EAST COUNTY SPORTS - Real Sports... Real Time

East County Sports.com
CARSON (6-27-06) -- Helix High forward DIANA LEASAU, one of three East County products to participate in the Southern California Classic all-star game this past season, has signed a letter of intent to receive a scholarship at Cal State-Dominguez Hills, an NCAA Division II school. Leasau joins BRIGAYLE IGLEHART of Grossmont College, who agreed earlier in the year to play for Toros coach VAN GIRARD.

Leasau was named to the All-San Diego County first-team in voting by the media through the San Diego Hall of Champions. The 5-foot-9 forward was also a first-team All-East County honoree by East County Sports.com, and a first-team All-Grossmont South League selection by league coaches.

Leasau ranked fifth in East County with a 14.9 scoring average, including a single-game high 27 against Fallbrook, for the second-highest scoring team in the Grossmont Conference. She also rated among the tops in the East County in several categories, including 4th in foul shooting (.729) and 7th in assists (3.1),

CSU-Dominguez Hills (17-10) is one of the top teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., finishing in a tie for second place this past season before falling in the first round of the NCAA West Regional in overtime to host Western Washington, 82-74.

East County Sports.com
TORRANCE (4-15-06) -- Santana High senior JORDAN FRANEY, the CIF-San Diego Section player of the year by the media, and the section coaches' CIF Division III player of the year, received another honor over the weekend, named by Cal-Hi Sports to a second-team berth on the All-State team. Franey is joined by another local standout, San Diego High junior Paris Johnson.

Meanwhile, senior JERICA WILLIAMS of Mount Miguel, the CIF-San Diego Section player of the year as a junior, and El Capitan center ALLISON DUFFY, were both recognized by Cal-Hi, named to the state All-Division II team.

Franey, the East County player of the year and the region's scoring champion in 2005-06, averaged 24.5 points and 11.4 rebounds for the CIF-SDS Division III champion Sultans.

Franey, a 5-foot-11 forward who will attend UC Santa Barbara, also ranked among the East County leaders in field-goal shooting (2nd at .486), 3-point shooting (2nd with 48), and rebounding (3rd at 11.4/game). She is also a standout student, carrying a 4.30 grade-point average.

Williams, a 3.54 GPA student who will play for UCLA in the fall, carried the Matadors to CIF title game appearances in each of her four years, winning section titles the first three seasons. Included was a berth in the CIF Southern California championship game to cap the 2005 campaign.

Williams, a 5-foot-11 forward, averaged 14.9 points per contest, and ranked among the leaders in almost every category in East County.

Duffy will play for San Diego State next season following a strong campaign in the second half, as the Vaqueros overcame several obsticles to reach the CIF semifinals before barely falling to Williams' Matadors.

Duffy, a 6-foot-2 center, who finished second to Franey in scoring at 21.1/game, also placed second in foul-shooting (79.5 percent), third in field-goal shooting (47.6) and one of five East County players to reach double figures in rebounding (10.4).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS -- By the strangest of coincidences, over the 4-year varsity careers of Franey and Duffy, the pair both finished with an identical total of 2,190 career points. However, Duffy gains the slightest of edges, accumulating her points in 104 career contests, while Franey participated in 108 ballgames. Unless some other player finished this season with more career points than the East County duo (possibly Ramona's London Houchin), the total would list in a tie for 10th place on the all-time CIF-SDS rankings, eclipsing the East County record of 2,006 points set by STEPHANIE KINDREICH of El Capitan (1994-97).

Duffy also snapped the East County record for career rebounds with 1,291, ranking seventh all-time in the CIF-SDS. The old mark was 1,281 by former Vaqueros center KENDRA RHEA (1996-99).

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (4-9-06) -- El Capitan High senior standouts ALLISON DUFFY and CORY BROWN each blocked a record eight shots in their respective games Saturday (Apr. 8), leading all-star basketball teams from San Diego to a sweep of Los Angeles based stars at the Southern California Classic held at San Diego State's Peterson Gym.

Duffy, joined by East County's JERICA WILLIAMS of Mount Miguel and DIANA LEASAU of Helix, were part of a 6-player local contingent which still breezed to an easy 54-34 decision in the girls contest.

Meanwhile, Brown, joined by three players from Granite Hills -- BRANDEN PRIDE, NICK TAYLOR and Occidental bound CLARK GORDON -- also posted eight points and 13 rebounds to sink L.A., 101-74, in the boys ballgame.

Taylor also captured the 3-point shooting contest, despite being placed in the most-difficult spot in the rotation. Competing last among five different pairs of shooters, Taylor registered the best score in the prelims with 15 baskets. However, without a rest period like the shooter before him, the Eagles senior since managed 11 treys in the final to capture the event.

The competition was sponsored by Dream Vision (http://www.dreamvisionsd.com/), a Chula Vista based organization founded in 2001 to expand opportunities for success to at-risk youth and enhance life skills through a variety of youth development services and programs.

The number of players filling roster spots was limited because of an NCAA rule limiting seniors to just two all-star game appearances, plus the influx of new contests in recent years, including the inaugural CIFSDS sponsored game at Point Loma Nazarene University, the McDonald's Classic coming to San Diego, a new Riverside County-North San Diego County game at Palomar College Friday (Apr. 7), along with annual local contests, such as the East County All-Star Game which was held at Cuyamaca College.

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (4-5-06) -- The second annual Southern California Classic -- showcasing the top senior high school boys and girls basketball in Southern California -- all-star games will be held on Saturday (Apr 8) at San Diego State's Peterson Gym. All-star girls 3-point contest is at 5:20 with the girls game beginning at 5:30. All-star boys 3-point and slam-dunk contests will be at 7:00; boys' tip-off is at 7:30.

The teams will be comprised of seniors representing Los Angeles vs. San Diego counties. The San Diego County boys team will be coached by Granite Hills boys basketball coach RANDY ANDERSON.

Halftime in the Girls game will feature Youth Outstanding Scholar/Athlete Achievements Awards presentation, Kids All-Star Exhibition and MVP award presentation. Halftime of the Boys game will present Believe & Achieve Award (Honoree: REGGIE BUSH), Youth Outstanding Scholar/Athlete Achievement Awards presentation and Kids All-Star Exhibition, along with MVP award presentation.

The event was created by Dream Vision, Inc. to provide exposure opportunities for high school students from Southern California excelling in their academic and athletic accomplishments.

East County senior girls participating and playing for the San Diego All-Stars are JERICA WILLIAMS (Mount Miguel) and ALLISON DUFFY (El Capitan).

East County senior boys slatedto participate for the San Diego All-Stars are NICK TAYLOR (Granite Hills), CORY BROWN (El Capitan) and BRANDEN PRIDE (Granite Hills).

Tickets are $10 at the door. Passes are not permitted. Parking, which is strictly enforced, is $1/hour and the yellow self-serve machines take only bills (no coins). Parking is available in Structure IV near Peterson Gym. For more information, see the website www.dreamvisionsd.com.

East County Sports.com
POINT LOMA (3-25-06) -- With all four seniors from the All-East County first-team in girls basketball together as a unified team, joined by players from the Metro and City conferences, the South rallied from a 14-point deficit with 12:08 remaining to again stun the North, 70-67, in the San Diego Section Senior All-Star Basketball Game at Point Loma Nazarene University.

ALLISON DUFFY of El Capitan scored on a putback of an offensive rebound with 3:38 left to give the South its first lead of the second half, 64-63, then La Jolla Country Day's Ashley Booker prevented a last-second shot to force overtime by stripping the basketball away to give the South its third win in four contests against the North.

"This was the next step for a lot of us," said the San Diego State-bound Duffy. "There were a lot of top players on the court, and we'll be playing against each other again."

Two of those will be JERICA WILLIAMS of Mount Miguel (UCLA) and JORDAN FRANEY of Santana (UC Santa Barbara). Williams overcame recent ankle woes to capture the 3-point shooting contest Friday (Mar. 24), nailing 15 treys in the preliminary round, then sinking a shot at the buzzer of the final to win.

Williams' 15 treys were the second-most -- girls or boys -- of the CIF-SDS sponsored event at Point Loma Nazarene's Golden Gym, topped only by the 19 by boys titlist Nedal Tartir of Orange Glen. However, Williams was more pleased at winning the all-star game.

"Oh, my God -- that one unit went in there and played great defense," noted Williams. "Then we went back in there and brought it home. It was a fight, but we won it."

Added Franey, "We all came together one last time and played well. It was awesome to play with such awesome competition."

Unlike the halfcourt style employed by many teams, Helix forward DIANA LEASAU enjoyed the wide-open play.

"It was fun because it was top competition," she said. "And it was fun playing with people who know how to run with the ball."

Mission Bay's 6-foot-3 point guard Jadawn Holler (11 points, five rebounds, four assists) gained MVP honors for the South. Carlsbad's Sabrina Gonzalez (14 points) was the North MVP.

East County Sports.com
BALBOA PARK (3-21-06) -- The San Diego Hall of Champions has released the results for the All-CIF San Diego Section basketball teams for 2005-06, headed by Santana High senior JORDAN FRANEY as the player of the year in girls basketball.

Franey, the East County player of the year and the region's scoring champion, led the Sultans to a ninth SDCIF section championship, advancing to the state Elite Eight in Division III. She marveled the rest of the media by scoring 161 points in five postseason contests, including 35 against Kearny in the section final at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Franey, one of five East County girls honored by the Hall, will play for UC Santa Barbara next season.

The Grossmont Conference dominated the voting, gaining four berths on the 10-player first-team of all-stars. Joining Franey were ALLISON DUFFY of El Capitan, JERICA WILLIAMS, Mount Miguel;and Helix's DIANA LEASAU. All four are seniors.

Duffy will play for San Diego State next season, Williams is ticketed for UCLA, while Leasau's plans are still in the air.

In addition, Helix sophomore Brittany Williams was a second-team all-section selection.

Meanwhile, on the boys side, the East County landed.just two berths, as East County player of the year NICK TAYLOR of Granite Hills gained the 10th and final first-team berth, while El Capitan center CORY BROWN was a second-team honoree.

Chase Budinger, the new career scoring leader in the CIFSDS, was a unanimous player of the year selection. He powered La Costa Canyon to the boys Division I crown and will play for Arizona next season.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-11-06) -- Santana senior JORDAN FRANEY has been selected the East County Sports.com East County Player of the Year. The 5-foot-11 Franey averaged more than 32 points per game in five post-season games that helped Santana reach the semifinals of the Southern California CIF Regional playoffs.

Franey played a prominent role in Santana's winning of a ninth San Diego CIF Division III championship. She averaged an East County-leading 24.5 points per game for the 21-10 Sultans. Franey also ranked among the shooting leaders in field goals and free throws, nailed 48 three-pointers, hauled down 11.4 rebounds per game, dished 3.0 assists, made 4.1 steals and blocked 42 shots.

It was the third time in her four-year varsity career that Franey -- who will attend UC Santa Barbara on a basketball scholarship -- has earned a spot on the All-East County team. She was a first-team choice the past two seasons after earning a second team berth as a sophomore.

East County Sports.com Coach of the Year honors go to Grossmont High's TIM JOLLETT, who led the Foothillers to a school-record 22 victories in his first year at the helm.

El Capitan freshman guard ASHLEY DUFFY was selected the East County Sports.com Rookie of the Year. Duffy averaged 10.3 points and an East County-best 5.7 steals per game.

Other notables: El Capitan senior ALLISON DUFFY was named All-East County Sports.com first team for the third consecutive season. Mount Miguel's JERICA WILLIAMS earned first team honors for the second year in a row after earning second-team as a sophomore. One bit of irony was Duffy was tabbed East County Sports.com Player of the Year as a sophomore, Williams grabbed the honor last year and Franey claimed it this year. All three have major college scholarships, with Duffy going to SDSU and Williams to UCLA

Only the state's best can eliminate
East County's best in CIF SoCal semis

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-10-06) -- The East County basketball season came to end Thursday night (Mar. 9) as both Mount Miguel and Santana lost in the Southern California CIF semifinals. The Matadors were plowed under by defending state-champion Fullerton Troy, 73-42, in a Division II contest in Orange County, while upstart Santana was eliminated by Bishop Amat, 60-32, in a Division III tussle in La Puente.

FULLERTON-TROY 73, MOUNT MIGUEL 42 -- The scrappy Matadors (24-8) ran into a buzzsaw in Fullerton. The Warriors simply possess too much talent and too much height.

"They have five girls going out on Division I (college) scholarships," Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "They aren't ranked where they are for nothing."

Mount Miguel stayed close for the majority of the first quarter, trailing only 15-14. The Warriors shifted gears and went on a 15-0 scoring spree to put the Matadors out of contention. Troy led 37-21 by halftime.

Troy burned the Matadors with a dozen 3-pointers.

"We zoned them in the first half and it didn't work," Sandoval said. "When we switched to 'man' it still didn't stop them."

JERICA WILLIAMS led Mount Miguel with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

When these two teams met in the finals of the Santana-Horsman Automotive Christmas Classic on Dec. 30, 2005, the Warriors (32-1) prevailed 55-40. It was on that night that Mount Miguel junior PRECIOUS ROBINSON played her finest game of the season, scoring 21 points and pulling down 8 rebounds.

Robinson had just 4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in the regional rematch. LASHAWN JOHNSON, who scored 9 in December against the Warriors was limited to a single free throw on Thursday.

Troy defeated Mount Miguel 48-31 in last year's SoCal Championship game.

Mount Miguel scoring: Jerica Williams 20, Shanice Howard 6, Monique Clayton 5, Precious Robinson 4, Tavasha Yarbrough 4, Branesha Johnson 2, Lashawn Johnson 1.

LA PUENTE-BISHOP AMAT 68, SANTANA 32 -- Although the Sultans (21-10) were completely overmatched by the Lancers (33-1) in Thursday's SoCal Regional semifinals, Sultans coach WADE VICKERY wasn't disappointed by the outcome.

"I'm very proud of the way we finished," Vickery said. "I don't think we were a very good team a couple of months ago. We have come a long way in a very short time."

Vickery concludes his 26th season with a career record of 609-119.

The Lancers, ranked No. 2 in the state behind Troy, led 35-11 at halftime in a game that was never in doubt, as Bishop Amat features a lineup that includes players 6-3, 5-11, 5-11, and 5-9 tall.

"They are a great team, are very quick and well coached," Vickery said. "They have good sportsmanship, have class. They do everything really, really well. I like to see good teams stand for good sportsmanship. I appreciate that."

Santana senior JORDAN FRANEY went out on top of her game. She was 10-for-10 from the free throw line on her way to a 25-point finish. She added one 3-pointer to her totals, and snagged 7 rebounds. In five post-season games, Franey scored 161 points -- an average of 32.2 per game.

Santana scoring: Jordan Franey 25, Ashley Baker 2, Brittany Fenn 2, Shannon Bailey 2, Danielle Balough 1 (4 assists).

