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Patriots super in four-point win over Eagles
East County Sports.com
EL CAJON -- Although it wasn't a Super Bowl preview, this pair of namesake schools -- Christian's Patriots and Santa Fe Christian's Eagles -- were involved in their own challenge stage in Thursday's (Jan. 20) non-league affair.
"Anytime we play Santa Fe Christian, it's always a rivalry game between Christian schools," explained Patriots coach CORI ESPELET. "It's that way in most every sport."
The intensity led to few scoring opportunities outside, but Christian earned more second chances inside to build a first-half lead, then hang on to down the visiting Eagles, 55-51, at Ryan Athletic Center.
BRITNI McCASKILL paced the Patriots (10-8) with 18 points, one short of her career high, including 12 in the second half to offset Santa Fe's attempt to rally 42-34 deficit through three periods.
"We still need to hustle more, but we shot well," said McCaskill, who made 6-of-8 shots over the final two periods to push the Patriots to the .500 mark (12-for-24) in the second half. "Today was a pretty good game for us."
Second-chance scoring opportunities included a variety of putbacks on offensive rebounds, including six boards by McCaskill. The junior also registered six steals and a pair of assists.
The Eagles (10-7) led most of the opening quarter until Christian's HEATHER MEIER nailed a 3-ball to close the period for an 18-16 lead and start a run of nine consecutive Patriots points.
Santa Fe closed to within four points three times in the final minutes, when Courtney Gilcreese scored seven of her 14 points. Also adding a late basket was forward Abbie Wright, the daughter of former Christian High boys basketball coach Randy Wright, who now coaches at the Solana Beach school.
Christian scoring:  Britni McCaskill 18, Heather Meier 14, Katie Gerlek 13, Holly Erickson 8, Heather DePriest 2.
(01-20-05)

Mount Miguel's Jerica Williams (32) drives for a bucket as Helix defender Ashley Penn (13) attempts to deny the basket. (1-18-05/Photo by Travis Downs)

Sultans not scared of winning, thwart Foothillers' challenge
East County Sports.com
EL CAJON - WADE VICKERY, the winningest girls basketball coach in San Diego CIF history, is unhappy. He's beginning to wonder if his expectations for the No. 2-ranked, 17-2 Sultans might be a bit presumptuous.
 
Make no mistake about it, Vickery was not elated by Santana's 53-45 Grossmont North League nod over Grossmont Tuesday (Jan. 18) Tuesday (Jan. 18) on the Foothillers' hardwood.
 
While Santana's 17 wins are the high water mark for all teams in the San Diego Section, girls or boys, Vickery isn't feeling in a championship mood. And he should know, considering his teams have logged 580 wins, won 7 SDCIF championships and 19 league titles the past 25 seasons.
 
"I'm really frustrated now, as frustrated as I've ever been," Vickery noted. "We're playing scared."
 
Maybe so, but never write off one of Vickery's clubs.
 
Santana junior JORDAN FRANEY is a model of consistency. Her 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks made her the pivot of control. Senior GABBY PASSENTINO pumped in 14 points on 6 for 11 shooting from the field.
 
Credit the Foothillers for giving a valiant effort Tuesday, attempting to finally upend the dominant hold that Santana has held over Grossmont the past few years.
 
"I was very proud of the girls tonight," said Grossmont coach JEREMY HERSCH. "I thought we came in with a decent game plan and did pretty well, executing it most of the game. We had a couple of lapses along the way that cost us some points on easy baskets, and Santana is always ready to capitalize on opponent errors."
 
The Hillers however, found themselves on unfamiliar ground as they trailed by only six points to start the 4th quarter.
 
"Up until that 4th quarter we did a great job not allowing their posts to seal us down low," said assistant Hiller coach TIM JOLLETT. "We just couldn't sustain it though, as Franey got herself free a couple times and then added a three ball to boot." 
 
Franey totaled a trio of 3 pointers on the night. Passentino had a fine scoring night, but was even more impressive with her stellar defense of Grossmont gold mine JACLYN GOLDBARG. The Foothillers senior guard, who is aching from head to toe, was held10 below her season average. Nevertheless, Goldbarg did click on 5-of-9 shots from the field and 7 of 8 free throws for 19 points. She also dished off 4 assists and made two steals.
 
The Hillers' MICHELLE GONZALEZ scored 10 points while doling out 3 assists, and center THERESE RIEDEL also chipped in 10 while gathering 13 boards and blocking 3 shots.
 
"We built it up to a 13-point lead then turned it over," Vickery said. "Riedel had some putbacks and hurt us some tonight."
 
Santana scoring:  Jordan Franey 28, Gabby Passentino 14, Kelsey Ash 5, Shannon Bailey 4, Shae Bass 2.
 
Grossmont scoring:  Jaclyn Goldbarg 19, Michelle Gonzalez 10, Therese Riedel 10, Brette Henderson 4, LaKenya Simon-West 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 34,  VALHALLA 30 - Injuries have left the Norsemen of Valhalla vulnerable to say the least. Most say the Norsemen (2-14, 0-2) won't win a game in the Grossmont South League this season.
 
Valhalla came close to proving the naysayers incorrect in Tuesday's (Jan. 18) league encounter against the visiting Monarchs (9-9, 1-1).
 
The game was tied 14-14 with 1:30 left in the half. At that point, the Monarchs embarked on a 7-0 run to take a half time lead of 21-14.
 
After three quarters, Valhalla cut the lead to four, 25-21.
 
To start the fourth quarter, the Monarchs' ASHLEY MILLER hit a 3-pointer to hoist Monte Vista's advantage to 28-21.  A hard fought quarter from both teams came down to the final minutes. 
 
Valhalla's LAUREN SHEPPARD hit a three with 2:26 left to cut the Monte Vista lead to 30-28.  After three scoreless exchanges, Sheppard hit a tough shot inside against two defenders to tie the game at 30-30, with 1:41 left.
 
Miller, who accounted for 24 Monte Vista points, struck back to put the Monarchs back on top 32-30 with 1:28 left.
 
Valhalla's LENA ALLOS had a three-point shot at 21 seconds hit the rim and carom out.
 
The Norsemen then fouled with 0:14 remaining. Miller missed the front end of a 1-and-1. KAYLA HOUSTON rebounded for Valhalla, then kicked a pass to Allos, who drove with 10 seconds left. Allos missed her chance for a lay-up by dribbling off her foot.
 
Miller eventually sealed the Monte Vista win by sinking a pair of free throws with 0:04 remaining.
 
Miller scored 22 of her teams final 24 points of the game in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters.
 
Sheppard scored a season high 19 points with 11 rebounds and 4 steals.
 
"Both players played very strong tonight," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "Mark your calendars, Feb. 8th at Monte Vista is going to be a fun one."
 
Monte Vista scoring:  Ashley Miller 24, Brittany Williams 4, Tiearea Robinson 2, Johnae Jackson 2, Tamieka Howell 2.
 
Valhalla scoring:  Lauren Sheppard 19, Breanna Martin 4, Hannah Gerken 4, Kayla Houston 3.
 
Mount Miguel's Lashawn Johnson (14), guarded by Helix's Racquel Primas (21) scored game highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds, as the visiting Matadors won the Grossmont South League contest 49-19. (1-18-05/Photo by Travis Down)

MOUNT MIGUEL 49,  HELIX 19 - When it comes to playing defense, few teams are more tenacious than the Matadors of Mount Miguel.
 
No doubt that is why Mount Miguel is ranked No. 3 in the state among Division II teams by CalHiSports.com. That is why the Matadors (16-1, 2-0) are slotted No. 7 in Southern California and No. 12 in the state in the CalHiSports.com overall ratings.
 
Sophomore LASHAWN JOHNSON paced the top-ranked Matadors (16-1, 2-0) with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
 
In spite of her 6-for-9 shooting accuracy, all Johnson wanted to talk about was Mount Miguel's defensive excellence.
 
"We work on defense every day in practice because we know our defense will help us win games more than anything else we do," Johnson said.
 
Johnson, a 5-foot-9 post player, viewed Helix's attempt to physically intimidate as more reckless than anything else.
 
"I'm used to getting bumped around, but I've been banged around more in a lot of other games we've played," Johnson said. "We accomplished our goal which was to hold (Helix) under 20."
 
The Matadors outscored Helix 27-5 in the second half.

"Because we know we are No. 1 in (the) San Diego (Section), whenever we go into a game the underdogs are going to come at us with their best game," said Mount Miguel junior JERICA WILLIAMS, who pitched in 13 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals. "So we have to go after them like it's our last game."
 
Mount Miguel scoring:  Lashawn Johnson 14, Jerica Williams 13, Monique Clayton 8, Genevieve Costello 5, Alona Jones 3, Kayla Huddleston 2, Victoria Murphy 2, Tavasha Yarbrough 2.
 
Helix scoring:  Diana Leasau 8, Mele Leasau 5, Racquel Primas 3, Madalyn Salanoa 2, Mallorie Brown 1.
 
GRANITE HILLS 55,  STEELE CANYON 42 - Injuries continue to plague the Granite Hills Eagles, who lost their best player to an injury during a non-team activity over the weekend.
 
The Eagles played without junior forward JOY EDWARDS in Tuesday's (Jan. 18) Grossmont South League game at Steele Canyon.
 
Edwards, as her coach JAY ROWLETT put it "broke a team rule to not play pick-up games during season." Edwards injured a finger so severely she will be lost to the team until at least the last week of league play.
 
Down to 7 active players, the Eagles managed to break a 35-35 tie with a 20-7 4th quarter run to garner their second league win and 13th  triumph in 18 starts overall. They are perched in a first place tie with Mount Miguel, a team they face Friday (Jan. 21) in Spring Valley.
 
MORGAN SABALA knocked down 20 points - nearly half coming on a trio of 3-pointers - to pace the Eagles. MEAGAN ST. JOHN found her offensive touch for 14 points.
 
It was Granite Hills' patented "in-your-face" defense that foiled any upset plans Steele Canyon might have entertained.
 
"They put pressure on us that we weren't used to," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES said. "Our 1-3-1 defense bothered them in the 1st half, but we've never beaten Granite Hills and they got to us in the 4th quarter.�
 
SAMANTHA BEASLEY swished 15 points - six on shots above the arc - to lead Steele Canyon (8-8, 0-2).
 
Granite Hills scoring:  Morgan Sabala 22, Meagan St. John 14, Molly Hillenbrand 8, Tamara Reynolds 6, Amy Sylvester 3, Madonna Najor 2.
 
Steele Canyon scoring:  Samantha Beasley 15, Celeste Martins 10, Kelly Hansen 4, Tina Merlino 4, Kelly Boozel 4, Alexis Robinson 3, Velora Horner 2.
 
EL CAPITAN 82,  EL CAJON VALLEY 35 - After the Vaqueros raced to a 32-6 lead after one quarter, one could only wonder how lopsided Tuesday's (Jan. 18) Grossmont North League in Lakeside would be.
 
ALLISON DUFFY riddled the Braves for 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the floor and 7-for-9 free throw shooting. The 6-foot-1 junior also muscled 14 ricochets off the glass, blocked 3 shots and made 2 steals.
 
El Capitan's HEATHER MOLZEN, East County's most accurate shooter from the field (.652 percent), was on the mark Tuesday, netting 10 of 13 shots for 24 points. The 6-foot-3 Washington State University recruit, added 12 rebounds, 4 blocks and 5 steals to her totals.
 
VALERIE LOGEL added 8 points for the No. 3-ranked Vaqueros (13-2, 1-0), who have won three in a row and six of their last seven.
 
RAWAA PATROS paced El Cajon Valley (8-10, 0-2) with 13 points.
 
El Capitan scoring:  Allison Duffy 29, Heather Molzen 24, Valerie Logel 8, Morgan Craig 6, Lisa Wilkins 6, Jamie Ferguson 4, Liana Pitman 3, Mallorie Montgomery 2. 
 
El Cajon Valley scoring:   Rawaa Patros 13, Michelle Thompson 8, Tynisha Smith 4, Catherine Moore 4, Kim Vasquez 3, Cierra Whitney 2, Taniya Patros 1.
 
SERRA 53,  PATRICK HENRY 36 - The rebuilding Patriots didn't have enough firepower to match strides with the host Conquistadors in Tuesday's (Jan. 18) Eastern League game at Serra.
 
Serra's Phynique Allen, ranked No. 8 in the county with a scoring average of 19.8 points per game, poured in 24 points and proved to be the difference in the game.
 
"We played pretty well in the 1st half, played better defense in the 2nd quarter," said Henry coach KEITH JACKSON. "Our rebounding and turnovers killed us. We gave (Serra) too many second shots."
 
Jackson's review of the game was not all negative, however.
 
"(ERIKA) SAUTER had a good defensive game, held Allen to 9 points in the 2nd half," said Jackson.
 
TIARRA WARNER scored a team-best 10 points for Patrick Henry 8-11, 0-4).
 
Patrick Henry scoring:  Tiarra Warner 10, Catherine Markwardt 7, Victoria Moreno 6, Lauren Thiel 6, Stacey Grimes 3, Erika Sauter 2, Elisa Nguyen 2.
(01-18-05)

Easterners make county take note at Elite Classic
East County Sports.com
 
LA JOLLA - If there was any doubt as to where the strength lies in San Diego CIF Section girls basketball, the East County trio of Mount Miguel, El Capitan and Granite Hills certainly cleared the air during Saturday's (Jan. 15) 3rd annual Elite Classic at La Jolla Country School. It was a clean sweep for the Inland trio.
 
GRANITE HILLS 42, AYALA 41 -- Sophomore guard MORGAN SABALA nearly single-handedly took over the final three minutes of play, lifting the Eagles (12-5) from a 14-point hole midway through the third quarter to shock the Chino Hills based Bulldogs (10-8).

Sabala scored 8 of her game-high 18 points in the 4th period, then made three key hustle plays on defense down the stretch as the Eagles overcome a 41-34 deficit with just over five minutes remaining.
 
Granite Hills shutout Ayala the rest of the way, scoring the game's final eight points, including a foul shot by MOLLY HILLENBRAND with three seconds left to break a 41-all deadlock.

"You just have to find a way and finish it," said Sabala, who forced three late turnovers, dished off 6 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. Sabala took a charge, then raked the ball off the legs of a ball-handler, and then joined teammate MADONNA NAJOR by diving into a pile to gain a held ball, as the possession arrow gave the ball to the Eagles (12-5).
 
"We just took it up a notch," Sabala suggested.

Junior guard JOY EDWARDS, who registered 16 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, started the late run by sinking a pair of jumpers. Sabala gained the assist on both plays, then decided to keep the ball on the next two trips down the court. First she hit a runner from 5 feet while being fouled for a 3-point play, then drove the lane for a layin to tie the game with 1:12 to play.

Between her baskets, Sabala stepped in front of the drive to the basket by Chino scoring leader Elyse Inman, then knocked the ball off an opponent for a turnover.
"Morgan's been doing that all season, but especially over the last few weeks," noted Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT. "She just seems to always make big plays and keep us in games."

However, her determination didn't stop there. When Inman lost control of an offensive rebound, Sabala and Najor scrambled to the floor for the loose ball, bringing their teammates on the bench to their feet with approval.

The final sequence was set-up on an Edwards steal with 14 seconds left, as Sabala made her lone mistake down the stretch by missing a layin in traffic. However, Hillenbrand crashed the boards for the ball and was fouled on her putback attempt. She made the first foul shot, but despite missing the second, MEAGAN ST. JOHN grabbed yet another rebound to prevent a last chance for Ayala.

Granite Hills out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 45-28, including nine by Najor and 6 by St. John.

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 18, Joy Edwards 16, Molly Hillenbrand 3, Madonna Najor 3, Meagan St. John 2.
 
EL CAPITAN 56,  PERRIS 54 -- A team can play well and lose, then one can play mediocre and win. Place this one in the latter category.

The Vaqueros (12-2), who once trailed 32-14 with 1:22 left in the 1st half, found enough energy inside to salvage the victory after HEATHER MOLZEN took a pass from LISA WILKINS for a tie-breaking layin with five seconds remaining to stun the Panthers.
 
Molzen netted 6 of 7 shots from the field and 2 of 4 free throws for one of her lowest totals of 14 points.
 
"Perris used its speed to basically neutralize our inside game," said El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS. "They were all over Molzen, who was fumbling inside passes all night."
 
Until the game was on the line, that is.
 
"Heather came up big for the game-winner," Curtis said. "She literally carried the girl guarding her to score the game-winning lay-up. It was by sheer determination that Heather took that one to the basket."
 
El Capitan junior ALLISON DUFFY earned player of the game laurels from the tournament committee, recording teams-highs of 20 points and 19 rebounds, guiding the Vaqueros to a 45-28 advantage on the boards.
 
Duffy scored 11 of her points in the 3rd period to trim the Perris lead to 41-36. From there El Capitan received a lift from the backcourt to pull in front. Junior LISA WILKINS and freshman LIANA PITMAN each connected on a pair of 3-balls, the last by Pitman for a 54-51 lead with 0:50 left.

Perris guard Brandie McCann answered with a 3-ball with 22 seconds left, but Curtis called a timeout to set-up the final play. The strategy was sound, as a smart bounce pass by Wilkins found Molzen along the right-side of the paint for the game-winning shot.

"Our guards, who have been maligned all season, came up with some shots in the clutch for us today," Curtis said.
 
Forward Tay Tay Hester led Perris (11-7) with 22 points, but most of it came in the first half before the Panthers ran out of gas.
"It was a game of halves," Curtis said.  "Fortunately, we got the bigger slice."
 
El Capitan scoring:  Allison Duffy 20, Heather Molzen 14, Lisa Wilkins 8, Mallorie Montgomery 6, Liana Pitman 6, Morgan Craig 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 37, Long Beach MILLIKIN 29 -- The San Diego Section's No. 1-ranked team posted only one player in double-scoring digits in Saturday's (Jan. 15) 3rd annual La Jolla Country Day Elite Classic.
 
Nevertheless, the Matadors flexed their strength by playing their potent "thou-shalt-not-score" defense, holding Long Beach-Millikin to a mere 10 points in the 1st half.

The Lady Rams (13-5), ranked 10th in their division in the CIF-Southern Section and buoyed by a pair of Division I college recruits, managed just five points over each of the first two periods, never making a game of it against the top team in San Diego Section.
 
"We practice defense every day and it pays off in our games," said Matadors point guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO. "We're all willing to work hard, no matter who we're playing against."

Costello was responsible for defending Millikin⤙s Cassidy Moore, who is heading for Loyola Marymount. With Costello in her face, Moore could only muster five points and a pair of assists for the Rams.
 
Meanwhile, Mary Has, who will play for Long Beach State in 2005-06, was stopped by Mount Miguel's JERICA WILLIAMS, scoring just five of her nine points while being guarded by the Matadors sophomore.

"It we get far in the playoffs, we'll see a lot of man (defense) from teams like Troy and Mater Dei," noted Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. "So it was good to see a team play us man today -- we haven't seen it in over a month."

Leading 6-2 early, Millikin hit a 3-ball with 3:01 left in the 1st period. However, the determined Matadors defense didn't allow another point until 2:58 remained in the half, shutting out the Rams for the equivalent of more than a quarter.

Mount Miguel junior guard MONIQUE CLAYTON was tabbed the game MVP by the tournament after scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds, including eight points and five boards in the second period when the Matadors (15-1) extended their lead to 19-10 at the intermission.

Mount Miguel scoring:  Monique Clayton 10, Jerica Williams 9, Lashawn Johnson 6, Tavasha Yarbrough 5, Genevieve Costello 4, Victoria Murphy 3.
(01-15-05)
 

Naderhoff's 25 helps West Hills in late finish over Grossmont
East County Sports.com
 
SANTEE -- West Hills generated its highest scoring total since the opening game of the season Friday (Jan. 14), as the Wolf Pack derailed visiting Grossmont 70-61 in the Grossmont North League opener for both teams
 
It was a key victory for the Wolf Pack (9-9, 1-0), which won its third straight behind the career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds of sophomore post MUAAU NADERHOFF.
 
Grossmont cut the lead to 2 points with 4:48 left to play on a JACLYN GOLDBARG "and one" play.
 
Five seconds later Goldbarg was whistled for her 5th foul and left the Hillers with little scoring options. MICHELLE GONZALEZ followed Goldbarg out of the game with 3:34 to play, and then LaKENYA SIMON-WEST fouled out with 3:10 left.
 
Those three depatures only enhanced the Wolf Pack's chances, thank you very much.
 
"We had somebody on Goldbarg the whole game," West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS said.
 
West Hills buried the Foothillers (12-5, 0-1) from the free throw line, connecting on 26 of 36 shots. Naderhoff clicked on 9 of 13 tries from the foul line and handed out 5 assists before fouling out.
 
"It was a great way to start league," said West Hills junior guard DALIA GHANDOUR, who rang up 9 points and 6 assists.
 
Added Moss, "we made 12 of 16 free throws in the first half and that was important to us considering how poorly we've shot before tonight."

\West Hills finished making 26 of 36 from the charity stripe.
 
On the flip side, Grossmont was a chilly 20-for-38 from the foul line.
 
"We missed ours, and they made theirs," Grossmont coach JEREMY HERSCH said.
 
THERESE RIEDEL turned in a strong performance for Grossmont (12-5, 0-1) with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks. Goldbarg finished with a team-best 26 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and 11-of-12 free throw shooting.
 
West Hills scoring:  Muaau Naderhoff 25, Megan Ehmke 10, Dalia Ghandour 9, Kylee Krings 7, Danielle Edmondson 7, Chelsey Howard 6, Leilani Yawn 4, Amy Johnson 2.
 
Grossmont scoring:  Jaclyn Goldbarg 26, LaKenya Simon-West 11, Therese Riedel 13, Brette Henderson 5,  Michelle Gonzalez 4, T.Rios 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 69,  STEELE CANYON 16 - The Matadors (14-1, 1-0) extended their five-year Grossmont South League winning streak to 37 with Friday's (Jan. 14) blowout of the visiting Cougars (8-7, 0-1).
 
"You should consider it a privilege to get to play the No. 1 team in the county," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES told his players. "We had a week of great practice. The (Cougars) boys team practiced with us and we played against their press. We thought it would help us more than it did."
 
Mount Miguel, ranked 12th in the state by CalHiSports.com, forced 37 Cougars turnovers.
 
"Our defense was solid all night," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said.
 
JERICA WILLIAMS turned in a powerful performance to pace the Matadors (14-1, 1-0). The junior standout led the Matadors with 22 points, 11 steals and 5 steals.
 
GENEVIEVE COSTELLO chipped in 11 points, 10 assists, 5 steals and a handful of rebounds for Mount Miguel. MONIQUE CLAYTON added 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals for the Matadors.
 
"To be honest, we did not have the proper mindset going into this game," Sandoval said.
 
It would have been hard to convince the Cougars, who did not have a single player score more than 3 points. Only two Cougars - KELLY HANSEN and KELLY BOOZEL - pulled down more than one rebound, Hansen collecting 5 and Boozel retrieving 4.
 
The Matadors, who have a shot at improving their state ranking, take on Long Beach Millikan in the La Jolla Country Day Elite Classic Saturday (Jan. 15) at 7:30 p.m. 
 
Mount Miguel scoring:  Jerica Williams 22, Genevieve Costello 11, Monique Clayton 11, Lashawn Johnson 8, Tavasha Yarbrough 7, Victoria Murphy 6, Kayla Huddleston 4.
 
Steele Canyon scoring:  Celeste Martins 3, Jovita Sanders 3, Samantha Beasley 2, Tina Merlino 2, Hayley Johnston 2, Kelly Boozel 2, Alexis Robinson 2.
 

HELIX 49,  MONTE VISTA 35 -- The visiting Monarchs started out fast, storming to a 13-10 1st quarter advantage in Friday⤙s (Jan. 14) Grossmont South League opener in La Mesa.
 
The Highlanders (10-4, 1-0), winners of three of their last four, locked in gear thereafter, outscoring Monte Vista in each of the last three quarters.
 
"I give Monte Vista a lot of credit," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "They were without their coach (SANDY WRIGHT who was ill) and I thought they responded well."
 
Helix's LEASAU sisters swayed the advantage to Helix. Junior DIANA LEASAU netted 7 of 16 shots - two of them 3-balls â¤" to finish with a game high 18 points. Sophomore MELE LEASAU pounded the boards for 16 caroms to go along with 8 points. RACQUEL PRIMAS chipped in with 8 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.
 
"We started in a zone and switched to man in the 2nd half. I thought it was key," said Hathaway. "We decided to be more aggressive in the 2nd half."
 
Helix first-year head coach TRINA HANSEN agreed.
 
"The secret was our 2nd half defense," Hansen said. "We played strong, 'in your face' defense. The Leasau sisters were big for us. The other players fed off their efforts. We played especially well as a team in the 2nd half."
 
Freshman BRITTANY WILLIAMS was most productive of the Monarchs with 14 points.
 
Monte Vista scoring:  Brittany Williams 14, Ashley Miller 5, Victoria Richmond 4, Britney Small 3, Rachel Finks 3, Johnae Jackson 2, Karisa Archer 2, Mary Kamenski 2.
 
Helix scoring:  Diana Leasau 18, Mele Leasau 8, Racquel Primas 8, Ashley Penn 8, Sharika Thompson 3, Mallorie Brown 2, Tempy Glenn 2.

GRANITE HILLS 59,  VALHALLA 27 - This Grossmont South League opener went about as expected Friday night (Jan. 14) at Valhalla.
 
The high-flying Eagles (11-5, 1-0), who lost sophomore starter KATRENA GABARDI to a broken thumb suffered in Tuesday⤙s (Jan. 11) practice, had little trouble putting down the rebuilding Norsemen (2-13, 0-1).
 
"We did a nice job of sharing the ball," Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT said. "But we continued to foul too much."
 
Whether Rowlett had a point did not matter as Valhalla was not able to challenge the faster, more physical Eagles on this evening.
 
Granite Hills sophomore MORGAN SABALA swished a game-high 21 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and passed out 4 assists. Junior MEAGAN ST. JOHN tossed in 14 points and cleared 6 boards, while senior JOY EDWARDS netted 11 points, bagged 10 rebounds, dished off 7 assists and made 3 steals for the Eagles.
 
LAUREN SHEPPARD led Valhalla with 10 points and 3 rebounds.
 
Granite Hills takes on Chino Hills Ayala in Saturday's (Jan. 14) Elite Classic at La Jolla Country Day at 1:30 p.m.
 
Granite Hills scoring:  Morgan Sabala 21, Meagan St. John 14, Joy Edwards 11, Tamara Reynolds 5, Molly Hillenbrand 4, Amy Sylvester 4.
 
Valhalla scoring:  Lauren Sheppard 10, Kayla Houston 5, Jenna Fellows 4, Jamie Zinter 3, Sarah Laine 2, Lena Allos 2, Breanna Martin 1.
 
HOOVER 46,  CHRISTIAN 33  -- Entering their Harbor League opener with a modest winning streak, the Christian Patriots looked anything but ready against Hoover Friday night (Jan. 14). The Cardinals took advantage by bouncing the Pats inside the paint to control the boards, then slowly pull away for the victory at Ryan Athletic Center.
 
"We shot 21 percent -- horrible," declared Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "You can't win a game against anyone shooting like that."
 
