilar (1 reb).

Mount Miguel seeks 11th consecutive crown

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-12-11) — This is the second year the Grossmont Conference has been divided into two new leagues – the Grossmont Valley and Grossmont Hills.

One thing that never seems to change despite the alignment is the Mount Miguel Matadors reign supreme. The Matadors, who have won the 10 league championships in succession, are a runaway favorite to stave a strong challenge from a veteran Monte Vista squad this year.

More teams will be involved in the race for the roses in the Grossmont Hills League. Fact is, there is no clear favorite. Take your pick there.

GROSSMONT VALLEY LEAGUE
1. MOUNT MIGUEL — The Matadors lack the depth they’ve had in the past but the trio of DANIELLE MILLER, MYISHIA WATKINS and SHAY YOUNG is strong enough to keep Mount Miguel ’s string of titles running. Since coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL took the helm 11 years ago, his teams have compiled a 93-1 league record.

2. MONTE VISTA — This is the only team in the league that has the talent to give the Matadors a run for their money. Coach MICHAEL SKIBBE’s squad is loaded with seniors led by DEANNA BEMBRY and ALEXANDRA ROSS, and a powerful post in junior SHAMONIQUE BOYD.

3. SANTANA — One thing the Sultans do well is rebound with HALEY BURTON and KIM GROSS crashing the boards. SAMMY WHITE is a decent three-point shooter and MARGIE PANKNIN is stable at the point. But overall this is a club that lacks consistent ball-handling and shooting.

4. EL CAPITAN — The Vaqueros lack a go-to player, which explains why they have scored fewer than 30 points in seven of their 14 games. Inconsistency has plagued this team

5. EL CAJON VALLEY — Junior CHELSEA BALL is a double threat for the Braves and NATASHA FERNANDEZ can hit the three, but the Braves should label the season a success if they escape the cellar.

GROSSMONT HILLS LEAGUE
1. GRANITE HILLS — Sophomore guard SKYLAR WILLIAMS leads a youthful Eagles (9-7) unit that only seems to be getting better after an 0-4 start to the season. Included in their wins is a 44-38 nod over Grossmont. JESSICA HARRIS gives Granite Hills another offensive boost.

2. WEST HILLS — Injuries continue to hamper the defending champion Wolf Pack. If coach RYAN KINSER’s crew ever regains full strength the Pack could retain its circuit crown. Sophomore wing EMILY COLE has been a standout the first half of the season as have insiders TAYLOR INGRAHAM and HALEY FORSBERG.

3. GROSSMONT — TEY BEALER-WEST and DANIELLE DAHLE are among the top players in the league. CHLOE COOK is a dynamic three-pointer shooter, who helps make the Foothillers a darkhorse for a league championship.

4. HELIX — Another team hard to figure are the Highlanders. No question they have plenty of offensive firepower on the shooting strength of the senior SCOTT sisters – KIMBERLY and KRISTINA. It’s a maze of inconsistency after those two.

5. STEELE CANYON — Looking at the Cougars from the inside it is clear that they could move up a couple of notches in the standings. ALEXIS MERLINO is a double threat for Steele Canyon. The BEASLEY sisters – GABRIELLE and MICHELLE – could be the stepping stones for a hike in the standings.

6. VALHALLA — The situation at Valhalla has been much better this year and sentencing the Norsemen to the basement might be underestimating their new outlook. KANDICE KALASHO and DANIELLE WILSON are among the top players in the league. Depth is a question mark.

CENTRAL LEAGUE
Although Christian High is much improved the Patriots don’t figure to challenge for the league title just yet. Perhaps a first division finish is realistic for a team led by the Lowery sisters – junior ALESIA and freshman CHAYAN.

Central’s predicted order of finish:
1. Coronado; 2. Point Loma; 3. Kearny; 4. Christian; 5. Clairemont; 6. Madison; 7. Crawford.

Helix guard Kimberly Scott slides past Santana's defense. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) VIEW/PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-11-11) — Some people might consider Monte Vista’s 55-42 Grossmont Conference crossover victory over West Hills on Monday (Jan. 10) as an upset.

Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE doesn’t look at it that way.

“Our depth is our gift – don’t take us for granted,” Skibbe said.

Trailing 8-6 after one quarter Monte Vista (16-4) used a 19-10 scoring edge to regain a 7-point halftime lead.

FELICIA PORTER hit a double-double for the third game in a row, chalking up 10 points – all in the fourth quarter – and 10 rebounds against West Hills.