Santana's Shae Bass takes a slight elbow to the head, yet still scores the layin in its CIF regional victory over visiting Anaheim-Magnolia, 59-48.
(Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Sultans, Matadors advance
in SoCal regional playoffs

East County Sports.com
BREA (3-8-06) -- Following a disappointing finish in the San Diego CIF Division II championship game on Saturday (Mar. 4) that resulted in a one-point loss to Kearny, the Mount Miguel Matadors hit the road as underdogs at Brea-Olinda in Tuesday's (Mar. 7) opening round of the State CIF Tournament.

In another close call, the Matadors claimed a 48-47 nod over the Wildcats to advance to the SoCal Regional semifinals on Thursday (Mar. 9) against Fullerton Troy (30-1), the state's top-ranked team.

Mount Miguel (24-7) rebounded nicely from the section setback, taking a 20-12 lead in the second quarter at Brea-Olinda. But the Wildcats (20-12) used an 8-0 run to tie the count at 20-20 by intermission.

LASHAWN JOHNSON scored 7 of her career high 18 points in the 3rd quarter as Mount Miguel moved out to a 10-point lead. But even that lead wasn't safe as the Wildcats clawed back to within 46-44 with less than a minute to play.

PRECIOUS ROBINSON came up with a steal with 30 seconds remaining that would help Mount Miguel dissolve the clock. The seconds did tick away, but Brea-Olinda was still in the game when Mount Miguel's JERICA WILLIAMS missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Or so they thought.

Once again Robinson came up with the big board.

"Once Precious got the ball she kicked it out to MONIQUE (CLAYTON)," Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said.

Clayton was fouled with five seconds remaining and hit both ends of a one-and-one to stretch Mount Miguel's lead to 48-44.

Brea-Olinda cut the margin by hitting an uncontested 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

Sandoval credited SHANICE HOWARD and VICTORIA MURPHY for their defensive work on Brea-Olinda's Jeanette Pohlen, who scored late to push her game count to 21.

"The big thing about Pohlen is we kept her from getting her teammates involved," Sandoval said.

Ten of the Matadors' wins have come by eight points or fewer, including five by two points or less. Three of their seven losses were by four points or fewer.

Mount Miguel scoring: Johnson 18, Williams 13, Robinson 7, Clayton 6, Howard 4.

Senior forward Jordan Franey makes her move to the basket, en route to 33 points to best visiting Anaheim-Magnolia.
(Photo by Chris Edwards)
FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

SANTANA 59, ANAHEIM MAGNOLIA 48 -- The Santana Sultans are all about senior JORDAN FRANEY.

The 5-foot-11 Franey has become a post-season scoring machine, tabbing an average of 34 points per outing in Santana's four-game playoff sweep.

Franey hit 8 of 19 shots from the field and 12 of 16 free throws for 33 points to log her fourth straight 30-point scoring spree at the expense of the Sentinels (21-11).

Franey garnered half of her game-high 16 rebounds and added 10 points in the 4th quarter.

"They were an awesome team, but we beat them with our defense," Franey said. â€œ"ve been working on perfecting our lock-down defense and learning how to pinch off the driving lanes. It was all about defense. That is what won it for us."

Franey scored 20 points in the first half as Santana claimed a 32-21 halftime advantage.

"I thought we'd be underdogs coming in," Santana coach WADE VICKERY said. "But I thought we played just unbelievable."

Vickery was specific in his critique of the Sultans play. The swift start was sparked by Santanaâ€™s unheralded crew.

"NICOLE BRZECZEK comes in and hits a 3, KELSEY ASH hits a 3, and SHAE BASS, who never dives on the floor dives on the floor in the first half," Vickery said. "I mean the girls played hard."

As excited as Santana (21-9) was by the outcome, the Sultans started out slow, missing nine of their first 10 shots. Fortunately, Santana's defense kept the Sentinels offense in check.

"We got a lot of easy (scoring) opportunities, but were missing them," Vickery said. "Then all of a sudden our defense tightened up, limited them to one shot. I think we played better (than we did in the SDCIF section III final against Kearny) because this team is way better than Kearny."

Santana scoring: Franey 33, Kelsey Ash 8 (5 reb.), Bass 5 (6 ast.), Shannon Bailey 4, Danielle Balough 4, Nicole Brzeczek 3, Ashley Baker 2 (9 reb.).

Road to State CIF opens Tuesday

East County Sports.coim
SANTEE (3-6-06) -- San Diego CIF Division III-champion Santana will host CIF-Southern Section runner-up Magnolia of Anaheim in Tuesday's (Mar. 7) opening round of the Southern California Regional playoffs.

While the Sultans (20-9) are entertaining the Sentinels (21-10), Mount Miguel (23-7) travels to Brea-Olinda (20-11) for a Division II SoCal Regional contest. Both begin at 7.

Magnolia was riding an eight-game winning streak before falling to Diamond Ranch 40-36 in Saturday's (Mar. 4) Southern Section finals. Santana handled Kearny 71-59 in the SDCIF championship game.

One thing Santana coach WADE VICKERY has to like about this match-up is Magnolia and Kearny have similar playing styles.

"They are very quick," Vickery said. "But they aren't real tall and they are quite young, starting three sophomores."

Santana was able to handle Kearny's press, and must do the same to have success against Magnolia.

"We don't want to get into a track meet with them, that's for sure," Vickery said. "If we can handle their press and take advantage of our size it would give us a shot."

Mount Miguel, which is accustomed to enjoying lopsided victories, has been involved in more close encounters than coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL expected this season.

Nine of the Matadors' wins have come by eight points or fewer, including by four by two points or less. Three of their seven losses were by four points or fewer.

Mount Miguel has been East County's most successful girls team in the SoCal playoffs. The Matadors reached Division II regional finals last year before falling to top-seeded Fullerton Troy.

East County Sports.com
ALCALA PARK (3-5-06) -- Santana coach WADE VICKERY has seen his share of talented basketball players dribble through East County during his 26 years as the coach of the Sultans.

Few have caught his eye more than senior JORDAN FRANEY -- a 5-foot-11 senior, who carried Santana Sultans to its 9th San Diego CIF championship on Saturday (Mar. 4) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion at the University of San Diego.

Franey scored 35 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the Sultans clipped Kearny 71-59 to advance to the Southern California Regionals against a yet-to-be-named opponent on Tuesday night (Mar. 7). The only sure thing is the game will be played in Santee.

"That's a relief in itself,"said Vickery, who was spewing accolades Franey's way after her dominating performance against the physical Komets (15-13).

Vickery, the winningest coach in SDCIF girls basketball history with 607 wins, mentioned several other top-notch seniors finishing their career this year, but could not rate any of them higher than his own four-year star pupil.

Franey produced 103 points and 38 rebounds in Santana's three-game sweep to the SDCIF Division III title.

"If she's not the best player in the county, I don't know who it would be,"Vickery said. "I like (Ramona's London) Houchin and I like (El Capitan's ALLISON) DUFFY, but Franey played big in our biggest game of the year so far."

That kind of effort will be demanded of Franey -- bound for the University of California-Santa Barbara to play basketball next season.

"She's not afraid to mix it up," Vickery said. "She's determined to do whatever it takes to win."

For the moment, Franey's focus is on the Southern California CIF Regional playoffs that begin on Tuesday (Mar. 7).

"We want to keep on winning, take this thing as far as we can go," Franey said. "This was a physical game and all of our girls stood up to it."

Franey is averaging 24.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 4.2 steals for the Sultans (20-9).

"I've had more talented players, but not many work harder than Jordan," Vickery said. "She came up big when we needed her to."

Not that Kearny (15-13) was ready to play the role of spectator. But the Komets never led after the opening minute.

Santana was on top 68-49 when Vickery flooded the floor with reserves with 2:49 unplayed.

Guard SHAE BASS added 8 points, 7 assists and 3 steals, while SHANNON BAILEY came up with 8 points off the bench.

Santana shot 45 percent from the floor and made 17 of 21 free throws. Those are numbers of champions.

"I feel like I've just run a marathon," Vickery said following Saturday's latest addition to the Santana trophy case. "It's been a tough season in a lot of ways. But we are playing well at the right time now."

Santana scoring: Franey 35, Shannon Bailey 8, Shae Bass 8, Danielle Balough 6, Nicole Brzeczek 6, Kelsey Ash 5, Ashley Baker 2, Jamie Elias 1.

East County Sports.com
ALCALA PARK (3-4-06) -- It could easily have been the comeback of a lifetime.

Looking hopelessly lost after trailing by 18 points, Mount Miguel somehow pieced together a rally to take its first lead with 2:01 remaining, moving into position to equal Point Loma's mammoth record of four straight CIF girls basketball titles among the larger school divisions.

However, Mt. Carmel center Whitney Spence answered by sinking two foul shots with 9.2 seconds to play, then the Sundevils survived a last-second shot by the Matadors to upset the 3-time defending champions to capture the Division II girls basketball title, 52-51, at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

After the Matadors' LASHAWN JOHNSON hit one of two free throws for a 51-50 lead with 18.3 seconds remaining, Spence, who dominated the boards all night, grabbed an offensive rebound -- her 16th board of the contest -- and was fouled on the putback.

Needing a basket to keep their string of titles in tact, the Matadors' senior MONIQUE CLAYTON found herself with the ball but trapped on the baseline. The senior guard wisely called a timeout. Two seconds remained, so Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL made the obvious selection in the huddle.

"If I had to make that choice 10 times, I would choose JERICA WILLIAMS all 10 times," said Sandoval. "She's been here for us all four years, so I trust her no matter the situation."

Williams, a reigning SDCIF Division II player of the year with a scholarship to UCLA in her pocket, collected the ball to the left of the basket. She turned and let loose, but the storybook finish was not to be when the ball hit off the backiron, giving Mt. Carmel its first SDCIF title since switching to the classification.

The Sundevils owned four previous Division I crowns, including consecutive wins in 2000-01. Among their five overall titles, three have come by just one point, with the others coming in 1990 against Santana, and 2000 over El Camino in overtime.

Williams, who has been battling nagging ankle injury for the past two weeks, said, "My ankle is blue, but it's the championship game." She wanted to play, even if it meant going at less than 100 percent. The lastg shot, she believed, belonged in someone else's hands.

"Honestly, I thought someone else should've taken the shot," said Williams. "I wasn't shooting well, while others like PRECIOUS (ROBINSON), Monique or Lashawn were."

The miss overshadowed Mount Miguel's rally after trailing 33-15 late in the first half, unable to generate many second-chance opportunities as the 6-foot-2 Spence was clearing the glass.

But it was a different set of Matadors following the intermission, utilizing a 17-7 scoring advantage in the third period to leap back into the contest.

"Our defense showed some intensity and heart," Williams explained. "We didn't save anything since it was the last game -- and I'm proud of our year."

Fortunately for Mount Miguel, because of the San Diego Section's recent success in the division, including teams like the Matadors, El Capitan and Santana (before the Sultans were switched to Division III), two teams will probably make the CIF state tournament, although the Matadors will probably open on the road this Tuesday (Mar. 7).

Johnson paced Mount Miguel with 14 points, including a layin with 3:22 left to finally move the team level at 46-all. The junior forward was also named recipient of the CIF Sportsmanship Award.

Clayton went 6-for-6 at the foul line for half of her 12 points, including a pair for its initial lead at 48-46 with 2:01 left, while Robinson scored seven of her 11 points in the fourth period.

Spence scored eight of her 14 points in the final quarter after hitting just 2-of-12 shots in the first three periods. Meanwhile, the Sundevils Jenna Breite scored all of her 14 points in the first half to mount the huge advantage, but was shutout in the second half before fouling out with 2:28 remaining.

Mount Miguel scoring: Johnson 14, Clayton 12, Robinson 11, Victoria Murphy 7, Williams 4, Shanice Howard 2, Tavasha Yarbrough 1.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (3-2-06) -- One school has dominated its CIF division over the current decade; the other has been a long-time San Diego Section power. And both of these East County programs will yet again play for championships as Mount Miguel and Santana high schools took different paths through Wednesday's (Mar. 1) semifinal round contests to gain finals berths at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Mount Miguel gained its fifth consecutive appearance in Division II after holding off Grossmont North League titlist El Capitan, 54-52. The second-ranked Matadors (23-6) will tangle with No. 10 Mt. Carmel in Friday's (Mar. 3) 6 p.m. title contest. The Sundevils advanced by mowing over Ramona, 67-50.

With a victory, head coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL could equal the all-time San Diego Section record with four consecutive crowns among the large-school divisions, first set by the Terri Mann led teams of Point Loma from 1984-87, considered by many as the top team in area history.

Meanwhile, Santana will play for a championship for an 11th time -- the 10th under head coach WADE VICKERY -- by going "run rule" for the second straight outing. After whipping Mission Bay by 41 points in the quarterfinals, the Sultans did one better by tipping La Jolla by a 42-point margin, 82-40, to earn a shot at an eighth section banner.

Santana will meet Kearny at 1 p.m. Saturday (Mar. 1) at USD. The Komets gained their ticket after rolling over Valley Center, 57-40.

Vickery owns a stellar 7-2 record in section finals, with crowns in 1991, '94-95, '97, 2000, '02 and last season. His fourth and fifth titles were in Division II, while the remainder were in Division III.

MOUNT MIGUEL 54,
EL CAPITAN 52 -- The Matadors are probably glad they only had to face the El Capitan Vaqueros one time this season -- it was that close.

Mount Miguel fans were given complimentary seat cushions as they entered Wednesday's (Mar. 1) semifinal against the visiting Vaqueros, but hardly had the opportunity to test them out. The action on the floor kept spectators standing a good part of the contest.

It was "on-your-feet-only" in the final minutes of the game, as the Vaqueros (17-11) overcame a 12-point deficit to force fans into nail-biter position. After a TAVASHA YARBROUGH basket pushed Mount Miguel's lead to a comfortable 47-35 early in the fourth quarter, the Vaqueros made their move.

An 11-2 run El Capitan run -- led by MORGAN CRAIG's seven points -- gave the Vaqueros new life. El Capitan eventually tied the game 51-51 and 52-52, but the Matadors tucked the victory away on free throws by LASHAWN JOHNSON and JERCIA WILLIAMS in the final 12 seconds.

"El Cap wasn't just going to give us the game," Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "They fought their hearts out. That's typical El Cap -- they never quit. They had opportunities to take the lead there at the end, but our kids wouldn't give in. It was just one of those games for us where we get a lead and let a team back in."

Credit El Capitan for breaking down the door. Senior ALLISON DUFFY, who will attend SDSU on a basketball scholarship next season, wasn't ready to see her high school career end.

Burdened with her fourth foul with 4:18 unplayed in the third quarter, Duffy had to sit for more than four minutes while the Matadors (23-6) inflated their lead to 12 points. Upon return, Duffy scored seven of her game-high 19 points down the stretch, including a three-point-play that knotted the score 51-51 with 1:32 left.

"Even in practice Allison is an unbelievably hard-worker," El Capitan coach JEFF GERKEN said. "She is so good at encouraging her teammates. She is such a positive influence and tremendous role model for our program."

After Yarbrough hit a free throw to give Mount Miguel a 52-51 edge with 40 seconds left, Duffy hit one of two charity shots to tie it with 31 ticks remaining.

Free throws aside, El Capitan missed three shots inside 15 feet in the final minute where any one of them would have given the Vaqueros the lead.