Espelet was even more displeased with the passive play along the post, allowing Cardinals center Laura Mosqueda to dominate with 18 points and 20 rebounds, including 10 boards and all eight of her team⤙s points in the 1st period to give her team life.
 
Only junior HOLLY ERICKSON could counter for Christian (9-8, 0-1) scoring 16 points and hauling in 16 rebounds. However, just five of her points came in the second half, with only BRITNI McCASKILL able to help pick up the slack, dropping three straight shots for all of her six points in the 3rd period.
 
Hoover point guard Teanna Williams ran circles around the Patriots defense all contest, dishing off for 11 assists, then scoring five of her seven points in the 4th to extend the lead to double digits. The Cardinals (5-8 overall, 1-0 league) posted a 41-36 rebounding advantage.
 
Christian scoring:  Holly Erickson 16, Heather Meyer 6, Britni McCaskill 6, Katie Gerlek 3, Sarah Seymour 2.
(01-14-05)
 
 

Sultans crank it up for Grossmont North opening win
East County Sports.com
 
SANTEE - Stamp the Santana Sultans ready for the Grossmont North League season. Coach WADE VICKERY's crew cranked out its highest offensive output since the second game of the season Thursday (Jan. 13), stomping the visiting El Cajon Valley Braves 80-34 in the Grossmont North League opener for both teams.
 
For one of the few times, Santana's offense was not all JORDAN FRANEY. Oh sure, the 5-foot-11 Franey made her usual majority contribution to the Santana total, pouring in 23 points while grabbing 17 rebounds, logging 7 assists and swiping 7 ECV passes.
 
Santana sophomore ASHLEY BAKER chipped in 20 points, including a pair of 3-balls, while GABBY PASSENTINO swished a season-high 16 points and garnered 7 rebounds for the Sultans.
 
LAUREN SHEPARD passed out 6 assists and posted 4 steals.
 
"We experimented with some different defenses, worked on some zone defense with our man (defense)," Vickery said. "We were actually down 6-2 to start the game. We have a history of starting slow. It's not a good habit to get into."
 
RAWAA PATROS scored twice and MICHELLE THOMPSON once to open the Braves' scoring. Patros finished with a team high 15 points and 3 rebounds, while Thompson snagged a team-best 9 caroms. CATHERINE MOORE corralled 5 rebounds for El Cajon Valley (5-11, 0-1).
 
"One of the problems that we have been confronting is consistency -- at times we play flawless," said El Cajon Valley coach GLENN LEE. "Other times we make mistakes. The good thing about playing a team like Santana is that they definitely exploit your weaknesses, so we know what we have to go back and work on."
 
Santana scoring:  Jordan Franey 23, Ashley Baker 20, Gabby Passentino 16, Shae Bass 9, Shannon Bailey 6, Kelsey Ash 3, Ashley Shepard 2, Danielle Balough 1.
 
El Cajon Valley scoring:  Rawaa Patros 15,  Michelle Thompson 6, Marissa Martinez 5, Catherine Moore 4, Frances Agan 2, Tynisha Smith 2.
 
PATRICK HENRY 67,  SWEETWATER 23 -- STACEY GRIMES hit four straight field goals to start the 2nd quarter of Thursday's (Jan. 13) non-league encounter, propelling the Patriots (8-10) into a 31-14 halftime lead.
 
"That got us going," said Henry coach KEITH JACKSON. "We were flat in the 1st quarter (clinging to an 8-6 edge).â"
 
Grimes settled for 10 points in what turned out to be one of Patrick Henry's most balanced offensive efforts of the campaign. Five Patriots contributed 8 points or more, led by the 17 markers of TIARRA WARNER.
 
Warner paced the Patriots with 10 rebounds, one more than teammate TESS ENGLISH.  All of English's 8 points came in the final period. Warner, meanwhile, achieved her double-double despite not playing in the 4th quarter.
 
"Our post players did a great job on the boards," Jackson emphasized. â¤A couple of girls came off the bench and gave us a good effort. Everybody got some quality minutes."
 
Patrick Henry scoring:  Tiarra Warner 17, Stacey Grimes 10, Victoria Moreno 8, Lauren Thiel 8, Tess English 8, Catherine Marckwardt 6, Erika Sauter 4, Elisa Nguyen 4, Webb 2.
(01-13-05)
 

Matadors ready for another perfect season; North League comes down to Big Two
East County Sports.com
 
SANTEE --  Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL has never lost a Grossmont South League game during his 5-year tenure as the Matadors' head coach. Sandoval, who owns an overall mark of 111-26 (a winning percentage of .810), has his top-ranked Matadors (13-1) primed to make a run for a 5th straight league championship this winter. And why should Sandoval expect anything less? His teams have reached the San Diego CIF Division II finals several times over those years, taking home championship hardware the last two.
 
Meanwhile, Grossmont League basketball and championships are synonymous with coach WADE VICKERY and his Santana Sultans. Under Vickery's tutelage the Sultans have posted a 578-105 record, captured 7 San Diego Section crowns, and won 19 league titles over 25 seasons. No other girls SDCIF coach is even close to Vickery's victory total. Counting his five tours of coaching the Santana boys, Vickery has collected 662 victories.
 
Although Vickery's girls have won or shared 7 consecutive league crowns, they'll be pressed to stretch that string another year. El Capitan must rate as the team to beat in the Grossmont North League. Of course, the Vaqueros were cast in that role a year ago and wound up sharing the league laurels with Santana.
 
Here is the predicted order of finish in the Grossmont Conference league races that begin on Thursday (Jan. 13) when Santana hosts El Cajon Valley in a Grossmont North tiff at 4:30 p.m.
 
GROSSMONT SOUTH LEAGUE
 
1.  MOUNT MIGUEL (13-1): The Matadors are 36-0 against league foes since Sandoval grabbed the reins at the start of the 2000-01 season. Ring up another 10 wins this time around as the Matadors don't figure to stumble. Led by senior point guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO and multi-talented junior JERICA WILLIAMS, the defensive-minded Matadors are a lock for a Mount Miguel 5-peat.
 
2. HELIX (9-4):  Leap-frogging Granite Hills into the No. 2 slot is a tall order for coach TRINA HANSEN's Highlanders, but the LEASAU sisters and SHARKIA THOMPSON could make it happen.
 
3. GRANITE HILLS (10-5): Playing hard-nosed defense is no problem for the JOY EDWARDS-led Eagles. Creating a balanced scoring attack is inconsistent at best.
 
4. MONTE VISTA (8-8):  Coach SANDY WRIGHT's Monarchs may be a year away, as freshman BRITTANY WILLIAMS and junior ASHLEY MILLER are carrying the load this winter.
 
5. STEELE CANYON (8-6): Coach FRANK QUINONES' Cougars, who have already doubled last year's overall win total, are a cinch to escape the cellar and could climb as high 4th in the six-team league.
 
6. VALHALLA (2-12):  The team coach ROBERT WILSON expected to have at the outset has dispersed for a variety of reasons, forcing this to be a rebuilding year for the Norsemen.
 
GROSSMONT NORTH LEAGUE
 
1. EL CAPITAN (11-2): Sharing the title exonerated the Vaqueros from being bridesmaids in 2004. Led by Washington State-bound HEATHER MOLZEN and high-scoring junior ALLISON DUFFY, the Vaqueros aren't interested in cutting any deals this year.
 
2. SANTANA (15-2):  Perennial power Santana, which has super-talent JORDAN FRANEY at the forefront, is accustomed to collecting championship medals and isn't conceding anything to the Sultans.
 
3. WEST HILLS (8-9):  Although the Wolf Pack has held two of its preseason foes to 10 points or less, West Hills can't run with aforementioned duo.
 
4.  GROSSMONT (12-4): How far can senior super guard JACLYN GOLDBARG take the Foothillers?
 
5.  EL CAJON VALLEY (8-8):  The Braves are much improved and, with a bit of luck, could soar as high as third in the five-team circuit.
---
 
HARBOR LEAGUE
 
First-year coach CORI ESPELET has the Patriots (9-7) on the prowl for a Harbor League championship in a league of regrouping teams. For Christian, it's all a matter of getting her players healthy.
(01-10-05)

Matadors take down Nevada No. 2 despite no shot-clock rule
East County Sports.com
 
EL CAJON - Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL is a cagey kind of guy. After scouring the weather reports he decided to leave a day early for Las Vegas and the Matadors' showdown against Bishop Gorman, the No. 2-ranked team in Nevada. Good thing, because heavy snow in the area closed the main road into the Silver City a day later. Sandoval's thinking ahead was rewarded Saturday night (Jan. 8) as the Matadors (13-1) handed previously unbeaten Bishop Gorman a resounding 58-40 defeat.
 
It took the Matadors, the top-ranked team in the San Diego CIF, a quarter or so to get used to playing without a shot clock. That's the rule in Nevada and Bishop Gorman (now 13-1) was happy to hide behind it.
 
Until the 2nd quarter, that is.
 
The Matadors turned up the pressure and accelerated the tempo as they sped to a 27-22 halftime lead.
 
"In the early part of the game we were rushing things, taking bad shots," Sandoval said. "They stayed in a zone and once we finally hit some shots, things opened up."
 
Mount Miguel put the game on ice with a 16-3 rush in the 4th quarter.
 
JERICA WILLIAMS scored 8 of her 19 points in the 2nd quarter as the Matadors gained control. Senior guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO popped in four 3-pointers en route to a 20-point finish. The 5-foot-5 Costello netted 6 of 7 free throws, logged 6 rebounds and passed out 5 assists.
 
Sophomore LASHAWN JOHNSON rolled a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for Mount Miguel.
 
Mount Miguel scoring:  Genevieve Costello 20, Jerica Williams 19, Lashawn Johnson 10, Monique Clayton 4, Kayla Huddleston 2, Victoria Murphy 2, Tavasha Yarbrough 1.
 
EL CAPITAN 93,  EASTLAKE 65 - El Capitan junior ALLISON DUFFY was virtually unstoppable in Saturday's (Jan. 8) Vaquero North-South Shootout in Lakeside.
 
The 6-foot-1 Duffy scored a career-high 45 points, connecting on 19 of 27 shots from the floor and 7 of 9 from the foul line. Duffy was a perfect 10-for-10 shooting from the field in the 2nd quarter as El Capitan (11-2) earned a 47-30 halftime advantage.

"For once we were patient and made good passes to put our key people in position for high percentage shots," El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS said. "Allison got a lot of touches, some that might have gone to HEATHER (MOLZEN) who was in foul trouble much of the night."
 
Duffy, who also had 9 rebounds and 5 steals, was named the one-day tournament's MVP.
 
Curtis was not aware of Duffy's point totals, which were 3 more than her previous high water mark set last year as a sophomore.
 
"It's obvious that Allison was on fire," the coach said. "But her best two plays might by the two no-look passes (assists) that led to backside baskets for our guards."
 
One of those guards, junior MALLORIE MONTGOMERY, finished with 12 assists, 7 points, 4 steals and 4 rebounds. She was named to the Vaquero Shootout All-South team.
 
"Mallorie played the best game of her life," Curtis said. "She did what she is supposed to do and did it consistently."
 
Despite playing less than usual, Molzen canned 15 points and grabbed 7 rebounds as she earned an all-tournament berth.
 
El Capitan shot 59 percent from the field, bottoming 39 of 66 aerials. 
 
Equally as impressive were the Vaqueros 30 assists, which included 6 by VALERIE LOGEL and 5 by JAMIE FERGUSON.
 
El Capitan scoring:  Allison Duffy 45, Heather Molzen 15, Mallorie Montgomery 7, Lisa Wilkins 6, Morgan Craig 6, Valerie Logel 6, Jamie Ferguson 5, Liana Pitman 3.
 
WEST HILLS 47,  MAR VISTA 5 - Not known for its defensive might, the Wolf Pack of West Hills set a Grossmont Conference record by holding the sea-sick Mariners to two baskets and a free throw in Saturday's (Jan. 8) non-league game in Imperial Beach.
 
"We played a 2-3 zone and they just missed (their shots)," West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS said.
 
Mar Vista scored one point in the first 8 minutes and trailed 24-3 at intermission. The Mariners were blanked 14-0 in the 3rd stanza and 9-2 in the final 8 minutes.
 
Not that West Hills (8-9) had a magnet on the basket. In fact, the Pack missed 61 of 79 shots for a success rate of 23 percent.
 
Junior DALIA GHANDOUR spearheaded the Wolf Pack offensive surge with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists.
 
MEGAN EHMKE and KYLEE KRINGS grabbed 8 rebounds apiece and DANIELLE EDMONDSON chipped in 5 steals.
 
West Hills scoring:  Dalia Ghandour 14, Danielle Edmondson 7, Muaau Naderhoff 7, Amy Johnson 6, Chelsey Howard 5, Kylee Krings 4, Megan Ehmke 2, Mara Thornton 2.
 
STEELE CANYON 50,  CENTRAL UNION 26 - Perhaps it was not the best of shooting nights for the Cougars of Steele Canyon in Saturday's (Jan. 8) San Diego-Imperial Shootout at Valhalla High.
 
But the long-legged Cougars (8-6) proved they can rebound with any team in town. Steele Canyon's KELLY BOOZEL reeled in 18 boards as the Cougars collected 63 caroms as a team.
 
"It was an emotional night for us," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "CELESTE MARTINS missed the game tonight. Her sister was taken to Children's Hospital for some tests; her condition is unknown to us."

The Cougars staggered to an 18-14 lead in the first half, then broke the game open with an 18-5 run in the 3rd period.
 
"We got off to a rough start but made some adjustments at halftime, started feeding the post," said Quinones. "We decided to go all-out defensively."
 
SAMANTHA BEASLEY picked up the slack in Martins' absence, pouring in 14 points and making 9 steals. ALEXIS ROBINSON added 11 points, 7 rebounds and a handful of steals.
 
"It was tough playing without our leader (Celeste Martins)," Quinones noted. "It took us the whole first half to get used to it."
 
Quinones called up XANNING TAYLOR and BRIANA EITER from the junior varsity to fill out the rosters; the players were told of their promotion Saturday morning.
 
"It was a little difficult playing a team we've played before (SC held Central to 27 points in a 30-point win in the season opener Nov. 26th). I was a little concerned as to how we'd react," Quinones said.
 
Steele Canyon scoring:  Samantha Beasley 14, Alexis Robinson 11, Kelly Boozel 6, Velora Horner 4, Kelly Hansen 4, Xanning Tyler 4, Jovita Sanders 2, Briana Eiter 2, Tina Merlino 2, Amanda Rice 1.
 
CHRISTIAN 68,  MISSION HILLS 38 - It only took HOLLY ERICKSON one game to revive her shooting stroke after missing several holiday tournaments to travel with her family on vacation in Colorado. She drained 20 of her game-high 24 points in the second half, powering Christian High to a lopsided victory Saturday (Jan. 8) at Mission Hills.
 
"I'm never going to let her do that again," mused Pats coach CORI ESPELET. "We really missed her during those tournaments. Holly's definitely a player to look to for us next year."
 
Erickson sank 10 of her 17 shots from the field, then completed her double-double with diligent duty on defense by grabbing 10 rebounds. Seven of the boards came on the offensive glass, including five in the 3rd period, as second-chance opportunities allowed Christian (9-7) to break open a 12-11 contest.
 
"We had a lot fewer turnovers than we had last night (Friday's victory at Calvin Christian), and we adjusted well when they switched from zone to man," added Espelet. "We also had some big-time rebounding."
 
Christian came out sluggish after playing the night before. The team shot poorly, except for a perfect 3-for-3 by RACHAEL PEARL. However, the Patriots caught their wind in the second half, making 17-of-32 shots (53 percent), including 9-for-15 (60 percent) in the 4th period to make the contest a rout.
 
Center KATIE GERLEK added 17 points and 17 rebounds in her most consistent effort of the season, while SARAH SEYMOUR and JESSIE EKARD recorded four assists each.
 
Christian scoring: Holly Erickson 24, Katie Gerlek 17, Britni McCaskill 9, Rachel Pearl 8, Heather DePriest 6, Sarah Seymour 2, Jessie Ekard 2.
 
SANTANA 37,  SD SOUTHWEST 33 - WADE VICKERY is the winningest girls basketball coach in the 44-year history of the San Diego Section of the CIF. And, not surprisingly, his Sultans are off to a 15-2 start this season. Fact is, none of the other 23 East County teams have more wins than Vickery's crew.
 
Nevertheless, Vickery's state of the Sultans address as Santana approaches the start of Grossmont North League play is none too favorable.
 
That record might be a lot less if not for the consistent play of junior JORDAN FRANEY, who shredded the Raiders in Saturday's (Jan. 8) Vaquero North-South Shootout at El Capitan.

"It was a very tough game," Vickery said. "Except for Franey, everybody else was playing scared. We got out-smarted and out-hustled.
 
"I'm not very happy with the way we are playing. Right now, we are not a very good team."
 
In addition to her double-double, Franey also generated 5 steals and 6 deflections.
 
SHAE BASS added 7 points and 3 assists for Santana.
 
Santana scoring:  Jordan Franey 20, Shae Bass 7, Ashley Baker 5, Gabby Passentino 3, Danielle Balough 2.

RAMONA 63,  HELIX 53 - Connecting on a meager 13 percent of 30 attempts from the field in the 1st half of Saturday's (Jan. 8) Vaqueros North-South Shootout spelled doom for the Highlanders (9-4).
 
Despite their consistent misfiring, the Highlanders trailed only 40-23 by the break.
 
Led by DIANA LEASAU's 26 points, which included 12 of 14 free throw shooting, the Highlanders did not have enough energy to overhaul the battlin' Bulldogs of Ramona.
 
SHARIKA THOMPSON tucked in 16 points to the Helix total, hitting half of her 12 shots from the floor and 4 of 6 free throws.
 
MELE LEASAU led the Highlanders with 10 rebounds, but scored only 5 points.
 
London Houchin topped Ramona with 23 points.
 
Helix scoring:  Diana Leasau 26, Sharika Thompson 16, Mele Leasau 5, Ashley Penn 3, Racquel Primas 2, Mallorie Brown 1.

PATRICK HENRY 47,  BRAWLEY 32 - The Patriots (7-9) sprinted out to an 8-0 lead and ended the 1st quarter on top 14-4 as they bounced Brawley in Saturday's (Jan. 8) San Diego-Imperial Shootout at Valhalla.
 
While LAUREN THIEL (12) and CATHERINE MARCKWARDT (11) led the Patrick Henry offense, TIARRA WARNER took command of the boards. Warner, who collected 12 caroms against Kearny on Friday (Jan. 7), came back for another dozen against Brawley.
 
"Warner is a warrior on the boards," Henry coach KEITH JACKSON said.
 
ERIKA SAUTER dished 7 assists and pilfered 4 passes to go along with her 9 points against Brawley.
 
Patrick Henry scoring:  Lauren Thiel 12, Catherine Marckwardt 11, Erika Sauter 9, Tiarra Warner 9, Stacey Grimes 4, Tess English 2.
 
MONTGOMERY 65,  GRANITE HILLS 41 - Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT was hoping for some good things to come from Granite Hills' game in Saturday's (Jan. 8) Vaqueros North-South Shootout in Lakeside. After all, this was to be the Eagles' lone engagement over a two-week stretch that includes fall semester final examinations.
 
"We were terrible," Rowlett said. "That's all I can say."
 
Granite Hills scoring:  Joy Edwards 17, Morgan Sabala 16, Katrena Gabardi 4, Madonna Najor 2, Meagan St. John 2.
(01-08-05)

Seymour, Patriots smother Calvin with 22-0 lead
East County Sports.com
ESCONDIDO -- Christian High forward SARAH SEYMOUR provided the finishing touches on a difficult week for Calvin Christian. The sophomore came close to collecting a triple-double Friday (Jan. 7), then the Patriots' defense tossed a shutout at the Crusaders for more than 10 minutes, lifting Christian to an easy 53-30 victory.

Earlier in the week, Calvin Christian was thumped by The Bishop's School, 75-15. However, Seymour took it to another level, seemingly shutting-out the Crusaders single-handedly in the opening period.

Seymour registered 3 of her 10 blocked shots and hauled in 7 of her 13 rebounds, helping the Patriots lead 15-0 out of the gates. The host Crusaders wouldn't score until 2:07 into the second period -- their only basket of the half on a Kerstin Rodgers baseline jumper -- after Christian (8-7) surged ahead, 22-0.

"If only I made one of my missed lay-ups or another foul shot or two," noted Seymour, who finished with 7 points, falling three shy of recording East County's first triple-double of the season. "But I'm still real happy with the way we played. We're getting a lot of our players back, so I think we can make a real strong run and win the Harbor League."

The invigorated Patriots welcomed the return of HOLLY ERICKSON, who scored a team-leading 15 points, and MARCIA GARCIA, who added 4 boards and gives added depth to coach CORI ESPELET'S troops. Additionally, another player is due back next week.

"It's the first game we've been at full force," said Espelet. "All in all, it was a good performance with room for improvement. We spent all of last week looking at videos and getting ready for the second half of the season."

Christian dominated from the start, especially on defense, as Calvin Christian (8-7) drained just 1 of 26 shots. Rodgers proved to be the lone threat, scoring 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. However, if a Crusader made a drive to the basket, Seymour was there to reject any scoring attempt.

"That's the way Sarah plays," added Espelet. "She's becoming a better rebounder -- and she's only a sophomore."

For the Patriots, center KATIE GERLEK posted up for 12 points and 11 boards, while guard BRITNI McCASKILL scored 6 of her 8 points in the 2nd half.

Christian scoring:  Holly Erickson 15, Katie Gerlek 12, Britni McCaskill 8, Sarah Seymour 7, Heather DePriest 5,  Rachel Pearl 3, Jessie Ekard 3.

HELIX 66,  EL CAJON VALLEY 39 - Despite sitting out the 2nd quarter in foul trouble, Helix sophomore MELE LEASAU scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Highlanders bullied the visiting Braves in Friday's (Jan. 7) Grossmont Conference crossover action in La Mesa.
 
"It was a fast-paced game to start out, and our press was working well," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "It was a good game for us. We got a chance to give everybody significant playing time."
 
The Highlanders (8-4) sprinted to a 20-6 lead after one quarter and eventually used a 17-2 advantage in the 3rd period to turn the game into a rout.
 
Helix junior DIANA LEASAU scored a game-high 21 points, hitting 8 of 14 shots from the field and 5 of 5 from the free throw line.
 
SHARIKA THOMPSON also came up big for the Highlanders with 9 points and 16 rebounds.
 
RAWAA PATROS registered a high game of 23 points for El Cajon Valley (8-8). She was 8-for-8 from the foul line.
 
"Patros did a great job for El Cajon," said Hathaway. "She drove the key all night and it seems everything she shot went in."
 
Helix's biggest lead was 30 early in the 4th quarter.
 
Helix scoring:  Diana Leasau 21, Mele Leasau 17, Sharika Thompson 9, Ashley Penn 5, Racquel Primas 5, Mallorie Brown 4, Michelle Doan 2, Tempy Glenn 2, Shanae Singleton 1.
 
El Cajon Valley scoring:  Rawaa Patros 23, Catherine Moore 8, Michelle Thompson 4, Danielle Hunt 2, Kim Vasquez 2.
 
SANTANA 68,  MONTE VISTA 25 - Santana junior JORDAN FRANEY doesn't have many "off" nights. Oh sure, her totals may vary some as the games roll by. But the 5-foot-11 junior never gets shut down. She proved that again Friday night (Jan. 7) as No. 5 Santana (14-2) steamrollered host Monte Vista in a Grossmont Conference crossover contest.
 
Franey settled for a nifty double-double of 19 points and 17 points accompanied by 5 assists. And she did all of that without playing in the 4th quarter. But she was not a one-player show on this night.
 
ASHLEY BAKER canned 14 points for the Sultans, while GABBY PASSENTINO punched in 11 markers and recorded 5 steals.
 
"I thought for a good part of the game we played with great intensity, especially defensively," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "We have been trying to get some more people involved offensively, and tonight we did. We were able to get some key rebounds to get our transition attack going."
 
Monte Vista (8-8) trailed 39-13 at halftime and never found solid ground.
 
"Santana is a very good, disciplined team," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "But we shouldn't have lost by 43 points. For us to compete, we needed to come ready to play defensively. And, as you can tell by the score, our defense did not show up to play."
 
Neither did the Monte Vista offense. The Monarchs were held to less than 30 points for the fifth time this season.
 
Freshman BRITTANY WILLIAMS was the only Monarch to reach double figures, finishing with 12. Half of her points came on 3-point shots.
 
JOHNAE JACKSON collected 9 rebounds and blocked 3 shots for Monte Vista, while ASHLEY MILLER pilfered 5 passes and swatted away 3 enemy shots.
 
Santana scoring:  Jordan Franey 19, Ashley Baker 14, Gabby Passentino 11, Danielle Balough 9, Shannon Bailey 6, Kelsey Ash 5, Shae Bass 2, Carina Vickery 2.
 
Monte Vista scoring:  Brittany Williams 12, Ashley Miller 5, Johnae Jackson 2, Tiearea Robinson 2, Britney Small 2, Rachel Finks 2.
 
WEST HILLS 59,  VALHALLA 29 - The visiting Wolf Pack (7-9) strutted to a 14-1 lead and never looked back as West Hills toppled host Valhalla in Friday's (Jan. 7) Grossmont Conference crossover contest.
 
Although the Norsemen (2-12) crept back into contention at 24-12 midway through the 2nd second period, West Hills commanded a 37-17 spread by intermission.
 
"We played tough in the 3rd quarter, but could not finish," Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON of the Wolf Pack's 6-2 advantage during that 8-minute stretch."
 
West Hills (7-9) turned the game into rout by scoring 9 of the final 10 points.
 
MUAAU NADERHOFF scored a season high 20 points to spearhead the West Hills attack. The 5-foot-11 sophomore also cleared 13 rebounds and recorded 4 steals.
 
DALIA GHANDOUR added 12 points, 6 assists and 4 steals, while DANIELLE EDMONDSON turned in a triple double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and a remarkable 10 steals.
 
Junior JENNA FELLOWS logged a team-best 9 points and 6 rebounds for Valhalla (2-12). LAUREN SHEPPARD pitched in 8 points and 7 rebounds.
 
West Hills scoring:  Muaau Naderhoff 20, Dalia Ghandour 12, Danielle Edmondson 11, Leilani Yawn 4, Chelsey Howard 4, Megan Ehmke 4, Kylee Krings 2, Amy Johnson 2.
 
Valhalla scoring:  Jenna Fellows 9, Lauren Sheppard 8, Sarah Laine 5, Kaitlen Laine 2, Hannah Gerken 2, Elicia White 2, Lena Allos 1.
 
GROSSMONT 47,  CLAIREMONT 17 - Senior guard JACLYN GOLDBARG had to appreciate the help, as her youthful Grossmont Foothillers teammates continue coming of age.
 
The 12-4 Foothillers coasted to a decisive win over the Clairemont Chieftains in a non-league Friday night (Jan. 7) match-up at Clairemont.
 
Sophomore LA KENYA SIMON-WEST turned in a noteworthy effort of 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the line. Her effort didn't stop there as she grabbed 8 boards, 6 of which were offensive.
 