Mercer also grabbed 6 rebounds, had 3 assists and a couple of steals for the Monarchs.

Monte Vista gained a 21-17 advantage in the fourth quarter.

“We know everybody is going to get a couple of points every game,” Skibbe said. “It’s just who is going to have the big game. Tonight it was (ABIGAIL) VARGAS (13 points, 4 steals), Mercer and Porter. They are not the ones who (usually) do all the scoring.”

DEANNA BEMBRY pulled down 16 rebounds for Monte Vista.

Injuries continue to plague West Hills.

“One of the biggest problems tonight is we were playing without our starting center, (6-foot-1 junior) JILLIAN BROWN, who suffered a sprained ankle (in the final 25 seconds) in our last game,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “We started out ice cold with our shooting and couldn’t make up for it.”

West Hills point guard TAYLOR AGUIRRE, who missed several games after spraining an ankle in the Kiwanis Tournament, missed the whole fourth quarter as she re-tweaked her ankle tonight.

Sophomore EMILY COLE attempted to help keep the Pack in the game with 15 points, while TAYLOR INGRAHAM added 8 points and 10 rebounds.

Monte Vista: Abigail Vargas 13 (2 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Dionna Mercer 10 (6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Felicia Porter 10 (10 reb, 2 ast), Deanna Bembry 9 (16 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Alex Ross 6 (1 reb, 2 stl), Shamonique Boyd 4 (1 reb), Tasha Brown (3 reb), Stefanie Banks (1 reb).

West Hills: Emily Cole 15 (3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Taylor Ingraham 8 (10 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Taylor Aguirre 7 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Kylie Cristini 7 (3 areb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Haley Forsberg 4 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Arielle Bowers 1 (4 reb, 1 ast), Ja’Ana Diamond (5 reb), Alexa Evans (4 reb, 1 ast), Kaitlin McLucas (1 reb).

SANTANA 51, HELIX 48 – Usually a team with an inconsistent offense, Santana generated an offensive rush in Monday’s (Jan. 10) Grossmont Conference crossover action in La Mesa.

KIM GROSS, who seems to be snapping out of a season-long slump, broke loose for 17 points and 10 rebounds while converting 11 of 14 free throws as the Sultans upset host Helix.

HALEY BURTON added 12 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks for Santana (6-8), while SYDNEY BLACKBURN chipped in with 10 points and 6 assists.

Helix led by two points in the game’s closing minutes.

“We took a 2-point lead with four minutes to play but could not hold onto it,” said Helix coach DEAN BRUNSON. “Santana had two free throws with 5 seconds to play. They made the first and missed the second and Helix got the rebound. We made a fast break and took a long, NBA desperation 3-point shot but it didn’t fall.”

Helix hit 5 of 14 free throws while Santana was 15 of 22 at the line.

KIMBERLY SCOTT scored 16 points for Helix while her sister KRISTINA SCOTT punched in 10 points.

“Santana played relaxed and confident,” said Brunson. “I think we were physically quicker than they were but we didn’t show it. We came back in the second half and played hard, but they were just better prepared.”

Santana: Kim Gross 17 (10 reb, 8 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Haley Burton 12 (12 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl), Sydney Blackburn 10 (6 ast, 3 stl), Amanda Grable 6 (3 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 3 stl), Sammy White 4 (6 reb, 2 blk), Lena Moss 4, Margie Panknin 2 (4 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 6 stl), Emerald Branson (1 ast), Alex Briedt 2 (1 reb).

Helix: Kimberly Scott 16, Kristina Scott 10, Jacqueline Smith 6, Iesha Murray 4, Chanelle Ward 4, Grace Osoimalo 4, Kai Penn 2, Rudy Leasau 2.

STEELE CANYON 53, EL CAJON VALLEY 23 – SAMANTHA VERNON scored 21 points and grabbed 5 rebounds to guide Steele Canyon over visiting El Cajon Valley in Monday’s (Jan. 10) Grossmont Conference crossover meeting.

“The girls played good defense and good offense tonight,” said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH. “We also had a good transition game. It makes the game much easier to coach when your team plays the way we played tonight. Our defense was really strong in the second half. Samantha Vernon had a real strong game down low for us.”

The Cougars (7-11) led 19-8 after one quarter and turned the game into a blowout by outscoring the Braves 21-3 in the second half.