"It was one of those games where we found a way to hang on," Sandoval said. "This was a good, close game -- a test that should help us down the road."

Trailing by two with 7 seconds left, El Capitan had the ball and hoped to launch a game-winning shot. That never happened as Mount Miguel guard TORI MURPHY intercepted an outlet pass with 4 seconds left and managed to dribble away the final seconds.

"Tori doesn't score a lot of points, but she does all those little things," Sandoval said. â€œShe is probably our best on-ball defender."

In addition to the cushions, Mount Miguel fans also received a free mini-towel, which is modeled after the infamous Pittsburgh Steelers' "Terrible Towels."

The Matadors could easily have thrown in the towel under the late onslaught by El Capitan. But Mount Miguel isn't that kind of team.

"We had to fight for this win, but we've still got more to go," said Johnson, who has been a member of two of the Matadors' last three SDCIF Division II championship teams.

Junior PRECIOUS ROBINSON led the Matadors with 12 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Williams, her mobility slowed by an ankle sprain a week ago, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and six steals.

For El Capitan, Duffy concluded her illustrious four-year career with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and twoblocks. Her freshman sister, ASHLEY DUFFY, totaled only five points, seven steals and five assists, but was uninhabited by Mount Miguel's hands-on defense.

One of the unsung heroes of El Capitan's season was Craig, who went out with a sterling effort of 14 points (two 3s), four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.

Another sometimes overlooked stalwart was CARAMIE HUNTINGTON, who hit 4-of-5 shots for eight points and five rebounds.

"These girls are all winners," Gerken said. "Overall, I am pleased that these girls learned to trust each other and came together as a unit. I believe they played up to their potential and will be champions in the game of life."

Mount Miguel scoring: Precious Robinson 12, Jerica Williams 11, Lashawn Johnson 8, Victoria Murphy 8, Tavasha Yarbrough 7, Monique Clayton 6, Shanice Howard 2.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 19, Morgan Craig 14, Caramie Huntington 8, Ashley Duffy 5, Jamie Ferguson 3, Liana Pitman 2, Lisa Wilkins 1.

SANTANA 82, LA JOLLA 40 -- Ever since the Sultans fell to El Capitan to allow a share of the Grossmont North League title slip from their fingers, the team has turned it up a notch -- well, maybe more than one -- in easily whipping a pair of Western League opponents.

Behind a career record-tying 38-point performance by senior JORDAN FRANEY, Santana reversed a recent trend by racing to a 28-6 first-quarter lead to quickly sink the Vikings.

"We have a history of starting slowly," noted Franey, the East County scoring champion, who also hauled down 14rebounds and recorded seven steals. "So we talked about needing to play hard and defend from the very beginning. And we defended well."

Even with Franey's career numbers, a host of other Sultans contributed to prevent La Jolla from gaining a sniff of staying in the contest.

"There were a lot of girls that played well -- not just Jordan," Vickery added. "SHAE BASS did a good job defending and had a lot of assists, DANIELLE BALOUGH defended well and was diving on the floor all over the place, and ASHLEY BAKER played well, too."

Bass registered the best numbers among the trio, compiling eight assists, six boards and five steals to go along with her 11 points. Balough also scored 11.

"We moved the ball well and I found the gaps in their defense," said Bass, the point guard. "We just executed well, then Jordan hit some threes."

Franey connected three times from beyond the arc and did most of her damage long before the third period came to an end. The fourth quarter utilized a running clock once the margin reached 40 points.

"If we control the ball and make smart passes, we should do well in the final," Bass added.

The lone La Jolla player to make a dent was senior Sam Mohan, who finished with 12 points.

Franey's 38 points equaled her personal mark set earlier this season against Valley Center, then later tied by ALLISON DUFFY of El Capitan against El Cajon Valley for the best mark in East County this season. Both players are among the favorites for East County player of the year laurels, along with Jerica Williams of Mount Miguel.

Santana scoring: Franey 38 (14 rebs.), Bass 11 (8 ast., 6 reb., 5 stl.), Balough 11, Baker 6, Brianna Padilla 4, Shannon Bailey 4, Kelsey Ash 3, Brittany Fenn 2, Nicole Brzeczek 2, Lorena Bernal 1.

East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (2-26-06) -- It would suffice to say that the El Capitan Vaqueros were probably peeking ahead to a possible San Diego CIF Division II semifinal showdown against Mount Miguel when they were warming up for Saturday's (Feb. 25) quarterfinal contest against Westview.

The Vaqueros bolted out to a 13-6 lead against the Wolverines and then the whistles started blowing. The officials slowed things down to crawl, but El Capitan (17-10), which had three starters foul out and two other players with four personals when the game ended, held on to take a 49-34 win.

"When you play the style of ball that we play, you have a reputation and everybody knows it," El Capitan coach JEFF GERKEN said. "That includes the referees as well. I don't think there is any malicious conduct on their part. But you are your reputation. It's good news, bad news. It gets in the other team's head, and sometimes you get the whistle yelled at you a few times. But we survived it."

By winning, El Capitan earned a trip to Spring Valley where the Vaqueros will travel to Mount Miguel to face the three-time defending Division II Matadors (22-6) on Wednesday (Mar. 1) at 7 p.m. This will mark the first meeting of the season between these crosstown rivals. Mount Miguel advanced via a 50-26 romp over Scripps Ranch.

Senior ALLISON DUFFY, who was bogged down by foul problems throughout, hung around long enough to score 25 points, grab 16 rebounds, make 6 steals and block 3 shots for the Vaqueros, who have won seven in a row and 10 of their last 11.

"It was tough because we had Mount Miguel in the back of our minds," Duffy said. "You start thinking about the next game when you should be thinking about this game."

Despite a general agreement by both teams that referees were doing a questionable job at best, the play on the floor fell a little below textbook quality as well.

El Capitan turned the ball over 22 times and shot a mediocre 34 percent (17 of 50) from the floor. They were so-so from the free-throw line, hitting 14 of 23.

After hitting six of 14 floor shots in the first quarter, the Vaqueros were 0-for-10 in the second quarter. All five of El Capitan's second stanza points came from the free throw line, which helped the Vaqueros cling to a 20-16 halftime lead.

"We were doing OK on defense," Duffy said. "They are better shooters than drivers, but still let them have shots that we shouldn’t have."

Westview (20-9), a team that lives on its perimeter shooting, was 1-for-13 from above the arc against El Capitan. Had it not been for their free throw success (15-for-27), the Wolverines might have suffered an even more stinging defeat. Westview was only 9-for-41 from the floor -- less than 22 percent.

"Even though we were messing up, making mistakes that shouldn't be made, we didn't fall apart," Duffy said. "We didn't turned against or start yelling at each other. We stayed together."

"We forget sometimes that Ashley is a freshman," Gerken said. "I think she is the best point guard in East County. She's just becoming mature now with a great future. We just have to be patient with her. She does what we don't expect her to do, and most of the time it's a positive experience."

Senior LISA WILKINS did not score and fouled out, but pitched in 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and blocked a shot before she departed.

MORGAN CRAIG played despite feeling ill. The referees provided her with plenty of unplanned rest, tagging her with her fourth foul in the opening minute of the third quarter. She did score 6 points, while JAMIE FERGUSON added 4 points and 5 rebounds.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 25, Ashley Duffy 10, Craig 6, Ferguson 4, Caramie Huntington 4.

SANTANA 70, MISSION BAY 29 -- More than a week since playing a game, over two weeks since registering a victory -- if you want to say the Santana Sultans were a bit on edge, even antsy to get back onto the court, you would be correct.

"Just before the game, we talked about playing great defense," explained Santana senior LORENA BERNAL. "And this was a lose-able game if we did not prepare ourselves to play great defense."

Denying every single pass, including simple entry passes when the Buccaneers attempted to start their offense, Santana demonstrated why the school is the top seed to the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs. The Sultans forced 26 turnovers and prevented Mission Bay from scoring in double figures in all four quarters in Saturday's (Feb. 25) surprisingly easy 70-29 conquest to gain a berth in the San Diego Section semifinals.

The demolition was all but complete after JORDAN FRANEY collected 13 of her game-high 30 points in the opening period in key the offense.

"Mission Bay played a zone, so our main goal was to dive in and open up our shooters," said guard DANIELLE BALOUGH. "They let down after that."

SHAE BASS took advantage by passing for nine assists, while Balough garnered two helpers for baskets, including a fine give-and-go for a layin by ASHLEY BAKER during a 13-0 run in the second period to mount a 41-13 halftime lead.

But it was the pressure from Santana's constant substitute rotation on defense which sank Mission Bay's offense. Balough and Franey each forced turnovers by taking charges, while the Sultans allowed just a single offensive rebound (besides ball bouncing out of bounds) all contest.

"We played team defense and helped each other -- it paid off," noted Baker, who was second behind Franey with 13 points, then grabbed four boards in the opening minutes to seize early control.

Franey had 25 points by the half, then Santana pushed the lead to more than 40 points, allowing the final period to be played with a running clock and an easy look ahead to Wednesday's (Mar. 1) semifinals where they will face No. 4 seed La Jolla (20-8) at home.

"It was easy to look ahead, but we needed to come and play hard," noted Franey. "Since we hadn't played in a week, we came out hard in the first half. The coaches emphasized that if the offense isn't working, you can rely on defense in order to go further into the playoffs."

KELSEY ASH added six points for Santana, plus four important offensive rebounds in the first half, while Bass and CARINA VICKERY added five points each.

For Mission Bay, 6-foot-2 point guard Jadawn Holler collected 14 points, including all seven Bucs' points in the opening period, as none of her teammates could hit the scoresheet until there was 6:16 left in the half on a foul shot, and none on a basket until there was 2:20 remaining.

Santana scoring: Franey 30 (10 reb., 5 stl., 4 ast.), Baker 13 (5 reb.), Ash 6, Bass 4 (9 ast.), Vickery 5, Balough 4 (3 stl.), Elias 3, Bernal 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 50, SCRIPPS RANCH 24 -- Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL didn't have San Diego CIF Player of the Year JERICA WILLIAMS at his disposal in Saturday's (Feb. 25) Division II quarterfinal contest against Scripps Ranch in Spring Valley.

Sandoval said Williams was ill and unable to play. She is, however, expected to be fit to face El Capitan in Wednesday's (Mar. 1) Division II semifinals at Mount Miguel.

"That's why we at Mount Miguel don't plan our game around just one player," Sandoval said. "We look to all of our girls to contribute."

PRECIOUS ROBINSON led the Matadors with 13 points, eigjht rebounds and five blocks. LASHAWN JOHNSON added 12 points and 9 rebounds, while TAVASHA YARBROUGH punched in nine points and MONIQUE CLAYTON cleared 8 rebounds.

Mount Miguel's defense devoured the Falcons (20-9), holding them to five points (two field goals) in the first half. The Matadors (22-6) led 23-5 at the break.

A key component to Mount Miguel's latest win was the defensive work turned in by SHANICE HOWARD and Clayton on Scripps Ranch's Kaitlyn DeVaney, who averages 18 points a game. The Matadors duo blanked her in the first half and limited her to eight points for the night.

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 13, Johnson 12, Yarbrough 9, Clayton 6, Victoria Murphy 6, Danesia Williamson 2, Cindy Ekweozor 2.

Montgomery's Samantha Aguinaldo, who scored only six points in the game, turned a steal into a game-winning lay-up with 10 seconds remaining.

The Aztecs (20-8), who lost at home to the Highlanders, 63-56, in December, took a 14-9 lead in the first quarter of the playoff encounter. But that didn't hold as the two teams battled back-and-forth until the final buzzer.

A pair of free throws by MELE LEASAU gave Helix a 47-46 advantage with 30 seconds remaining. Leasau canned a team-high 16 points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

All of that was impressive, but coach Lori Morris' Aztecs refused to throw in the towel. Thus, Montgomery will advance to Wednesday's (Mar. 1) Division I semifinals at Eastlake.

"We did a lot of good things with this team," said Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. "We have no reason to hang our heads. We stayed in the Top 10 all year and just came up a little bit short."

The biggest thrill for the Highlanders was knocking off Mount Miguel 37-34 earlier this month, which snapped the Matadors' 52-game Grossmont South League win streak.

"It was an unbelievable year," said Helix head coach TRINA HANSEN. "To put this season in words it was a phenomenal year -- any season with 20 wins is commendable. These girls have really turned Helix basketball around. "

DIANA LEASAU played on an ankle sprained against Patrick Henry three days previous in round one of the playoffs. Leasau's play was obviously inhibited.

"She hasn't practiced for two days but tonight she played aggressively and really overcame what could have been a huge obstacle," said Hansen.

"It was 32 minutes of good high school girls' basketball. It was a fun year and that makes a difference. We will lose seven seniors but we have a solid nucleus for next year."

One of the winningest boys' basketball coach of all-time, Helix' JOHN SINGER commented that this was one of the best girls' basketball games he's ever seen. Singer knows a little bit about the subject. He coached the Highlanders girls' team to a San Diego CIF Division 2A championship in 1980 with a perfect 28-0 record.

Helix scoring: Mele Leasau 16, Brittany Willliams 13 (6 assists, 5 rebs.), Diana Leasau 9, Racquel Primas 5 (5 assists), Sharika Thompson 4 (7 rebs.).

TORREY PINES 47, GRANITE HILLS 39 -- Shooting at a 21 percent clip doesn't lead to too many championships as the Granite Hills Eagles found out in Saturday's (Feb. 25) San Diego CIF Division I quarterfinals at Torrey Pines.

"We had two field goals in the first half -- terrible start," said a disappointed Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT.

Granite Hills (19-11) scored the first point of the night and then Torrey Pines scored 10 straight points to take control. The Falcons (23-6) led 22-10 by intermission and the Eagles were unable to find their offense.

"We made them look good," Rowlett said. "We got our shots, just didn't hit them. I mean we were getting good looks, just couldn't make any shots."

Senior JOY EDWARDS scored a game high 16 points for the Eagles. MOLLY HILLENBRAND added eight points, nine rebounds and three steals for Granite Hills.

"Overall, we beat most of the teams we were supposed to beat," Rowlett said. "There were some games that maybe we should have won that we didn't. This last game was very disappointing."

"If you're going to go out, you should at least do it with your 'A' game, not a 'C' or 'D' game."

Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 16, Marnesha Hall 9, Hillenbrand 8, Morgan Sabala 5, Madonna Najor 1.

RAMONA 68, GROSSMONT 41 -- Visiting teams that test the Bulldogs at Ramona are in for a memorable experience. Make that nightmare. These hometown fans are rabid and use their vocal cords to prove it.

The visiting Foothillers (22-9), who set a school record for victories, couldn't make a layup with a ladder as they were demolished by Ramona and London Houchin's 28 points. Houchin was one of three Bulldogs to roll a double-double.

A team built on its trapping defense, Grossmont was stone cold at the offensive end. The Foothillers shot a chilly 20 percent (14 for 70). The only Hiller shooter with respective numbers was LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST, who hit 8-of-18 -- four of them 3-pointers -- for a team-best 22 points. Her teammates were a forgettable 6-for-52 from the floor.

"We had open looks, but just couldn't make our shots," Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT said.