Fellow sophomore MICHELLE GONZALEZ was a constant thorn in the side of the Chieftains (3-8) as she continued her torrid thievery of the basketball, grabbing 6 steals and collecting 9 rebounds to go along with her 4 points on the night.
 
And yes, Goldbarg made her contributions, too. In addition to swishing 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, the 5-foot-9 senior also hit 4 of 5 free throws and grabbed 8 rebounds in abbreviated court time. 
 
Clairemont's inability to make free throws kept this contest leaning in the Hillers' favor throughout, as the Chieftains only converted on 7 of 28 shots from the foul line. 
 
Grossmont gets a week to recover from this one as they open up league play against West Hills next Friday (Jan. 14) at West Hills. 
 
Grossmont scoring:  Jaclyn Goldbarg 17, LaKenya Simon-West 14, Michelle Gonzalez 4, Therese Riedel 4, Brette Henderson 2, Sharis Rios 2, Amanda Bailey 2, Catherine Sullivan 2.
 
KEARNY 61,  PATRICK HENRY 41 ' The visiting Patriots were no match for host Kearny in Friday's (Jan. 7) Eastern League game.
 
LAUREN THIEL paced the Patriots (6-9, 0-2) with 19 points, while TIARRA WARNER added 11.
 
Patrick Henry scoring:  Lauren Thiel 19, Tiarra Warner 11, Erika Sauter 6, Brittany Mennefield 2, Elisa Nguyen 2, Tess English 1.
(01-07-05)

Mount Miguel wins conference showdown game against Santana
East County Sports.com
 
SANTEE Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL didn't view Wednesday's (Jan. 5) Grossmont Conference crossover victory over perennial Grossmont North League power Santana as a measure of revenge. But any time you're on the winning side in a battle of Top 10 teams, victory has a sweeter taste.
 
Top-ranked Mount Miguel (12-1) snapped a 24-24 halftime deadlock and continued on to a 49-40 over host Santana (13-2).
 
"We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game," said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. "Santana showed some good poise."
 
The last time the Matadors lost a regular-season game to a San Diego CIF opponent was on Feb. 4, 2004 when Santana edged Mount Miguel 47-46. SHAE BASS, now a sophomore, converted an inbound pass from her graduated sister Margeaux Bass into a 4-foot bank shot in the final 2 seconds resulting in the Sultans victory.
 
Mount Miguel is 17-0 against local opponents since.
 
"We didn't want to get into a running game with them," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "We did a good job of controlling the tempo."
 
While 8th-ranked Santana pounded the Matadors on the boards behind the work of JORDAN FRANEY (13 caroms) and ASHLEY BAKER (10 caroms), the smaller, quicker Matadors earned a defensive edge led by senior guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO (5 steals). Santana turned the ball over 21 times.
 
Mount Miguel's biggest lead was 11 points.
 
"Defensively, we were able to do some good things and wore them down," Sandoval said. "We made a good run on them in the 4th quarter."
 
The Matadors, in fact, claimed a 15-9 third quarter scoring edge and a 10-7 advantage in the final period.
 
"It was a great defensive game," Vickery agreed.  "We missed our last six free throws and that hurt us. But I'm proud of the way we played. We were coming off a rough effort."
 
Costello and JERICA WILLIAMS shared high-point honors for the Matadors with 16 points apiece. Williams also snared 8 rebounds, one less than team leader LASHAWN JOHNSON.
 
Franey, who came in averaging 23.1 points per game, led Santana with 14 points, 6 assists and 5 steals.
 
GABBY PASSENTINO added 12 points and Shae Bass pitched in 4 assists for Santana. 
 
Next up for Mount Miguel is a road trip to Las Vegas on Saturday (Jan. 8) where the Matadors take on Bishop Gorman, the No. 2-ranked team in Nevada.
 
Mount Miguel scoring: Genevieve Costello 16, Jerica Williams 16, Lashawn Johnson 9, Tavasha Yarbrough 6, Victoria Murphy 2.
 
Santana scoring:  Jordan Franey 14, Gabby Passentino 12, Ashley Baker 7, Shae Bass 5, Ashley Shepard 2.
 
HELIX 50,  WEST HILLS 35 - Coach TRINA HANSEN's Helix Highlanders are sending a message to the rest of the Grossmont South League. Something like, "donâ't tread on us."
 
After suffering back-to-back, hard-fought losses to Santana, the Highlanders (7-4) swamped host West Hills in Wednesday's (Jan. 5) Grossmont Conference crossover contest in Santee.
 
Sophomore MELE LEASAU recorded a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds to carry the Highlanders. The younger of the Leasau sisters also blocked 4 shots, logged 3 assists and a pair steals.
 
Junior DIANA LEASAU added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. ASHLEY PENN punched in 10 points for the Highlanders, who also received a dozen rebounds from SHARIKA THOMPSON.
 
While Helix was converting 15 of 20 free throws, the Wolf Pack (6-9) missed 15 of its 24 chances from the foul line. Diana Leasau was 9-for-10 from the charity stripe for the Highlanders.
 
"No question, free throws made a difference," Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY said.
 
None of the West Hills players reached double scoring digits.
 
"We couldn't hit a free throw," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "This was a different team that stepped on the court tonight. The intensity level was up and our execution was down."
 

West Hills missed its first 6 free throws, finishing 7 for 22 at the half.
 
"You cannot shoot as badly as we did, both from the field (12-for-46) and from the line, and expect to win," said West Hills head coach CARLOS MOSS.
 
Helix scoring:  Mele Leasau 16, Diana Leasau 13, Ashley Penn 10, Sharika Thompson 5, Racquel Primas 5, Mallorie Brown 1.
 
West Hills scoring:  Muaau Naderhoff 9, Dalia Ghandour 5, Danielle Edmondson 5, Kylee Krings 5, Megan Ehmke 4, Chelsey Howard 3, Amy Johnson 2, Leilani Yawn 2.
 
GROSSMONT 58,  CORONADO 30 -- The Foothillers took a little cruise to the Island Wednesday night (Jan. 5), defeating the host Coronado Islanders in a non-league match-up. The Hillers placed all able bodies in the scoring chart for the first time this season.
 
The Foothiller cruise ship was again skippered by captain JACLYN GOLDBARG, who led all scorers with 30 points.
 
First mate THERESE RIEDEL took no prisoners as she captured 13 rebounds to go along with her 9 points for Grossmont (11-4). Riedel was relieved on the night watch by teammates AMANDA BAILEY and CHRISTINE SULLIVAN who chipped in 8 points and 5 boards as a tandem.
 
Holding a 35-24 halftime margin the Hillers battened down all hatches, holding Coronado (5-9) to just 6 points in the second half.
 
"We were not pleased to have given up all those points in the first half," said Hiller cruise director JEREMY HERSCH. "We talked about it at halftime and the girls responded very well in the second half. Hopefully that trend will continue as we approach the start of league games."
 
Grossmont scoring:  Jaclyn Goldbarg 30, Therese Riedel 9, Christine Sullivan 6, Shandis Rios 4, Michelle Gonzalez 2, Tina Rios 2, LaKenya Simon-West 2, Amanda Bailey 2, Brette Henderson 1.
(01-05-05)

Tigers maul Patriots early with speed, defense
East County Sports.com

SAN DIEGO -- Facing the two quickest opponents to open their Eastern League schedule, it took Patrick Henry two full periods before adjusting to the pressure from the Morse Tigers. But by then, Tuesday (Jan. 4) afternoon's game was lost.

Morse guard Crystal Ortiz came up with six of her season-best 12 steals in the first period, jump-starting the Tigers to a 20-4 lead en route to a 53-30 decision over visiting Patrick Henry.

"Their defense never gave us a chance," said Henry coach KEITH JACKSON. "And we have Kearny coming up, which is another team which likes to press and play an up-tempo game."

Relegated to junior varsity play for a full season after her eligibility request was twice denied by a SDCIF appeals panel, Ortiz, a former guard at Marian Catholic, is quickly making up for lost time with her new teammates at Morse High.

"I just try to do a good job anticipating the pass," said Ortiz, a junior, who consistently stepped into the passing lane to deflect or right-out intercept the ball. "I just try to get into good position and get ready to go for the ball."

Five of Ortiz' thefts came in the opening eight minutes, leading directly to baskets or trips to the foul line, never giving the Patriots a chance to settle in. And when Morse guard Ashley Milner added a pair of 3-balls in the opening period -- part of her game-high 22 points -- the Tigers (5-5, 1-0) were headed for their third win in four starts.

The Patriots (6-8, 0-1) received 12 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks from center TIANA WARNER, converting more than half of her team's baskets. However, Henry did respond in the second half, playing nearly even with the Tigers with improved defense, including six boards by forward ELISA NGUYEN.
(01-04-05)

Sultans slip past Highlanders in conference opener
EastCountySports.com
 
LA MESA - The Helix Highlanders pulled a fast one on the heavily favored Santana Sultans in Monday's (Jan. 3) Grossmont Conference crossover contest. That is, Highlanders' coach TRINA HANSEN made some major defensive changes that proved to be effective. Yet Santana (13-1), ranked No. 5 in the San Diego CIF, used a 7-2 scoring edge in the four-minute overtime to avoid an upset and defeat the Highlanders 52-47.
 
Junior JORDAN FRANEY, who led all scorers with 28 points, reeled in 10 rebounds, made 5 steals and handed out 4 assists, and spared Santana the defeat when she scored all 7 of the Sultans' overtime markers.
 
It was the second time in five days that Santana has whipped the Highlanders (6-4). But unlike the 5th-place game of the Santana-Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic on Dec. 30 when the Sultans sailed to a 72-44 victory, Monday's rematch took on a completely different personality.
 
"The improvement we made from the last time we played them is almost unbelievable," Hansen said. "Our girls played with great intensity from the get-go, not three or four minutes into the game like we've been prone to do."
 
Of course, Hansen's defensive shuffle had something to do with tightening the screws on the Sultans.
 
"We tried to keep the ball out of the middle," Hansen said. "We kept our posts in the lane and let our guards work on both sides of the court from the top of the key to the baseline."
 
The strategy worked for the most part, as only Franey and GABBY PASSENTINO (9 points) had any consistency putting Santana points on the board. ASHLEY BAKER chimed in with 8 rebounds and 6 points.
 
Santana held a 5-point lead with one minute left in regulation.
 
"They jumped on us early, emotionally we were flat," opined Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "It's tough coming back against the same team (we just played last week). They outplayed us, out-hustled us all night. I am very disappointed with our effort tonight."
 
Helix was on the verge of scoring the upset as DIANA LEASAU sank the first of 2 free throws to tie the game at 45-all with :01.6 remaining. Her second shot failed to find the bottom of the net, thus the game continued into overtime.
 
"We were right there at the end, just got no good looks in overtime," added Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "The whole game was just a good game. Franey is a prime time player."
 
Junior Diana Leasau paced the Highlanders with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals, while her sophomore sister MELE LEASAU was powerful around the basket with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. The younger Leasau was 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
 
Not to be overlooked were the 9 rebounds of Helix junior SHARIKA THOMPSON and the 5 rebounds and 5 assists of ASHLEY PENN. RACQUEL PRIMAS also dealt 5 assists for the Highlanders.
 
"This game should be a good stepping stone for us," Hansen said. â¤We just need to build on it."
 
Other Santana scoring: Shae Bass 6, Baker 6, Kelsey Ash 2, Ashley Shepard 2, Shannon Bailey 1.
 
Other Helix scoring: Mallorie Brown 4, Penn 4, Thompson 2, Primas 2. 
 
MONTE VISTA 55,  WEST HILLS 38 - Fast starts in the 1st and 3rd quarters helped the visiting Monarchs handle the Wolf Pack with relative ease in Monday's (Jan. 3) Grossmont Conference crossover action. Monte Vista claimed a 28-8 scoring edge in those two periods, which was enough to make the difference.
 
The victory lifted the Monarchs' record above the .500 mark at 8-7, while West Hills slipped to 6-8.
 
"As a team we did not do a great job at the free throw line (6 for 18)," Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT said.
 
Not that the Pack did any better, misfiring on 17 of its 27 attempts from the charity stripe.
 
No question these Monarchs are a team of the future as they pulled off perhaps their most impressive win of the season. Wright's roster includes only one senior, six juniors, five sophomores and one freshman.
 
Freshman guard BRITTANY WILLIAMS registered a game-high 21 points to spark the Monarchs, who also received 10 points and 9 rebounds (7 offensive) from junior BRITNEY SMALL. Williams added 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and one block to her totals.
 
For three quarters the Monarchs had a defensive chokehold on the Wolf Pack, limiting West Hills to 18 points.
 
"We need to be able to play defense for 4 quarters," said Wright, noting that the Pack fired back for 20 points over the final eight minutes.
 
West Hills, which shot 37 percent from the floor (13-for-35), cut the Monte Vista advantage to 7 early in the 3rd period, then went stone cold as the Monarchs opened up a 21-point spread. 
 
"We just didn't come to play," said West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS. "I question the 'will to want to win.' But I love this team - they have a lot of energy."
 
DALIA GHANDOUR was one West Hills player who wasn't locked in the deep freeze, as she clicked on 6 of 10 shots and 3 of 5 free throws for 16 points. Ghandour also nabbed 8 steals, cleared 6 rebounds and handed off 3 assists.
 
DANIELLE EDMONDSON chipped in 10 points and added 4 to West Hills' total of 21 steals.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Johnae Jackson 8, Ashley Miller 8, Rachel Finks 4, Victoria Richmond 4.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Chelsey Howard 4,  Muaau Naderhoff 4, Megan Ehmke 2, Kylee Krings 2.
 
GROSSMONT 60,  STEELE CANYON 27 -- Behind the lightning fast hands of Grossmont High sophomore, MICHELLE GONZALEZ, the host Foothillers (10-4) virtually stole their second straight match-up with the Steele Canyon Cougars in Monday's (Jan. 3) Grossmont Conference crossover contest.
 
The 5-foot-2 Gonzalez set a Grossmont High record, buzzing the Cougars for 12 steals to go along with her 8 points and 6 boards.  
 
Grossmont guard JACLYN GOLDBARG was also major pain to Steele Canyon. The 5-foot-9 senior scored the Foothillers' first 23 points of the contest, carrying the Hillers to a 23-3 head start midway through the 2nd quarter. Too much firepower for Steele Canyon to overcome as the Hillers coasted to a 31-9 halftime bulge.
 
Goldbarg was 7-for-11 shooting beyond the arc and 13-for-22 overall. She did not miss any of her 5 free throws, snagged 7 rebounds, dished 5 assists and contributed 4 steals.
 
"We did a nice job trapping tonight," said Hiller Coach JEREMY HERSCH. "Every time they tried to throw out of it in the first half, Michelle was there to pick it off."
 
The other girls, "BRETTE, LA KENYA, and the RIOS sisters - Shandis and Tina -  all moved really well."
 
Grossmont center THERESE RIEDEL once again plugged up the middle as she gathered 10 rebounds while chipping in a couple of baskets.
 
CELESTE MARTINS netted 13 points to pace the Cougars (7-6), who have suffered 5 of their 6 losses to San Dieguito Academy (3 times) and Grossmont (twice).
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Henderson 4, Riedel 4, Shandis Rios 2, Tina Rios 2, Christine Sullivan 2.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Alexis Robinson 4, Kelly Boozel 4, Tina Merlino 2, Samantha Beasley 2, Kelly Hansen 2.
(01-03-05)
 

Mount Miguel's Jerica Williams (32) scored 23 points in a semifinal loss to state power Canyon Springs in the Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic. Williams has scored 72 points in the three tournament games to date. Lashawn Johnson (14) and Genevieve Costello (12) follow the action. (12-29-04/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

Short-handed Vaqueros come up short in Santana Classic championship
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS had only six players on hand for the championship game of the Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic. Yet, his physically taxed half-dozen provided a challenge to Canyon Springs -- the state's No. 10-ranked team -- that is hidden by the final score.
 
"We were better than the final score suggests," Curtis said after Canyon Springs captured the championship 71-51 Thursday (Dec. 30) in Santee.
 
What pains Curtis most is the Vaqueros (10-2) missed two point-blank shots in their first possessions of the 3rd quarter only to have Canyon Springs convert the miscues into buckets at the other end.
 
"We miss two gimmes in the post and they take it the other way and make us pay," Curtis lamented. "Before that we had them right where we wanted them. Their best player (Brandi Jones-Fitzgerald) had four fouls. We were standing up to them, weathering the storm."
 
Thirty turnovers kept the Vaqueros from mounting any serious challenges, however.
 
ALLISON DUFFY matched her season high of 35 points for El Capitan. The 6-foot-1 junior, who is all but signed, sealed and delivered to USD, connected on 14 of 25 shots from the floor.
 
Trouble is, only two other Vaqueros reached the scoring column. Senior HEATHER MOLZEN netted 9 points to go with 17 rebounds while MALLORIE MONTGOMERY dropped in 7 points.
 
POWAY 48, GRANITE HILLS 43 - The scramble-oriented Eagles almost puzzled Poway enough to pull out a championship in Thursday's (Dec.30)
Granite Hills Sportland Festival finale.
 
Oh how these Eagles love to create chaos on the floor. And their helter-skelter strategy almost worked.
 
Dazzed and confused, Poway's Titans (9-3) managed gain enough sure footing to derail the Eagles' bump-and-run philosophy by converting three of four free throws in the final seconds.
 
MORGAN SABALA scored 14 points and KATRENA GABARDI generated 12 for the Eagles who trimmed a nine-point deficit to two with a 7-0 run in less than a minute of the 4th quarter.
 
Senior JOY EDWARDS was the cornerstone of the Granite Hills offense, chipping in 7 points, pulling down 13 rebounds, swiping 4 four passes and dishing off 4 assists.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring:  Molly Hillenbrand 6, Meagan St. John 4.
 
MONTGOMERY 48,  WEST HILLS 31 - Playing for a tournament championship is a relatively new experience for West Hills. Perhaps just knowing that fact led to some nervous jitters in Thursday's (Dec. 30) Aztec Holiday Invitational title bout at Montgomery High.
 
"The ball just wasn't going in," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "West Hills was down at least seven the entire game. It was a jam-packed gym⤠the noise was deafening."
 
For West Hills, the results were less than rewarding. The Pack fell behind 11-3 in the opening frame and it never got better.
 
On the positive side, DALIA GHANDOUR, DANIELLE EDMONDSON and KYLEE KRINGS were all selected to the all-tournament team.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Ghandour 8, Edmondson 8, Krings 7, Megan Ehmke 4, Muaau Naderhoff 3, Chelsey Howard 1.
 
GROSSMONT 46,  VALLEY CENTER 44 -- For three and a half quarters a sleepy group of Grossmont Foothillers struggled to put the ball in the basket, playing out their final Lady Cougar Holiday Classic Tournament game in an early morning match-up Thursday (Dec. 30) against the Valley Center Jaguars.
 
"Four games in four days is always tough to play," said Grossmont coach JEREMY HERSCH. "Combine that with a 9 a.m. start time and you don't always get the prettiest result."
 
Pretty or not, the Hillers prevailed as senior JACLYN GOLDBARG nailed a 35-footer as time expired, giving Grossmont the win.
 
"We'll take it," said a relieved Hersch. "To a player, the girls never gave up."
 
Grossmont had a little more left in the tank than its opponent in the 4th quarter, as late full-court pressure from freshman TINA RIOS, sophomores MICHELLE GONZALEZ (8 points, 4 steals) and LA KENYA SIMON-WEST, along with senior BRETTE HENDERSON brought the Hillers storming back into contention.
 
A Goldbarg free throw with 17 seconds remaining gave the Hillers a 2-point edge.  Valley Center raced the ball downcourt, somehow finding an open Jaguar who calmly hit the 3-ball from the wing.
 
With no timeouts remaining, Henderson alertly hurried the ball into Goldbarg who weaved her way through VC defenders and launched the final second show-stopper.
 
Goldbarg, an all-tournament selection, gunned in 25 points, including 5-for-10 shooting from above the arc. She missed only one of her 7 free throws, collected 7 rebounds, dished 4 assists and made 3 steals.
 
Grossmont center THERESE RIEDEL also came up big down the stretch, finishing with a magnificent old-fashioned 3-point play late in the game to compliment her 9 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Gonzalez 8, Simon-West 2, Henderson 2.
 
VALHALLA 43,  GLENMARY (CANADA) 33 - Start spreading the news. There is life in those youthful Norsemen of Valhalla.
 
Valhalla took advantage of 32 steals to send the Canadians packing in Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of consolation play in the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
LAUREN SHEPPARD popped in a team-high 11 points, while HANNAH GERKEN collected 11 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.
 
"Hannah had a great game defensively and is making strides on the offensive end as well," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "And Lauren had a nice all-around game today."
 
KAYLA HOUSTON was aggressive on the press and capitalized with a team high 7 steals for Valhalla.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Houston 9, Gerken 6, Jenna Fellows 6, Sarah Laine 5, Lena Allos 4, Kaitlen Laine 2.

SANTANA 72,  HELIX 44 - Santana's offense isn't all about one person, as sophomore ASHLEY BAKER proved in Thursday's (Dec. 30) 5th place game of the Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic in Santee.
 
While the Sultans' team leader JORDAN FRANEY cranked in 17 points, nabbed 12 rebounds and swiped 5 passes, the 5-foot-11 Baker bottomed 9 shots from the field and 4 of 6 free throws.
 
"We jumped out early and played tremendous defense," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "Offensively, Baker had her finest game. She really got us going, scoring 6 points early in the 1st quarter."
 
GABBY PASSENTINO and SHAE BASS added 11 points apiece. Bass also came down with 7 rebounds and delivered 6 assists. Passentino also retrieved 6 rebounds. 
 
"Gabby played great defense today," said Vickery. "She's a good senior leader for us, as is ASHLEY SHEPARD (who had a team high 9 assists)."
 
Other Santana scoring:  Kelsey Ash 5, Shannon Bailey 3, Danielle Bailey 2, Danielle Balough 2,
 
Other Helix scoring:  Sharika Thompson 9, Diana Leasau 8, Mele Leasau 7, Ashley Penn 5, Racquel Primas 4, Shanae Singleton 4, Adriana Horner 3, Chante Coleman 2, Michelle Doan 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 73,  RAMONA 42 - Mount Miguel junior JERICA WILLIAMS continued her torrid scoring pace with 25 points Thursday (Dec.30) as the Matadors muzzled the Bulldogs in the third place game of the Santana/Horsman Christmas Classic.
 
Williams finished the four-game stretch with 97 points. She added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a pair of blocks to her totals in the romp over Ramona.
 
"Jerica is a big-time player," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she signed with an ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) school.�
 
LASHAWN JOHNSON jammed in 18 points and collected 11 rebounds. Senior team leader GENEVIEVE COSTELLO canned 15 points, handed out 10 assists and filched 5 enemy passes.
 
Not to be overlooked were the 12 points canned by MONIQUE CLAYTON.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Victoria Murphy 2, Kayla Huddleston 1.

SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 50,  STEELE CANYON 40 - The Cougars of Steele Canyon have seen more than they'd care for of the San Dieguito Academy Mustangs. For the third time in as many meetings, the Mustangs mashed the Cougars in Thursday's (Dec. 30) semifinals of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic.
 
"We've lost to them three times now," lamented Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "It was different getting them in our gym, a different ball game. We had to play a zone to contain them."
 
Steele Canyon (7-5) was down two at halftime. But the Mustangs broke out of the corral in the 3rd quarter and galloped to a 17-8 scoring spree. That left the Cougars with a mountain that they could not climb.
 
SAMANTHA BEASLEY paced the Cougars with 14 points and 6 rebounds. All-tournament selection ALEXIS ROBINSON, who collected 10 rebounds in the loss to San Dieguito, was named to the all-tournament team.
 
"We're anxious to get into conference next week, we're looking forward to the challenge," Quinones said.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Kelly Hansen 8, Celeste Martins 6, Hayley Johnston 5, Robinson 4, Tina Merlino 3.
 
PATRICK HENRY 63, SOUTH BAY LUTHERAN 27 - It doesn't get much better than this for Patrick Henry's Patriots, who raced to a 19-10 lead in the 1st quarter of Thursday's (Dec. 30) Granite Hills Sportland Festival consolation finale. The Patriots (6-7) outscored the visitors from Inglewood in every quarter.
 
"We came out and really pushed the ball up the court, and our guards distributed the ball better," said Patrick Henry coach KEITH JACKSON. "We're young but we did a better job of closing out their shooters. We needed the win today to give us some momentum going into (Eastern) League play."
 
LAURIE FIELD 15 points, CATHERINE MARCKWARDT 14 points and TIARRA WARNER (9 points, 10 rebounds) led way for Patrick Henry.
 
Other Patrick Henry scoring: Stacey Grimes 7, Erika Sauter 6, Elisa Nguyen 6, Victoria Moreno 4, Brittany Mennefield 2.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 65,  BASSETT 25 - Senior guard RAWAA PATROS finished Wednesday's (Dec. 29) loss to Brawley with an emergency trip to the hospital. Given a clean bill of health, the 5-foot-5 Patros produced the finest game of her career in a Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic at Steele Canyon.
 
Patros pumped in 30 points, hitting 9 of 12 free throws along the way. She also made 6 steals, snared 5 rebounds and handed out 3 scoring passes.
 
"Rawaa was all over the place," Braves coach GLENN LEE said. "She was hitting all her shots."
 
MICHELLE THOMPSON, who was named to the all-tournament team, added 13 points, a game-high 10 rebounds and 5 steals for the Braves (8-7).
 
"The girls seemed flat against Brawley (yesterday) and they wanted to come back early," Lee said after his squad barged in front of Bassett 25-6 after the first eight minutes.
 
CATHERINE MOORE registered a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. She also had 3 steals, one less than TYNISHA SMITH and SABRINA JULIEN.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Tynisha Smith 8, Danielle Hunt 2, Shawndre Blair 2.
 
MIRA MESA 55,  MONTE VISTA 50 -- BRITTANY WILLIAMS punched in a season-high 22 points, while ASHLEY MILLER pitched in 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds as the Monarchs fell to Mira Mesa in Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
"We didn't come out ready to play, just seemed mentally tired," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT.
 
"We came back in the 4th quarter with two minutes left, but it just wasn't enough," said Wright. "BRITNEY SMALL and JOHNAE JACKSON did a really great job on the boards."
 
Jackson totaled 10 rebounds, while seven of Small's 8 boards came on the offensive end.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Small 6, Rachel Finks 6, Jackson 3, Victoria Richmond 2, Karisa Archer 1.
 
BRAWLEY 49,  CHRISTIAN 41 - KATIE GERLEK and BRITNI McCASKILL scored 14 and 10 points, respectively for Christian ( 7-7) as the Patriots lost to Brawley in Thursday's (Dec. 30) final round of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic at Steele Canyon.
 
Gerlek completed her double-double with 13 rebounds, while McCaskill was named to the all-tournament team.
 
"This tournament helped us find our weaknesses and now we have a whole week to work on them," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "We will be ready when (Harbor) League play starts (Jan. 14)."
 