“I don’t know what happened in the second half,” said Braves coach CARLOS MOSS. “I felt we were still in the game at halftime. Then we came out in the third quarter and everything went away. I sat there on the bench, feeling kind of helpless. I tried everything I could think of but nothing seemed to work. El Cajon only shot two free throws in the second half.”

NATASHA FERNANDEZ scored 13 points for El Cajon Valley, the majority coming on three 3-pointers.

The reliable CHELSEA BALL garnered a game-high 11 rebounds and made 6 steals for the Braves.

Steele Canyon: Samantha Vernon 21 (5 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Michelle Beasley 8 ( 2 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl), Monique Van 6 (3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Ali Merlino 6 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Sungerie Cofield 6 (2 reb, 5 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 4 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 5 stl), Jenesys Hayes 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Alyssa Mascari (1 reb, 2 stl), Sierra Florez (1 reb).

El Cajon Valley: Natasha Fernandez 13 (5 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Chelsea Ball 7 (11 reb, 3 blk, 6 stl), Sharde Williams 2 (2 reb), Brittany Swecker 1 (3 ast, 3 stl), Miranda Mullens (4 reb, 4 stl), Miya Harris (9 reb), Danielle Santana (1 reb, 1 stl).

GRANITE HILLS 56, EL CAPITAN 28 – SKYLAR WILLIAMS scored 17 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, made 3 steals and dished off 2 assists as Granite Hills blew past visiting El Capitan in Monday’s (Jan. 10) Grossmont Conference crossover contest.

The Eagles (9-6) led 15-4 after one quarter and 31-10 at halftime.

JESSICA HARRIS added 14 points and 6 assists for the Eagles, including a pair of 3-pointers, and also had 6 assists.

“Granite Hills ran a flex offense and that’s the offense we ran last year,” noted El Capitan assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD. “In the first half we weren’t setting a lot of good screens and getting open looks because we weren’t talking. In the second half we did a lot better job because we talked and did a lot better job of communicating on the court.”

“We’ve been challenging the girls to not quit – either on the court or in life,” Bickford added. “Granite Hills pressed, then took it off and pressed us again. Our point guard DEANNA REED worked hard. She only turned the ball over three times. We only have eight players and we don’t have the depth that some teams have.”

Granite Hills: Skylar Williams 17 (7 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Jessica Harris 14 (2 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl), Hailey Garner 9 (4 reb, 4 stl), Cora Leonard 6 (4 reb, 1 stl), Rae Luckett 4 (7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Kayla Kemp 3 (4 reb, 1 stl), Kaylla Hawkins 3 (1 reb).

El Capitan: Megan Drennen 7 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Deanna Reed 6 (5 reb, 2 ast), Robyn Logel 5 (1 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Vanessa Carrillo 5 (1 reb, 1 ast), Vanessa Sierra 4 (5 reb), Amber Rel-Solia (6 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl).

Santana center Kim Gross. (Photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-9-11) — On the schedule it appears as a crosstown rivalry. A non-league game that offers little more than bragging rights to the winner.

To those involved, however, it’s a big deal.

“It’s like our whole season is built around this game,” said sophomore EMILY COLE. “We work extremely hard to win this game.”

Cole was talking about West Hills’ 56-28 Grossmont Conference crossover victory over visiting Santana Saturday night (Jan. 8).

Cole scored a game-high 13 points to pace the Pack. The majority of her tallies came on three triples.

“We know what it takes to win games and that means working hard in the offseason,” she said. “Our team is dedicated to winning (San Diego Division II) CIF again. That’s our goal for the season and we’re working hard to get there.”

The 5-foot-9 wing is West Hills’ offensive leader on the season, averaging 10.3 points per game. She also has a team-best 17 three-pointers and has converted 23 of 29 free throws (79.3 percent) – also tops on the team.

“I think the 3-pointer first, and if that’s not there I’ll always drive,” Cole said. “And I’m not afraid to dish it off to my teammates.” Cole is second on the team with 24.

West Hills (7-6) used a 14-0 scoring run to help take a 24-11 lead after one quarter. The Wolf Pack shot 70 percent from the floor (10-for-14) in the opening eight minutes.

When the Pack expanded its advantage to 28-11 less than two minutes into the second period, West Hills coach RYAN KINSER began substituting freely.

“It got crazy there at the end,” Cole said, as the game became more and more physical. “But we kept our composure and just finished strong.”

Nobody scored more than six points for Santana (5-9).