The Foothillers were also on the wrong end of a 28-14 foul count, which helped Ramona (22-6) gain an edge at the free throw line. The Bulldogs were 18-of-20 from the foul line. Grossmont made six of its 10 free throws.

"This last game cannot define our season," Jollett said. "We've had a great year and that's what we have to remember about this team."

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 22, Therese Riedel 6 (12 rebounds), Tina Rios 5, Shandise Rios 3, Kayannie Ward 3, Michelle Gonzalez 2.

MARIAN CATHOLIC 67, CHRISTIAN 48 -- Senior HEATHER MEIER scored 24 points -- half of them coming on four 3-point baskets -- for the Christian Patriots, but it wasn't near enough as host Marian Catholic (24-4) posted an easy victory in Saturday's (Feb. 25) San Diego CIF Division IV quarterfinals.

"We knew coming into this game that we needed to stop their transition and limit our turnovers," Christian coach CORI ESPELET said. "Well, we could not do either one. In addition, they shot extremely well from the field. In summary we got outplayed by a very good team."

The Crusaders broke the game open with a 18-4 run in the third quarter after leading only 32-27 by halftime.

Christian, undefeated champions of the Central League, finished the season 18-9.

"We hate to lose this group of seniors, they are dream players for any coach," Espelet said. "We'll miss them all."

Christian scoring: Meier 24, Holly Erickson 8, Katie Gerlek 7, Britni McCaskill 6, Sarah Seymour 3.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-23-06) -- Is there a point for the San Diego CIF Section to continue to operate expanded playoff brackets of 16 teams in many of its divisions, even though many of the participating ballclubs have little or no chance of even being competitive, never mind actually winning against far superior competition?

While those debates continue behind closed doors, there was little debate to determine which teams would capture many of Wednesday's (Feb. 22) opening-round games in the San Diego CIF girls basketball playoffs. Many contests ended earlier than normal when a running clock was enacted after margins exceeded 40 points -- the so-called "mercy rule" -- as several teams were blasted by the not-so-sweet sound of cannonballs.

GROSSMONT 63, EL CENTRO-SOUTHWEST 10 -- The Hillers placed their collective "Foots" on the throat of the Eagles early, carrying a shutout into the second quarter after mounting a 27-0 lead out of the gate. Southwest then hit a pair of shots, then Grossmont ran off 19 more points without an answer for a 46-5 halftime lead.

Like so many of Wednesday's (Feb. 22) games, this became ugly early. And it in no way resembled Grossmont's 55-46 victory over Southwest (16-12) back on Dec. 1.

The Foothillers' press was so dominating that Southwest was unable to advance the ball past the Grossmont free throw line for the opening three minutes, recording five turnovers and a long 3-point shot for an air-ball in an attempt to beat the shot clock.

"I took the press off after one quarter," Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT said after his Foothillers won a school-record 22nd decision and earned a trip to Ramona to face the third-seeded Bulldogs (21-6) in Saturday's (Feb. 25) quarterfinals.

In all, Grossmont collected 20 steals in the first half, including seven by MICHELLE GONZALEZ, who scored all 13 points of her points by the intermission, mostly on easy transition baskets. She also registered six assists by the break. Gonzalez finished with a team-best 10 steals and added a seventh assist in limited second half playing time.

Meanwhile, center THERESE RIEDEL scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half, while controlling the other end of the court with seven rebounds in the first period alone. Riedel led the Hillers with 14 rebounds.

Grossmont's scoring ace LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST put in just 11 points despite playing little more than half the game.

"One thing I really liked about this game was all of our girls played hard the whole night," Jollett said. "That's difficult to do when you are so far ahead like we were tonight."

Grossmont scoring: Therese Riedel 14, Gonzalez 13, Simon-West 11, Tina Rios 7, Kayannie Ward 7, Marcee Fitzpatrick 6, Phylicia Schultz 2, Lauren Krueger 2, Liz Riedel 1.

EL CAPITAN 87, SAN YSIDRO 25 -- Senior ALLISON DUFFY collected game-highs of 25 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots, while MORGAN CRAIG jump-started the Vaqueros attack by hitting 6-of-7 shots en route to a 19-point performance in another mercy rule blowout.

El Capitan (16-10) built leads of 29-5, 53-10 and 78-18 after each of the first three quarters before the running clock rule was enforced. The hosts inflicted much of its damage on defense, including 13 steals and 13 points by ASHLEY DUFFY.

"We showed we're ready and put it all together," said Ashley Duffy. "We played smart as a team, smart as individuals, and are gelling at the right time."

The development of the Vaqueros underclassmen took a turn to the positive at midseason, giving the team hopes to do better than their No. 4 seed in Division II and maintain hopes for a berth to the championship game for the third time in four years.

"We didn't expect a blowout like this," noted ASHLEY BUNCE, called one of the team's "stars of the future" by head coach JEFF GERKIN. "We were rebounding and really denying everything out there."

Bunce finished with six points, while three other Vaqueros -- JAMIE FERGUSON, CARAMIE HUNTINGTON and LISA WILKINS -- tallied eight points each. Craig, a senior, has now scored 62 points in her last three outings.

"The last 9 of 10 games -- and 6 in a row -- have been pretty strong games for us," said Gerkin. "We're peaking at the right time. There is good team chemistry; as Peter Pan said to Wendy â€˜Happy thoughts and pixie dust -- that's how to fly.'"

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 25, Morgan Craig 19, Ashley Duffy 13, Huntington 8, Ferguson 8, Wilkins 8, Bunce 6.

MOUNT MIGUEL 93, EL CAJON VALLEY 8 -- Three-time San Diego CIF Division II champion Mount Miguel executed the expected rout of El Cajon Valley in Wednesday's (Feb.22) playoff opener.

It was another no-doubter as the top-seeded Matadors (21-6) marched to leads of 22-2, 51-2 and 81-8 before the running clock came into play in the final quarter.

All five Mount Miguel starters reached double figures with PRECIOUS ROBINSON and JERICA WILLIAMS topping the list with 17 points apiece. Robinson added 11 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 steals. Williams tacked on 10 rebounds and 7 steals.

LASHAWN JOHNSON chucked in 16 points and MONIQUE CLAYTON popped in 13 points plus 7 steals and 9 assists, SHANICE HOWARD added 10 points,9 assists and 6 steals to Mount Miguel's hefty totals.

"Everybody played well -- we're just taking the necessary steps to be ready for the playoffs," said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

"My hat's off to Mount Miguel," said El Cajon Valley coach GLENN LEE. "I think Robbie is doing a great job. We knew going into the game that we were going to be outmatched, but we had some other issues with our team. We had a number of our girls come up ineligible. So we brought four girls up from JV and one from our practice squad."

"On the court tonight we had eight players who had never played varsity ball in their life," Lee said. "From a coaching aspect, they tried. They did their best... I saw a lot of heart tonight, a lot of great potential."

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 17, Williams 17, Lashawn Johnson 16, Monique Clayton 13, Shanice Howard 10, Tavasha Yarbrough 8, Rona Carino 6, Victoria Murphy 2, Branesha Johnson 2, Cindy Ekweozor 2.

HELIX 80, PATRICK HENRY 44 -- This was another playoff game decided in the first quarter as the Highlanders (21-7) vaulted to a 26-7 advantage in Wednesday's (Feb. 22) SDCIF Division II opening round of the playoffs.

BRITTANY WILLIAMS hit 9 of 14 shots -- two of them 3-pointers -- on her way to a 22-point finish.

MELE LEASAU also enjoyed a big shooting night, netting 8 of 13 shots from the field en route to a 19-point outing. She also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, blocked 4 shots and made 5 steals.

Williams scored 13 points in the first quarter burst and Mele Leasau knocked down 11 in the 2nd quarter as Helix secured a 42-22 halftime advantage.

"We played really good "D" in the first half and the 3rd quarter," Helix assistajnt coach WILLY HATHAWAY said. "(Henry) had a run in the 2nd quarter so we came out in the 3rd quarter and took control."

Helix, which won its 7th straight game, sent the Patriots packing with a 19-7 scoring spread in the pivotal third.

SHARIKA THOMPSON, a defensive dynamo, rang up a career-high 15 points for the Highlanders.

Helix scoring: Williams 22, Mele Leasau 19, Thompson 15, Diana Leasau 10, Mallerie Brown 4, Racquel Primas 2, Tempy Glenn 2, Adriana Horner 2, Vicky Winston 2, Liz Caldwell 1.

GRANITE HILLS 53, FALLBROOK 42 -- Shooting hasn't been the Eagles' strong suite for several years. Defense, though, has been a Granite Hills staple.

The Eagles (18-11) got the best of both worlds in Wednesday's (Feb. 22) first round of the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs as they defeated visiting Fallbrook (17-11).

"This was a sweet win for our seniors, who were freshmen on JV the last time we won a playoff game," Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT said.

Granite Hills, which jumped on top 22-8, was in control throughout as the Eagles earned a quarterfinal showdown Saturday (Feb. 25) at Torrey Pines (22-6).

Not known for their shooting ability, the Eagles shot 62 percent from the field in the opening quarter, which ended with Granite Hills leading 19-7.

MORGAN SABALA led the Eagles with 16 points, while MARNESHA HALL added 15 points,7 rebounds and 5 assists.

"What were we up, 20 points with two minutes left?" Rowlett queried. "We were in control."

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 16, Hall 15, Molly Hillenbrand 10, Joy Edwards 7, Amy Sylvester 5.

CHRISTIAN 59, CALIPATRIA 10 -- Another no-contest endeavor at the San Diego CIF Division IV level, as host Christian swatted the Hornets from Imperial Valley in Wednesday's (Feb. 22) first round of playoff activity.

"Tonight's game was a good opportunity for getting our younger players some playing time and giving them more experience in varsity competition," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET, whose Patriots led 51-10 after three quarters.

Nine Patriots pitched in points as Christian (18-8) advances to Saturday's (Feb. 25) quarterfinal at against the 4th-seeded Crusaders (23-4) at Marian Catholic at 7 p.m.

"I just want to recognize Coach (Martin) Gaines and thank him and his girls for coming all the way here and playing us. They had a long drive and we want to thank him for making the trip," Espelet said of the 7-16 Hornets.

Christian scoring: Britni McCaskill 17, Sarah Seymour 12, Katie Gerlek 10, Jessie Ekard 7, Holly Erickson 4, Heather DePriest 3, Heather Meier 2, Kelsey DePriest 2, Rachel Criswell 2.

SCRIPPS RANCH 59, STEELE CANYON 43 -- Bad news hit the Cougars only hours prior to Wednesday's (Feb. 22) opening tip of Steele Canyon's first ever playoff game at Scripps Ranch.

""It was a long, emotional day," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "I wasn't sure I'd be at the game, my grandmother passed away this afternoon.

But after saying my good-byes I know she would have wanted me to be at the game."

Quinones took his coaching stance and his Cougars, decisive underdogs in the eyes of most experts, made a game of it despite a slow start.

The Falcons (20-8) posted their sixth straight win as they flew out to a 24-12 advantage after one quarter and led 38-21 at the half. The Cougars (14-14) fought back in the 3rd quarter to cut the margin to 8 points. The Steelers did not have enough mettle to carry on the momentum during the final eight minutes.

Six-foot-3 sophomore KELLY HANSEN was once again Steele Canyon's main attraction, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. TINA MERLINO also grabbed 11 rebounds and added 8 points to the Cougars' best season in four years.

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 22, Merlino 8, Celeste Martins 6, Hayley Johnston 3, Samantha Beasley 2, Alexis Robinson 2.

WESTVIEW 50, WEST HILLS 30 -- The bottom fell out of the West Hills offense as the Wolf Pack was knocked out early in Wednesday's (Feb. 22) opening round of the SDCIF Division II playoffs at Westview.

"We got spanked by a good team," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI.

The Wolverines (20-8) stepped out to an 11-6 lead in the 1st quarter and then pulled away to a 29-8 bulge by halftime.

MEGAN EHMKE was West Hills' leader with 9 points and 10 rebounds. MUAAU NADERHOFF also had 9 points, while DALIA GHANDOUR pitched in five assists the Wolf Pack (12-16).

West Hills scoring: Ehmke 9, Naderhoff 9, Ghandour 4, Leilani Yawn 4, Ilda Llamas 4.

East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (2-19-06) -- Since the CIF-San Diego Section expanded its playoff format a few years ago, it comes as no surprise that 10 of East County's 12 girls basketball teams advanced to the postseason, including a pair of top seeds in Mount Miguel and Santana.

The two-time defending Division II titlist from Mount Miguel saw its 2-1/2 year winning streak against San Diego County opposition snapped, but the season-long leader in the county rankings until last week still easily claimed the top spot over Mt. Carmel.

The Matadors will host No. 16-seed El Cajon Valley when all first round action gets underway Wednesday (Feb. 22) at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, Santana drew the top spot in Division III, but with a smaller field of just 12 schools, the Sultans gained an opening-round bye, and will host the winner between Mission Bay at San Marcos on Saturday (Feb. 25).

Helix, which defeated the Matadors two weeks ago, was positioned as the No. 2 seed in Division I, with top-ranked San Diego gaining the top seed. The Highlanders will host nearby Patrick Henry in Round One on Wednesday (Feb. 22).

Other East County schools gaining home games include: No. 4 El Capitan against San Ysidro in Div. II; No. 5 Granite Hills hosting Fallbrook in Div. I; No. 5 Christian entertaining Calipatria in Div. IV; and No. 6 Grossmont welcoming El Centro-Southwest.

Local teams opening on the road include a pair of Div. II schools, as West Hills goes to No. 5 Westview, while Steele Canyon plays its first-ever CIF contest at No. 8 Scripps Ranch.

The semifinals are slated for Mar. 1, then the finals are slated for either Mar. 3 or 4 (depending on division) at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (2-18-06) -- Not many teams appear to be more prepared for the San Diego CIF playoffs than the Helix Highlanders. Energized by an 18-2 first quarter start in Friday's (Feb.17) Grossmont South League finale, the Highlanders spiked host Steele Canyon 65-32 for their sixth straight win.

Senior DIANA LEASAU hit 10 of 14 shots on her way to a game high 22 points and 7 steals for the Highlanders, who outscored the Cougars in all four quarters. MELE LEASAU rolled a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. She also had five assists and thresteals to go with a pair of blocks.

"We played really good in the first quarter, pressed them," said Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. "We were really pleased with how our kids have been playing. We've got a roll going here. Everybody is playing good team defense. Beating Granite Hills and Steele Canyon so we could secure second place in league was something we wanted to do. It was a good season for Helix."

Not that the Highlanders are satisfied just yet. Knowing that they were able to beat perennial powerhouse Mount Miguel has to give Helix hopes of making waves in the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

"Helix's focus was to keep KELLY HANSEN contained and they did a good job of it," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES said. The 6-3 Hansen finished with a subpar 2 points and 6 rebounds.

Steele Canyon (14-13, 3-7 GSL) is in line to make its appearance in postseason play.

"If we do make the playoffs, I hope we get off the funk we've been on," Quinones said. "CELESTE (MARTINS) got hit above the eyebrow in the second quarter and required stitches."

