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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