Other Christian scoring: Sarah Seymour 8, Rachel Pearl 7, Jessie Ekard 2.
(12-30-04)

Vaqueros, Eagles in tournament finals tonight
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON -- El Capitan (10-1) attempts to keep Moreno Valley's Canyon Springs from sweeping the San Diego CIF's best teams to claim the Santana-Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic crown when the Vaqueros take on the powerful Cougars (10-3) in the tournament finale Thursday (Dec. 30) at Santana at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, Granite Hills (10-3) shoots for the championship of its Sportland Festival tournament, taking on Poway in the Eagles' gym at 7 p.m. West Hills goes after the Lady Aztec Tournament title at Montgomery at 6:45 p.m., while Steele Canyon needs a semifinal upset to reach the finals of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic.
 
STEELE CANYON 55, CHRISTIAN 48 -- Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES won't come right out and say it, but his Cougars are the most improved team in East County.
 
Trailing by as much as 15 points in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) final round of pool play in the Lady Cougar Classic, Steele Canyon rallied for its 7th win in 11 starts to qualify for a berth in Thursday's (Dec. 30) semifinals.
 
"Christian gave us everything we wanted," Quinones said. "At halftime we talked about how disappointed we were with our play in the 2nd quarter (after giving up 23 points). We needed this game to advance to the semifinals. We're very pleased with our progress."

CELESTE MARTINS turned in 18 points, garnered 12 rebounds, dished 7 assists and made 4 steals for the Cougars who also received 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and a pair of steals from SAMANTHA BEASLEY.
 
Quinones, however, was most pleased by the play of junior forward ALEXIS ROBINSON.
 
"She had the game of her life," the coach said of the 5-foot-7 Robinson, who dropped in 12 points, snagged 9 rebounds (8 offensive), handed out 4 assists and pilfered 4 passes.
 
Steele Canyon, which forced 32 turnovers, will face nemesis San Dieguito Academy in the semifinals at 2 p.m. If successful, the Cougars will play for the championship of their own tournament.

The Mustangs of San Dieguito, however, pose a major problem in that they have crushed the Cougars in two previous meetings this season â¤" 60-26 and 55-39.
Christian (8-6), meanwhile, received a game-high 19 points from BRITNI McCASKILL. She hit 8 of 16 field goals and 3 of 6 free throws, while adding 6 steals.
KATIE GERLEK grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds for the Patriots.

"It is hard to win a game when you turn the ball over 32 times in a game," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "We needed to take care of the ball and we did not. We gave them the chance to come back, and they outplayed us."

Other Christian scoring: Sarah Seymour 13, Gerlek 8, Rachel Pearl 3, Jessie Ekard 2, Kelsey DePriest 2, Heather DePriest 1.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Kelly Hansen 6, Hayley Johnston 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 49,  WESTVIEW 47 - One upset deserves another is how Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT looks at it. His Eagles (10-3) tamed the Wolverines (11-2) in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) semifinals of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival to reach Thursday's finals.
 
Sophomore MORGAN SABALA shoveled in a game-high 20 points, bolstered by her 7-for-7 accuracy at the free throw line to guide Granite Hills past Westview.
 
"She"s hitting her shots, what can I say," Rowlett said. "She's been getting open looks, but a week ago she was hitting 29 percent. Now she's hitting in the mid-30s, right at 36 percent."
 
KATRENA GABARDI continues to pump up the Granite Hills offense with her long-distance shooting. She finished with 12 points, including a pair of 3-balls and 3 assists.
 
Senior JOY EDWARDS made a major haul off the glass, totaling a season-high 15 rebounds for the Eagles, who have won five of their last seven.
 
Now the Eagles must deal with Poway (8-3) in Thursday's (Dec.30) championship encounter.
 
"Poway is going to be a tough game," Rowlett acknowledged.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 7, Meagan St. John 7, Molly Hillenbrand 3.
 
EL CAPITAN 63,  RAMONA 60 - Despite giving up a season high 60 points, the Vaqueros managed to stave off hot-handed London Houchin and the tenacious Ramona Bulldogs in Wednesday's (Dec.30) semifinal round of the Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic.
 
Houchin hammered down 5 three-pointers on her way to another 30-point night, but the Vaqueros were able to keep her from beating them as she did a year ago in the San Diego CIF Division II semifinals.
 
"She is going to get her points every time," El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS admitted.
 
Except when the Bulldogs needed her the most. Curtis slapped a ferocious double-team on the Ramona scoring machine and kept her from touching the ball during the final 12 seconds.
 
The bewildered Bulldogs (9-3) eventually threw the ball out of bounds and never got a shot at tying the game.
 
El Capitan's HEATHER MOLZEN, playing the full 32 minutes, hit 8 of 14 shots on her way to a team-high 22 points to go along with 18 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 assists and a blocked shot. Junior ALLISON DUFFY chimed in with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 4 steals for the Vaqueros. MORGAN CRAIG contributed 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
 
Curtis, however, was pleased most by the work of freshman guard LIANA PITMAN, who finished with 10 points (9 coming off 3-point shots), 3 assists and 3 steals.
 
"She made those 3-pointers in crucial times of the game," Curtis said.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Craig 4, Mallorie Montgomery 3, Valerie Logel 2.
 
CANYON SPRINGS 63,  MOUNT MIGUEL 57 - Team quickness has taken the Mount Miguel Matadors a long way. Facing a team with equal speed, more height and superior depth proved to be too much for the No. 1-ranked Matadors in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) semifinals of the Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic.
 
The Matadors (10-1) were looking good with a 35-26 advantage early in the 3rd quarter. Seconds later Canyon Springs' top defensive guard picked up her 4th foul and left the floor.
 
But these Cougars are relentless and they proved it as they went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 37-all with 2:35 remaining in the 3rd quarter. After LASHAWN JOHNSON hit a short jumper to put Mount Miguel back on top, Canyon Springs' brought LaToya Barbee off the bench and she made an immediate impact.
 
Barbee scored six consecutive points to put Canyons Springs in front 43-39. Once again, Johnson (12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) answered with a bucket for the Matadors.
 
Canyon Springs opened up a 50-43 lead with 5:52 remaining. But JERICA WILLIAMS (23 points, 6 rebounds) took charge and brought the Matadors to within 52-48. The first of two MONIQUE CLAYTON baskets shaved the deficit to 52-50 with 2:40 remaining.
 
The teams traded baskets for the next 1:30, with Johnson scoring Mount Miguel's final points and leaving the Matadors on the short end of a 59-57 count with 1:10 unplayed.
 
"The rebounding, especially on the offensive glass, killed us tonight," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "We are going to play bigger teams, so we have to do a better job."
 
Thoughts of an undefeated season was bandied about among the Mount Miguel players this week.
 
"Some of our kids were talking about that possibility, but I thought it was a bit unrealistic," Sandoval said. "I knew it would come to an end sooner or later."
 
Nevertheless, Mount Miguel has won 18 of its last 20 and boasts a 37-6 mark over the last two seasons.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Genevieve Costello 9, Clayton 6, Tavasha Yarbrough 4, Victoria Murphy 3.
 
WEST HILLS 56,  EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 10 --  West Hills set a school record on the defensive end of Wednesday's (Dec. 29) Aztec Holiday Invitational
romp over the desert Eagles.
 
The Wolf Pack, which balanced its season slate at 6-6, blanked the Eagles in the final quarter to secure the record. The Eagles scored only one point in the second period.
 
West Hills' 28 steals - keyed by 7 thefts each by CHELSEY HOWARD and DANIELLE EDMONDSON - is also a Wolf Pack record.
 
As stingy as the Pack was defensively, it took awhile to jump-start the offense. West Hills held a 1-0 edge after four minutes, but pulled away to a 22-6 advantage by halftime.
 
A power outage in the Montgomery High gym with 2:06 left in the half, temporarily derailed the game for 10 minutes.
 
In the 3rd quarter, West Hills used a 23-4 scoring burst to settle the issue.
 
"We've been playing a lot better lately," noted Pack sophomore MUAAU NADERHOFF, who contributed 9 points, 3 assists and 3 steals in addition to her rebounding.
 
"Our defense was outstanding," echoed Wolf Pack head coach CARLOS MOSS.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Dalia Ghandour 6, Megan Ehmke 6, Yawn 6, Kylee Krings 4, Howard 4, Amy Johnson 2.
 
HELIX 62,  RANCHO BERNARDO 49 - The sisters LEASAU - junior DIANA and sophomore MELE - lifted the Highlanders to Wednesday's (Dec. 29)
Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic victory over the bewildered Broncos (5-7).
 
Diana Leasau cast in a season high 27 points, plucked off 8 rebounds and made 6 steals as the Highlanders improved their season ledger to 6-2.
 
"They could not stop Diana," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY.
 
Mele Leasau grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with 9 points, 3 assists, 4 steals and one block. SHARIKA THOMPSON also came up big for Helix, sweeping 10 caroms off the boards while dumping in 9 points.
 
Clinging to a 38-37 edge after three quarters, the Highlanders erupted for 24 points in the final period to put the game in the win column.
 
"It was a difficult game, so we tried to pound it inside," Hathaway said. â¤We made some steals in the 4th quarter and converted them to key buckets."
 
Other Helix scoring: Ashley Penn 9, Racquel Primas 3, Velora Horner 3, Mallorie Brown 2.
 
SANTANA 50,  BISHOP'S 38 -- Still smarting from a loss to state power Canyon Springs the night before, the Sultans (11-1) rebounded in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) third round of the Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic to lance the visiting Knights (7-4).
 
Junior JORDAN FRANEY fired in 27 points, 11 of them coming off 16 charity tosses, as Santana rallied to beat Bishop's. The 5-foot-11 pivot also grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds.
 
But Santana coach WADE VICKERY was equally as impressed with Franey's defense.
 
"She played really, really good defense in the 2nd half," he said. "Jordan played big time tonight."
 
Franey's timing was also on the mark, as the UC Davis coaches were on hand to watch the action.
 
ASHLEY BAKER went 7-for-7 from the free throw line as she added 11 points and 6 rebounds to the Santana coffers.
 
Other Santana scoring: Shannon Bailey 4, Gabby Passentino 3, Shae Bass 3, Danielle Balough 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 48, SOUTH BAY LUTHERAN (Inglewood) 38 - Junior JOHNAE JACKSON turned in a strong performance for the Monarchs, pouring in 13 points and reeling in 8 rebounds as Monte Vista improved to 7-6 with Wednesday's (Dec. 29) Granite Hills Sportland Festival victory.
 
BRITTANY WILLIAMS netted 10 points while ASHLEY MILLER (11 rebounds) and BRITNEY SMALL (10 rebounds) led the Monte Vista board brigade
 
The Monarchs marched to a 26-11 halftime lead and never looked back.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Miller 6, Small 5, Tiearea Robinson 5, Karisa Archer 4, Rachel Finks 3, Victoria Richmond 2.
 
GRANADA HILLS 56,  GROSSMONT 41 - Playing with one wing down, the Foothillers made a mighty stand against the Highlanders of Granada Hills in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) third round of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic at Steele Canyon.
 
The Foothillers hung tough for three periods behind sophomore MICHELLE GONZALEZ's energized effort. Unfortunately for the diminutive Hiller point guard, this wasn't a hockey game. 
 
Gonzalez and fellow sophomore LA KENYA SIMON-WEST each set a career best in scoring, Gonzalez with 16 points and Simon-West with 14 points.  
 
"Michelle was all over the court today," said Grossmont coach JEREMY HERSCH. "She's kinda like the Energizer Bunny, only way faster." 
 
The Hillers were up 22-20 midway through the 3rd quarter but found themselves five down going into the final stanza.
 
Needing someone to pick up the scoring, Grossmont (8-4) turned to Simon-West, who responded with 10 points in the 4th quarter.
 
Senior guard JACLYN GOLDBARG did not play for the Foothillers.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Christine Sullivan 6, Therese Riedel 3, Brette Henderson 2.
 
CLAIREMONT 45,  VALHALLA 39 - The victory-starved Norsemen could almost taste a win in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) third round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
For openers, the Norsemen (1-11) held a 10-8 lead after one quarter. The visiting Chieftains (3-6) outscored Valhalla 20-12 in the middle two quarters and that was the difference.
 
The Norsemen cut the lead to 29-26 with 5 minutes to go in the game. That's when Clairemont's Braden took over and scored 12 of her game high 22 points.
 
"We played well enough to win, but missed shots in the paint cost us the victory," reported Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "The young girls (BREANNA MARTIN and the LAINE sisters - SARAH and KAITLEN) are stepping up and playing well, however, the pace of the varsity level is still a challenge for them."
 
Martin finished with 10 points and 20 rebounds - her first career double-double.
 
"We are focusing on the future of this program," Wilson said. "With no more seniors on this team, we have our sights set on finishing strong in (the Grossmont South) League, sneaking into CIF, working hard in the off season, and putting a strong team on the floor next year."
 
So far, so good as 24 of Valhalla's 39 points came from sophomores and freshmen against Clairemont.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Lauren Sheppard 8, Sarah Laine 8, Jenna Fellows 6, Kaitlen Laine 6, Lena Allos 1.
 
MIRA MESA 57,  PATRICK HENRY 46 - Patriots coach KEITH JACKSON thought his squad played its best defensive quarter of the season in Wednesday's (Dec.29) Granite Hills Sportland Festival game against Eastern League rival Mira Mesa.
 
Patrick Henry limited the Marauders to 8 points in the first quarter.
 
The problem, though, was the Patriots forgot to bring their offense, scoring a miniscule 9 points in the 1st half. Thus, Mira Mesa led by 20 at the break.
 
"We can't give away (21) points like we did in the second quarter," Jackson said.  
 
Henry (5-7) drew within 10 points with 2 minutes to play.
 
LAURIE FIELD paced the Pats with 13 points while CATHERINE MARCKWARDT added 12. TIARRA WARNER chipped in 7 points and 5 rebounds.
 
Other Patrick Henry scoring: Stacey Grimes 6, Erika Sauter 3, Victoria Moreno 3, Elisa Nguyen 2.
 
BRAWLEY 48, EL CAJON VALLEY 32 - No details reported.
(12-29-04)

Braves split two on day, but win Lady Colts Tournament
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - It's been more than a decade since El Cajon Valley has won any girls basketball hardware for the high school's trophy case. Ah those were the glory days with the HOLM sisters HEATHER and HEIDI in the early 1990s, and a few years later RECO EDWARDS.
 
The Braves (7-6) can celebrate a championship for winning the Crawford Lady Colts Tournament on Tuesday (Dec. 28).
 
"The team was elated after the game," understated Braves coach GLENN LEE. "It's taken some time to get this team to believe in themselves. A lot of them felt they had the talent, but it's taken a lot to put things together." The Braves were proud to have two of their number chosen for All Tournament honors. RAWAA PATROS was chosen the Tournament MVP, and TYNISHA SMITH was also named to the All -Tournament Team.
 
Partros popped in 20 points in the championship game.
 
"We wanted to take away their inside passing game," said Lee. "Steals helped set up our offense."
 
CATHERINE MOORE added 24 points and 13 rebounds for El Cajon Valley.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Tynisha Smith 14, Michelle Thompson 11, Cierra Whitney 8, Marissa Martinez 2, Sabrina Julien 3, Danielle Hunt 2, Sheraina Moon 2, Mercy Ledzema 2.
 
SAN DIEGUITO 62,  EL CAJON VALLEY 46 - Senior RAWAA PATROS  scored 18 points and MICHELLE THOMPSON grabbed 10 rebounds and made 7 steals as the Braves lost in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) Lady Cougar Holiday Classic encounter at Steele Canyon.
 
"They got on us real early, came out with a trap and we couldn't handle it," said El Cajon Valley coach GLENN LEE. "San Dieguito took control from the start of the game - we never threatened them."
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Catherine Moore 8, Danielle Hunt 6, Marissa Martinez 4, Mercy Ledezma 3, Shawndre Blair 2, Sabrina Julien 2, Cierra Whitney 2, Thompson 1.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 62,  BISHOP'S 29 - Even when senior team leader GENEVIEVE COSTELLO doesn't score, the Mount Miguel Matadors are hard to beat. Case in point was Tuesday's (Dec. 28) semifinals of the Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic at Santana.
 
Although Costello failed to contribute a single point, she did spearhead a hard-nosed defense that held the Knights below the 30-point mark for the second time this season.
 
Meanwhile, JERICA WILLIAMS scored a season-high 26 points to guide the Matadors (10-0) to their 18th win in 19 starts over the past two seasons.
 
"We're not really going to overlook anybody," said Williams. "But our goal is to get to play Canyon Springs because they are ranked in the state."
 
The Matadors will get that opportunity as they face the No. 10 ranked Cougars in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) semifinals of the Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic at 7 p.m.
 
Williams has scored 49 points in her last two games.
 
"We'd love to beat them so we can make a point to all of Southern California," Williams added.
 
MONIQUE CLAYTON contributed 14 points against the Knights, and LASHAWN JOHNSON muscled in 9 points and 9 rebounds for the Matadors.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Tavasha Yarbrough 6, Victoria Murphy 4, Kayla Huddleston 3.
 
CANYON SPRINGS 57,  SANTANA 50 - Just call them the "Almost Ready for Prime time Players."
 
Considered a decisive underdog, the Sultans (10-1) barged in front by 12 points in the 1st half and held a 13-point edge with three minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter of Tuesday's (Dec. 28) Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic encounter.
 
What followed was total collapse by the usually stable Sultans.
 
"I am so disappointed because we had them on the ropes," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY, the winningest girls basketball coach in San Diego CIF history. "We just melted under their pressure."
 
The normally steady Sultans (10-1) committed 26 turnovers, created only 5 steals, missed 10 of 22 free throws and shot a so-so 41 percent from the floor.
 
Junior JORDAN FRANEY was Santana's only player to reach double scoring digits with 16 points to go with 14 rebounds.
 
"We didn't shoot very well in the first half," Canyon Springs coach Gail Hale said, noting the Cougars 1-for-16 miss-fest in the 2nd quarter that helped the Sultans take a 32-22 halftime advantage.
 
Other Santana scoring: Gabby Passentino 9, Shae Bass 7, Danielle Bal Ashley Baker 6, Ashley Shepard 4, Shannon Bailey 1.
 
BASSETT 46,  STEELE CANYON 43 -- The score was tied at 43-43 with 8.5 seconds to play and both teams in double bonus in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic at Steele Canyon.
 
Timeout was called by Bassett, which inbounded the ball to Ashley Moncayo, who hit the game-winning 3-ball at the buzzer. Moncayo's three was the only one made in the game, and was her only basket of the game.
 
"It was disappointing," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "Don't know if the switch was on or off⤠tonight it was off."
 
The stormy weather, though welcome in terms of rain needed, played havoc inside the gym as well as drenching the countryside.
 
Steele Canyon was down 8 points with 5 minutes to play, then cut the lead to 2. ALEXIS ROBINSON was fouled with 3 minutes to play when the power went off in the gym. A 30-minute delay ensued. Shortly thereafter, with order restored, Robinson missed both free throws.
 
"It was very emotional in the locker room after the game," Quinones related.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring:  Samantha Beasley 13, Alexis Robinson 11, Celeste Martins 6, Hayley Johnston 6, Kelly Boozel 4, Kelly Hansen 3.
 
WEST HILLS 57,  KEARNY 36 - Junior guard DALIA GHANDOUR scored a career-high 20 points to spark the Wolf Pack to an Aztec Holiday Invitational victory over the Komets in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round.
 
The 5-foot-5 Ghandour did her best work from the free throw line where she connected on 7 of 9 attempts. Ghandour also dished 6 assists, cleared 5 rebounds and pilfered 2 enemy passes.
 
West Hills sophomore forward KYLEE KRINGS said "We played real well today as a team, played together. We've turned things around. Defense was key."
 
DANIELLE EDMONDSON added 12 points and landed 10 rebounds, while MEGAN EHMKE secured a dozen rebounds and popped in 8 points for West Hills (5-6).
 
"We're not as athletic as Kearny, but we played them in a way that forced them to play our game, slowed them down and put good defensive pressure on their ball handlers," said Wolf Pack head coach CARLOS MOSS.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Muaau Naderhoff 6, Chelsey Howard 4, Amy Johnson 3, Krings 2, Chantal Evans 2.
 
EL CAPITAN 60,  RANCHO BERNARDO 18 - It was the same old story for El Capitan (9-1). The Vaqueros love a challenge from the Broncos of Rancho Bernardo.
 
For the third time this season the Broncos (5-5) tested their skills against the Vaqueros in Tuesday's (Dec.28) second round of the Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic.
 
The results were the same - three El Capitan victories by a composite score of 207 to 81.
 
HEATHER MOLZEN, who scored 24 points in a first round knockout of Morse, rang up 22 points, 11 rebounds and 9 steals in the trifecta against the Broncos. ALLISON DUFFY, who tossed in 26 points, nabbed 15 rebounds and swiped 7 passes in the romp over Morse, banged in 20 p oints and shagged 19 rebounds in the lopsided win over Rancho Bernardo.
 
MORGAN CRAIG chipped in 10 points, 5 steals and 5 rebounds for the Vaqueros, who take on Bishop's in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) tournament semifinals.
 
Other El Capitan scoring:  Mallorie Montgomery 6, Jamie Ferguson 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 66,  MIRA MESA 59 - Granite Hills sophomore MORGAN SABALA scored a career high 26 points Tuesday (Dec. 28) as the Eagles dumped the Marauders to advance to Wednesday's (Dec.29) semifinals of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
JOY EDWARDS added 11 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists for the Eagles (9-3).
 
Other Granite Hills scoring:, Katrena Gabardi 8, Molly Hillenbrand 7, Amy Sylvester 6, Meagan St. John 4, Madonna Najor 4.
 
CHRISTIAN 49,  MADISON 36 - If the Harbor League has a preseason favorite the Christian High Patriots certainly deserve consideration. The Patriots (7-5) knocked off league rival Madison in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the of the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic at Steele Canyon.
 
None of the other five Harbor League entries has more than 4 wins.
 
Christian's BRITNI McCASKILL led all scorers with a career high 17 points and added 6 steals, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.  SARAH SEYMOUR chipped in 11 points, while blocking 6 shots, grabbing 7 rebounds and recording 7 steals.
 
"We got into a bit of foul trouble early, which hurt us. However, we played through it and adjusted well," said coach CORI ESPELET. "Everyone contributed to this win.  No matter what the statistics say, we played as a team today and that is how we won."
 
Other Christian scoring:  Rachel Pearl 10, Katie Gerlek 5, Kelsey DePriest 2.
 
CRENSHAW 49,  GROSSMONT 32 -- It was a tale of two distinctly different halves for the Grossmont Foothillers in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of Lady Cougar Holiday Classic action at Steele Canyon.
 
Facing a much quicker opponent in Los Angeles Crenshaw, the Lady Hillers gave a quick wakeup call to their northern visitors behind the early shooting of JACLYN GOLDBARG, who accounted for 16 points on the night.
 
"We handled their full court press pretty well in the first half, but that kind of relentless pressure sure can take its toll over the whole game," said Hiller coach JEREMY HERSCH.
 
Leading by seven at the intermission, the Hillers had no idea what was to come.
 
"Crenshaw really found another gear to start the half," said Hersch, and the Foothillers quickly found out the meaning of the phrase 'speed kills.' We had trouble getting Jaclyn the ball and they got hot."
 
That was a bad combination for Grossmont (8-3) which lost for the first time in four starts.
 
Grossmont was outscored 22 -3 in the 3rd quarter and that was the end for the upstart Foothillers.
 
Other Grossmont scoring:  LaKenya Simon-West 8,  Michelle Gonzalez 2,  Brette Henderson 2, Therese Riedel 2.
 
RAMONA 57,  HELIX 47 - Junior DIANA LEASAU rang up a season-high 26 points for the Highlanders in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Santana/Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic, but a lackadaisical start by Helix was too much to overcome.
 
"The first quarter killed us, we were so flat," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY, noting the Bulldogs 25-7 advantage after the opening period. "They out-played us.
 
Helix closed to 44-40 with 5 seconds to play in the 3rd quarter, but Ramona's London Houchin hit a turn-around three to increase the lead to seven.
 
"We were never able to get back in the game after that," Hathaway said.
 
Houchin scored a game-high 30 points, including four 3-pointers.
 
Other Helix scoring: Racquel Primas 10, Mele Leasau 6, Ashley Penn 3, Sharika Thompson 2.
 
MARIAN CATHOLIC 64,  VALHALLA 24 - It took the visiting Crusaders about 8 minutes to destroy the host Valhalla Norsemen in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
A 27-7 burst in the opening quarter was more than enough to send Valhalla to its 9th loss in 10 games. Marian Catholic (3-7) built a 61-18 lead after three quarters and then sailed to the winner's circle.
 
"Struggling, struggling, struggling," sighed Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "But we never quit."
 
Sophomore BREANNA MARTIN tallied 5 points and 14 rebounds for the Norsemen.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Sarah Laine 6, Jenna Fellows 5, Lauren Sheppard 4, Lena Allos 2, Elicia White 2.
 
POWAY 51,  MONTE VISTA 28 - The Monarchs failed to generate much offense in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) second round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival and therefore fell to their sixth loss in 12 starts.
 
The Titans (8-3) stormed to a 27-10 halftime advantage and then breezed to the easy victory.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring:  Britney Small 8, Ashley Miller 7, Johnae Jackson 6, Brittany Williams 5, Tamieka Howell 2.
 
WESTVIEW 71,  PATRICK HENRY 30 -- Sure, Westview is one of the San Diego Section's newest entries. But that is no reason to believe that the Wolverines are in a building mode.
 
They proved that to Patrick Henry in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) Granite Hills Sportland Festival second round encounter.
 
"Westview came out and took us right out of our game," lamented Patrick Henry coach KEITH JACKSON. "That was a tough one; turnovers were the same as yesterday."
 
Other Patrick Henry scoring:  Tiarra Warner 12, Victoria Moreno 6, Fields 5, Erika Sauter 4, Elisa Nguyen 2, Catherine Marckwardt 1.
(12-28-04)

Braves in position to take tournament championship
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - Break out the record book - the El Cajon Valley Braves are on the verge of winning a championship. Under the direction of first-year head coach GLENN LEE, the Braves have doubled their victory total of a year ago. They need only to defeat Vincent Memorial of Calexico in Tuesdayâ's (Dec. 28) finals of the Crawford Lady Colts Tournament to capture El Cajon Valley's first championship of any kind in nearly a decade.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 80, CASTLE PARK 48 -- In the teams' third meeting after splitting the opening pair, the Braves (6-5) vaulted out of the gate to mount a 20-4 lead to easily run past the Trojans (2-10) in Monday's (Dec. 27) Crawford Lady Colts Tournament semifinal contest.

Center CATHERINE MOORE registered a double-double by halftime, scoring 10 points and grabbing 14 boards en route to a 46-20 halftime lead. Moore, who saw limited playing time as the bench played most of the second half, finished with career-highs of 15 points and 18 boards.

"We need to keep working on fundamentals, but we are still getting better working as a team," said Moore, a 3.90-grade point average student who hopes to return to her native Ohio and attend Ohio State. "We made some nice passes and played good defense, but now we just have to keep doing it and get better and better."
 