“They’re just a better team than we are,” said Santana coach MARK TIPTON. “I think that was pretty evident out there tonight.”

Santana: Amanda Grable 6 (2 reb), Haley Burton 4 (6 reb), Sammy White 4 (3 reb), Lena Moss 4 (2 reb), Kim Gross 3 (5 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Margie Panknin 3 (3 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Alex Breidt 2 (2 reb, 1 ast), Sydney Blackburn 2 (1 reb), Emerald Branson (3 reb, 1 ast), Taylor Barry (2 reb, 1 stl), Kelsey Conley (1 reb).

West Hills: Emily Cole 13 (3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Taylor Ingraham 9 (9 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Kylie Cristini 9 (4 ast, 2 reb, 3 stl), Haley Forsberg 8 (10 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl), Alex Evans 4 (2 reb), Arielle Bowers 3 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Kaitlin McLucas 3 (1 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Ja’Ana Diamond 3 (3 reb), Taylor Aguirre 2 (2 reb, 2 ast), Diana Ghandour 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Jillian Brown (9 reb, 1 ast).

Chatsworth-SIERRA CANYON 57, MOUNT MIGUEL 48 – The Mount Miguel Matadors literally shot themselves out of the game in Saturday’s (Jan. 8) Public-vs.-Private Showcase in Marina del Rey.

From the free throw line the Matadors (10-4) missed 25 of 41 shots. Things weren’t too swell from the floor, either as coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL estimates his team missed 16 layups.

To make matters worse, Mount Miguel turned the ball over 21 times.

“When our best players don’t show up, this is the result,” Sandoval said. “Yeah I know Miller had 21 points, but she was 10-for-20 from the free throw line. Myishia was 1-for-10. And Shay missed half the game in foul trouble. Everybody has a role on this team. Our top scorers are too inconsistent.”

Despite its off-the-wall shooting, the Matadors led 9-8 after one quarter and trailed only 21-17 at intermission.

“We have two tough games coming up and we’ll be in trouble if we play like this,” Sandoval said.

Mount Miguel hosts No. 1 La Jolla Country Day on Wednesday (Jan. 12) at 7:30 p.m. and takes on host San Diego High in next Saturday’s (Jan. 15) Martin Luther King Hoop Fest.

Mount Miguel: Danielle Miller 21 (10 reb, 5 stl, 1 blk), Myishia Watkins 14 (4 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Shay Young 7 (8 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Dejia Blanks 3 (2 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Chantel Yell 2 (7 reb, 3 ast), Dejanay Pope 1 (3 reb).

Monte Vista's Deanna Bembry (left) drives to the basket, despite being closely covered by Valhalla senior forward Carli Gilstrap. (Photo by Ruth Mims) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-8-11) — Attempting to recover from a disappointing showing against top-rated La Jolla Country Day just two days earlier, Monte Vista's offense opened flat during the first half of Friday’s (Jan. 7) Grossmont Conference crossover contest against Valhalla.

But when the Monarchs played solid defense and dominated on the boards, everything else eventually took care of itself as Monte Vista (15-4) won for the 14th time in 15 starts against San Diego County opposition after stopping the host Norsemen, 55-26.

"We started slow because of the Country Day game," said Monarchs guard ALEX ROSS, who poured in a game-high 15 points against Valhalla, which including a quartet of 3-point goals. "But we stayed in front because DEANNA (BEMBRY), MO (BOYD) and FELICIA (PORTER) killed on the boards."

Each member of the trio registered double-digit totals in rebounds, helping Monte Vista mount a mammoth 65-28 advantage under the glass.

"We just out-worked their team," noted Boyd, who also blocked three shots. "We go hard in practice and it carries over to going hard in our games."

The slow start on offense by both ballclubs saw Monte Vista clinging to a 9-7 lead some three minutes into the second quarter. Valhalla then grabbed the lead on the first of a pair of 3-point goals by MacKENZIE CARTMILL with 4:42 left before the intermission

However, the Monarchs answered with a 13-2 scoring spurt to close the half, then burst open the second half with a 15-5 run, capped by three straight putback baskets by Bembry, who finished with 14 points.

The Norsemen (10-6) received a team-best 7 points from KANDICE KALASHO, while forward DANIELLE WILSON registered 11 boards and 4 blocks.

Following the contest, Ross announced she has narrowed her college choices to Northern Arizona or San Diego State, yet will end her playing career after the current season. The same holds true for Valhalla forward CARLI GILSTRAP, who will turn in her sneakers to attend UNLV to study veterinary medicine.