Despite her abbreviated play, Martins managed 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks along with 3 points.

"You have to give her credit," Quinones said . "She's a warrior. I know a couple of stitches won't keep her out of the playoffs."

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 22, Mele Leasau 11, Brittany Williams 8, Racquel Primas 6, Jazlyn Afusia 6, Sinoi Leasau 3, Adriana Horner 3, Vicky Winston 2, Sharika Thompson 2, Liz Caldwell 1, Sarah Fairweather 1.

Steele Canyon scoring: Merlino 9, Xanning Tyler 5, Alexis Robinson 4, Briana Eiter 4, Hayley Johnston 3, Martins 3, Kelly Hansen 2, Amanda Rice 2.

EL CAPITAN 63, WEST HILLS 39 -- Grossmont North League champion El Capitan used a 25-point second quarter scoring spree to break open a close game and continued on to an easy victory in Friday's (Feb. 17) regular season finale.

Senior ALLISON DUFFY scored 36 points on 12 of 18 shooting while gathering 15 rebounds in leading El Capitan (15-10,7-1 GNL) to the victory.

MEAGAN EHMKE punched in 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead West Hills (12-15, 2-6 GNL), while Wolf Pack teammate MUAAU NADERHOFF had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

"We just turned the ball around too much, didn't hit the free throws (4-10 in the first half)," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "If we had made our free throws in the first quarter (1-6) we would have been okay."

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 36, Morgan Craig 13, Ashley Duffy 5, Caramie Huntington 3, Lisa Wilkins 2, Pitman 2, Ashley Bunce 2.

West Hills scoring: Ehmke 14, Naderhoff 10, Dalia Ghandour 4, Leilani Yawn 3, Ilda Llamas 2, Kylee Krings 2, Rebecca Jones 2, Ashley Alderton 2.

GRANITE HILLS 49, MONTE VISTA 19 -- The Eagles (17-11,7-3 GSL) turned in their finest defensive effort of the season as they stuffed the visiting Monarchs in Friday's (Feb.17) Grossmont South League finale for both teams.

MARNESHA HALL hit 7 of 10 shots to lead the Eagles with 14 points, while ASHLEY MILLER rolled a dozen to pace the Monarchs.

Granite Hills senior MADONNA NAJOR was the queen of the backboards with 12 rebounds and 4 steals.

MORGAN SABALA added 11 points, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 boards for the Eagles, who led Monte Vista 44-13 after three quarters.

Despite the discrepancy in records, both teams have a shot at making the San Diego CIF playoffs. Granite Hills is a lock in Division I, while Monte Vista (8-20, 3-7 GSL) has a shot at qualifying in Division II.

Granite Hills scoring: Hall 14, Sabala 11, Molly Hillenbrand 8, Joy Edwards 7, Madonna Najor 5, Kylee Wilson 2, Aulani Delker 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 12, Britney Small 4, Victoria Richmond 2, Rachel Finks 1.

CHRISTIAN 69, HOOVER 22 -- It took one period to prove Christian's dominance as Central League champion in Friday's (Feb. 17) finale against hapless Hoover at the Ryan Athletic Center.

The Patriots (17-8,10-0 CNL) led 27-3 after eight minutes and then breezed the rest of the way to the easy victory.

"Tonight was an emotional night," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "It was the last regular season game for our four seniors: BRITNI McCASKILL, HOLLY ERICKSON, HEATHER MEIER, and HEATHER DEPRIEST. They all had a great game as well. The girls carried the good executions that we had against Coronado into tonights' game. They took great care of the ball (no turnovers in the first quarter, 2 at the half), and shot good percentage shots.

"I just want to take a minute and mention the four seniors that are graduating this year; they have been awesome to coach. They are all great, both inside and outside the court and they are going to be extremely missed."

Christian scoring: McCaskill 22, Erickson 18, DePriest 14, Meier 6, Katie Gerlek 5, Sarah Seymour 4.

MOUNT MIGUEL 76, VALHALLA 7 -- For the second time this season the Grossmont South League champion Matadors (20-6, 9-1 GSL) held an opponent to single digits in Friday's (Feb.17) regular season finale.

JERICA WILLIAMS scored a season high 26 points to lead the Matadors to their 55th win in 56 league games over the past six seasons.

PRECIOUS ROBINSON produced a powerful double-double of 15 points and 20 rebounds for Mount Miguel, which led 44-13 after three periods.

Only three Valhalla players reached the scoring column as the Norsemen concluded a 5-22 campaign.

"It was the end of a long season," sighed Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "The girls are tired."

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 26, Robinson 15, Lashawn Johnson 9, Tavasha Yarbrough 8, Shanice Howard 7, Monique Clayton 5, Danesia Williamson 4, Victoria Murphy 2.

GROSSMONT 61, EL CAJON VALLEY 19 -- LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST scored 22 points as Grossmont won a school record 21st game in Friday's (Feb.17) Grossmont North League finale.

The Foothillers (21-8, 5-3 GNL) led 37-8 at halftime and then waltzed to their record victory.

"We created 35 turnovers," said Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT. "It was a good Senior Night for LIZ RIEDEL -- she played the majority of the game. She's been great, works hard and has a lot of maturity. I was happy that she went out (graduates) on a winning game."

"Michelle had a good night," Jollett said. "She broke El Cajon Valley's press pretty easily."

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 22, Gonzalez 11, Tina Rios 8, Liz Riedel 7, Therese Riedel 7, Marcee Fitzpatrick 4, Phylicia Schultz 2, Kayannie Ward 2.

El Cajon Valley: Kim Vasquez 6, Marissa Martinez 4, Mercy Ledezma 3, Veronica Tamai 3, Sheraina Moon 2, Jeanette Woods 1.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (2-15-06) -- Two months ago, the path El Capitan utilized to reach its third consecutive Grossmont North League championship was inconceivable.

"If I shot the ball, I would get taken out of the game," recalled Vaqueros senior MORGAN CRAIG. "Now things are a lot better and everybody gets along."

After scoring just a handful of points early in the season, Craig has turned into the extra scorer needed to revitalize a team which was .500 over the opening six weeks of the season. Craig posted a career-high 23 points (43 in her last two games), while ASHLEY DUFFY keyed the defense with 10 steals and five rebounds, lifting El Capitan to a 64-60 decision over archrival Santana.

"I had bad dreams about this game," admitted Craig. "But everyone pulled together and worked hard -- and we did it for MALLORIE (MONTGOMERY)."

Montgomery, who severely injured a knee in the teams' first league contest, noted she will have surgery in June. Despite comments to the contrary, Montgomery noted, "There was no intention" by any Santana player to injure her.

However, the intensity was still there, as El Capitan knew full well that the Sultans would not roll over. Even after the Vaqueros mounted a 52-34 lead moments into the fourth quarter, Santana charged back to trim the deficit to two points.

JORDAN FRANEY keyed the late comeback, scoring 10 of her game-high 31 points in the fourth period. Included were seven straight points after she collected her fourth foul, as Franey took a feed from KELSEY ASH for a layin, then DANIELLE BALOUGH stole the ball and passed to Franey for another layin.

The UC Santa Barbara bound senior drained a 3-ball on the next possession, then ASHLEY BAKER drained a trey, cutting El Cap's lead down to 57-53 with 2:41 left. And when Franey's inbounds pass went to SHAE BASS for a layin, the Sultans moved into position to steal the game with 1:18 remaining.

"But we kept our cool and played with heart," noted Duffy, who also added seven assists. "There was a lot of confidence on our team -- we didn't play scared."

Unlike the first meeting in league, when the Sultans went on a 19-0 run to pull out the victory, the Vaqueros were able to halt the 20-3 run by turning the defense back on, despite losing both San Diego State bound center ALLISON DUFFY and guard LISA WILKINS to fouls.

A half-court trap forced several turnovers, as the Sultans lost the ball an astounding 35 times. Ashley Duffy finished with 10 of El Cap's 23 steals, easily offsetting Santana's 40-24 rebounding advantage.

"It was just a big team effort, especially with three seniors out," added Ashley Duffy, noting the loss of two players to fouls, plus Montgomery's absence. "We really had to pull together and we really talked on defense. That helped us overcome a lot of adversity."

El Capitan used 26 points in the third period to stretch its lead, sinking 12-of-14 shots (86 percent), finishing 24-of-47 from the floor to make-up for a near disastrous 9-for-21 effort from the foul line, including making just four of the final 13 attempts in the final five minutes.

Bass finished with a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists, Baker scored six, while Ash and Balough posted five points each.

El Capitan (14-10 overall, 6-1 GNL), winners in seven of its last eight outings, need only to defeat West Hills in Friday's (Feb.17) regular-season finale to claim the North flag outright.

Santana (17-9, 6-2) ends the schedule with a bye, thus needs an upset victory by the Wolf Pack to avoid not gaining at least a share of the title for the second straight season after claiming titles in 19 of 21 seasons.

El Capitan scoring: Craig 23, Al. Duffy 20, Caramie Huntington 7, As. Duffy 6, Wilkins 5, Jamie Ferguson 3.

Santana scoring: Franey 31, Bass 11, Baker 6, Ash 5, Balough 5, Shannon Bailey 2.

CHRISTIAN 72, CORONADO 46 -- The Patriots clinched the Central League championship with an easy win over host Coronado in Tuesday's (Feb. 14) action.

Four Patriots -- KATIE GERLEK (19 points), HOLLY ERICKSON (18 points) BRITNI McCASKILL (15 points) and HEATHER MEIER (12 points) -- reached double figures for Christian (16-8, 9-0 CNL).

"It took us 23 games, but we finally were able to put a good game out there," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "I was proud of the girls tonight, they came ready to play and they executed great. We were extremely patient on offense and waited for good shots, and that increased our shooting percentage. On defense, we tried to keep a high intensity and succeeded for most of the game. I was proud also of the way the girls took care of the ball, especially in the first half where we only had 4 turnovers."

"Individually I want to recognize Britni McCaskill," said her coach. "She is always assigned to guard the other team's best player. She did a great job today, keeping the intensity for the entire game, and that set the tone for our team defense. On offense Britni also helped by adding 15 points. Holly Erickson had 18, Heather Meier had 12 and Katie Gerlek led all scorers with 19 points, and all three dominated the glass."

"We have our senior night at home this Friday, where we hope to celebrate our Central League title with a victory against Hoover."

Christian scoring: Katie Gerlek 19, Holly Erickson 18, Britni McCaskill 15, Heather Meier 12, Jessie Ekard 3, Heather DePriest 3, Sarah Seymour 2.

HELIX 61, GRANITE HILLS 27 -- The Highlanders are making a stand that they are the top basketball team in East County and maybe the whole county.

BRITTANY WILLIAMS peppered in 21 points, created 8 steals, grabbed 6 rebounds, dished 5 assists and blocked 2 shots to spark the Highlanders (19-7, 7-2 GSL) to their 5th straight win.

DIANA LEASAU added 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, while MELE LEASAU punched in 10 points and snagged 6 rebounds.

SHARIKA THOMPSON added 10 points, but it was her defensive prowess that impressed Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT.

"A lot of people believe the measure of a player's ability is by how many points she scores," Rowlett said. "You don't have to be a scorer to contribute. Sharika is a perfect example. She doesn't have to score to dominate a game. She is one of the best athletes in our league, just because she is so good on the defensive end."

"We played a good team game tonight, moved the ball well," said Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. "Sharika was on (MORGAN) SABALA and held her to one field goal."

That's quite a contrast considering Sabala burned the Highlanders for 31 points in the previous meeting between these two teams.

MARNESHA HALL canned 4-of-13 shots for a team-high nine points for Granite Hills.

Helix scoring: Brittany Williams 21, Diana Leasau 11, Mele Leasau 10, Sharika Thompson 10, Racquel Primas 7, Tempy Glenn 2.

Granite Hills scoring: Marnesha Hall 9, Joy Edwards 7, Morgan Sabala 4, Molly Hillenbrand 4, Amy Sylvester 3.

STEELE CANYON 55, VALHALLA 40 -- Senior CELESTE MARTINS, who in recent weeks has been content to making scoring passes to her teammates, reared up and took the offense into her hands as the Cougars vanquished Valhalla in Tuesday's (Feb. 14) Grossmont South League action.

Martins matched her career scoring high with 21 points and added eight rebounds, four assists and 4 steals to lead the Cougars (14-12, 3-6 GSL) past Valhalla (5-21, 0-9 GSL).

"Celeste had a nice night -- her (7 of 9) free throws were hot," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES said. "I hate to lose her; she's been a good leader for all four years. She holds 15 school records and will be deeply missed."

Steele Canyon outscored Valhalla in every quarter, as KELLY HANSEN rolled her 11th double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. TINA MERLINO added a dozen points and 6 rebounds for the Cougars.

Junior BREE MARTIN was a standup player for Valhalla, completing her 16th double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Eight of Martin's points came from her 10 free throw attempts.

"I was pleased with Bree's efforts tonight," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "She played much better defense on Kelly Hansen this time around.

"Kelly is one of the best post players we have had in this league in a while. We respect her game and tried to limit the amount of clear shots to the basket."

Steele Canyon scoring: Martins 21, Merlino 12, Hansen 12, Hayley Johnston 3, Alexis Robinson 2, Xanning Tyler 2, Briana Eiter 2, Samantha Beasley 1.

Valhalla scoring: Martin 10, Sarah Laine 7, Elicia White 7, Emily Roberts 6, Lena Allos 4, Kelsey McClain 4, Jessica Applebaum 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 76, MONTE VISTA 31 -- After seeing their lengthy Grossmont South League streak snapped last week, the Matadors (19-6, 8-1 GSL) clinched a tie for their sixth straight loop title with Tuesday's (Feb.14) victory over host Monte Vista.

The most impressive part of this Mount Miguel win was the Matadors did it without the services of 6-foot junior pivot PRECIOUS ROBINSON, who was ill and did not play.

Good thing senior JERICA WILLIAMS broke out of a week-long slump, knocking down a team high 20 points to go along with 7 steals. Her total matched the surprising scoring spree of freshman DANESIA WILLIAMSON, who rang up a career high 20 points.

"We're just trying to get back on track -- trying to get our swagger back," said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

LASHAWN JOHNSON led Mount Miguel's board brigade with 10 rebounds, while VICTORIA MURPHY pilfered a career-high 10 passes.

BRITNEY SMALL led Monte Vista (8-19, 3-6 GSL) with 12 points, which is something to note considering the Monarchs totaled only 9 points in their first meeting with Mount Miguel. Small also nabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.

"It was Senior night, so emotions were high," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We started the game aggressive and with energy. It was the first game vs. Mount Miguel in four seasons that I was proud of how we played. We needed another player that could dribble against their aggressive defense, and with ASHLEY MILLER throwing up (sick) for most of the first 3 quarters, that hurt. My seniors... Ashley, Britney (SMALL), Johnae (JACKSON), Te (ROBINSON), and Karisa (ARCHER)...all put an awesome effort tonight. I am very proud to have coached not only these student-athletes, but these amazing young women."