Braves guard RAWAA PATROS delivered 5 of her 7 assists in the 1st period, mostly for layins as El Cajon Valley shot 10-of-19 (54 percent) in the opening eight minutes. Then in the second half, TYNISHA SMITH registered 10 points in the 3rd period, finishing as El Cajon Valley's top scorer with 17 points and leading with five steals.
Patros finished with nine points, while three other Braves -- SHAWNDRE BLAIR, MERCY LEDEZMA and MICHELLE THOMPSON -- all scored eight points each, including a pair of 3-balls by Ledezma.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring:  Sheraina Moon 5, Cierra Whitney 4, Sabrina Julien 3, Danielle Hunt 2, Taniya Patros 1.
 
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE 47,  EL CAJON VALLEY 37 - Prior to their conquest of Castle Park, the Braves opened the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic Monday morning (Dec. 27) at Steele Canyon with a frustrating loss to South Lake Tahoe.
 
"We took the lead early," said El Cajon Valley coach GLENN LEE. "From a total team standpoint we played the best all-around game we've played all year, even the reserves. In the beginning of the 2nd half it seemed like we were playing against an over-active whistle (11 calls on Tahoe to 28 on ECV). But I told the girls that's just what happens sometimes."
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring:  Danielle Hunt 8, Michelle Thompson 7, Cierra Whitney 6, Rawaa Patros 5, Catherine Moore 4, Sabrina Julien 2, Mercy Ledezma 2, Tynisha Smith 2, Frances Agan 1.
 
GROSSMONT 58,  HOOVER 41 - Looking down his bench before the start of Monday night's (Dec. 27) first-round Cougar Classic match-up against Hoover, Foothillers coach JEREMY HERSCH could only shake his head. Illness and navigation issues had whittled the Hillers' roster down to six available players.
 
"It sure made substituting easier tonight" said Hersch. "When THERESE (RIEDEL) got her third foul early on I thought we might be in for a long night. But how 'bout that Sullivan!"
 
Hersch was referring to Grossmont's newest Super Sub, junior CHRISTINE SULLIVAN.
 
Sullivan didn't miss a shot as she hammered home three 2nd-quarter buckets en route to career-high 8 points.
 
"Christine played well, spelling Therese," said Hersch. "Besides those big baskets, she did a nice job defensively and on the boards."
 
Riedel also played well in her limited minutes as she also scored 8 points on 4-for-5 shooting and collected 7 caroms.
 
"I thought our three 'Littles,' " point guard MICHELLE GONZALEZ (6 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals) and sisters SHANDICE and TINO RIOS were excellent applying defensive pressure all night. Hoover could never really get into their offense," Hersch said.
 
Hoover probably was a little preoccupied trying to stop Hiller captain JACLYN GOLDBARG on the other end of the floor. Goldbarg erupted for 17 third quarter points and put on one of the season's top shooting performances. Clicking on 16-of-24 shots and burying an array from all over the floor, she once again led all scorers with 36 points.
 
Not to be overlooked were Goldbarg's 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Riedel 8.
 
STEELE CANYON 53,  MADISON 42  - Coach FRANK QUINONES' Cougars showed that they are determined to keep the championship hardware at home as they began Monday's (Dec. 27) 2nd annual Lady Cougar Holiday Classic with a victory over the visiting Warhawks.
 
"There was no secret," Quinones said. "We were up 20 at the half and our game plan was to take the ball to the basket. We're still learning how to win, and it's a long lesson."
 
SAMANTHA BEASLEY banged in a team-best 16 points, grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds and dished off 5 assists for the Cougars (5-3).
 
HAYLEY JOHNSTON punched in 13 points, while KELLY BOOZEL chipped in 5 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Johnston's totals included 4-for-5 shooting in the 1st quarter as Steele Canyon claimed a 16-7 lead.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring:  Velora Horner 4, Celeste Martins 4, Tina Merlino 4, Kelly Hansen 4, Alexis Robinson 3.
 
CHRISTIAN 59,  BASSETT 40 - The Patriots returned to activity after 19 days without a game, defeating Bassett out of La Puente in the Lady Cougar Holiday Classic on Monday (Dec. 27). It took both teams about 4 minutes to get back into the scoring mode when the Patriots' HEATHER DePRIEST scored a 3-pointer coming off the bench.

The Patriots (6-5) pressed full court during the entire 32 minutes, which forced a lot of turnovers from Bassett. Although the shooting percentage was low, the Patriots managed to score plenty of points to push their record of the .500 level.

BRITNI McCASKILL led the Patriots with 16 points, 8 steals and 7 rebounds.

"I think Britni played well and helped lead the team with her speed up the floor," said Christian's first-year head coach CORI ESPELET.

SARAH SEYMOUR added 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks for Christian.

"Our defense keeps us in games like today when our shooting percentage is poor. We will continue improving our defense and hopefully improve our shooting percentage. I think overall the girls played well and this was a good win," added Coach Espelet.
 
Other Christian scoring: Heather DePriest 11, Katie Gerlek 8 (13 rebounds), Rachel Pearl 4, Jessie Ekard 3, Kelsey DePriest 3.
 
HELIX 43,  OCEAN VIEW 37 - Switching from man to zone at the start of the 2nd half gave the Highlanders (5-1) the edge they needed as they edged Ocean View of  Huntington Beach in Monday's 1st round of the Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic at El Capitan.
 
"Defense won the game," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "The defensive switch we made at halftime was the difference. We took control in the 3rd quarter."
 
DIANA LEASAU hit two free throws with less than a minute to play to put Helix up 41-37.
 
Other Helix scoring:  Diana Leasau 19, Mele Leasau 10, Mallorie Brown 6, Ashley Penn 5, Adriana Horner 3.
 
MONTE VISTA 46,  WATERLOO (Ontario, Canada) 35 - BRITTANY WILLIAMS (16 points) paced a balance Monte Vista attack as the Monarchs opened the Granite Hills Sportland Festival Monday (Dec. 27) with a victory that pushed the Monarchs' season record above the .500 mark at 6-5.
 
Williams turned in a complete game that included 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 assists.
 
ASHLEY MILLER tossed in 13 points, snagged 7 rebounds, dished 3 assists and swiped a pair of passes.
 
BRITNEY SMALL added 10 points and 6 rebounds for Monte Vista, which overcame a 14-5 first quarter deficit for the win.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Tiearea Robinson 4, Victoria Richmond 2, Rachel Finks 1.
 
SANTANA 64,  MISSION BAY 15 - Junior JORDAN FRANEY led the Sultans with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 9 steals and 4 deflections as Santana won its 10th game without a loss Monday (Dec. 27) at the expense of visiting Mission Bay in round one of the Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic.
 
"We pressed at the beginning for about six minutes," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "We wanted to check out their ball handling."
 
A 31-2 first quarter avalanche had to convince Vickery his Sultans were on the beam.
 
"At halftime I told them we were playing very well," Vickery recalled. "Our kids understand that they are not in the game to blow somebody out or embarrass a team. We were able to give each player significant playing time."
 
Other Santana scoring:  Shannon Bailey 9, Gabby Passentino 9, Ashley Baker 8, Kelsey Ash 6, Shae Bass 4, Danielle Balough 2, Lorena Bernal 2, Ashley Shepard 2.
 
EL CAPITAN 75,  MORSE 31 - In another first round blow out, ALLISON DUFFY and HEATHER MOLZEN combined for 50 points, 31 rebounds, 11 steals, 4 assists and 5 blocks as the Vaqueros (8-1) rolled over the untamed Tigers in Monday's (Dec. 27) 1st round of the Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic.
 
"It was an ugly game in that there were 3 technicals and three intentional fouls," El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS said. "I just wanted to get my team and get out of there."
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Morgan Craig 10, Mallorie Montgomery 6, Jamie Ferguson 4, Liana Pitman 3, Valerie Logel 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 55,  VISTA 23 - Versatile JERICA WILLIAMS scored a season-high 23 points to lead the San Diego CIF's top-ranked Matadors to their 9th win without a loss in Monday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the Santana/Horsman Chevron Christmas Classic.
 
Williams scored 11 points in the 2nd quarter and MONIQUE CLAYTON added 6 in the 2nd quarter as Mount Miguel took a commanding 33-10 halftime lead.
 
GENEVIEVE COSTELLO chipped in with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. TAVASHA YARBROUGH took command of the glass with 10 rebounds.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Clayton 8, Lashawn Johnson 6, Yarbrough 6, Kayla Huddleston 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 65,  CALEXICO 23 - JOY EDWARDS poured in 12 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, delivered 6 assists and swiped 4 passes to lead the Eagles (8-3) to an easy 1st round win in Monday's (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
The Eagles' MORGAN SABALA claimed high point honors with 15 points.
 
Granite Hills scoring:  Katrena Gabardi 9, Amy Sylvester 7 (6 rebounds), Tamara Reynolds 6, Meagan St. John 4, Madonna Najor 6, Molly Hillenbrand 6
 
WEST HILLS 54, OTAY RANCH 43 - Senior DANIELLE EDMONDSON of West Hills rolled an impressive double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's (Dec. 27) Aztec Holiday Invitational opening victory at Montgomery.
 
Edmondson clicked on 9 of 15 shots from the floor and collected 5 assists and 3 steals for the Wolf Pack (4-6).
 
DALIA GHANDOUR scored a double-double of her own with 14 points, 10 assists, 4 steals and 4 rebounds for West Hills.
 
"We were up by 20 in the middle of the 4th quarter and ran our trap and 1-3-1," said West Hills head coach CARLOS MOSS. "We executed. This is as good as we've played this year. Dalia played a great game. She distributed the ball well."
 
West Hills senior AMY JOHNSON noted "The score does not reflect the true nature of the game. We were pretty much in control."
 
Other West Hills scoring: Megan Ehmke 10, Muaau Naderhoff 6, Kylee Krings 4, Amy Johnson 2.
 
PATRICK HENRY 55,  MARIAN CATHOLIC 43 - TIARRA WARNER scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds as the Patriots polished off the Crusaders in Monday's (Dec. 27) opening round of the Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
"We started a different group tonight and they stepped up," said Patrick Henry coach KEITH JACKSON. "I think we're starting to play better and starting to come around."
 
"ERIKA SAUTER played well for us," said Jackson. "She was our point guard today and did a lot of things that show up on our stat sheet."
 
ELISA NGUYEN had two late steals to put the game away for Henry (5-5).
 
Other Patrick Henry scoring: Stacey Grimes 8, Lauren Thiel 8, Tess English 8, Catherine Marckwardt 7, Erika Fouter 2, Victory Moreno 1, Elisa Nguyen 1.
 
WEST VIEW 62,  VALHALLA 25 - Not too many coaches can look at the final score of a lopsided defeat and come away with anything positive. That's what makes Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON special. Even a lopsided loss to Westview did not dampen Wilson's spirit following Valhalla's unimpressive loss in Monday's (Dec. 27) Granite Hills Sportland Festival.
 
"We played aggressively tonight, challenged ourselves to be tough on defense, get every loose ball and never give up an easy basket," said Wilson. "I have seen Westview (9-1) before. They have blown teams out, but we did not back down."
 
"LAUREN SHEPPARD held their leading scorer Girten to 5 points," said Wilson. "BRE MARTIN was solid on the board with 10 rebounds. And our JV call-ups 'SARAH LAINE and KAITLEN LAINE - held their own against tough competition.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Kayla Houston 6, Lauren Sheppard 6, Sarah Laine 4, Lena Allos 4, Jenna Fellows 2, Breanna Martin 2, Kaitlen Laine 1.
(12-27-04)

Ladies hit the holiday hardwood for tournament action, including talent-laden Santana Classic
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - All of East County's girls basketball teams will be involved in one of the five local post-Christmas tournaments beginning Monday (Dec. 27). Most intriguing of the events is the Santana-Horsman Christmas Classic, which features East County unbeatens Mount Miguel (8-0) and Santana (9-0) as well as Top 10 power El Capitan (7-1).
 
The Santana tourney also features national power Canyon Springs of Moreno Valley, a team that could face Mount Miguel in Wednesday's (Dec. 29) semifinals. That, of course, depends on whether the Cougars (7-3) can defeat host Santana in Tuesday's (Dec. 28) quarterfinals. The Helix Highlanders also will compete in this 16-team battle royale.
 
Meanwhile, Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES has brought in several out of town teams for the 2nd annual Cougar Holiday Classic such as Crenshaw, South Torrance, Whitney, South Lake Tahoe and Bassett of La Puente. Local entries include Grossmont, El Cajon Valley, Christian and the host Steele Canyon.
 
Not to be overlooked is the annual Granite Hills Sportland Festival, which features 16 teams. Local entries include Granite Hills, Monte Vista, Valhalla and Patrick Henry.
 
Meanwhile, West Hills will vie in the Lady Aztec Invitational at Montgomery.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 69,  MIDWAY BAPTIST 45 - The Braves (5-4) stretched their winning streak to three games Thursday (Dec. 23) as they rolled over Midway Baptist in the second round of the Crawford Lady Colts Tournament.
 
The Braves used their superior quickness and athleticism to record 44 steals. Senior FRANCES AGAN led the way by pilfering 9 Patriots' passes.
 
RAWAA PATROS scored a career-high 27 points - all from the field. Three buckets came from above the arc. For good measure, the Braves' chief point maker turned the majority of her 8 steals into lay-ups.
 
"Rawaa had a great game," said El Cajon Valley coach GLENN LEE. "She penetrated well."
 
TYNISHA SMITH chimed in with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 7 steals for the Braves, who also received 8 points, 8 rebounds and 7 steals from 5-foot-10 senior center CATHERINE MOORE.
 
El Cajon Valley scored 45 points in the second half to lock up the win.
 
The Braves will draw double duty on Monday (Dec. 27) when they face the South Lake Tahoe Vikings in the opening round of the Cougar Classic at Steele Canyon at 11 a.m. Later that same day, the Braves take on Castle Park in the third round of the Crfawford Lady Colts Tournament at 5 p.m.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scorers (vs. Midway Baptist): Michelle Thompson 7, Shawndre Blair 6, Taniya Patros 5, Kim Vasquez 4.
(12-23-04)

Braves win by 40 to surpass last season's win total
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - Credit first-year El Cajon Valley coach GLENN LEE for getting immediate results. Lee led the Braves to a stinging 51-11 romp over Lutheran in Wednesday's (Dec. 22) opening round of the Lady Colts Tournament at Crawford High.
 
The victory, which balanced the Braves ledger at 4-4, gave El Cajon Valley one more win than it garnered in 25 games a year ago.
 
Senior TYNISHA SMITH was a hawk on defense and transition for the Braves, as she used 6 steals en route to a game-high 16 points.
 
"She was our key," Lee said of Smith, who also drained a pair of 3-pointers. "Those six steals led to some easy baskets."
 
El Cajon Valley totaled 28 steals, including 6 by CATHERINE MOORE and 4 by FRANCES AGAN.
 
"We took them out of the game early and were able to get our running game going," Lee added.
 
RAWAA PATROS cast in 12 points for the Braves, who also celebrated 9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals by MICHELLE THOMPSON.
 
The Braves barged in front 23-2 in the 1st quarter and led 32-3 at halftime.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring: Thompson 9, Agan 4, Taniya Patros 2, Kim Vasquez 2, Cierra Whitney 2, Mercy Ledezma 2, Moore 2.
(12-22-04)

Sultans get tournament title with dominating defense in championship game
EastCountySports.com
 
LAS VEGAS - No matter where they play, the Santana Sultans know how to win. Santana, in fact, swept a doubleheader on Saturday (Dec. 18) to capture the championship of the Lady Wolves Classic in Henderson (Nev.). Most interesting of the Sultans dominating performances was the 49-39 conquest of Canyonview (Utah) in the championship game.
 
JORDAN FRANEY, who earned all-tournament honors, cashed in a game high 21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals to carry Santana to its ninth win without a loss. GABBY PASSENTINO added 10 points and SHAE BASS chimed in with 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Franey and ASHLEY BAKER also corralled 6 caroms.
 
Most challenging of this victory for the Sultans was playing without a 35-second shot clock, which Canyonview does not in the state of Utah.
 
Canyonview, which was undefeated before Santana stuck the Cougars with their first loss on Saturday, jumped out to a 5-0 lead.
 
"Credit to our girls is they didn't panic," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "We did our usual good job on defense. We took away their good looks."
 
Other Santana scoring: Jordan Franey 21, Gabby Passentino 10, Ashley Baker 8, Danielle Balough 6, Shae Bass 4.
 
SANTANA 62,  ELDORADO 33 - JORDAN FRANEY fired in 27 points, passed out 5 assists and cleared 4 rebounds as the Sultans sent the host team into the consolation bracket in Saturday's (Dec. 18) semifinals of the Lady Wolves Classic in Las Vegas.
 
SHAE BASS led the Sultans supporting cast with 8 points, 6 assists, 7 deflections, 5 steals and 4 rebounds.
 
Other Santana scoring: Ashley Baker 8, Bass 8, Danielle Balough 6, Kelsey Ash 5, Carina Vickery 3, Gabby Passentino 3,  Shannon Bailey 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 59, EL CAPITAN 36 - There should be no doubt as to which team is the finest in the San Diego CIF Section girls basketball lineup.
 
Fiery senior point guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO scored a season high 21 points, passed out 8 assists, recorded 3 steals and collected 3 rebounds to guide the top-ranked Matadors (8-0) to an easy victory over previously unbeaten El Capitan (7-1).
 
The Matadors forced 38 El Capitan turnovers as they turned the game into a rout.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Monique Clayton 10, Lashawn Johnson 8, Jerica Williams 8, Tavasha Yarbrough 6, Victoria Murphy 2, Kayla Huddleston 2, Alona Jones 2.
 
Other El Capitan scoring:  Allison Duffy 13, Heather Molzen 12, Mallorie Montgomery 6, Valerie Logel 3, Liana Pitman 2.
 
STEELE CANYON 69,  TRI-CITY CHRISTIAN 23 - This was a milestone victory for coach FRANK QUINONES and his Steele Canyon Cougars who established a school record with their 5th win in seven starts in Saturday's ( Dec. 18) Lady Mustang semifinals at San Dieguito Academy.
 
"Our defense worked a lot harder," said Cougars coach FRANK QUINONES. â"The girls didn't want that team to score 30."
 
"We got quite a few steals (24) and we were able to run the floor and distribute the ball well (15 assists)," said Quinones. "We did a great job on the boards (42 rebounds) - they were much smaller than us. We were really focused and were embarrassed by our effort last night," the coach said.
 
SAMANTHA BEASLEY bucketed 19 points, logged 8 rebounds and 4 steals to pace Steele Canyon to its record-breaking performance. CELESTE MARTINS chipped in 13 points, 7 assists and 7 steals.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring:, Kelly Hansen 10, Tina Merlino 8, Kelly Boozel 6, Alexis Robinson 6, Amanda Rice 4, Velora Horner 3.
 
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 55,  STEELE CANYON 39 - The Cougars didn't have enough fuel to deny the host Mustangs their own tournament championship in Saturday's (Dec. 18) finale.
 
Six-foot-5 freshman KELLY HANSEN netted 12 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots in a losing effort for the Cougars (5-3).
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring:  Celeste Martins 9, Samantha Beasley 8, Kelly Boozel 3, Tina Merlino 2, Alexis Robinson 2, Belinda Pickens 2, Tennel Brown 1.
 
GROSSMONT 53,  MIRA MESA 42 - The Grossmont Foothillers wrapped up their Kiwanis tourney journey Friday night (Dec. 18) with a convincing win over the Mira Mesa Marauders - the Hillers' 3rd win in four Kiwanis starts.
 
"I think we certainly exceeded our expectations coming into this tournament," said Hiller coach JEREMY HERSCH. "Our young kids are growing and learning every game. This was a nice game for us to play well in as we break for the holiday."
 
Once again sophomore stilt, 6-foot-3 THERESE RIEDEL played chairman of the boards, clearing 14 boards and blocking 3 shots. Riedel's four-game tournament rebound total was an eye popping 48 carroms. 
 
Another sophomore stepping up of late is LA KENYA SIMON-WEST who contributed 5 points on the game and provided additional speed and rebounding on the defensive end.
 
"La Kenya gives us a very athletic element," Hersch said. "As she is becoming more comfortable with our system her production will only increase."
 
Enough about the youth movement. 
 
Senior captain JACLYN GOLDBARG once again was the force de jour, pouring in 35 points as she continues to steer the Grossmont ship to a 7-2 record thus far.
 
Fellow senior BRETTE "Flash" HENDERSON drew a loud collective gasp from the crowded Hoover gymnasium as she literally went airborne taking a charge from an out-of-control Marauder player.
 
â¤Brette really took one for the team. Taking that charge gave us a nice adrenaline rush that carried us to the end,â¤? said Hersch.
 
Goldbarg netted 9 of 16 shots from the floor (4 of 5 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 free throws. The gifted guard also grabbed 5 rebounds and passed out 4 assists.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Riedel 9, Michelle Gonzalez 4, La Kenya Simon-West 5.
 
FRANCIS PARKER 38,  MONTE VISTA 29 - Riding high on a four-game winning streak, Monte Vista players had a choice: Ignore the team's fourth game of the week and play hard, or allow fatigue to settle over the squad.
 
Following Saturday's (Dec. 18) effort, the Monarchs seemed to settle on the latter.
 
"It's disappointing - the kids chose to be tired and they played like it," noted Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "Basketball is 90 percent mental, but they haven't learned to overcome something like this yet."
 
Likewise, Francis Parker was playing its fourth contest of the week and was missing two players due to injuries. However, the Lancers (8-1) kept their focus to grind out the victory in a game played at Coronado High School.
 
Even guard ASHLEY MILLER, the Monarchs' leading scorer, couldn't jump-start the offense, scoring just 8 points on 4-for-13 shooting. In fact, none of the team's starters reached double figures, as BRITTANY WILLIAMS came off the bench to produce a team-high 12 points.
 
Parker slowly pulled away thanks to its defense, which forced a trio of 30-second shot-clock violations while controlling the boards. Center Alexis Crusey grabbed 13 boards, including five in the final period to prevent any Monte Vista comeback.
 
Williams added five steals for the Monarchs (5-5), but 24 turnovers and 12-of-36 shooting from the floor doomed them. The foul shooting wasn't much better, downing a mere 5-of-14 attempts.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Rachel Finks 4, Karisa Archer 2, Kim Galarpe 2, Johnae Jackson 1.
 
EASTLAKE 60,  GRANITE HILLS 54 - Sophomore MORGAN SABALA equaled her career high of 23 points, but the Eagles (6-3) were burned by the official's whistle as they fouled their way to a tough loss in Saturday's (Dec. 18) third place game of the Granite Hills Invitational.
 
The sharp-shooting Sabala nailed 7 of 12 shots, including a pair of threes, while garnering 7 rebounds.
 
JOY EDWARDS, rebounded from a scoreless outing in the semifinals against El Capitan, to click on 4 of 7 shots for 10 points to go with 8 rebounds against the Titans.
 
AMY SYLVESTER added 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Katrena Gabardi 7, Molly Hillenbrand 4.
 
BONITA VISTA 35,  PATRICK HENRY 26 - Plenty of defense, but punchless offense sent the Patrick Henry Patriots to the canvas in Saturday's (Dec. 18) final round of the Granite Hills Invitational.
 
"We were leading in the 1st quarter, then turnovers hurt us. They were toxic," said Patriots coach KEITH JACKSON, whose squad scored only 2 points in the second periods and a single in the 4th.
 
"I was pleased with our defense but we lacked much offensively. We have a long way to go, but I think we are getting better."
 
Other Patrick Henry scoring:  Tiara Warner 12, Catherine Marckwardt 5, Lauren Thiel 4, Erika Sauter 3, Elisa Nguyen 2.
 
SAN YSIDRO 38,  VALHALLA 33 - The injury riddled Norsemen suffered another knockout - this one to a team they'd beaten by 26 points - only 10 days earlier.
 
Even the ever-positive ROBERT WILSON found this setback hard to take. Yet, no matter how agonizing Wilson found this latest loss was to swallow, he managed to save positive words for his youthful squad. That's a true mark of a quality leader.
 
"JAMIE ZINTER played with a lot of heart and is a real pleasure to coach," Wilson said. â¤SARAH LAINE was called up (from the junior varsity) for these last two games and has been a solid contributor both times."
 
Sophomore BREANNA MARTIN grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, one more than KAYLA HOUSTON and LEANA ALLOS.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Houston 6, Allos 5, Martin 4, Jenna Fellows 2, Hannah Gerken 2.
 
SD SOUTHWEST 48,  WEST HILLS 30 - What little momentum West Hills had in its modest two-game winning streak ended with a thud in Saturday's (Dec. 18) final round of consolation in the Granite Hills Invitational.
 
"This is the worst game we've played in two years," said West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS. "We weren't ready to play at all. They played us a 1-3-1 zone and we should know how to attack it."
 
Danielle Edmondson was the only Pack player to reach double figures, finishing with 11 points, most of which came on 6-of-11 accuracy from the free throw line.
 
Other West Hills scoring:, Muaau Naderhoff 7, Dalia Ghandour 4, Megan Ehmke 4, Chelsey Howard 2, Kylee Krings 2.
(12-18-04)

Vaqueros, Matadors will meet in finals of Granite Hills Invite
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Girls basketball in these parts is getting better by the jump shot. In Friday's (Dec. 17) Granite Hills Invitational semifinals, No. 4-ranked El Capitan (7-0) drilled the host Eagles 70-42, while No. 1-ranked Mount Miguel (7-0) swamped Eastlake 65-39 to set up Saturday's (Dec. 18) tourney title bout between the East County kingpins. Meanwhile, Monte Vista pushed its record above the .500 mark as ASHLEY MILLER scored a career high 29 points, and Grossmont's JACLYN GOLDBARG returned to the lineup, resulting in the Foothillers adding to their win column.
 
EL CAPITAN 70,  GRANITE HILLS 42 - Considering that the visiting Vaqueros shot a paltry 27 percent (23-for-85), it seems almost shocking that coach DARIN CURTIS' crew plucked the Eagles by such a lopsided margin. It was the 7th win in as many starts for the Vaqueros, who have a chance to challenge for the top spot on Saturday night when they face top-ranked Mount Miguel.
 
ALLISON DUFFY provided the fire for the Vaqueros with 20 points, 23 rebounds and a pair of steals. HEATHER MOLZEN jammed in 13 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in addition to nabbing 4 steals.
 
"East County basketball is alive," Curtis said. "We have two of the best teams right here in our neighborhood playing for county (SDCIF Division II) bragging rights."
 
MALLORIE MONTGOMERY chipped in with 11 points and MORGAN CRAIG charted 10, including a trio of 3-pointers.
 
"Yeah, Mount Miguel is next," Curtis said. "We are right where we want to be. This game should be a lot of fun."
 
MORGAN SABALA paced the Eagles with 20 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. JOY EDWARDS, one of the Eagles top scorers, was shutout by El Capitan's defense.
 
Other El Capitan scoring:  Lisa Wilkins 5, Valerie Logel 5, Jamie Ferguson 3, Liana Pitman 3.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring:  Katrena Gabardi 9, Molly Hillenbrand 6, Amy Sylvester 4, Madonna Najor 3.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 65,  EASTLAKE 39 - JERICA WILLIAMS scored 11 of her 15 points in the 3rd quarter and LASHAWN JOHNSON tallied 8 of her 10 markers during the same stretch Friday (Dec. 17) as the Matadors (7-0) used a 27-4 scoring spree to topple the Titans and set the stage for their championship joust against El Capitan.
 