Monte Vista: Alex Ross 15 (4 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Deanna Bembry 14 (13 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Shamonique Boyd 8 (12 reb, 3 blk, 1 stl), Felicia Porter 7 (11 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Stefanie Banks 4 (4 reb, 1 ast), Abigail Vargas 3 (3 stl), Tasha Brown 2 (8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Dionna Mercer 2 (4 reb, 1 ast), Shantee Woods (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl).

Valhalla: Kandice Kalasho 7 (2 reb, 2 stl), MacKenzie Cartmill 6 (1 reb), Danielle Wilson 4 (11 reb, 4 blk, 3 ast, 3 stl), Carli Gilstrap 4 (3 reb, 2 ast), Karissa Ferrell 3 (2 reb), Chelsea Hale 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Alle Mims (5 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Jordan DeLucchi (4 reb), Sandi Kagy (1 ast), Shyla Criger-Philipp (1 stl).

SANTANA 49, STEELE CANYON 46 – HALEY BURTON sounded the charge for Santana, rolling off a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds in Friday’s (Jan. 7) Grossmont Conference crossover victory at Steele Canyon.

The Sultans (5-8) built up a 16-0 lead in the first quarter only to watch Steele Canyon score the final 10 points in the opening period. By halftime the game was tied at 26-all.

“The way the coaching strategy went was kind of like a chess match,” said Santana coach MARK TIPTON. “Every time I made a move, (Steele Canyon coach) PENNY (SMITH) would make a counter move. It was touch and go the whole second half.

“It was a big win for us, looking toward the playoffs.”

SAMMY WHITE added 13 points for Santana – the majority of which came on 3 triples. KIM GROSS chipped in with 12 points and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

SAMANTHA VERNON was the spearhead in Steele Canyon ’s attack with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. GABRIELLE BEASLEY added 13 points for the Cougars (6-11).

“Gabrielle Beasley was the best player on the court,” said Smith. “She did a little bit of everything.”

Santana: Haley Burton 14 (11 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk), Sammy White 13 (6 reb, 1 stl), Kim Gross 12 (5 reb, 5 ast), Amanda Grable 6 (4 reb, 1 stl), Margie Panknin 3 (2 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl), Sydney Blackburn 1 (1 reb).

Steele Canyon: Samantha Vernon 15 (9 reb, 3 blk, 3 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 13 (2 reb, 2 ast), Michelle Beasley 9 (1 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl), Ali Merlino 5 (4 reb, 1 ast), Monique Van 2 (4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Alyssa Mascari 2, Jenesys Hayes (2 stl), Sierra Florez (1 reb).

GROSSMONT 56, EL CAPITAN 24 – The Foothillers sprinted to an 18-3 lead before the end of the first quarter of Friday’s (Jan. 7) Grossmont Conference crossover contest against visiting El Capitan.

“We pulled off the press at that point,” said Grossmont coach MEGAN LONG.

CHLOE COOK led Grossmont (11-5) with 18 points. The senior guard was 4-for-8 from 3-point land and connected on all 4 free throws.

The Foothillers were sharp from long distance, hitting 8 of 20 attempts from above the arc as a unit.

DANIELLE DAHLE added a double-double for the Hillers, tallying 13 points while hauling down 12 rebounds. She also had team-bests of 6 assists, 3 blocks and 5 steals.

TEYSHONNIA BEALER-WEST chipped in with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

“We felt their strength was their post play,” Long said of the Vaqueros (3-10). “We wanted to take that away. This was a good positive for us. We were able to work on a few new things.”

VANESSA SIERRA topped El Capitan with 9 points and 5 rebounds.

“When I looked up at the scoreboard we down 25-5 in the second quarter,” said assistant coach JEFF BICKFORD. “We just don’t handle the ball well, especially against pressure. We were giving up too many good looks because we weren’t closing out fast enough.”

El Capitan: Vanessa Sierra 9 (5 reb, 1 stl), Amber Rel-Solia 4 (2 reb), Robyn Logel 3 (2 ast, 1 reb), Deanna Reed 3 (3 reb, 1 ast), Bekah Leonard 2 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Alejandra Parsons 2, Megan Drennen 1 (2 reb, 1 stl), Vanessa Carrillo (3 reb, 1 ast).

