Host Cougars make New Year’s Ball title formality

By ECS Staff
Updated: January 3, 2016

2015-16 EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL

By Chris Davis
© East County Sports.com

RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-3-16) — When two guards of the caliber of LEANNA WATSON of El Cajon Valley and ASHLEY TAVIZON of Steele Canyon get together in a game, the hope is that the game will be a great ball handling demonstration.

Well, when the ball was in the hands of Watson and Tavizon it pretty much was good ball handling. When it wasn’t, not so much.

The real difference in this game is that Tavizon has a nice supporting cast in the rest of the Steele Canyon (8-3) roster. Watson is pretty much a one-woman force for the El Cajon Valley Braves (10-6) as the Cougars won 55-39 on Saturday (Jan. 2) at the Steele Canyon New Year’s Ball Tournament.

Tavizon put 20 points on the board for the Cougars, but she was not the only one to put double figures up for Steele Canyon. Also joining her in double figures was MARIANNA MARTINEZ who added a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. JULES LOIBL nearly had a double-double as she had nine points and 13 rebounds.

For the Braves, Watson had 21 of her team’s 39 points. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that she really got hot, as she had 10 of her points in the final quarter, a quarter that saw her team put up 16 points. But it was a little too late for the heroics to mean anything.

Steele Canyon put up 18 in the first quarter and was paced in the quarter by Tavizon who had half of her points in that time frame. Watson led ECVHS in the period with five of her teams’ six points.

As Herman’s Hermits sang in their 1965 hit “I’m Henry the Eighth, I am, Second verse, same as the first.”

Steele Canyon did change it up a little though as they only put in 16 as KYLIE MINSHEW and MARIANNA MARTINEZ each had four points to lead the team. El Cajon Valley also had two players lead them in scoring, as MARY AWADICH joined Watson with three points.

The third quarter saw the continued downward trend of points in a quarter for the Cougars as they put in 15 points, Tavizon had seven in the quarter. The Braves put in nine with TITISHIA CLEMONS putting in a team-high four points in the quarter.

When time came for the final quarter, the roles were completely reversed as it was El Cajon Valley that put up 16 points. The Cougars however, coasted to a six point final quarter. Three different players each had two points to lead the team (Martinez, Minshew and MARIE ESTAVILLO).

El Cajon Valley: Leanna Watson 21 (3 reb, 1 stl, 2 ast, 1 blk), Titishia Clemons 8 (2 reb, 3 stl, 2 ast, 2 blk), Mary Awadich 6 (5 reb, 1 stl, 1 ast), Sumaya Hameed 4 (4 reb, 2 stl), Kaheen Hasan (3 reb), Farah Kannan (1 reb, 1 stl), Jvonn Ivrahim (1 stl).

Steele Canyon: Ashley Tavizon 20 (2 reb, 2 stl, 2 ast), Marianna Martinez 12 (10 reb, 4 stl, 1 ast, 1 blk), Jules Loibl 9 (13 reb, 2 stl, 2 ast, 1 blk), Kylie Minshew 8 (5 reb, 2 stl, 1 ast), Kortni Fahie 2 (2 reb, 2 stl), Mya Cross 2 (5 reb, 1 blk), Marie Estavillo 2 (2 reb, 1 stl, 2 ast), Elizabeth Bott (4 reb, 3 stl, 3 ast), Bliss Montemayor (1 ast).