Mount Miguel forced Eastlake into 37 turnovers, recording 22 steals in the process.
 
"We pressed them all but the final three minutes," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "We got open shots, but just couldn't hit them in the first half. We should have been up by 20 points (instead of 6)."
 
GENEVIEVE COSTELLO paced the Matadors with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. Williams, despite foul troubles, totaled 15 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Johnson 10, Monique Clayton 10, Kayla Huddleston 7, Victoria Murphy 4, Tavasha Yarbrough 2.
 
GROSSMONT 54,  SCRIPPS RANCH 47 - Welcoming the return of JACLYN GOLDBARG to the line-up, a more settled Grossmont Foothillers side overcame an early 9-2 deficit to bounce the Falcons in the Friday's (Dec. 17) semifinals of the Kiwanis Invitational played at Mira Mesa High.
 
Goldbarg missed Thursday's quarterfinals against Serra, a team Grossmont certainly could have defeated, but were forced to scramble its lineup when muscle cramps in her calf kept Goldbarg on the bench. Upon her return, the 7-point deficit quickly turned into a 10-point lead by halftime, when Goldbarg scored 13 of her game-high 26 points.
 
"Jaclyn probably played her best all-around game of the season so far," said Grossmont assistant coach TIM JOLLETT.
 
Grossmont first-year head coach JEREMY HERSCH agreed.
 
"Jaclyn took a nice, calming presence on the court, giving opportunities for the other girls," Hersch said. "That will allow us to handle the pressure, since she controls the point."
 
It took a few minutes to get Grossmont situated after the Falcons' Kelly Purcell nailed a pair of jumpers for an early lead. But the defense limited her to just a single bucket the rest of the way, while on offense, MICHELLE GONZALEZ picked-up 4 assists over the final 3:22 of the opening period, including three to Goldbarg to tie the game at 13-all through a foul-free first quarter.
 
Grossmont then outscored Scripps Ranch, 18-8, in the second period, shooting 13-for-26 (50 percent) from the floor in the first half, including consecutive buckets by Gonzalez.
 
Sophomore center THERESE RIEDEL added 8 points for the Foothillers (6-2), while also grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking 4 shots. Meanwhile, LA KENYA SIMON-WEST came off the bench to score 8 points and grab 7 boards.
 
"Therese's presence in the middle is certainly beginning to affect a number of our opponents," Jollett said. "Her length and athleticism is a tough combo right now. She still needs to really concentrate on her positioning and footwork, but by the time she's a senior, watch out!"
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Christina Rios 4, Gonzalez 4, Shandis Rios 2, Brette Henderson 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 54,  OTAY RANCH 39 - After allowing 10 straight points midway through the 1st half, Monte Vista's defense settled down and allowed just four baskets over the final three quarters, rallying past host Otay Ranch in Friday's (Dec. 17) non-league contest.
 
Monarchs guard ASHLEY MILLER continued her hot shooting this season, converting at least three field goals in each period to collect a career-high 29 points. Miller also garnered 8 steals and 4 assists, as Monte Vista turned around a 17-10 deficit.
 
"It was a good effort, especially in the second half," noted coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We came out with a lot more intensity, then we kept up the tempo."
 
Monte Vista finally took the lead at 21-20, as a perfect inbounds bounce pass by VICTORIA RICHMOND found Miller for a lay-up with 3:07 left in the half. Miller then sank one of her trio of 3-balls, but the Mustangs (1-6) downed a series of foul shots for a 25-24 halftime lead.
 
However, the Monarchs roared back with a 9-0 run to open the second half, as all five second-half starters either scored or recorded an assist with the offense now running in full gear. Otay Ranch cut the margin to two, 33-31, but Monte Vista (5-4) ended the contest on a 21-8 run to pull away for its fourth straight victory.
 
"Ashley did another good job running the offense, but we had others players step up, too," noted Wright, who applauded a 10-rebound effort by forward JOHNAE JACKSON, while RACHEL FINKS sank 5 consecutive foul shots in the second half as part of her eight points.
 
BRITNEY SMALL stuck in 8 points and a pair of blocked shots, while Richmond added 4 steals, including three thefts in the second half during a 13-1 scoring run.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Jackson 4, Karisa Archer 2, Tamieka Howell 1.
 
WEST HILLS 49,  PATRICK HENRY 45 - After skidding out of the gate to a 1-5 start, the Wolf Pack has pounced on back-to-back victories.
 
KYLEE KRINGS scored a season high 13 points to pace a balanced West Hills offensive surge. Best part of her game is she was 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
 
"The girls really picked up their intensity, especially on the defensive end," West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS said. "The girls are playing with much more confidence and belief in their abilities."
 
Other West Hills scoring: Dalia Ghandour 11, Danielle Edmondson 9, Megan Ehmke 7, Muaau Naderhoff 7, Chelsey Howard 2.
 
Patrick Henry scoring:  Tiara Warner 13, Lauren Thiel 10  Erika Sauter 8, Catherine Marckwardt 5, Elisa Nguyen 4, Victoria Moreno 3, Tess English 2.
 
SANTANA 50,  RANCHO BUENA VISTA 23 - The undefeated Sultans continued to shine in the Silver City on Friday (Dec. 17) as GABBY PASSENTINO scored a career high 17 points in Santana's knockout of local rival Rancho Buena Vista.
 
"She's our co-captain who plays like the senior she is," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "She plays great defense and is so much tougher this year."
 
JORDAN FRANEY added 16 points and 4 rebounds, while SHAE BASS added 6 points and 5 steals for Santana (7-0) which takes on host Eldorado (Nev.) in Saturday's (Dec. 18) semifinals. If successful, the Sultans will advance to Saturday's championship game at 6:30.
 
Other Santana scoring: Danielle Balough 3, Kelsey Ash 2, Ashley Shepard 2, Shannon Bailey 2, Ashley Baker 2.
 
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 60,  STEELE CANYON 26 - SAMANTHA BEASLEY banged in 15 points and Steele Canyon suffered only its second loss in four starts, as the Cougars were crushed by host San Dieguito Academy in Friday's (Dec. 16) Lady Mustang Invitational.
 
The Cougars took only four shots in the first quarter and missed eight lay-ups in the first half.
 
"It was just horrible, we couldn't handle the ball," lamented Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "They are smaller than us, but they killed us on the boards."
 
"I told the team at halftime the same thing I told them before the game:  The team that plays the best defense will win. Tonight, it wasn't us," said Quinones.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Velora Horner 4, Tina Merlino 2, Kelly Hansen 2, Alexis Robinson 2, Celeste Martins 1.
 
CHULA VISTA 46,  VALHALLA 23 - The short-handed Norsemen offered minimal offense in Friday's (Dec. 17) Granite Hills Invitational consolation action.
 
The result was a seventh loss in 8 starts for coach ROBERT WILSON's troops.
 
JENNA FELLOWS and KAYLA HOUSTON shared high point honors with 7 each for the injury-riddled Norsemen (1-7).
(12-17-04)

Cougars' fourth win equals school record in early season

EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON - The North County Conference and various other teams like to brag about how they dominate the remainder of the San Diego Section field. Much of that boasting is probably true. Well, the Grossmont Conference has a composite mark worthy of note to date. Through the games of Thursday (Dec. 16) games, the 12-team circuit has compiled a 45-24 (a winning percentage of .652).

STEELE CANYON 55, CALVIN CHRISTIAN 28 - One of the new contributors to the Grossmont Conference's success is coach FRANK QUINONES' Cougars of Steele Canyon.

Sparked by CELESTE MARTINS' 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, the Cougars (4-1) tied the Steele Canyon record for wins in a season during Thursday's (Dec. 16) opening round of the Lady Mustang Tournament at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas.

"Two weeks without a game really hurt us," Quinones said. "We led 13-4, but Calvin Christian started hitting NBA-style threes and banking them in. But they couldn't stay with us on the boards. And we were able to get our running game going."

SAMANTHA BEASLEY logged 7 steals, cleared 13 rebounds, dished 4 assists and netted 8 points.

ALEXIS ROBINSON led Steele Canyon with 15 rebounds and TINA MERLINO came down with 13.

"I'm proud of the way the girls played in the second half," Quinones said.

Steele Canyon outscored Calvin Christian 29-10 in the second half.

Other Steele Canyon scoring: Hayley Johnston 7, Kelly Hanson 6, Merlino 6, Velora Horner 4, Robinson 4, Kelly Boozel 3.

SANTANA 73, VIRGIN VALLEY (NV) 34 - JORDAN FRANEY scored a career-high 35 points ­ 20 in the first quarter ­ as Santana scorched Virgin Valley of Mesquite (Nev.) in Thursday's opening round of the Las Vegas El Dorado Tournament.

Franey, who rang up 27 points in her previous start, netted a trio of 3-pointers in the 1st quarter as the Sultans streaked to a 34-6 lead after eight minutes.

"Franey was hot tonight," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "She has really improved since last year, and she was pretty good last year."

While pumping her season average up to 25 points per game, Franey connected on 10 of 12 free throws, grabbed 9 rebounds, handed out 5 assists and made 6 steals.

SHAE BASS chimed in with 9 steals and 4 assists for the unbeaten Sultans (6-0).

Other Santana scoring: Ashley Baker 9, Gabby Passentino 8, Shannon Bailey 6, Kelsey Ash 4, Danielle Bailey 3, Danielle Balough 2, Shae Bass 2, Carina Vickery 2, Ashley Shepard 2.

SERRA 50, GROSSMONT 23 - With their key performer on the shelf, Grossmont High's "No Jac Attack" became an opportunity to develop younger talent as the Foothillers fell to host Serra in Thursday's (Dec. 16) quarterfinals of the Kiwanis Tournament.

JACLYN GOLDBARG arrived at the gymnasium early to test her ailing calf, but leg cramping problems meant the Foothillers would need to utilize three sophomores and a freshman against the press of the Q-Dawgs. But without a seasoned ball-handler on the floor, Grossmont managed just one field goal in the first half in falling into the tournament's fifth-place pool.

Think about this. With Goldbarg on the bench, the Foothillers lost 35.4 points per game, a 55 percent shooter from the field, an 88 percent free-throw shooter, 5.6 assists and 5.4 steals per game.

"It was our 'No Jac Attack,' but it gave the young girls a chance to play and they did really well," said Hillers coach JEREMY HERSCH. "The score doesn't indicate how well we played."

Sophomore center THERESE RIEDEL demonstrated she would become a force under the boards during her career, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking 7 shots.

Meanwhile, forward LA KENYA SIMON-WEST converted five straight shots in the second half, finishing with a career-high 12 points.

"We didn't want Jaclyn to play against a team that tries to put a lot of pressure on the ball with its press," added Hersch. "It wasn't worth the risk to play her."

In the meantime, Serra received 18 points and five assists from Phynique Allen. Ashley McWhorter added 11 points and seven boards for the Conquistadors (8-3). Grossmont fell to 5-2.

Other Grossmont scoring: Brette Henderson 6, Michelle Gonzalez 3, Christina Rios 1, Riedel 1.

(12-16-04)

Overtime win over LCC gives surprising Foothillers 5-1 start
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - Don't look now, but the Grossmont Foothillers are off to a 5-1 start this season. A team most of the so-called experts believed would be fortunate to reach double-figures in the win column is off to a 5-1 start. The Foothillers opened the Kiwanis Tournament at Serra High on an exciting note Wednesday night (Dec. 15), capturing a 46-44 overtime win at the expense of the La Costa Canyon Mavericks.
 
Freshman TINA "Ice" RIOS calmly sank four consecutive free throws along with sophomore sister SHANDIS, who hit one in the final 38 seconds of OT to seal the victory. 
 
"I'm so proud of our team tonight," said a weary Grossmont coach JEREMY HERSCH. "They really showed tremendous heart. I thought we worked very hard on our defensive rotations and challenged every shot they took."
 
La Costa Canyon was every bit the expected challenge tonight for the Hillers.
 
"We knew they would be a tough match-up for us. JACLYN (GOLDBARG) showed tremendous senior leadership tonight which really allowed our younger players to stay emotionally under control," Hersch added.
 
Goldbarg led the Hillers in scoring with 17 points but suffered with leg cramps throughout the game. She was finally forced from the contest after knocking down a baseline jumper in OT that put the Hillers up by two with 2 minutes to play. She also contributed 9 rebounds, 7 assists and netted 7 of 8 free throws.
 
Backcourt mate MICHELLE GONZALEZ fouled out moments later and it was up to the Rios sisters, senior BRETTE HENDERSON, LA KENYA SIMON- WEST, and the imposing THERESE RIEDEL to hang on for the win.
 
Riedel was again a dominant fixture inside as she finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Henderson scored 6 points on 3 of 6 shooting and Simon-West scored a deuce on the opening overtime tip.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Brette Henderson 6, Shandis Rios 5, Christina Rios 4, LaKenya Simon-West 2, Michelle Gonzalez 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 39, MAR VISTA 22 - The victory almost seemed assured moments after Monte Vista guard ASHLEY MILLER nailed a 3-point shot to open the scoring. The Monarchs guard went on to near single-handedly outscore host Mar Vista after leading the offense with a season-high 21 points, submerging the Mariners, 39-22, in Wednesday's (Dec. 15) non-league contest.

Miller also bolstered the defense with 5 steals and a blocked shot, lifting Monte Vista (4-4) back to the .500 plateau on the strength of three consecutive victories.
"Our guards were looking for their shot moreso than before," noted coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We just need to be more aggressive on offense, but in all reality, we need to be more aggressive on defense, too."

Wright certainly will take the Monarchs' recent results with their biggest margin of victory since an opening night triumph over San Ysidro. The defense allowed only one Mariners basket until there was just 1:48 left in the first half, building a 21-7 advantage.

Miller scored 12 of her points during the stretch, while BRITTANY WILLIAMS compensated for a poor shooting night by shutting down the interior scoring of Mar Vista with a pair of dramatic shot rejections, including one ball she swatted deep out of bounds to elicit a deep reaction from the crowd.

BRITNEY SMALL also added a pair of blocked shots plus four rebounds, while TAMIEKA HOWELL aided the offense with three offensive rebounds, as six different Monarchs registered at least an assist to continually expand the lead throughout the contest.

Other Monte Vista scoring: Victoria Richmond 5, Rachel Finks 3, Mary Kamenski 2, Tiearea Robinson 2, Howell 2, Small 2, Williams 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 65,  KEARNY 47 - The Eagles (6-1) scored a season-high against a team that has a history for running up lopsided victory margins in Wednesday's (Dec. 15) second round of the Granite Hills Invitational.
 
Senior JOY EDWARDS scored 20 points, sophomore guard KATRENA GABARDI added a career-high 17 (including a trio of 3s), and MORGAN SABALA slipped in 16 markers for the Eagles, who netted 16 of 20 free throws.
 
"They played a 1-3-1 zone, but we were able to get the ball to the middle and attacked the basket," Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT said. "That, and we hit a few jumpers, which is something we haven't done with any consistency."
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Madonna Najor 4, Amy Sylvester 4, Amy Hillenbrand 4.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 56,  POWAY 43 - Coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL wasn't overly pleased by the performance of his undefeated and top-ranked Matadors (6-0) in Wednesday's (Dec. 15) Granite Hills Invitational victory over Poway.
 
"We gave up 25 points in the 1st half and I don't think we've given up that many in one half all year," Sandoval said. "Poway had a good game play, exploiting some things that we don't do well. Basically, what happened is we just didn't play well on defense."
 
Junior guard JERICA WILLIAMS tossed in 19 points, cleared 7 rebounds, dished off 4 assists, and recorded 4 steals against the Titans.
 
GENEVIEVE COSTELLO added 15 points, landed 5 rebounds, swiped 3 passes and handed a pair of scoring passes for Mount Miguel.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Monique Clayton 7, Tavasha Yarbrough 7, Lashawn Johnson 4, Kayla Huddleston 4.
 
WEST HILLS 48,  VISTA 42 - Junior DALIA GHANDOUR directed the struggling Wolf Pack to its second win in seven starts Wednesday (Dec. 15), as she dumped in 14 points, handed out 4 assists, hammered down 7 of 11 free throws, nailed a 3-pointer and pilfered 2 passes.
 
"It wasn't a great game, but we needed a win and we'll take it," Ghandour said.
 
After falling behind 23-17 by halftime, the Pack broke loose for a 19-9 spread in the 3rd quarter to inch in front 36-32. That burst was enough as West Hills staved off the Panthers 12-10 in the final quarter.
 
"The girls are starting to listen," West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS said. "Sometimes we are so anxious to win that it's hurting us. But we are learning to be disciplined."
 
Other West Hills scoring:  Danielle Edmondson 9, Muaau Naderhoff 8, Chelsey Howard 8, Megan Ehmke 4, Kylee Krings 3, Amy Johnson 2.
 
EL CAPITAN 78,  RANCHO BERNARDO 34 - Anybody who believed that El Capitan junior ALLISON DUFFY lost her shooting touch due to a 10-point output in last week's game against Valhalla need only to have attended Wednesday's (Dec. 15) Granite Hills Invitational encounter at Rancho Bernardo.
 
Duffy, a 6-foot-1 junior, hit 10 of 17 shots from the field and all six free throws for a 26-point outing against the North County Broncos.
 
Perhaps the best statistic Duffy developed was in steals as she stole 13 passes. On top of that hefty number, she also grabbed 19 rebounds to complete a triple double.
 
Washington State University-bound HEATHER MOLZEN muscled in 23 points while corralling 16 rebounds and nabbing 3 steals for El Capitan (6-0).
 
MALLORIE MONTGOMERY scored a season high 19 points - hitting a trio of threes and scoring off her own 6 steals - for El Capitan.
 
"We were tough on the inside," El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS said. "Our big greats are throwing great outlet passes to set up our break and take a lot of pressure off our guards."
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Lisa Wilkins 4, Valerie Logel 4, Liana Pitman 2.
 
PATRICK HENRY 61,  SAN YSIDRO 28 - TIARA WARNER ripped off 18 points and 11 rebounds to carry the Patriots past San Ysidro in Wednesday's (Dec. 15) second round of the Granite Hills Invitational at Mount Miguel.
 
LAUREN THIEL added 18 points and ELISA NGUYEN notched 6 steals, 10 rebounds and 8 points for Patrick Henry (4-3), which sealed the victory with a 22-9 scoring burst in the 3rd quarter.
 
"We picked them up full court with our press," Henry coach KEITH JACKSON said. "The key to our press is Elisa, who played middle linebacker for our junior varsity football team. She's tough, and she's a leader."
 
Henry gained a bundle of lay-ups off its press.
 
Other Patrick Henry scoring: Catherine Marckwardt 6, Erica Sauter 4,  Lavena Anderson 2, Staci Grimes 2, Victoria Moreno 2, Brittany Mennefield 1.
 
SD SOUTHWEST 61,  VALHALLA 18 - The bad news keeps getting worse for the struggling Norsemen (1-6) of Valhalla.
 
The Norsemen, who turned the ball over 42 times, scored only 3 points in the second half of Wednesday's (Dec.15) latest disaster.
 
All coach ROBERT WILSON could say was a wry, "We never quit."
 
Worse than losing the game, the Norsemen's most experienced player and team leader LAUREN SHEPPARD left the game in the 3rd quarter with a possible broken finger.
 
Freshman KAYLA HOUSTON played point guard for the first time and finished with 5 points to pace Valhalla.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Breanna Martin 3, Jenna Fellows 2, Elicia White 2, Lena Allos 2, Jamie Zinter 2.
(12-15-04)

Grossmont's Therese Riedel (42), a 6-foot-3 sophomore, logged a triple-double Friday night, leading the Foothillers to their 4th win in five starts with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks. (Photo by Travis Downs)

Press-happy Matadors run record to 5-0 with early 51-10 lead against Patrick Henry
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - An opening night of lopsided verdicts was a major part of Tuesday's (Dec. 14) first round of the Granite Hills Invitational. But nothing unexpected for the early rounds of tournaments such as these.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 77,  PATRICK HENRY 20 - The top-ranked, defensive-minded, undefeated Matadors of Mount Miguel put the clamps on the visiting Patriots Tuesday (Dec. 14), breezing to a 5th straight victory.
 
The press-happy Matadors (5-0) hammered Henry 51-10 in the first half and then coasted to the finish line.
 
TAVASHA YARBROUGH connected for a career high 9 of 9 free throws to go along with her six field goals, giving her 21 points on the night. The 5-foot-9 junior also collected 8 rebounds, logged 3 steals and dished 2 assists.
 
Not to be overlooked was the scoring of Mount Miguel senior point guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO, who crashed through the 1,000-point career scoring barrier with her second bucket against the Patriots, totaling 1010 before the night was over. She becomes part of a trio to reach the 1,000-point career scoring mark that includes recent Mount Miguel graduates CHRISTINE FITZGERALD and KAYLA HENRY.
 
Meanwhile, on the immediate home front, Mount Miguel's JERICA WILLIAMS popped in 20 points (the majority coming on four 3-pointers) with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Costello 14, Lashawn Johnson 14 (7 rebounds, 4 steals), Kayla Huddleston 6, Alana Jones 2.
 
Patrick Henry scoring:  Warner 8, Elissa Nguyen 4, Victoria Moreno 3, Anderson 2, Thiel 2, Catherine Marckwardt 1.
 
EL CAPITAN 80,  VALHALLA 28 - Talk about a blow out . . . The visiting Vaqueros (5-0) jolted the Norsemen in the 1st quarter, taking a 26-1 lead and then sailing to the easy victory on Tuesday (Dec. 14).
 
HEATHER MOLZEN had a brilliant shooting night, canning 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor and 7-for-8 accuracy from the line. The 6-foot-3 senior center bound for Washington State University, also garnered 15 rebounds, collected 8 steals and blocked 2 shots.
 
Freshman LIANA PITMAN poured in a personal record 19 points, including 5 three-pointers. That's quite a boost for Pitman, whose previous high game was 5.
 
ALLISON DUFFY tallied only 10 points -" 17 below her season average - but amassed 13 rebounds and 8 steals in the Vaqueros' latest victory.
 
MALLORIE MONTGOMERY nearly doubled her previous season high of 10 with an 18-point burst against the Vaqueros.
 
Credit Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON for keeping the faith.
 
"How can a coach be content with a 52 point loss?," Wilson said. "Watching his team never give up and never give in"
 
Wilson praised LAUREN SHEPPARD for "... being an awesome individual.  Along with being our offensive leader in all categories tonight, she marked Duffy and stuck with her for her lowest point total in a long time (10).
 
"We crammed up the inside, giving open season at the arc.  El Cap hit 9 three's.  But they missed a heck of a lot more (40)."
 
Sheppard led Valhalla with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Valerie Logel 5, Lisa Wilkins 4, Jamie Ferguson 3.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Kayla Houston 4, Lena Allos 4, Jenna Fellows 4, Jamie Zinter 3.
 
GRANITE HILLS 50,  CHULA VISTA 44 - Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT was happy with the Eagles' sixth win, but anything but pleased by the performance of his team against the visiting Spartans on Tuesday (Dec. 14).
 
MORGAN SABALA served up 17 points for the Eagles, including a trio of 3-pointers.
 
JOY EDWARDS chipped in with 15 points for Granite Hills (6-1).
 
Granite Hills lost the services of MEAGAN ST. JOHN when the junior forward hyper-extended her knee. She is to see the doctor today to determine the extent of the damage.
 
"We're just not very good right now, we're just squeezing by," said Rowlett said. "Sabala and Edwards had a good game, and so did (freshman) AULANI DELKER. When St. John got hurt, Delker came in. This was her first time to get extensive playing time, and she did a good job."
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Katrena Gabardi 8, St. John 4, Delker 2, Molly Hillenbrand 2, Tamara Reynolds 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 41,  LA JOLLA 38 - Monte Vista's ASHLEY MILLER delivered a triple double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals as the Monarchs (3-4) shipwrecked the Vikings. BRITTANY WILLIAMS added 6 points, 7 rebounds and 8 steals.
 
Monte Vista (3-4) raced to a 15-7 1st quarter lead and never looked back.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Johnae Jackson 4 (5 rebounds), Tiearea Robinson 2, Britney Small 7 (7 rebounds), Victoria Richmond 3, Tamieka Howell 2, Rachel Finks 2.
 
EASTLAKE 65,  WEST HILLS 42 - Poor shooting from the field (11-for-32, .343 percentage) and mediocre free throw shooting (20-for-31, .645) sent the Wolf Pack to its 5th loss in six starts Tuesday night (Dec.14).
 
"We're getting to the line, but in the last three games we haven't shot a free throw at all," said West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS. "What I like is the way the girls are competing. They are playing very hard. I'm not happy with the losing (1-5 record), but we're not playing cupcakes. Everyone we've played has been tough. The type of opponents we have played should make us better later on and prepare us for league."
 
DANIELLE EDMONDSON paced West Hills with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals. MUAAU NADERHOFF added 9 points and 7 rebounds and DALIA GHANDOUR dropped in 10 points.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Kylee Krings 4, Chelsey Howard 2, Megan Ehmke 1.
 
EL CAJON VALLEY 47, CRAWFORD 36 - No details reported by El Cajon Valley coach Glenn Lee.
(12-14-04)

Eagles never ready for championship of Sportland Classic
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Perhaps it was the thought of attending the Winter Formal later in the evening that distracted the players of previously undefeated Granite Hills in Saturday's (Dec. 11) Sportland Classic championship game. Make no mistake about it, the dance had to be more fun than the basketball game, as visiting San Diego steamrollered Granite Hills 57-17.
 
Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT was not happy with his team's performance.
 
"We played like we were intimidated and scared," he said. "We just didn't compete. San Diego was running a lay-up drill against us."
 
JOY EDWARDS registered 10 points to lead Granite Hills, which lost for the first time in six starts.
 
San Diego (6-0) built a 19-2 lead in the opening quarter and never looked back.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Meagan St. John 3, Madonna Najor 2, Molly Hillenbrand 2.
 
MONTE VISTA 48, MISSION HILLS 34 - BRITTANY WILLIAMS was a triple-threat for the visiting Monarchs, scoring 19 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and chalking up 8 steals in Saturday's (Dec. 11) non-league win over first-year varsity Mission Hills.
 
ASHLEY MILLER added 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for the Monarchs (2-4), who broke the game open with a 16-6 scoring spree in the 3rd quarter.
 
JOHNAE JACKSON chipped in with 12 rebounds, 8 points and 6 steals.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Tamieka Howell 5, Rachel Finks 2.
 
MONTGOMERY 46,  VALHALLA 23 - Despite the lopsided loss, Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON believes his Norsemen are making progress.
 
"We were able to do some nice things on the floor," Wilson said. "We used this game to try and better ourselves each and every time down the floor. Credit our girls for never giving up and for seeing the bigger picture on what we are trying to accomplish this year."
 
It was game over after one period as the up-and-coming Aztecs (5-4) stormed to a 20-2 lead over the visiting Norsemen.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Kayla Houston 6, Lauren Sheppard 4, Jenna Fellows 4, Elicia White 2, Jamie Zinter 2, Lena Allos 2,  Breanna Martin 2, Cindy Pan 1.
 