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 20, Williamson 20, Shanice Howard 10, Tavasha Yarbrough 9, Lashawn Johnson 8, Monique Clayton 6, Victoria Murphy 3.

Monte Vista scoring: Small 12, Victoria Richmond 6, Ashley Miller 6, Karisa Archer 3, Rachel Finks 2, Tiearea Robinson 2.

WEST HILLS 71, EL CAJON VALLEY 40 -- Playoff hopeful West Hills sprinted out to a 15-4 first quarter lead Tuesday (Feb.14) and continued on for an easy Grossmont North League win at El Cajon Valley.

MUAAU NADERHOFF rolled a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Pack. MEGAN EHMKE followed suit with 14 points,10 rebounds and 5 blocks, while DALIA GHANDOUR qualified for an unofficial double deuce of 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

VERONICA TAMAI (14 points) and KIM VASQUEZ (10) were the scoring leaders for El Cajon Valley (7-19, 0-7 GNL).

According to assistant West Hills coach and long-time friend SIG CHABROWSKI, this was the 99th victory for head coach CARLOS MOSS.

West Hills scoring: Muaau Naderhoff 20, Megan Ehmke 14, Rebecca Jones 11, Ilda Llamas 9, Dalia Ghandour 7, Ashley Alderton 6, Leilani Yawn 2, Kylee Krings 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Veronica Tamai 14, Kim Vasquez 10, Taniya Patros 6, Mercy Ledezma 4, Sheraina Moon 2, Bianca Lewis 2, Tatiana Jackson 2.

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (2-11-06) -- Are the Mount Miguel Matadors as good as their lofty No. 1 ranking?

Some might question the Matadors' worthiness after the last two games, which includes Friday's (Feb.10) narrow 40-38 Grossmont South League win over visiting Granite Hills. Three days earlier, the Matadors were knocked out by Helix, which surely will relieve Mount Miguel of its long-standing top ranking in the San Diego CIF poll.

Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL was so frustrated from the Matadors last two games that he planned on making a few one-on-one discussions with his key players on Saturday (Feb. 11).

Other than that, Sandoval had nothing to say about Mount Miguel's latest sputter.

Granite Hills led 32-30 at the end of the 3rd quarter, but the Matadors (18-6, 7-1 GSL) scrambled back in front.

Trailing by two with less than a minute to play, the Eagles (16-10, 6-2 GSL) watched as Mount Miguel missed the front end of three one-and-ones. The Eagles even had a clear, high percentage 3-point shot that would have given Granite Hills the lead. But the effort of scoring ace MORGAN SABALA bounced off the front lip of the rim with 8 seconds left.

"She took a good shot, but she just couldn't knock it down," said Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT, who was excited by his team's effort.

SHANICE HOWARD was the only Matador to reach double scoring digits with 11 points. PRECIOUS ROBINSON had 8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for Mount Miguel, while LASHAWN JOHNSON added 8 points and 7 rebounds.

UCLA-bound senior JERICA WILLIAMS failed to make a basket, finishing with 3 points and has scored just 5 points over her last two games.

The only comment Sandoval had about Williams' slump was that she wasn't injured.

JOY EDWARDS led Granite Hills with 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor. Sabala finished with 10 points and MOLLY HILLENBRAND bagged a team best seven rebounds.

"Edwards did well tonight, everybody did well," Rowlett said. "We played well enough tonight to win. Now we have to get ready for another tough stretch, against Helix on Tuesday (Feb. 14)."

Mount Miguel scoring: Howard 11, Johnson 8, Robinson 8, Victoria Murphy 4, Williams 3, Danesia Williamson 2, Monique Clayton 2, Tavasha Yarbrough 2.

Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 19, Sabala 10, Hillenbrand 4, Amy Sylvester 3, Marnesha Hall 2.

EL CAPITAN 61, GROSSMONT 36 -- Throughout the majority of her basketball career, El Capitan senior MORGAN CRAIG has been told not to shoot. That her role in the Vaqueros scheme was to pass the ball and play defense.

After continuing to play a stealth role through the first month of the season, Craig is beginning to prove her mettle on the offensive side. Craig scored a career high 20 points as the Vaqueros riddled visiting Grossmont in Friday's (Feb.10) showdown between Grossmont North League contenders.

Craig connected on 8 of 18 shots from the field -- both inside and outside -- and would have had more had she not missed six of nine free throws. Shooting aside, Craig did grab 8 rebounds, dish 4 assists and made 2 steals.

Another El Capitan senior guard, LISA WILKINS, had a fine shooting night, hitting 5-of-7 shots for10 points.

"We are beginning to peak at the right time," said El Capitan coach JEFF GERKIN, who has seen his Vaqueros outscore their last three league foes, 196-76. "This was Senior Night for our girls, and I thought our seniors lived up to all of that."

"Lisa doesn't get a lot of credit," Gerkin said. "But she put an exclamation point on her final home game as a senior."

This was a close game for the majority of the first half, although both teams were racking up turnovers at a rapid pace. THERESE RIEDEL sank a pair of free throws to pull the Foothillers (20-8, 4-3 GNL) to within 22-19 with 1:23 left in the first half.

After that, Grossmont went on a scoring strike. The Foothillers, who were 10-point losers to El Capitan in the first round, watched the Vaqueros use an 18-2 scoring spree in the third quarter to turn an 8-point lead into a 23-point advantage after three.

El Capitan senior star ALLISON DUFFY, who has been sick for the past couple of days, showed up long enough to score 10 points, grab 16 rebounds, block five shots and log eight steals.

Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY posted a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. She also made seven of El Capitan's 19 steals, which were part of Grossmont's 35 turnovers.

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST hit 7 of 19 shots to finish with 16 points to lead Grossmont.

El Capitan scoring: Craig 20, Ashley Duffy 11, Allison Duffy 10, Wilkins 10, Caramie Huntington 6, Liana Pitman2, Ashley Bunce 2.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 16, Therese Riedel 8 (17 rebounds), Michelle Gonzalez 8, Liz Riedel 4.

MONTE VISTA 50, STEELE CANYON 34 -- The unpredictable Monarchs of Monte Vista smacked Steele Canyon in Friday's (Feb.10) Grossmont South League action.

"Our focus tonight was defense and playing as a team. Defense won this game for us," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We had 15 steals with ASHLEY MILLER leading with 7 and VICTORIA RICHMOND with 3."

Monte Vista (8-18,3-5 GSL) used a 15-3 second quarter adv advantage thatg proved to be the key to the Monarchs' victory.

"Offensively everyone was aggressive," Wright said. "Miller and RACHEL FINKS both had 5 assists. It was nice to spread the scoring. We need to have four players scoring in double figures every game."

Despite playing on a bad knee against a giant Steele Canyon front line, Monte Vista's JOHNAE JACKSON crashed the boards for 10 rebounds.

The bottom line for the Monarchs is Richmond netted 13 points, while BRITNEY SMALL and Richmond pitched in 10 apiece.

"It was crunch time for us and tonight all 11 players came to play," Wright said.

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 13, Richmond 10, Finks 10, Small 10, Jackson 4, Karisa Archer 2, Stacey Leavitt 1.

Steele Canyon scoring: Kelly Hansen 7, Xanning Tyler 6, Samantha Beasley 4, Alexis Robinson 4, Tina Merlino 4, Briana Eiter 4, Hayley Johnston 2, Matzenaur 1, Celeste Martins 1, Belinda Pickens 1. NO STATISTICS WERE REPORTED by STEELE CANYON.

SANTANA 61, WEST HILLS 27 -- A 24-6 first-quarter flurry in Friday's (Feb.10) Santee rivalry game launched the Sultans to an easy Grossmont North League win on Friday night (Feb.10).

JORDAN FRANEY hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 of her game-best 27 points in the first half as Santana (17-8, 6-1 GNL) gained a 41-17 halftime bulge.

"Franey was awesome tonight, she played inspired," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY of his UC Santa Barbara-bound senior, who collected 16 rebounds. "She was getting way off the ground for rebounds -- she was going after rebounds and took rebounds from people that she had no business getting. We all played inspired. This was Franey's second best game of the year."

Santana, which needs a win over El Capitan on Tuesday (Feb.14) to give Vickery his 20th league title in 26 seasons, also received stout play from junior ASHLEY BAKER (6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists).

"Ashley played great defense tonight," Vickery said. "She played really tough. We need that from her. LORENA BERNAL is our hardest working player; she plays good defense -- does some good defensive things for us."

Santana scoring: Franey 27, Shannon Bailey 7, Shae Bass 6, Ashley Baker 6, Nicole Brzeczek 4, Kelsey Ash 4, Danielle Balough 3, Jamie Elias 2, Lorena Bernal 2.

West Hills scoring: Dalia Ghandour 6, Ashley Alderton 6, Muaau Naderhoff 6, Megan Ehmke 4, Kylee Krings 3, Leilani Yawn 2.

CHRISTIAN 49, CRAWFORD 39 -- The visiting Patriots had to be stunned when host Crawford stormed out of the gates to a 13-5 first-quarter lead in Friday's (Feb. 10) Central League game.

"Crawford came out playing with a lot of intensity," admitted Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "They shot extremely well from the field. In the second quarter we were rushing too much, trying to cut the lead and made too many mistakes and missed too many easy shots."

"We had to wait until the second half to recuperate the lead and sustain it through the rest of the game," Espelet said. "I have to give credit to Crawford because they executed their offense extremely well and played a good defense. From our end, this was a good lesson that we need to come ready to play every night."

Season long Christian has failed to take advantage of 6-3 KATIE GERLEK, who towers over the majority of the Patriots opponents. For one of the few times, Pats passers did put the ball in Gerlek's hands and she delivered 13 points and 13 rebounds.

"Britni played extremely hard tonight, and thanks to her we won the game," Espelet said.

Point guard JESSIE EKARD hit three critical 3-pointers to help Christian remain unbeaten in league play.

Christian scoring: Gerlek 13, McCaskill 11, Ekard 10, Holly Erickson 6, Heather Meier 5, Heather DePriest 4.

HELIX 72, VALHALLA 29 -- The Highlanders won their fourth straight -- crushing Valhalla -- to remain tied with Granite Hills for second place, one game behind first place Mount Miguel in the Grossmont South League.

DIANA LEASAU laid down 15 points and 9 rebounds to pace the Highlanders (18-7, 6-2 GSL) to the lopsided win over visiting Valhalla (5-20, 0-8 GSL).

BRITTANY WILLIAMS added a double-double of 14 points and 10 steals for the Highlanders (18-7, 6-2 GSL), who are only one game behind weakening leader Mount Miguel in the Grossmont South chase.

RACQUEL PRIMAS hit five of six shots from the field to add 11 points and 6 assists for Helix.

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 15, Williams 14, Mele Leasau 12 (8 rebounds), Primas 11, Adriana Horner 7, Sharika Thompson 4 (8 rebounds), Sinoi Leasau 4, Mallerie Brown 2, Jazlyn Afusia 2, Liz Caldwell 2.

Valhalla scoring: Sarah Laine 6 (5 rebs), Emily Roberts 5, Elicia White 2 (6 rebs), Lena Allos 4, Kelsey McClain 4, Bree Martin 4 (6 rebs), Kayla Houston 4 (3 steals).

Grossmont nips Sultans for first time since February 1990
Helix snaps No. 1 Mount Miguel's lengthy win streak

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-8-06) -- The Grossmont Foothillers were comfortable in the fact they would establish the single-season school record for victories. To tie the mark (20) against longtime Grossmont North League power Santana -- priceless.

"I'm just taking in all the excitement," exclaimed Hillers center THERESE RIEDEL. "The team has come together. We knew what we needed to do and we delivered."

Reidel scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST scored five of her game-high 27 points during overtime Tuesday (Feb. 7), as Grossmont avenged an earlier 1-point loss to nip the visiting Sultans, 56-55.

Records for such achievements are scarce for girls basketball, which was granted interscholastic status in 1972. But those who follow Grossmont basketball believe this was the Foothillers' first victory over Santana snce 1990 when current Grossmont boys basketball coach FRANK FOGGIANO was guiding the girls program.

"I thought we'd be in it, although Santana is always a tough team," noted Simon-West. "But we played well on defense and got the boards."

Santana never led during regulation time, quickly falling behind 9-0, with the margin ballooning to 12 points. However, JORDAN FRANEY drained a 12-foot jumper with 16 seconds remaining to finally draw the Sultans even at 48-all for the first time since the opening tip-off.

Franey then took a feed from DANIELLE BALOUGH for a layin while being fouled, giving Santana its lone lead at 53-50 with 2:13 remaining. But that's when Simon-West took over.

The junior grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the putback, then stole the ball at midcourt to start the fastbreak, leading to a foul and a tied contest at 53-all on a free throw by MICHELLE GONZALEZ with 1:36 left.

Santana's SHANNON BAILEY, who scored all of her four points in overtime, added a pair of free throws, but none of the Sultans' final three shots would fall to allow Grossmont to snap its long losing streak to the perennial league champions.

"It shouldn't have come down to overtime, but Santana deserved to come back," added Simon-West. "But we frustrated them with our press and stole the ball all game."

Gonzalez paced the theft parade with seven steals (and 13 points), as Santana turned the ball over 24 times, allowing the Hillers to take 17 additional shots.

"It was our 'Bearcat' press," noted Riedel. "We gave it our all and it paid off on defense."

Despite the loss, Santana, which was led by Franey's 22 points, remains atop the Grossmont North League standings, Â½-game ahead of El Capitan and one game in front of upstart Grossmont (20-7, 4-2 GNL).

The Foothillers' victory count ties the record set by Grossmont's 2002-03 team, which finished 20-10.

"To tie our school record for wins by beating Santana -- it can't get any sweeter than that," said Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT.

To break that mark with a win over El Capitan on Friday (Feb.10) in Lakeside, well . . . Perhaps a Grossmont North League championship?

Fast Fact -- The Foothillers' previous victory over the Sultans occurred on Feb. 13, 1990, when state scoring leader CHRISTINA ADAMS completed a 39-point performance by sinking two foul shots with six seconds remaining in a 56-54 decision at Grossmont. The contest was the first for Santana after clinching the Grossmont 2A League title the previous week.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 27, Gonzalez 13, Therese Riedel 10, Kayannie Ward 3, Tina Rios 3.

Santana scoring: Franey 22, Nicole Brzeczek 11, Shae Bass 8, Balough 6, Kelsey Ash 4, Bailey 4.

HELIX 37, MOUNT MIGUEL 34 -- Talk about a blockbuster victory -- the host Highlanders of Helix jumped out to a 13-4 first quarter lead over the kingpins of the Grossmont South League on Tuesday (Feb. 7) and marched on to a three-point victory, snapping Mount Miguel's six-year league winning streak at 52.

"It's a little surreal right now," said an ecstatic Helix coach TRINA HANSEN. "We controlled the flow of the game, stayed cool, calm and confident. We took care of the basketball."

"What a compliment to Mount Miguel; they have done an amazing feat with so many league wins in all those years. I can't take a thing away from them," the second-year Highlanders head coach said.

"It was a great win for our program tonight," she added. "I'm so happy for the girls -- they deserve it. They have spent hours of sacrifice and time. The parents, fans and teaching staff are so happy -- to think that the girls handled themselves so well -- very tough, very classy."