Grossmont: Chloe Cook 18 (3 ast, 1 stl), Danielle Dahle 13 (12 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk, 5 stl), Teyshonnia Bealer-West 13 (7 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Christa Sawyers 8 (4 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Katarina Schweitzer 3 (1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Carly Lopez 2 (3 ast, 2 stl), Jamie Kautzman (1 reb, 1 stl), Karina Whitehouse (1 stl), Nancy Chavez (1 stl).

KEARNY 42, CHRISTIAN 33 — Freshman CHAYAN LOWERY racked up 15 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and logged 4 steals but it wasn’t enough as the Patriots dropped Friday’s (Jan. 7) Central League contest to the visiting Komets at Ryan Athletic Center.

“The last time we faced this team they beat us pretty bad,” said Christian coach THOMAS LOWERY. He was referring to a 57-39 setback to Kearny last month.

“We played a zone last time but switched over to a straight man this time,” he added. “That and we handled their pressure much better.”

The Komets led only 8-5 after one quarter and 23-15 by intermission in the rematch.

Christian: Chayan Lowery 15 (16 reb, 3 blk, 4 stl); Jillian Sexton 6 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Monique Elliot 5 (3 reb, 2 ast), Mia Johnson 4 (1 reb, 2 stl), Alesia Lowery 3 (2 reb, 1 ast), Hayley Cruz (1 ast).

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-7-11) — SIERRA FLOREZ scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds to lead host Steele Canyon past Imperial, 45-32, in Thursday’s (Jan. 6) non-league action.

The 5-foot-11 junior connected on 6 of 12 shots from the floor and 2 of 3 free throws for the Cougars (6-10).

GABRIELLE BEASLEY added 13 points and 5 steals for Steele Canyon, which led 10-2 after one quarter.

“Our defense was outstanding tonight,” said Cougars coach PENNY SMITH. “I hope it carries over.”

The Cougars host Santana in a Grossmont Conference crossover game Friday (Jan. 7) at 5:30.

Steele Canyon: Sierra Florez 14 (7 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Gabrielle Beasley 13 (1 reb, 5 stl), Jenesys Hayes 6 (2 reb, 2 stl), Samantha Vernon 6 (7 reb, 4 blk, 2 stl), Michelle Beasley 4 (5 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl), Sungerie Cofield 2 (1 reb, 1 ast), Alyssa Mascari (2 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl).

© East County Sports.com
LA JOLLA (1-6-11) — Kayla Miller buried nine 3-pointers to lead No. 1-ranked La Jolla Country Day to a 69-33 non-league victory over Monte Vista on Wednesday (Jan. 5).

Miller finished with 28 points for the Torreys (11-3) who built a 48-20 halftime lead.

FELICA PORTER paced Monte Vista (14-4) with 12 points and 7 rebounds.

“Our defense was iffy and we shot poorly,” said coach MICHAEL SKIBBE whose Monarchs saw a seven-game winning streak end. (LJCD) is a dynamic team.”

Monte Vista: Felicia Porter 12 (7 reb, 1 stl), Abigail Vargas 7 (4 reb, 4 ast), Stefanie Banks 5 (2 reb), Deanna Bembry 4 (3 reb, 4 ast), Alex Ross 3 (3 reb, 2 ast), Shamonique Boyd 2 (4 reb), Dee Dee Morrison (1 reb, 1 ast), Tasha Brown (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Dionna Mercer (1 reb).

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-5-11) — No doubt Monte Vista was looking forward to Wednesday’s bout against San Diego CIF No. 1 ranked La Jolla County Day.

But credit the Monarchs for taking care of the business at hand in Tuesday’s (Jan. 4) Grossmont Conference crossover game against visiting Granite Hills.

The Monarchs (14-3), who are on the bubble of crashing into the Top 10, took a 31-20 halftime lead over the Eagles (8-7) and then maintained the advantage to finish with a 53-44 victory.

As usual Monte Vista depended on a balanced scoring attack.

ALEX ROSS was the spearhead of the Monarchs’ attack as she accounted for a team-high 12 points – all of which came from 3-point distance.

DEANNA BEMBRY rolled off another double-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and added 6 assists for the Monarchs, who also received a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds from FELICIA PORTER.

“It was an ugly game on both sides,” said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. “I don’t think our focus was there tonight. Nevertheless there were a lot of positive things that I saw tonight. SHANTEE WOODS had two late free throws to helped put the game away and FELICIA PORTER had a strong all-around game. We got a lot of players some significant minutes.”