Francis Parker Tournament
EL CAJON VALLEY vs. OUR LADY OF PEACE - no report
(12-11-04)

Undefeated Vaqueros take Bronco invite with 32-point win in championship game
EastCountySports.com
 
RANCHO PENASQUITOS - It wasn't some non-league mismatch or a first-division side battling an opponent from the bottom of the league standings. It was the championship of the prestigious Rancho Bernardo Bronco Invitational in a match-up of undefeated teams.
 
Both the Vaqueros of El Capitan and the Nighthawks of Murrieta Valley entered the fray at 3-0.
 
Yet there sure was a difference.
 
In football-esque scoring, El Capitan raced to a 7-0 lead out of the gates before allowing a layin on the press break. Then the Vaqueros reeled off 14 more points before a stunned Murrieta Valley team could respond - in the second quarter!
 
By then, it was game over. El Capitan (4-0) was well on its way to what resulted in a 65-33 romp over the Nighthawks.
 
Vaqueros junior ALLISON DUFFY registered a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds by halftime and went on to finish with 32 points and 20 boards to offset the loss of twin tower teammate HEATHER MOLZEN, who was saddled with early foul trouble.
 
El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS noted that Molzen might have been off her game due to the attendance of Washington State University women's basketball coach Sherri Murrell. Molzen accepted a scholarship offer to WSU last month.
 
"Heather knew her college coach was watching and I think that took her out of her game," Curtis said. "Heather was so nervous - picked up three fouls in the first three minutes and then fouled out in the 3rd quarter."
 
Despite her limited playing time, Molzen managed 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
 
Even with Duffy's scoring, it was the defense of the Vaqueros that placed a firm wedge between themselves and the remaining seven teams in the tournament after mounting a 21-2 lead through the first period.
 
"They're a good team, but we came out ready," explained Duffy. "We were on our game, alright, on defense. And we don't mind being yelled at too much."
 
Molzen scored six points in the opening minutes before sitting with her third foul less than midway through the opening period.
 
So the Vaqueros guards went to their other post target in Duffy, who made 9-of-11 shots at one stretch, including four buckets on bounce passes inside by MALLORIE MONTGOMERY, who finished with a career-high nine assists.
 
"We still have a long way to go, but we played hard - played at the highest level I've ever had one my girls team play," noted Curtis. "Yes, I have to be pleased with our defense. The game was over after the first four or five minutes."
 
In the first period alone, El Capitan forced 14 turnovers, as Murrieta Valley finished the night with an embarrassing total of 35 turnovers. Throw in six blocked shots - four by Duffy, two from Molzen - and the Nighthawks were doomed to a long night.
 
Duffy was named the Bronco Invitational MVP, while teammates Molzen and Montgomery earned all-tournament honors.
 
Other El Capitan scoring:  Lisa Wilkins 8, Morgan Craig 3, Liana Pitman 3, Jamie Ferguson 3, Valerie Logel 2, Montgomery 2.
 
SANTANA 58,  TORREY PINES 41 - Junior JORDAN FRANEY fired in 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds Friday night (Dec. 10) as the undefeated Sultans (5-0) defeated the visiting Falcons in the Coca-Cola Tournament championship game.
 
"Jordan has really improved her game over last year," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "She has better moves and her ball-handing is much better."
 
Franey, who is being heavily recruited by USD among others, canned 11 of 19 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers.
 
Sophomore SHAE BASS added 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists to lead the Santana supporting cast.
 
"Shae didn't have a clue about playing defense when she started her freshman year," Vickery said. "But she has developed into a smart defensive player. She was a shark out there for us tonight."
 
ASHLEY SHEPARD shoveled off 6 assists, while GABBY PASSENTINO logged 4 steals.
 
Santana didn't shoot well - hitting just 37 percent of 60 shots against the Falcons. But the Sultans did control the boards, 39-26.
 
Other Santana scoring:  Ashley Baker 7, Passentino 7, Shepard 2, Shannon Bailey 2, Danielle Balough 2.
 
GROSSMONT 36,  USDHS 34 - The Foothillers saw the future Friday (Dec. 10) as 6-foot-3 sophomore THERESE RIEDEL achieved her first career triple double, leading the Foothillers to a 36-34 victory over USDHS.
 
 "Tonight's game was all about our young ones," said an elated Grossmont coach JEREMY HERSCH.
 
Fellow sophomores MICHELLE GONZALEZ and SHANDIS RIOS and freshman sister TINA RIOS set the tone defensively with their "outstanding defensive pressure."
 
"Our littles never let Uni get into their offense," said Hersch. "Their intensity was awesome."
 
"Jaclyn took a couple of bad hits early and somebody else had to step up."
 
That somebody was Riedel - "The Big T" as she is affectionately called by her teammates. Riedel led all scorers with 13 points, hitting on 5-of-9 shots, but it was her intimidating presence inside that kept Uni honest, as she finished with 10 blocked shots and 10 rebounds.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Jaclyn Goldbarg 11, Michelle Gonzalez 6, Christina Rios 6.
 
GRANITE HILLS 54,  VISTA 41 - The Eagles flew into the finals of Saturday's (Dec.11) Sportland Classic by pounding the visiting Panthers of Vista in Friday's semifinals.
 
Granite Hills (5-0) will host San Diego (5-0) in the tournament title bout at noon.
 
Despite early game foul woes, JOY EDWARDS canned a team-high 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Eagles dispatch the Panthers.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 12, Molly Hillenbrand 9, Katrena Gabardi 8, Madonna Najor 4, Tamara Reynolds 4, Meagan St. John 2.
 
PATRICK HENRY 47,  MONTE VISTA 38 -  LAUREN THIEL (17 points) and TIARRA WARNER (11 points, 12 rebounds) propelled the Patriots past the Monarchs in Friday's (Dec. 10) Sportland Classic contest.
 
Using an 18-6 rush in the 3rd quarter, Patrick Henry (3-2) erased a 24-16 Monte Vista lead.
 
ASHLEY MILLER paced Monte Vista (1-4) with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. JOHNAE JACKSON added 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and one steal.
 
Monte Vista scoring: Tiearea Robinson 4, Tamieka Howell 3, Britney Small 2, Rachel Finks 2, Brittany Williams 2.
 
Other Patrick Henry scoring: Catherine  Marckwardt 9, Victoria Moreno 4,  Erika Sauter 4, Elissa Nguyen 2, Tess English 2, Stacey Grimes
 
MADISON 55,  EL CAJON VALLEY 47 - No report.
(12-10-04)

Braves go cold in fourth to drop squeaker to Castle Park
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - The improving El Cajon Valley Braves are now a competitive squad under a new coaching regime, but they still must learn how to win at crunch time. Leading 29-26 through three periods against a team they defeated earlier in the season, El Cajon Valley missed all 19 of its field goal attempts in the 4th quarter of a Francis Parker Tournament contest, as they succumbed to Castle Park 37-34.
 
Among the 19 misses, 11 of the shots were blocked, including six by forward Celina Hubbard. Three of the rejections led to fast-break buckets by Allison Mercer, who scored six of her game-high 12 points over the final five minutes.
 
RAWAA PATROS led the Braves (1-2) with 12 points, while MICHELLE THOMPSON added 11, including a foul shot with 56.8 seconds left to tie the game at 34-all.
 
However, the Trojans hit a free throw to reclaim the lead, then Hubbard made a layin in the final seconds, as a late 3-point shot from half-court by ECV sailed over the backboard.
 
Other El Cajon Valley scoring:  Catherine Moore 5, Sabrina Julien 2, Cierra Whitney 2, Kim Vasquez 2, Danielle Holt 2.
 
SAN MARCOS 80, WEST HILLS 55 - Sophomore MUAAU NADERHOFF punched in 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the visiting Wolf Pack (1-4) fell to the Knights (5-3) in Thursday's (Dec. 9) Sportland Classic.
 
"We just didn't play real well," West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS said. "We have to fix the defense. But we'll get there."
 
DALIA GHANDOUR, a junior guard, paced the Pack with 16 points. She also had 5 assists and 3 steals.
 
Despite feeling under the weather, DANIELLE EDMONDSON, tossed in 10 points, logged 4 steals and 4 rebounds.
 
Senior AMY JOHNSON also hauled down 10 rebounds for the Wolf Pack. MEGAN EHMKE chimed in with 8 points and 7 boards.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Chelsey Howard 5, Kylee Krings 4.
(12-09-04)

Valhalla team effort results in win over San Ysidro
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - The slump-ridden Valhalla Norsemen broke loose Wednesday night (Dec. 8) for a 60-36 victory over the San Ysidro Cougars in the Sportland Classic. It was Valhalla's first win in four starts.
 
Junior LAUREN SHEPPARD was the driving force for the Norsemen with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
 
Sophomore BREANNA MARTIN came up big with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Norsemen, while freshman KAYLA HOUSTON tossed in 12 points and cleared 5 rebounds.
 
"While turnovers have been our biggest adversary this season, we committed only 15 turnovers on this night and we were able to come up with 14 steals," Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON said.
 
LENA ALLOS added 8 points and 4 steals for the Norsemen, who also celebrated 16 rebounds and 6 points from HANNAH GERKEN.
 
"We came out and played really well tonight," Wilson said. "It was a total team effort. Lauren and Kayla stepped up on the defensive end and were in total control on the offensive end."
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Jenna Fellows 4, Elicia White 2.
 
CHRISTIAN 51,  PT. LOMA 40 - HOLLY ERICKSON scored a season high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Wednesday (Dec.8) as the Patriots (5-5) punched out the visiting Pointers in the Sportland Classic.
 
Erickson hit 10 of 16 shots from the floor and added a pair of free throws to her totals. BRITNI MCCASKILL pumped in 10 points, which included 4-for-4 accuracy from the free throw line.
 
"We played tough defense and that is what got us the win tonight," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "We hit key free throws and shots which kept us ahead."
Christian led the game the entire 32 minutes and it wasn't until the 3rd quarter that Point Loma started to get close. With the full court pressure and over half of the Christian team in foul trouble, the Patriots buckled down to play solid defense and just kept control of the ball on offense.
Other Christian scoring: Rachel Pearl 6, Katie Gerlek 6, Jessie Ekard 4, Sarah Seymour 3,
 
GRANITE HILLS 54,  FALLBROOK 32 - JOY EDWARDS drilled in 15 points, corralled 14 rebounds and made 4 steals as the Eagles dispatched visiting Fallbrook in Wednesday's (Dec. 8) Sportland Classic semifinals.
 
MEAGAN ST. JOHN added 14 points for Granite Hills (4-0).
 
"In the 2nd and 3rd quarters Edwards and St. John scored 16 of the 18 points combined," said Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT. "We had good ball movement and hit the open shots. Edwards is being very consistent - averaging a double-double a game."
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Katrena Gabardi 6, Tamara Reynolds 6, Morgan Sabala 5, Molly Hellenbrand 4, Amy Sylvester 2, Madonna Najor 1.
 
SANTANA 65,  MONTGOMERY 59 - Despite missing more than half the game due to foul troubles, Santana junior JORDAN FRANEY crashed the boards and chipped in some key buckets in the 4th quarter Wednesday (Dec. 8) as the Sultans (4-0) earned a berth in Friday's Coca-Cola Tournament finals against Torrey Pines at 7:30 p.m.
 
Franey finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds for Santana.
 
ASHLEY BAKER added 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals, while GABBY PASSENTINO tossed in 12 points for the unbeaten Sultans. SHAE BASS chipped in with 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 5 points. ASHLEY SHEPARD shoveled in 7 assists.
 
"Shae did a great job of ball-handling against their pressure," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "And Jordan, who was in foul trouble the whole game, did a great job on the boards in the 4th quarter."
 
Other Santana scoring: Danielle Balough 8, Kelsey Ash 6, Bass 5, Shepard 3, Shannon Bailey 1.
 
SAN DIEGO 69,  MONTE VISTA 22 - No report from Monte Vista.
 
LA JOLLA 42,  EL CAJON VALLEY 33 - No report from El Cajon Valley.
(12-08-04)

Vaqueros clean up game to destroy RB
EastCountySports.com
 
RANCHO PENASQUITOS - ALLISON DUFFY busted the Broncos of Rancho Bernardo for 35 points, 11 rebounds and 6 steals Tuesday (Dec. 7) night, leading visiting El Capitan to a 69-29 victory and into Friday's (Dec. 10) finals of the Bronco Invitational.
 
By the time the Broncos could shed their sweats, the Vaqueros (3-0) were standing on a 9-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. MALLORIE MONTGOMERY nailed a 3-pointer and that lit a spark under Duffy, who scored all 18 El Capitan points in the 3rd quarter.
 
"We tend to score more when we don't throw the ball to the other team," El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS said.
 
Translation:
 
"Our steals were nearly 2-to-1 to our turnovers in this game," said Curtis, who was still smarting from the Vaqueros' 30 turnovers in a season-opening win over Orange Glen.
 
Albeit Duffy had a huge offensive night, her shooting was a bit off the mark, as she connected on only 12 of 34 shots. She was 11-for-16 from the free throw line.
 
HEATHER MOLZEN added 15 points and 10 rebounds to the Vaqueros' totals.
 
El Capitan takes on Murrieta Valley for the tournament championship.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Lisa Wilkins 5, Montgomery 5, Morgan Craig 5, Liana Pitman 4.
(12-07-04)

Eagles nail the freebies to beat West Hills, remain unbeaten
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE  - The visiting Granite Hills Eagles survived a foulfest in Monday night's (Dec. 6) Sportland Classic contest at West Hills. Talk about hacking and slashing . . . the two teams combined for 57 fouls. Oh yeah, Granite Hills exhibited the superior marksmanship from the free throw line and thus walked away with a 59-49 win.
 
The Eagles (3-0) shot better than 69 percent from the charity stripe, netting 27 of 39 from the foul line. Sophomore MORGAN SABALA dropped in 13 of 15 free throws en route to a game-high 23 points.
 
Granite Hills junior MEAGAN ST. JOHN canned 6 of 7 from the line as she overcame 2nd-quarter foul problems to rack up 10 points.
 
JOY EDWARDS was sidelined by early foul trouble, but bounced back for 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles.
 
On the flip side, West Hills' shooters stepped to the line 38 times, but only converted 19 times.
 
DALIA GHANDOR paced the Wolf Pack (1-3) with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. DANIELLE EDMONDSON netted 12 points.
 
Five Wolf Pack players fouled out in the 3rd and 4th quarters.
 
"There were a lot of fouls called," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "It took out the bottom half of our team. The refs let 'em play tough."
 
With 4:34 left in the 4th quarter, West Hills was down by two points.
 
"Then we made a mental mistake and fouled Sabala on a 3-point foul. And she made all three shots," Chabrowski sighed.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Madonna Najor 4, Tamara Reynolds 3, Molly Hillenbrand 3, Katrena Gabardi 2.
 
Other West Hills scoring:  Kylee Krings 11, Chelsey Howard 6, Amy Johnson 5, Muaau Naderhoff 1, Megan Ehmke 1.
 
HELIX 69,  MADISON 31 - DIANA LEASAU nailed 11 of 21 shots, including a pair of 3s for a total of 24 points, as the Highlanders hammered the Warhawks Monday (Dec. 6) in a non-league encounter.
 
"We played really good tonight," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "Diana, Mele and Sharika play real aggressive. Sharika is in double figures every game and understands how important it is to attack the glass. Mele is a good inside player and her stamina is so much better this year. Diana is doing great at making steals and making fast breaks."
 
MELE LEASAU clicked on 7 of 16 shots for 14 points and while grabbing 13 rebounds, blocking 5 shots and making 4 steals.
 
SHARIKA THOMPSON tossed in 12 points and garnered 10 rebounds. MALLORIE BROWN led the supporting cast with 8 rebounds and as many points.
 
Other Helix scoring: Michelle Doan 5, Chante Coleman 4, Shanae Singleton 2.
(12-06-04)
 

Matadors take down Torreys in top-ranked battle
EastCountySports.com
 
LA JOLLA - Sure his Mount Miguel Matadors have the No.1 ranking in the San Diego CIF polls, but somehow coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL believes his team is being ignored.
 
"What does it take to get some recognition from the media in this town," Sandoval grumbled after the Matadors cut down No. 2-ranked La Jolla Country Day 44-39 in Saturday's (Dec. 4) Quiznos Sweet Sixteen championship game.
 
For Mount Miguel (4-0), the game is about defense. The queen of the Matadors' defenders is senior point guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO, who blanked  (Bishop's Tamika Lipford on Friday) and shutout LJCD's LaToya Cunningham, the Torreys' sharp-shooter in the 4th quarter of the title bout.  Cunningham finished 11 points, about half of her season average.
 
"Genevieve did what she's supposed to do," Sandoval said of the UC Davis-bound Costello. "She's the best on-ball defender in San Diego County. It shows in her having to defend Lipford and Cunningham on back-to-back nights. We were put in the toughest bracket."
 
Costello scored 8 points - most of it coming from 6-for-6 free throw shooting. She also dished off six assists.
 
Despite early foul trouble DeSHAWN JOHNSON led the Matadors in scoring with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
 
 "There were a lot of fouls called," Sandoval said. "JERICA WILLIAMS spent most of the first half on the bench with three fouls and didn't go back in the game until midway in the 3rd quarter.
 
"It was a really good game, a really good victory for us -- having to mix and match lineups the whole first half. It was good that we were able to pull out a win."
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring:  Monique Clayton 9, Williams 6, Victoria Murphy 4, Tavasha Yarbrough 4.
 
OCEANSIDE 66,  GROSSMONT 56 - If someone knows of a good body shop they may want to contact Grossmont coach JEREMY HERSCH. The Foothillers (3-1) came up short against Oceanside Saturday night (Dec. 4) in the championship game of the Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic and came away battered and bruised to boot in a one-sided foul fest.
 
Even in defeat, Grossmont set a record as senior guard JACLYN GOLDBARG set a San Diego CIF record by connecting on 31 of 35 free throws (breaking the SDCIF mark the mark set by former Foothiller CHRISTINA ADAMS, who made 28 in a game in 1989).
 
"Oceanside came in with a game plan tonight to foul Jaclyn before she could get in a position to score" said Hersch. "They used their entire bench and must have committed two dozen hard fouls against her alone."
 
The Pirates actually fouled Goldbarg 22 different times, sending her to the line on 20 occasions. Goldbarg finished with 41 points to lead all scorers.
 
"She looks like she was in a 12-round fight. Cut lip, swollen eye and cheek, bruised thigh and knees," said the less-than-amused Hersch.
 
Oceanside connected on 57 percent of its shots including 7-of-10 from behind the arc. To Grossmont's credit, the gritty Foothillers stayed in the fight to the end.
 
Down by eight with under four minutes to play, Grossmont picked up the defensive intensity. Furious full court pressure from sisters SHANDIS and TINA RIOS and nonstop hustle from senior BRETTE HENDERSON forced 3 consecutive Pirate turnovers. Speedy  sophomore MICHELLE "Sonic" GONZALEZ'S 3-pointer from straight away cut the score to 56-58 with1:20 left in the contest.
 
That's as close as the Hillers would get, as Oceanside converted on a couple of late baskets and fouls shots closing out the contest.
 
Once again 6-foot-3 sophomore center THERESE RIEDEL was a force on the glass, collecting 9 rebounds.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Gonzalez 5, Riedel 5, Henderson 3, Amanda Bailey 2.
 
SANTANA 55,  TORREY PINES 46 - JORDAN FRANEY rang up 20 points and collected 13 rebounds as host Santana toppled Torrey Pines in Saturday's (Dec. 4) Coca-Cola Classic.
 
Other Santana scoring: Gabby Passentino 13, Shae Bass 8, Danielle Balough 4, Kelsey Ash 3, Ashley Baker 3, Ashley Shepard 2, Shannon Bailey 2.
 
HELIX 74,  CENTRAL UNION 26 - The Highlanders of Helix rolled their record to 3-1 Saturday (Dec.4) as MELE LEASAU landed 21 points, grabbed a dozen rebounds and made 4 steals while her sister DIANA LEASAU added 18 points, 7 steals, 4 assists and 6 rebounds in Saturday's Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic contest at Grossmont.
 
"We are really happy with our progress thus far, but we still have a way to go," said Helix assistant coach  WILLIE HATHAWAY said. "Players have really adjusted well to the new system."
 
Other Helix scoring: Sharika Thompson 14, Mallorie Brown 6, Shanae Singleton 6, Andriana Horner 5, Michelle Doan 4.
 
STEELE CANYON 39,  EL CENTRO SOUTHWEST 28 - SAMANTHA BEASLEY (10 points), CELESTE MARTINS (8 points), and KELLY HANSEN (8 points, 17 rebounds) led the Cougars to their third win in four starts.
 
But was junior LORA HORNER that caught the eye of Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES.
 
"She had a great game," Quinones said.  "She sees the floor well and runs the ball well."
 
"We were a little overconfident. We had scrimmaged (ECSW) before and took them too easy. It took us awhile to get our offense going."
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Hayley Johnston 7, Kelly Boozel 3, Alexis Robinson 3.
 
MONTE VISTA 59,  SAN YSIDRO 28 - BRITTANY WILLIAMS rang up 19 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished 3 assists and recorded 3 steals as the Monarchs posted their first win in three starts in Saturday's (Dec. 4) Sportland Classic.
 
ASHLEY MILLER added 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals for the Monarchs.
 
"We forced a lot of turnovers, had a lot of steals and fastbreaks," noted Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We played full-court man in the first half. (San Ysidro) is a very young team and we just took advantage of it."
 
"I thought we did a great job on the boards."
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Britney Small 8, Johnae Jackson 6, Rachel Finks 4, Tiearea Robinson 4, Karisa Archer 4, Victoria Richmond 4.
 
WESTVIEW 59,  WEST HILLS 54 - DALIA GHANDOUR scored 18 points and MUAAU NADERHOFF added 15 markers Saturday (Dec. 4) as the Wolf Pack fell to the Wolverines.
 
"It was a back-and-forth game," commented West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "The fouls killed us."
 
Wolverine sophomore scoring machine Katie Girten had a game-high 30 points and hit 6 treys.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Danielle Edmondson 9, Megan Ehmke 5, Kylee Krings 4, Chelsey Howard 2, Mara Thornton 1.
 
CHRISTIAN 53, VALHALLA 26 - The Patriots won this battle of struggling teams on Saturday (Dec. 4). HOLLY ERICKSON and SARAH SEYMOUR registered 16 points apiece for Christian.
 
"While we were able to break the press on this night, we struggled with our half court offense during the first half," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "KAYLA (HOUSTON) was in foul trouble most of the night and we had a tough time getting going."
 
LAUREN SHEPPARD paced Valhalla with 9 points.
 
"She has really stepped up as a team leader and is working as hard as ever to keep things positive and keep her teammates improving. I am very proud of her," Wilson noted.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:, Lena Allos 6, Jamie Zinter 4, Jenna Fellows 4, Breanna Martin 3.
 
Other Christian scoring:, Katie Gerlek 7, Britni McCaskill 6,Marcia Garcia 4, Jessie Ekard 2, Rachel Pearl 2.
 
CHULA VISTA 26, CHRISTIAN 19 - The Patriots (4-5) suffered a tough loss against the Spartans for the 5th Place game in the Coronado Classic. Although the Patriots played a good defense, hold the Spartans to only 26 points for the game, the 20 percent shooting percentage did not allow the Patriots to win the game.
 
Christian scoring:  Holly Erickson 10, Jessie Ekard 7, Katie Gerlek 2. Rebounds:  Britni McCaskill 8, Sarah Seymour 6, Holly Erickson 6.
(12-04-04/Modified 12-05-04)

Matadors slice through Knights to remain unbeaten
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - Granted, it's early in the season, but the top-ranked Mount Miguel Matadors are ready to take on all comers this season. The Bishop's School, a so-called Top 20 team, melted like butter in the noonday sun Friday (Dec.3) as the Matadors registered a 61-29 victory over the Knights in the Quiznos Sweet 16 Tournament.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 61, BISHOP'S 29 - The Matadors used a pressure defense and a balanced offense to blow out Bishop's in Friday's (Dec. 3) semifinals of the Quizonos Sixteen Tournament. That effort pits the Matadors (3-0) against host La Jolla Country Country Day in Saturday's (Dec. 4) championship at 7 p.m.
 
GENEVIEVE COSTELLO scored a game high 18 points, handed out 9 assists, made 4 steals and grabbed 5 rebounds to lead Mount Miguel past the Knights.
 
 "Genevieve is doing a great job," said Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. "She not only contributed on the offensive end, it was her defense against (San Diego State bound) Tamika Lipford, and she shut her down completely."
 
"From the 2nd quarter on, we dominated tonight."
 
LASHAWN JOHNSON added 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for the Matadors, who also received 11 points, 5 steals, 5 rebounds , 2 steals and 2 blocks from JERICA WILLIAMS.
 
"Lashawn played really well tonight, has played well the last two games," Sandoval added.
 
Looking ahead to Saturday night's (Dec. 4) Quiznos championship game, Sandoval commented "We have to stop Latoya Cunningham (committed to Miami). Usually Genevieve does a pretty good job on her."
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring:  Kayla Huddleston 6, Tavasha Yarbrough 6, Monique Clayton 2, Victoria Murphy 2.
 
EL CAPITAN 73,  MARIAN CATHOLIC 38 - Junior ALLISON DUFFY played what El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS called "the smartest game" of her career as the Vaqueros torpedoed the Crusaders in Friday's (Dec. 3) Bronco Invitational at Rancho Bernardo.
 
Duffy netted 10 of 19 shots from the field and 6 of 12 free throws for 26 points. The 6-foot-1 junior also grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked 10 shots while dishing off 3 assists.

"This is the smartest if not the best game Allison has played in her career," El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS said.
 
Curtis was pleased with the play of his freshman guards LIANA PITMAN and JAMIE FERGUSON, who combined for 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
 
"They don't turn the ball over and they get the ball to our scorers," Curtis said." That's all we can ask."
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Heather Molzen 21, Mallorie Montgomery 10, Ferguson 6, Pitman 5, Morgan Craig 3, Valerie Logel 2.
 
GRANITE HILLS 44, PATRICK HENRY 40 - Sophomore MORGAN SABALA scored 16 points and added 5 assists, 5 steals and 5 rebounds as the Eagles (2-0) knocked off the Patriots in Friday's (Dec. 3) Sportland Classic.
 
JOY EDWARDS chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Katrena Gabardi 4, Tamara Reynolds 4, Meagan St. John 3, Molly Hillenbrand 2, Madonna Najor 2.
 
LA COSTA CANYON 52,  MONTE VISTA 30 - ASHLEY MILLER netted 10 points and grabbed 8 rebounds as the visiting Monarchs (0-2) succumbed to the Mavericks of La Costa Canyon in Friday's (Dec.3) Sportland Classic contest.
 
After LCC stormed to a 17-8 first quarter lead, the Monarchs clawed back to within four points (22-18 by halftime.
 
"We had a great 2nd quarter, but came out flat in the 3rd quarter," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT after her Monarchs were outscored 15-9 in the 3rd period.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Rachel Finks 7, Brittany Williams 4, Johnae Jackson 4, Britney Small 4, Karisa Archer 1.
(12-03-04)
 

Matadors take matchup with strong Colorado squad
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - Colorado sent its No. 2-ranked team into San Diego County believing this group could handle anything to cross its path in the Quiznos Sweet Sixteen Invitational at La Jolla Country Day School. It was no Rocky Mountain high for the visitors on Thursday night (Dec. 3) as the Mount Miguel Matadors grounded the Hawks from Brighton, Colo., 47-43.
 