Mount Miguel (17-6, 6-1 GSL) had previously beaten the Highlanders 45-37 and 55-40. So what happened in round three?

"It was ugly," summarized Mount Miguel's ROBBIE SANDOVAL, who suffered his first league loss in six seasons as the Matadors head coach. "I'm going to give Helix credit. They played with more desire and intensity."

"But we gave ourselves a chance in the 4th quarter," Sandoval said of his top-ranked Matadors, who outscored Helix 13-4 over the final eight minutes. "We just couldn't get it done, ran out of time."

TAVASHA YARBROUGH was Mount Miguel's most steady player Sandoval said. "She was one of the main ones who brought us back in the game. She made 6 points and LASHAWN JOHNSON made 4 points to lead us on a 13-point run in the last quarter."

Held scoreless for the first 7 minutes of the final period, the Highlanders (17-7, 5-2 GSL), regained the upper hand when MELE LEASAU hit a turn-around jumper for Helix's first points of the 4th quarter.

In terms of awarding a "game ball," the Highlanders should focus on the defensive work of senior SHARIKA THOMPSON, who held UCLA-bound Matador JERICA WILLIAMS to a career low 2 points. Williams did not make a single basket, avoiding a shutout by sinking her only 2 free throws.

Thompson's game wasn't locked on defense. She also grabbed 10 rebounds and pitched in 6 points.

Mount Miguel's PRECIOUS ROBINSON topped all scorers with 14 points and hauled down 8 rebounds.

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 14, Johnson 9, Yarbrough 7, Monique Clayton 2, Williams 2.

EL CAPITAN 70, EL CAJON VALLEY 9 --Anybody who believes El Capitan senior ALLISON DUFFY is taking her senior season off did not see Tuesday's (Feb.10) Grossmont North League massacre in Lakeside.

The 6-foot-1 Duffy was on top of her game, scoring 38 points -- 8 more than her previous season high -- as the Vaqueros (12-10, 4-1 GNL) vanquished the hapless Braves (7-18,0-6 GNL) and won their 5th in six starts.

San Diego State-bound Duffy clicked on 16 of 26 shots from the floor and 6 of 7 free throws while gathering 11 rebounds in the top of her senior season. She also blocked 6 shots and made 5 steals.

When it came to steals, El Capitan freshman ASHLEY DUFFY was the biggest thief, pilfering 12 El Cajon Valley passes to go along with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 38, Ashley Duffy 14, Caramie Huntington 7, Liana Pitman 7, Jamie Ferguson 2, Crisela Bunce 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Veronica Tamai 4, Sheraina Moon 2, Bianca Lewis 2, Taniya Patros 1.

GRANITE HILLS 60, STEELE CANYON 46 -- Granite Hills senior JOY EDWARDS registered an impressive double of a career high 27 points and 10 steals in Tuesday's (Feb. 7) Grossmont South League victory at Steele Canyon.

Not heralded for her marksmanship, Edwards came up big in this game, hitting 10 of 21 shots from the field that included four 3-pointers.

Edwards picked up the slack for MORGAN SABALA, who was dogged by fouls throughout the contest despite finishing with 14 points.

"We were in foul trouble the whole game," said Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT. "Morgan did not play the last seven minutes of the third quarter and the first four minutes of the fourth."

Versatile senior guard CELESTE MARTINS regained her offensive touch to toss in 15 points to pace the Cougars (13-11,2-5 GSL).

"We were down six going into the fourth quarter," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "Here we are again, playing a good team. I don't think they have given us respect that we can play against a good team. We got their girls in foul trouble. They play physical. We have never been in this position. I think our girls are coming around. In the 2nd and 3rd quarters we had them backed up against the wall. Then Edwards made 20 points in the 2nd half."

Steele Canyon sophomore KELLY HANSEN added 12 points and 10 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season.

Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 27, Sabala 14, Marnesha Hall 7, Molly Hillenbrand 6, Amy Sylvester 6.

Steele Canyon scoring: Martins 15, Kelly Hansen 12, Tina Merlino 7, Briana Eiter 5, Xanning Tyler 3, Belinda Pickens 2, Alexis Robinson 2.

MONTE VISTA 46, VALHALLA 42 -- Two Grossmont South League teams bidding for a victory and little else took Tuesday 's (Feb.7) game down to the wire.

It was a 3-point or one possession game with 15 seconds left, but Valhalla (5-19, 0-7 GSL) missed a chance to tie and the Monarchs sank backbreaking free throws with 4 seconds left for the win.

BRITNEY SMALL shoveled in 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to pace the Monarchs (7-18, 2-5 GSL) who also enjoyed 16 points from RACHEL FINKS. ASHLEY MILLER didn't score much, but did collect 10 rebounds.

"We finally played together -- not well, but together," said Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "Britney Small had a great game offensively, as well as Rachel on the outside. Ashley got the job done with the boards. I hope that this win will motivate the girls."

"Our game plan was to not allow Miller to beat us and to try and pound away at their posts," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "We did that just fine. Miller was held to one point and both of our starting forwards had three personals in the first half. What we did not count on was Finks ability to hit the outside shot. All of her three pointers were at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters. I know Rachel was hurting tonight, but she toughed it out and won the game for her team."

Monte Vista scoring: Britney Small 17, Rachel Finks 16, Victoria Richmond 6, Tiearea Robinson 6, Ashley Miller 1.

Valhalla scoring: Sarah Laine 13, Bree Martin 10, Lena Allos 9, Emily Roberts 4, Elicia White 2, Kayla Houston 2, Kelsey McClain 2.

CHRISTIAN 61, CLAIREMONT 28 -- The Patriots (14-8, 7-0 CNL) kept their league leading record spotless with an easy Central League victory over visiting Clairemont on Tuesday (Feb.7) at Ryan Athletic Center.

Pass-happy point guard JESSIE EKARD finally made major offensive deposits for the Patriots.

"Once again our shooting percentage was scary," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "The game started slow, then picked up slightly with some great defensive hustle plays by BRITNI McCASKILL, and three 3 point buckets by Ekard.

"I have been trying to get Jessie to shoot more, and tonight she looked comfortable beyond the 3-point line."

Foul problems hampered the Patriots in the fourth quarter, but the game was well in hand by then.

"The game was played at a slower pace than we would have liked, but we can't complain about the outcome, " Espelet said.

Christian scoring: Heather Meier 15, Britni McCaskill 10, Jessie Ekard 9, Katie Gerlek 8, Sarah Seymour 7, Heather DePriest 6, Holly Erickson 6.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-4-06) -- Faced with the prospect of meeting its archrival, Valhalla High might have played its best quarter of basketball all season, hanging nearly even with Granite Hills through Friday's (Feb. 2) first period.

However, reality settled in after that. The Eagles left the Norsemen without a basket for an 11-minute span which carried into the second half, completing a series sweep by posting a 65-36 Grossmont South League verdict.

JOY EDWARDS and MOLLY HILLENBRAND both finished just a couple of clicks short of triple-doubles, keying the expansion of an 18-14 lead into double digits during the decisive second quarter.

"We just needed to play and come out strong," said Hillenbrand, who scored 16 points, while adding nine rebounds and nine steals. "We shouldn't have even let Valhalla get past halfcourt if we played true team defense."

The Eagles (15-9, 5-1 GSL) were good enough to force a wave of turnovers, registered 27 steals. Included were 7 thefts by Edwards, who also added 18 points and 10 boards in her triple-double bid.

But it was Hillenbrand who dominated the second period, creating havoc on defense, then scoring seven points early in the second half. The effort sounds incredibly similar to the play of her aunt, Amy Hillenbrand, who dominated East County basketball courts a generation ago.

"She wants me to follow her lead and shine in her footsteps," said the sophomore, who hit 6-of-11 shots from the floor. "I heard she was a pretty good player, so I hope to someday be as good as she was."

MORGAN SABALA added 9 points and tied Edwards for game honors with four assists.

Valhalla's ELICIA WHITE tallied eight of her career-high 12 points in the opening period. However, the Norsemen failed to convert a shot in the second period, only making 5-of-8 foul shots.

Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON commented, "White had the assignment of guarding Sabala and held her to nine points tonight. She has really stepped up her senior leadership. I'm very proud of her."

Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 18 (10 reb., 7 stl.), Hillenbrand 16 (9 reb., 9 stl.), Sabala 9, Marnesha Hall 7, Madonna Najor 7 (6 reb.), Sylvester 4, Aulani Delker 4.

Valhalla scoring: White 12, Sarah Laine 9, Lena Allos 4, Breanna Martin 3, Emily Roberts 3, Kayla Houston 2, Sara Staninger 2, Jessica Applebaum 1.

SANTANA 80,
EL CAJON VALLEY 20 -- Senior JORDAN FRANEY, silently broke the Santana career scoring record against Our Lady of Peace on Wednesday (Feb. 1), but added 18 points in Friday's (Feb. 3) 80-20 Grossmont North League blowout of visiting El Cajon Valley, raising her scoring account and now has 1,949 points. That record had been held by JAIME RANSOM with 1,916 career points.

Santana (16-7, 5-0 GNL) steamrollered to leads of 22-9, 51-14 and 74-16 before the final count was tabulated.

Santana scoring: Franey 18, Danielle Balough 11, Shae Bass 8, Shannon Bailey 8, Brittany Fenn 8, Ashley Baker 6, Jamie Elias 6, Brianna Padilla 6, Kelsey Ash 4, Carina Vickery 3, Nicole Brzeczek 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Clarkson 6, Taniya Patros 4, Sheraina Moon 3, Mercy Ledezma 3, Kim Vasquez 2, Veronica Tamai 2.

GROSSMONT 48, WEST HILLS 45 -- Capturing a league championship is not foremost on the mind of Grossmont first-year head coach TIM JOLLETT. Setting or possibly breaking the Foothillers season record for victories in a season seems like a more reasonable goal than overtaking the frontrunning Sultans of Santana.

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST poured in 21 points to guide Grossmont (19-7, 3-2 GNL) to Friday's (Feb. 3) victory at West Hills (11-13, 1-4 GNL).

"It's always a tough game at West Hills," said Jollett. "The basket was a little bit different and the crowd was noisy. Both teams played well. They out-rebounded and out-shot us. We didn't play our best game of the year, but our kids refused to lose this game. We made zero baskets in the third quarter and 5 free throws. We had 4 baskets in the fourth quarter and shot 8-for-12 free throws."

Sorry as those numbers sound, Grossmont still managed to come out on top, keeping its playoff hopes very much alive.

One of the keys to Grossmont's conquest was the Foothillers' ability to force 29 turnovers.

The Hillers trailed by four with 1:11 remaining. Grossmont trounced any comeback plans West Hills (11-13, 1-4 GNL) might have had when MICHELLE GONZALEZ and Simon-West converted consecutive 3-pointers to lock the win in the Grossmont vault. Gonzalez added six rebounds and six steals to her totals, while TERESE RIEDEL chipped in 10 points and 18 rebounds.

LEILANI YAWN led West Hills with 13 points, while MEGAN EHMKE reeled in 22 rebounds.

Following a Grossmont timeout with 25 seconds left, KYLEE KRINGS put up a 3 for West Hills only to have it circle the rim and pop out.

"(A Grossmont defender) was up on me," said Krings of her last shot. "The ball went in and rolled right back out. It was one of the best games I've played all year. If I get frustrated my teammates always pick me up."

"To make that many turnovers and still come this close says something about our team." Chabrowski said.

Grossmont scoring: La'Kenya Simon-West 21, Michelle Gonzalez 12, Therese Riedel 10, Tina Rios 3, Liz Riedel 2.

West Hills scoring: Leilani Yawn 13, Rebecca Jones 6, Megan Ehmke 6, Kylee Krings 5, Ashley Alderton 5, Muaau Naderhoff 5, Dalia Ghandour 3, Ilda Llamas 2.

HELIX 67, MONTE VISTA 38 -- Helix parlayed a balanced offense into an easy Grossmont South League victory on Friday night (Feb. 3) in La Mesa.

This game was over after the first quarter, as Helix gained a 26-5 advantage and then sailed to a comfortable win.

DIANA LEASAU led the Highlanders (16-7, 4-2 GSL) with 15 points, most coming on 9-for-10 free-throw shooting. The senior Leasau added 5 assists, while junior MELE LEASAU contributed 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals.

BRITTANY WILLIAMS pitched in with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocks for Helix, which also got 12 points from SHARIKA THOMPSON.

ASHLEY MILLER and BRITNEY SMALL shared game-high scoring honors with 11 points apiece for Monte Vista 6-18, 1-5 GSL).

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 15, Mele Leasau 14, Thompson 12, Williams 13, Sinoi Leasau 4, Racquel Primas 3, Mallerie Brown 2, Jazlyn Afusia 2, Adriana Horner 2.

Monte Vista scoring : Miller 11, Small 11, Rachel Finks 6, Tiearea Robinson 6, Karisa Archer 3, Stacey Leavitt 1.

MOUNT MIGUEL 87, STEELE CANYON 19 -- The five-time defending Grossmont South League champion Matadors (17-5, 6-0 GSL) stretched their six-year league winning streak to 52 with Friday's (Feb.3) tsunami over the visiting Cougars, who played without 6-foot-3 phenom KELLY HANSEN (flu).

"We have been working with PRECIOUS (ROBINSON) on her jump shots," said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. "She hit three jumpers tonight instead of always going for layups. SHANICE HOWARD is doing a good job of running the offense, she's a great defender. JERICA WILLIAMS has been a very consistent team leader."

Robinson finished one point shy of her season high with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Howard was dealing all night with 10 assists, while Clayton canned 16 points.

Not surprisingly, Williams was the top-ranked Matadors ace with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 steals.

"We have to come ready to play every game like it's a step," said Sandoval. "In our league our girls have to accomplish 10 steps -- tonight was Step 6. Each girl receives a printed sheet with the team goal before each game: "5 down, 5 to go" was our motto tonight. It keeps them focused on a goal. You have to focus on steps, you don't ever look ahead. You have to look at what's in front of you."

"Like I told my girls before the game, you should feel fortunate to play the No. 1 team in the county," Cougars coach FRANK QUINONES said. "Our team just didn't have that fire. Kelly has been ill with the flu for two days and did not play. Having her inside makes a difference."

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 21, Robinson 20 (10 rebounds), Clayton 16, Tavasha Yarbrough 8, Lashawn Johnson 7, Howard 6, Victoria Murphy 5, Danesia Williamson 4.

Steele Canyon scoring: Johnston 8, Tina Merlino 4, Samantha Beasley 4, Celeste Martins 2, Alexis Robinson 1.

CHRISTIAN 71, MADISON 22 -- The unbeaten Patriots (13-8, 6-0) took another step toward winning the Central League championship Friday (Feb. 3) as they mauled Madison at the Ryan Athletic Center.

HOLLY ERICKSON and KATIE GERLEK scored 16 points apiece to pace the Patriots to their seventh straight win.

Christian cannon-balled to a 26-5 advantage in the first quarter and then pranced to the easy win over the Warhawks (4-15, 3-3 Central).