SKYLAR WILLIAMS scored a game-high 22 points for the Eagles.

“It was a very physical game,” noted Granite Hills coach JERRY PARKER. “I was very happy with the way KEJI KUBARI played at the back of our press. She had a game-high 6 blocked shots that were huge for us.”

Monte Vista: Alex Ross 12 (7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Deanna Bembry 11 (10 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl), Felicia Porter 10 (10 reb), Dionna Mercer 5 (7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Abigail Vargas 5 (2 reb), Shamonique Boyd 4 (4 reb, 2 stl), Tasha Brown 2 (4 reb, ), Stefanie Banks 2 (2 reb), Shantee Woods 2 (1 reb), Dee Dee Morrison (1 reb).

Granite Hills: Skylar Williams 22 (3 reb, 4 stl), Jessica Harris 10 (6 reb, 5 stl), Hailey Garner 4 (1 stl), Maddy Sheeran 4 (2 stl), Cora Leonard 2, Dayna Dunn 1, Keji Kubari 1 (6 reb, 6 blk, 2 stl), Rae Luckett (4 reb, 3 stl).

Alle Mims of Valhalla (left) blocks the layin attempt by Chelsea Ball (55) of El Cajon Valley. (Ruth Mims photo) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

“It was Kalasho, Cartmill and Wilson again to the rescue,” noted Valhalla coach AL SILVA.

Valhalla improved its record to 10-5 as that trio accounted for 39 of Valhalla ’s 54 points.

“The girls were really happy about doubling their win total from last year,” said Valhalla coach AL SILVA. “We’re at 10-5 now and the last two years they were 5-21 (2009-10) and 6-21 (2008-09).

“For these girls to win 10 games is really something. They really believe in themselves now. When I first took over they didn’t believe they could play with some teams.”

CHELSEA BALL registered 17 points and 21 rebounds for the Braves (5-9) and NATASHA FERNANDEZ contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds.

“We had too many turnovers tonight (38),” said El Cajon Valley coach CARLOS MOSS. “They took us completely out of our offense. We had a lot of spark in the first quarter but then we seemed to flame out. We were down 20 at halftime. We finally had no turnovers in the fourth quarter and we were able to make a little run at them. We need to get back in the gym. We’ve got a lot of things to work on.”

Valhalla: Kandice Kalasho 14 (1 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl), MacKenzie Cartmill 13 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Danielle Wilson 12 (10 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 5 stl), Chelsea Hale 6 (1 reb, 1 stl), Karissa Ferrell 4 (1 stl), Sandi Kagy 3 (1 ast, 1 stl), Alle Mims 2 (5 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl), Carli Gilstrap (5 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Shyla Criger-Philipp (4 reb, 1 stl).

El Cajon Valley: Chelsea Ball 17 (21 reb, 3 blk), Natasha Fernandez 10 (7 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk), Miranda Mullens 6 (5 reb), Brittany Swecker 2 (3 reb, 8 ast), Stevy-mariah Gomez 2 (1 reb), Miya Harris (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Danielle Santana (3 reb), Sharde Williams (2 reb), Joanna de la Cruz (1 ast).

POINT LOMA 27, CHRISTIAN 24 – The visiting Patriots lost their Central League opener Tuesday (Jan. 4) at Point Loma in a game where neither team scored in double digits during the four quarters.

The game was probably decided in the second quarter when the Patriots (2-4, 0-1 CL) were outscored 6-2.

Point Loma got the swing vote from Jackie Waymon, who scored 13 points, the majority coming on a trio of threes.

“People have been hurting us with 3-point shots so we’re trying to chase players off the 3-point line,” said Christian coach THOMAS LOWERY.

Six-foot-2 freshman CHAYAN LOWERY led the Patriots with 9 points and 16 rebounds.

Christian: Chayan Lowery 9 (16 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl), Alesia Lowery 8 (4 reb, 3 stl), Jillian Sexton 4 (4 reb, 1 ast), Mia Johnson 2, Monique Elliott 1 (1 ast, 2 stl), Hayley Cruz (1 stl).

SAN PASQUAL 59, CHRISTAN 30 — No report from the Patriots on this 5th Place game from the 4th annual Lady Monarchs Classic at Monte Vista.

Christian: Chayan Lowery 11, Mia Johnson 3, Monique Elliott 2, Annie Atterbury 3, Alesia Lowery 5, Jillian Sexton 4.