"They are a pretty good team," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "Their point guard (Kay Smith) already has a scholarship to Iowa State." And Smith delivered 16 points, but it wasn't enough to overhaul the Matadors (2-0), who are ranked No. 1 in the San Diego Section.
 
Horizon beat the Matadors on the boards, 31-20, but Mount Miguel used its superior quickness to force 20 turnovers while committing just 6 itself.
 
Trailing 19-16 at the break, the Matadors came out firing in the 3rd quarter. JERICA WILLIAMS nailed back-to-back 3-pointers off a pair of steals to put Mount Miguel in front.
 
It was a nail-bitter the rest of the way before MONIQUE CLAYTON swished a pair of free throws with 0:07 remaining to stake Mount Miguel to its final 4-point edge.
 
""We took control of the game in the 3rd quarter and then held on," Sandoval said. "We got into foul trouble early, and that hurt us. But we played hard and managed to come back."
 
Williams paced the Matadors with 19 points, 7 steals and 4 rebounds. LASHAWN JOHNSON tossed in 10 points, grabbed a team high 7 rebounds and notched 3 steals for Mount Miguel.
 
The Matadors meet The Bishop's School in Friday's (Dec. 3) semifinals at 8 p.m.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Clayton 8, Genevieve Costello 6, Kayla Huddleston 2, Victoria Murphy 2.
 
GROSSMONT 51,  STEELE CANYON 27 - Although the final score indicates it was an easy road, the Grossmont Foothillers were happy to escape a vastly improved bunch from Steele Canyon in Thursday's (Dec. 2) Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic semifinals.
 
The Cougars threw a variety of defenses at Grossmont scoring machine JACLYN GOLDBARG, yet the senior guard managed to produce 36 points (a season low).
 
"Jaclyn worked hard for her points tonight," said Foothillers assistant coach TIM JOLLETT.  "Steele Canyon did a great job trying to defend her. It was a tough 36 points. They were really focused on keeping her from scoring. But she is no one dimensional player, she also did a great job holding their leading scorer (SAMANTHA BEASLEY) down."
 
Beasley, who came in averaging 22.5 points per start, finished with 4 points - hitting just 2 of 8 shots.
 
While Goldbarg was clicking on 13 of 22 shots from the field and 8 of 9 from the foul line, she also made 5 steals, blocked 4 shots, dished 4 assists and snagged 5 rebounds.
 
"We practiced for three days trying to develop schemes (Box-and one, double-teaming in very physical fashion) for stopping Goldbarg," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES said. "But give her credit - she held up and got her points. She's a fine player."
 
CELESTE MARTINS hit a pair of 3-pointers on her way to a Steele Canyon-best 10 points. She also had 6 rebounds and 4 steals, while KELLY BOOZEL bagged a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
MICHELLE GONZALEZ added 9 points for the Foothillers (3-0), while THERESE RIEDEL collected a dozen rebounds and blocked 2 shots.
 
"Therese did a great job on the boards, and BRETTE HENDERSON played a great defensive game," noted Grossmont head coach JEREMY HERSCH.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Riedel  4, LaKenya Simon-West 2.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Kelly Hansen 6, Tina Merlino 4, Boozel 2, Alexis Robinson 1.
 
HELIX 55,  CALEXICO 37 - The return of the LEASAU sisters was clearly evident in Thursday's (Dec.2) Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic.
 
Diana Leasau canned 9 of 19 shots from the floor to ring up 20 points, including a pair of treys and 5 assists. Mele Leasau scored 14 points, snared 11 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and dished off 3 assists.
 
SHARIKA THOMPSON chimed in with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Highlanders (2-1).
 
"The girls have adapted well to (new head coach) TRINA HANSEN," said Helix assistant coach WILLIE HATHAWAY. "They are responding comfortably to what she wants them to do. Trina is an excellent, well-disciplined coach."
 
Other Helix scoring: Andriana Horner 5, Mallorie Brown 4, Shanae Singleton 2.
 
VISTA 50,  CHRISTIAN 29 - Christian High has yet to play with the full squad. Injuries have been plaguing the Patriots (3-4) since tryouts.
 
In Tuesday's (Nov. 30) practice HEATHER MEIER suffered a fracture to her right wrist, adding to the list of injures. It is still unknown when she will return to the team. HEATHER DePRIEST continues to rehab her knee and hopes to be returning in late December.
 
On the good side, BRITNI McCASKILL returned from a serious ankle sprain and contributed with 7 points and 7 rebounds in the loss to Vista.
 
SARAH SEYMOUR led the Patriots scoring with 10 points.  KATIE GERLEK contributed with 7 points.
 
"I am proud of the way my girls played tonight, we never gave up and worked hard until the buzzer. We have yet to improve in a lot of areas, but I am excited and confident in the games to come," said coach CORI ESPELET after the game.
 
Other Christian scoring: Holly Erickson 5.
 
Mountain Empire @ El Cajon Valley
(Did not report)
(12-02-04)

Franey just misses triple-double as Sultans roll past San Pasqual
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - The changing of the guard at Santana means new faces and same results. Somehow, the Sultans' veteran coach WADE VICKERY makes magic happen no matter who is wearing Santana's Purple and Gold.
 
SANTANA 83, SAN PASQUAL 23 - JORDAN FRANEY fired in 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and recorded 9 steals as the Sultans (2-0) smoked visiting San Pasqual in Wednesday's (Dec. 1) Coca Cola Classic contest.
 
Franey scored 20 of her points in the first half as Santana surged to a 56-16 halftime advantage.
 
The swing vote in the game was the 2nd quarter as the Sultans outscored the Golden Eagles 36-7 behind the 12 points of ASHLEY BAKER and the 10 markers of Franey.
 
"We switched to a zone press in the 2nd quarter and got a lot of steals that created fast break situations," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said.
 
Baker, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, finished with 21 points and 4 steals.
 
"She can be a real difference maker for us," Vickery said. "The more Baker can help us the farther we can go."
 
Santana shot 50 percent from the field, converting 31 of 62 chances.
 
DANIELLE BALOUGH added a dozen points and 4 steals, while senior ASHLEY SHEPARD chipped in with 7 assists and 4 steals.
 
Other Santana scoring: Shannon Bailey 9, Gabby Passentino 8, Shae Bass 6.
 
GRANITE HILLS 53,  ESCONDIDO 40 - Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT is counting on junior guard JOY EDWARDS to pump new life into the Granite Hills offense this season.
 
In round one, at the sound of the final bell, the 5-foot-9 Edwards had scored a career high 16 points to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
 
"Edwards has to be a major scorer for us if we expect to go anywhere," Rowlett said.
 
MEAGAN ST. JOHN added 12 points for the Eagles, who had seven players contribute to the Granite Hills scoring total.
 
Granite Hills' best days may be a year away as the Eagles do not have a single senior on their roster. This is a squad comprised of 4 juniors, 4 sophomores and 3 freshmen.
 
Other Granite Hills scoring: Molly Hillenbrand 8, Katrena Gabardi 7, Morgan Sabala 5, Madonna Najor 3, Amy Sylvester 2.
 
MOUNT MIGUEL 67,  MISSION BAY 18 - Top-ranked Mount Miguel barged out of the starting gates Wednesday (Dec.1) to demolish perennial power Mission Bay in the Quiznos Sweet Sixteen Tournament opener at La Jolla Country Day.
 
The Matadors roared to a 32-4 lead two minutes into the 2nd quarter and then made wholesale substitutions.
 
"We stopped pressing after the first quarter," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said.
 
Nevertheless, Mission Bay committed 17 fouls in the first half and 36 turnovers in the game.
 
JERICA WILLIAMS paced the Matadors with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, while MONIQUE CLAYTON added 16 points and 4 rebounds. GENEVIEVE COSTELLO chalked up 7 assists and 4 steals, and TAVASHA YARBROUGH rolled in 10 points and cleared 5 rebounds for Mount Miguel.
 
Other Mount Miguel scoring: Lashawn Johnson 9, Kayla Huddleston 6, Costello 4, Victoria Murphy 3.
 
PT. LOMA 35, MONTE VISTA 25 - The Monarchs were sluggish in their season opener in Wednesday's (Dec. 1) Granite Hills Sportland Classic, succumbing to visiting Point Loma.
 
"We had wide open looks and missed 13 lay-ups," Monarchs coach SANDY WRIGHT said. "It's pretty tough to win when you are missing that many shots."
 
BRITTANY WILLIAMS led the young Monarchs with 8 points, 5 steals and 3 rebounds. ASHLEY MILLER contributed 4 assists, 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 4 points for Monte Vista, while also receiving 7 rebounds from BRITNEY SMALL.
 
Other Monte Vista scoring: Miller 4, Victoria Richmond 4, Tiearea Robinson 4, Rachel Finks 3, Britney Small 2.

CLAIREMONT 47,  VALHALLA 32 - The short-handed Norsemen made a game of it Wednesday night (Dec. 1), but simply lacked firepower in the clutch.
 
Valhalla, which lost four predicted returning starters for a variety of reasons, committed 37 turnovers in falling for the second time in as many starts.
 
Freshman KAYLA HOUSTON led the Norsemen with 10 points, 2 assists and a pair of steals.  Sophomore BREANNA MARTIN hauled down a team-best 10 rebounds and HANNAH GERKEN cleared 8 boards.
 
Other Valhalla scoring:  Lena Allos 6, Breanna Martin 4, Lauren Sheppard 4, Jamie Zinter 4, Gerken 4.
(12-01-04)

Vaqueros make getaway following 45 percent free-throw shooting in Bronco tourney win
EastCountySports.com
 
EL CAJON - It was a sloppy debut for an El Capitan squad regarded to be one of the top five quintets in town Tuesday night (Nov. 30). Yet, the bottom line is the heavily favored Vaqueros escaped with a season opening 40-38 victory over Orange Glen in the Bronco Invitational at Rancho Bernardo High.
 
"It was as bad as it gets," El Capitan coach DARIN CURTIS remarked. "We shot 45 percent on free throws. It was a matter of which team threw it away most."
 
There were 30 turnovers by the Vaqueros, 15 for traveling. Hardly the mark of a Top 10 team.
 
"We gave them four chances in the last minute on unforced errors and they didn't capitalize on it," Curtis said. "It was a 2-point game decided at the buzzer, but there was no excitement, no fire on either side. Chalk it off to being early in the season."
 
HEATHER MOLZEN, who has a Washington State University scholarship in hand, staggered out of the gate with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, a pair of steals and one block.
 
ALLISON DUFFY added 15 points, snagged 9 rebounds and logged 6 steals for the Vaqueros.
 
El Capitan made only 13 baskets - with Molzen and Duffy splitting the bounty.
 
Other El Capitan scoring: Lisa Wilkins 4, Mallorie Montgomery 4.
 
SANTANA 77,  HILLTOP 16 - JORDAN FRANEY nearly doubled the scoring total of the visiting Hilltop Lancers in Tuesday's (Nov. 30) Santana Coca-Cola Classic opener with 28 points, 7 steals and 6 rebounds.
 
Senior GABBY PASSENTINO added 11 points for the Sultans, who also got 6 rebounds from SHAE BASS and 5 assists from ASHLEY BAKER.
 
"We played with great intensity," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "We created quite a few turnovers. Everybody got some significant minutes in both halves."
 
Such luxury comes from blowouts of which this game turned out to be. Santana skated to a 20-3 advantage in the 1st quarter and led 47-7 by intermission.
 
"We knew quite early in the game that (Hilltop) was completely overmatched," Vickery said.
 
Other Santana scoring: Kelsey Ash 9, Danielle Balough 8, Shannon Bailey 5, Lorena Bernal 4, Bass 4, Carina Vickery 4, Ashley Shepard 4.
 
LA COSTA CANYON 65,  WEST HILLS 43 - DANIELLE EDMONDSON popped in 13 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and pilfered 6 passes as the visiting Wolf Pack fell to La Costa Canyon in Tuesday's (Nov. 30) 2nd round of the Granite Hills Sportland Classic.
 
MUAAU NADERHOFF added 10 points and 6 rebounds for West Hills (1-1). The majority of her points came from the free throw line where she was 6 for 7.
 
West Hills was whistled for 10 fouls in the 1st quarter, helping the Mavericks streak to a 24-11 lead.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Chelsey Howard 6, Kylee Krings 6, Dalia Ghandour 5, Amy Johnson 2, Mara Thornton 1.
 
VALLEY CENTER 82,  VALHALLA 19 - The visiting Jaguars forced 35 turnovers in Tuesday's (Nov. 30) season-opening rout over the Norsemen.
 
The North County quintet led 55-12 by intermission and it was game over.
 
Other Valhalla scoring: Houston 7, Hannah Gerken 2 (8 rebounds), Cindy Pan 2, Zinter 2, Merkuta 2, Martin 2, Lena Allos 1,Lauren Sheppard 1 (4 assists).
 
SAN MARCOS 48,  CHRISTIAN 38 - HOLLY ERICKSON scored 17 points and grabbed 18 rebounds Tuesday night (Nov. 30) in a losing cause as host Christian fell to the Knights in the Granite Hills Sportland Classic.
 
KATIE GERLEK added 8 points and SARAH SEYMOUR secured 11 rebounds for Christian (3-3).
 
Other Christian scoring: Heather Meier 6, Jessie Ekard 3, Rachel Pearl 3, Seymour 1.
 
Non-League
EL CAJON VALLEY 48, CASTLE PARK 35 - No information reported.
(11-30-04)

Wolf Pack mauls Mariners in season-opener at GH tourney
EastCountySports.com
 
SANTEE - Coach CARLOS MOSS' West Hills Wolf Pack pounced on the visiting Mariners of Mar Vista in Monday's (Nov. 29) season-opening round of the Granite Hills Sportland Classic 71-20. Eight members of the Pack scored - three of them reaching double figures.
 
"It was a good kick-off to the new season," said senior DANIELLE EDMONDSON, who finished with 18 points, 7 steals and 4 rebounds.
 
The Pack pulled away 20-8 in the opening quarter and extended that advantage to 35-12 by halftime.
 
It was a game of turnovers for Mar Vista, which threw the ball away 38 times - twice as many turnovers as West Hills.
 
West Hills junior guard DALIA GHANDOUR hit all six of her shots from 2-point range and dialed long distance for an additional 3-pointer. She also netted 3 of 4 free throws to share the game's high-point honors with Edmondson.
 
Ghandour also recorded 7 steals, 4 assists and 5 rebounds.
 
MUAAU NADERHOFF injected another 15 points into the West Hills winning effort. The 5-foot-11 sophomore canned 6 of 11 shots (one 3-ball) while corralling a game-high 8 rebounds.
 
Other West Hills scoring: Chelsey Howard 8, Megan Ehmke 6, Chantal Evans 2, Miranda Perkins 2, Kylee Krings 2.
 
CHRISTIAN 45, SAN YSIDRO 20 - No information reported.
(11-29-04)

Goldbarg has another 40-point performance as Hillers run to 2-0
EastCountySports.com
 
LA MESA - Those wondering about the health of Grossmont High senior guard JACLYN GOLDBARG need only have seen her first outings of the season. The 5-foot-9 Goldbarg scored a career-high 47 points as the Foothillers crushed Central Union 83-46 in Saturday's (Nov. 27) second round of the Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic. In two games, Goldbarg has produced 89 points for the 2-0 Hillers.
 
Scoring isn't all she does, either. The sharp-shooting guard also added 10 rebounds and 7 assists. She now has 15 assists to go with her hefty scoring total.
 
Grossmont's MICHELLE GONZALEZ, added 14 points against Central while dishing out 6 assists and once again setting the tone with her defensive pressure.
 
Six-foot-3 sophomore THERESE RIEDEL made her imposing presence felt on the glass, collecting 9 boards while scoring 10 points, a number of which were fed by senior BRETTE HENDERSON who recorded a career-high 6 assists.
 
The Hillers next face a much-improved Steele Canyon (2-0) Thursday (Dec. 2) night as tournament action continues.
 
Other Grossmont scoring: Christina Rios 3, Henderson 2, LaKenya Simon-West 2, Christine Sullivan 2, Katherine Lopez-Ramos 1.
 
STEELE CANYON 61, CRAWFORD 47 - The Cougars proved they are more than a one player team Saturday (Nov. 27) as CELESTE MARTINS scored 19 points and handed out 11 assists in the Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic win over Crawford.
 
Martins, who also nailed a trio of 3-pointers and logged 4 steals, matched the 19-point effort of SAMANTHA BEASLEY.
 
KRISTINA MERLINO chipped in with 8 points, 5 rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
"Merlino is a true leader out there," said coach FRANK QUINONES, whose Cougars came out in a full-court press to take a 30-18 halftime lead. "Crawford wasn't ready for it."
 
KELLY BOOZEL hauled down a game-high 13 rebounds for Steele Canyon, while ALEXIS ROBINSON added 4 points and 4 steals. HAYLEY JOHNSTON also had 4 assists, and AMANDA RICE snagged 5 rebounds and notched 4 points.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Johnston 4, Boozel 3.
 
HELIX 34, ELCENTRO SOUTHWEST 28 - After dropping their season opener 34-32 to Oceanside in Friday's (Nov. 26) Coronado Tournament, the Highlanders presented first-year head coach TRINA HANSEN with that inaugural conquest by knocking off the Eagles.
 
"This was a nice confidence builder," Hansen said. "
 
RACQUEL PRIMAS scored 10 points to pace the Highlanders, who took a 6-1 lead in the 1st quarter and then held on for the victory. Primas was 4-for-4 from the free throw line for the short-handed Highlanders who were playing without three key returning veterans.
 
"Our defense was outstanding," Hansen said. "MALLORIE BROWN was our best player tonight. We did a good job of holding them to one shot."
 
ANDI HORNER hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Highlanders.
 
Other Helix scoring: Brown 5, Ashley Penn 5, Chante Coleman 4, Sharika Thompson 2, Michelle Doan 2.
 
SERRA 62, CHRISTIAN  30: No report.
(11-27-04)
 
Late results
 
Friday, Nov. 26
 
Coronado Tournament
SAN DIEGO SOUTHWEST 50, CHRISTIAN 31: No report.
 
CHRISTIAN 58, BRAWLEY 50 (ot): Christian balanced its season ledger with a 58-50 victory over the Wildcats in Friday's second round of the Coronado Tournament. HOLLY ERICKSON scored game-high 28 points to pace the Patriots. No other information was reported.
(11-27-04)

Steele Canyon's Samantha Beasley (3) had a break out night for the Cougars in Friday's Grossmont Holiday Classic 57-27 victory over Central Union. (11-26-04/Photo by Travis Downs)

Cougars do the clubbing in this year's opener behind Beasley's school-record 26
EastCountySports.com
 
LA MESA - Coach FRANK QUINONES and his Steele Canyon Cougars aren't ready to celebrate any championships just yet, but they are pretty happy with Friday's (Nov. 26) first shot out of the gate this season. Transfer SAMANTHA BEASLEY scored a school-record 26 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, made 8 steals and dished off 3 assists as the Cougars clubbed Central Union 57-27 in the Grossmont Thanksgiving Classic.
 
"It feels great to start the season with a win," said Quinones, whose Cougars lost last year's opener by 42 points to Serra and continued on to a frustrating 4-24 season.
 
Beasley, who came over from Mount Miguel, netted 11 of 24 shots from the floor and 10 of 17 free throws, worked well with returning junior guard CELESTE MARTINS (5 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) Quinones said.
 
"They give us a great backcourt duo," the coach said. "Samantha has a ring (Grossmont South League championship patch), and has shown us great floor leadership."
 
ALEXIS ROBINSON added 10 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists for the Cougars.
 
Quinones said Steele Canyon was missing a pair of giant inside players, but he expects them to back on campus on Monday. In the meantime, he brought three players up from the junior varsity ranks "and they all contributed."
 
Steele Canyon statistics showed the Cougars with a commanding edge on the boards, including 24 offensive rebounds.
 
Other Steele Canyon scoring: Tina Merlino 5, Kelli Boozel 3, Tanelle Brown 2, Marci Franklin 2, Brianna Eiter 2, Haley Johnston 2.
 
GROSSMONT 78,  CRAWFORD 22 - The Foothillers opened their own Thanksgiving Classic on Friday (Nov. 26) with a resounding win over the Crawford Colts as each team opened the 2004-05 campaign.
 
Grossmont High senior captain JACLYN GOLDBARG, who missed all but five games of her junior season with a knee injury, announced her return to court with an eye-catching 42 points, 12 steals and 8 assists performance.
 
After missing the majority of her junior year, the 5-foot-9 Goldbarg wasted no time in this contest, erupting for 15 1st quarter points.  Goldbarg canned 17 of 27 shots from the floor and 5 of 6 free throws.
 
"We did a real nice job getting Jac the ball," said elated first year Grossmont head coach JEREMY HERSCH. "MICHELLE GONZALEZ was super at the point and THERESE (RIEDEL) was a monster on the boards."
 
Despite being the first game of the season, the Foothillers showed no signs of opening night jitters as they coasted to a 45-10 halftime lead.
 
In addition to Reidel's 10 points, steady senior swingman BRETTE HENDERSON scored 6 first half points including a spectacular slashing left hand drive.
 
Starting sophomore guard SHANDIS RIOS was a disruptive defensive force as the Hillers continued the onslaught in the second half.
 
Other Grossmont scoring:  La Kenya Simon-West 6, Amanda Bailey 2, Christina Rios 2.
(11-26-04)

Matadors coast after 18-2 run to start Tip-off Classic scrimmage against Torrey Pines
EastCountySports.com
 
SAN DIEGO - It was only a scrimmage played under game-like conditions, but the Mount Miguel Matadors proved they were ready to play in Wednesday's (Nov. 24) San Diego Tip-off Classic held at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion. To those in attendance it appeared that the Matadors were impressive in a 54-35 romp over Torrey Pines. Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL had his own ideas.
 
"Honestly, we should have scored at least 70 points (in the 28-minute scrimmage)," insisted Sandoval, whose team is regarded by many to be the finest team in the San Diego CIF section.
 
The Matadors raced to an 18-2 lead and then went into cruise control - a fact that did not sit well with Sandoval. "We pressured them (the Falcons into a lot of turnovers), but didn't convert well."
 
JERICA WILLIAMS (11 points, 6 steals), GENEVIEVE COSTELLO (10 points, 7 assists, 3 steals), MONIQUE CLAYTON (10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals), LaSHAWN JOHNSON (10 points, 3 steals), and TAVASHA YARBROUGH (8 points, 7 rebounds, 7 steals) paced Mount Miguel.
(11-24-04)
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Mount Miguel Girls Grab State Ranking
EastCountySports.com
 
Coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL's Mount Miguel girls, who have won four straight Grossmont South League basketball titles while compiling a San Diego Section-best 36 consecutive league wins, will begin this 2004-05 season ranked No. 19 in the state by highly regarded Cal-Hi Sports. UC Davis-bound point guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO and junior JERICA WILLIAMS will lead the Matadors, who figure to be the top-ranked team in San Diego County at the outset of the season. 
(11-04-04)
----
 
UC Davis Lands Matadors' Costello
EastCountySports.com
 
SPRING VALLEY - One thing Mount Miguel senior point guard GENEVIEVE COSTELLO knows how to do is win. The 5-foot-5-point guard, who led the Matadors to three straight Grossmont South League championships and back-to-back San Diego Section Division II titles, has accepted a basketball scholarship to UC Davis.
 
Costello, who helped the Matadors extended their Grossmont South League winning streak to 36 wins in a row, averaged 11.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 steals as a junior.
 
"Genevieve was looking for a Division I school with high academic standards in California where her parents could see her play," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "She's got it all at UC Davis."
 
Costello had plenty of choices before selecting UC Davis.
 
"I just liked everything about the place," she said. "The fact that it is a college town and I liked the college, coaches and players. I can see this as a second home to me."
 
Another plus in Costello's ultimate decision was UC Davis assistant coach Jenny Gross, former head coach at University City High School.
 
Costello will join the Aggies in 2005-06 where she will compete for the starting slot at point guard - a position currently held by Santana High alum JACKIE TURPIN.
 
"The biggest thing the coaches like about Gen is her intensity," Sandoval said. "She is involved in every play."
 
Sandoval noted that Costello's greatest improvement over the summer was shooting the 3-point shot.
 
By selecting UC Davis, Costello turned down offers from Long Beach State, New Mexico State, Hawaii, Northern Colorado and Utah State.
 
"One of the main reasons I chose UC Davis was for its academics," said Costello, who is deliberating between mechanical engineering and sports medicine as her major.
 
Costello also acknowledged playing for Cal-San Diego Swish during the summer as a plus in helping her select the college for her future.
(10-07-04)
--
VAQUEROS' MOLZEN ACCEPTS PAC-10 OFFER
EastCountySports.com
 
LAKESIDE - El Capitan High senior HEATHER MOLZEN was into tap and jazz dancing as an adolescent, and then competed in track in the long jump and triple jump in middle school. The 6-foot-3 center did not play her first game of basketball until her freshman season at El Capitan. It's been nothing but success for her since.
 
Molzen reached a pinnacle in her hoop career this week when she verbally committed to Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. The Cougars of the Pac-10 Conference won Molzen's nod over Oregon State, Northern Arizona University and UC Davis - all Division I women's basketball programs.
 
"They gave me the total package," Molzen said of the WSU scholarship. "I never thought about it, but I am so happy to be going away from California and to a Pac-10 school on top of that. This is great."
 
Molzen averaged 15.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and more than 2 blocked shots per game for coach DARIN CURTIS' Vaqueros last year as a junior. Molzen earned All-East County first team honors after helping the Vaqueros earn a share of the Grossmont North League championship while finishing with an overall mark of 25-4.
 
Washington State's interest was sparked when the Cougars' coaches saw Molzen playing with a very talented Cal Swish-San Diego club team coached by Palomar Co-head coach ROGER MOSES and Comets' assistant mentor JOHN SARIC.
 
"They (the WSU coaches) followed our team all over the country last summer - tournaments in New Orleans, Oregon, Washington, Los Angeles and Orange County," Molzen said. "They showed me how much they wanted me to go to their school by being there."
 
Moses said Washington State and others were attracted to Molzen due to her improved play.
 
"Heather made great strides in all facets of her game," Moses said. "She played against some pretty good competition and that also helped her become a stronger player. She earned this scholarship through all the hard work she put in."
 
Of course, Molzen might have missed the boat had it not been for the insistence of Curtis that she try playing basketball in the first place.
 
"I told Coach Curtis I wasn't that interested in sports," Molzen recalled. "But he kept insisting that I give it a try, come out for the basketball team. I'm glad I did."
 
So is Washington State.
(09-30-04)

• 2003-04 coverage
• 2003-04ALL-EAST COUNTY TEAM/All-CIF Breitbard Teams/All-Grossmont Conference and Harbor League teams
• 2003-04Scores/standings/schedule/latest SDSSA Top Ten Poll
• 2003-04 girls reported statistical leaders FINAL Thru Playoffs