"We played better defense tonight, and shot a better percentage from the floor," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "Holly and HEATHER MEIER were strong on the boards, which helped eliminate second and third shots for Madison."

Christian scoring: Holly Erickson 16, Katie Gerlek 16, Britni McCaskill 15, Heather Meier 9, Sarah Seymour 9, Rachel Criswell 4, Kelsey DePriest 2.

East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (2-3-06) -- The CIF-San Diego Section has announced the dates and times for the final in each of its five girls basketball divisions, all to be held at Jenny Craig Pavilion on the campus of the University of San Diego:

Sat., Mar. 4
Session II -- Division V, 9:30 a.m.; Division III, 1 p.m.
Session III -- Division I, 6 p.m.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (2-2-06) -- The amazing Grossmont Foothillers own the most victories of East County's 12 girls basketball teams. Not bad for a team that the majority of pollsters and peers ignore.

Grossmont coach first-year coach TIM JOLLETT isn't ready to toot his own horn (he's not the type), but is proud of his defensive-minded Foothillers for grinding out an 18-7 record heading into the final round of Grossmont North League play.

The Foothillers flattened visiting Valhalla 70-38 in Wednesday's (Feb. 1) Grossmont Conference crossover finale.

"Everybody got to play and they played hard," Jollett said. "We are looking forward to three tough games coming up. In the first quarter tonight our kids

came out defensively and guarded well and made it hard for Valhalla to do anything offensively -- set the tone of the game."

Given that Grossmont led 20-1 after the opening eight minutes and 41-15 at intermission made it clear that the issue had been decided.

Although he did not deny the Foothillers superiority, Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON was displeased with the officiating.

"I got my first "T" of the year," declared Wilson, who was referring to his first technical foul. "The officiating was horrible. (The officials) didn't want to be there, their attitude towards the game was poor. Their attitude and their effort -- I was disgusted with how they approached the game. Neither one blew their whistle for the first four minutes. I'm not saying they caused us to lose the game. Grossmont beat us."

Jollett and his Foothillers are proud of their "Bearcat Press." And Wilson did not refute the effectiveness of the Grossmont pressure and trapping that comes from that strategy.

"Grossmont is a pressing, in-your-face team, and that's fine," Wilson said. "Early in the game the referees didn't want to call any fouls, and that's to Grossmont's benefit. But there were calls that should have been made and weren't. In the first quarter there were a total of four fouls called; in the rest of the game there were 33."

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST led Grossmont with 18 points and THERESE RIEDEL chimed in with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Although Grossmont called off its vaunted Bearcat Press in the first half, the faster Foothillers still caused 30 turnovers. But Wilson's focus (or blame) wasn't on Grossmont, but rather the officials.

"This is very frustrating for me and my girls," Wilson said. "I told them ‘This was a life lesson for you. When you go into any job in your life, you go in with a smile on your face and do it to the best of your ability.'"

Not many on the Valhalla side were smiling as the Norsemen fell to 5-17. KAYLA HOUSTON tallied 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

Valhalla scoring: Houston 12, Emily Roberts 5, Sarah Laine 4, Emily White 4, Lena Allos 4, Sara Staninger 4, Bree Martin 3, Kelsey McClain 2.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 18, Therese Riedel 16, Tina Rios 9, Phylicia Schultz 8, Kayannie Ward 6, Marcee Fitzpatrick 5, Michelle Gonzalez 4, Liz Riedel 4.

EL CAJON VALLEY 46, MONTE VISTA 42 -- In a battle of teams with a faint hope of qualifying for the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs, the visiting Monarchs saw their coach SANDY WRIGHT ejected by trigger-happy referees that caused a spark that nearly cost El Cajon Valley a Grossmont Conference crossover victory on Wednesday night (Feb.1).

The Braves (7-16) breezed to a 27-13 halftime lead and then had to fend off a furious rally by the Monarchs (6-17) in the fourth quarter.

"We had a good start," said El Cajon Valley coach GLENN LEE. "We have a young team and we have to learn how to hold leads.

In the last two minutes of the game, El Cajon Valley went 5 for 6 at the free throw line.

"We were going fine for awhile then the roof caved in on us and they started coming back," Lee said. "We started getting it together and not panicking, and were hitting our free throws when it counted most."

When Wright was banished from the Braves' gym, the Monarchs took a pose that they were going to try to win this one for their coach.

"Monte Vista stepped up their play after their coach was ejected," Lee said. "It was a matter of us sustaining our run to come out with a victory.

Lead by ASHLEY MILLER's 10 points in the 4th quarter, Monte Vista put 18 points on the board in an inspired but losing effort for their missing coach.

VERONICA TAMAI sank a pair of 3-pointers and finished with a team high 16 points for El Cajon Valley, which also received 12 points and 10 rebounds from KIM VASQUEZ. MERCY LEDEZMA added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Braves who snapped an 11-game losing streak.

BRITNEY SMALL rang up a career high 20 points and Miller finished with 16 points to lead Monte Vista.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Tamai 16, Vasquez 12, Ledezma 11, Tatiana Jackson 6, Sheraina Moon 1.

Monte Vista scoring: Small 20, Miller 16, Victoria Richmond 2, Rachel Finks 2, Karisa Archer 2.

SANTANA 57, OUR LADY OF PEACE 30 -- Posting their fifth win in the last six games, the Grossmont North League-leading Sultans (15-7) seem ready to make a title run when circuit play resumes on Friday night (Feb.3).

Santana ran the table at Our Lady of Peace -- that is, the Sultans outscored the Pilots (15-6) in every quarter of Wednesday's (Feb.1) non-league ruse between SDCIF Division III rivals.

JORDAN FRANEY led the Santana onslaught with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 11 steals.

"We started taking care of the ball a little bit better," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "The defense became much more inspired, we didn't make it easy on them. Their attempts were challenged."

"We're still battling playing with intensity for any length of time," the veteran coach said.

Santana scoring: Franey 26, Kelsey Ash 7, Shannon Bailey 6, Ashley Baker 6, Shae Bass 5 (8 assists), Danielle Balough 4, Lorena Bernal 3.

CHRISTIAN 46, CORONADO 42 -- It was a sloppy affair for two teams with championship aspirations when Central League frontrunners Christian and Coronado collided Wednesday (Feb.1) at the Ryan Athletic Center.

A flood of fouls and poor shooting dominated the proceedings that the Patriots (12-8, 5-0 CL) eventually won from the free throw line. Christian canned 25 of 31 free throws, but made only nine shots from the field in 42 chances.

"We were weak going to the basket," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "That's been an issue all year -- our ability to get second and third shots. Today, we weren't getting those second chance points."

Which is quite stunning considering the Patriots earned a 47-22 rebounding advantage over the Islanders (13-8, 4-1). Sixteen of those caroms ricocheted off the offensive glass. Most resulted in free throw opportunities.

HEATHER MEIER nailed 11 of 12 free throws as she shared team-high scoring honors of 13 points with HOLLY ERICKSON, who was 9 for 12 from the foul line. The two seniors grabbed 11 rebounds apiece.

In the early going it looked as if Christian would win going away as the Patriots built a 23-13 lead midway through the second quarter. Turns out it wasn't as easy as that, as the Patriots struggled to the finish line. Erickson scored 6 points in the final quarter as Christian claimed the victory.

"Whenever we meet Coronado, we know it's going to be a big rivalry," Espelet said. "They are our toughest rival in league and we both know that."

The Central league most likely will come down to Christian's Valentine's Day (Feb.14) visit to Coronado.

Christian scoring: Erickson 13, Meier 13, Britni McCaskill 9 (9 reb), Katie Gerlek 8 (8 reb), Heather DePriest 3, Sarah Seymour 3.

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-31-06) -- After a sluggish first half, the top-ranked Mount Miguel Matadors mauled No. 8-ranked Santana in a game Monday (Jan. 30) that is hard to imagine was a contest between Top 10 teams. The Matadors (16-5) dominated the second half to easily claim the Grossmont Conference crossover game, 61-27.

"It's like I've said all season, we are not mentally tough," said Santana coach WADE VICKERY, whose Sultans (14-7) led 6-5 after one period and trailed only 18-13 at the midway point. "It's not in our personality to compete when we're tired."

Mount Miguel picked up the tempo in the second half, outscoring the Sultans 22-8 in the third quarter and 21-6 in the final frame.

"This team just hasn't grown up," Vickery said. "We are real inconsistent. Our ability level is decent, but when we lose control of our emotions we fall apart. It's amazing some of the games we've won."

Santana had its chances at an upset early-on, but once the Matadors locked on, the Sultans folded.

Five Matadors reached double figures in the scoring column. Senior JERICA WILLIAMS sparked Mount Miguel's third quarter breakout by scoring 7 of her 11 points in that period. LASHAWN JOHNSON chipped in 5 of her 11 tallies and MONIQUE CLAYTON cashed in four of her 5 points.

"We had five of our nine turnovers in the first half and couldn't get anything going," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "In the second half, we started making shots.

"This is a good win for us," added Sandoval, whose Matadors have allowed only 50 points in their last three games. "We are trying to get a roll going into the (San Diego CIF Division II) playoffs."

Mount Miguel's constant pressure caused 26 Santana turnovers -- 18 coming in the second half.

Sandoval also praised the defensive work of TAVASHA YARBROUGH on Santana standout JORDAN FRANEY, who was limited to 11 points -- less than half her season average. Franey also grabbed 11 rebounds.

"We gave up some easy baskets early in the second half that got Mount Miguel excited," he said. "Then they just ran away from us. Credit Mount Miguel -- they wore us down with their pressure."

PRECIOUS ROBINSON led a balance Mount Miguel attack with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks. Williams added 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 steals Johnson rang up 11 points and 6 rebounds, while DANESIA WILLIAMSON punched in 11 points.

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 14, Williams 11, Williamson 11, Johnson 11, Clayton 5, Victoria Murphy 4, Shanice Howard 3, Yarbrough 2.

Santana scoring: Franey 11, Danielle Balough 8, Shae Bass 4, Kelsey Ash 2, Ashley Baker 2.

GROSSMONT 44, MONTE VISTA 30 -- Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT shuddered when he looked at the shooting percentages of his Foothillers in Monday's (Jan. 30) Grossmont Conference crossover win over Monte Vista.

The Hillers (17-7) had no trouble launching shots at their basket. It was putting them through the bottom of the net that gave Jollett the chills. Grossmont hit only 18 of 73 attempts -- less than 25 percent accuracy. Making just five of 20 free throws didn't add to Jollett's comfort.

Grossmont's full-court Bearcat press rattled Monte Vista (6-16) into 35 turnovers.

"We limited them to something like 30 shots by pressuring their guards," Jollett said. "We dominated this game everywhere but on the scoreboard. You'd think we'd win big getting as many shots as we did."

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST scored 22 points and snagged 10 rebounds to pace the Foothillers. THERESE RIEDEL hauled down 17 rebounds, but contributed only 7 points and missed several pointblank put-backs. Riedel did block 6 Monte Vista shots.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 22, Gonzalez 8, Therese Riedel 7, Tina Rios 3, Shandise Rios 2, Kayannie Ward 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Small 11, Rachel Finks 6, Ashley Miller 5, Karisa Archer 4, Victoria Richmond 2, Tiearea Robinson 2.

STEELE CANYON 64, EL CAJON VALLEY 60 -- With thoughts of playoffs in the backs of their minds, the host Steele Canyon Cougars wiped out a 15-point second half deficit Monday night (Jan.30) to eke out a Grossmont Conference crossover victory that produced a school-record tying 13th victory.

Sophomore KELLY HANSEN posted her 10th double-double and fourth in a row, chalking up 21 points and 21 rebounds against the upset-minded Braves (6-16), who once held a 15-point advantage in the third quarter.

El Cajon Valley, led by MERCY LEDEZMA (22 points) and VERONICA TAMAI (18), carried a 53-45 lead into the final quarter. That's when Steele Canyon shifted to a triangle-and-2 defense anchored by XANNING TYLER and supported by HAYLEY JOHNSTON and SAMANTHA BEASLEY.

"Our girls shut out Tamai and gave up only 2 points to Ledezma in that last quarter (won by the Cougars 19-7)," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES said.

On the offensive side, Steele Canyon's Hansen scored 9 points in the final quarter. Senior guard CELESTE MARTINS scored 4 of her 9 points in the quarter.

What Celeste did most to help us was take control of the game," Quinones said. "She gave us control of the tempo and did a nice job of getting the ball inside."

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 21, Martins 9 (6 assists, 3 steals), Tyler 9, Beasley 7, Belinda Pickens 7 (8 rebounds), Johnston 6, Tina Merlino 2, Briana Eiter 2, Alexis Robinson 1.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Ledezma 22, Tamai 18, Sheraina Moon 8, Kim Vasquez 7, Tatiana Jackson 3, Jeanette Woods 2.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-29-06) -- It was not the best of days for East County teams wishing to squeeze in one more Saturday (Jan. 28) contest prior to the start of the San Diego CIF playoffs on Feb. 21. In the Vaqueros Shootout, No. 6 The Bishop's buried West Hills 69-41 at El Capitan, while across town at Granite Hills, the county's best unranked team Eastlake chewed up the Eagles, 68-41.

THE BISHOP'S 69, WEST HILLS 41 -- The sixth-ranked Knights (20-1) made quick work of the Wolf Pack, taking a 33-16 halftime lead and then waltzed to the lopsided victory.

"Bishop's is the No. 5 team in the county (according to the Union-Tribune Poll), and they moved the ball around a lot," said West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "We played back-to-back tough teams -- a loss to No. 3 Division II El Capitan last night. We had to play in the same gym again, and there was 'leftover' from last night. We had that one lousy quarter (the second, where the Pack was outscored 13-6)."

"Bishop's was shooting deep 3s (4 of them) from downtown Santee, three or four feet behind the line," Chabrowski added.

All the news was not bad for West Hills. MEGAN EHMKE broke out of a mild slump, rolling a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot senior forward dominated inside, nailing eight of 11 shots and two free throws.

West Hills scoring: Ehmke 18, Ashley Alderton 7 (6 rebs) , Muaau Naderhoff 5, Kylee Krings 4, Ghandour 4, Ilda Llamas 3.

EASTLAKE 68, GRANITE HILLS 41 -- It didn't take long for Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT to lose the high he had when his Eagles knocked off No. 7 ranked Helix in an overtime Grossmont South League game on Tuesday (Jan. 24).

The Eagles (14-9) started out fine against visiting Eastlake, taking an 11-5 lead in the opening four minutes. Eastlake stomped out any upset plans Granite Hills had by rolling off 14 straight points for a 19-11 lead. The Titans (15-6) led 30-20 by halftime and continued to pull away in the final two quarters.

The ninth-year head coach noted how his team does not "compete" against the top teams in the county.

"I have one player who does not show up when we play a good opponent," Rowlett said. "I have another player who doesn't listen. A third player I have overcompensates to make up for the shortcomings of her teammates. Others on our team just don't get it."

Junior MORGAN SABALA scored 17 points, including three 3-pointers and 4-for-4 free throw shooting to lead Granite Hills. MARNESHA HALL added 14 points and four assists.

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 17, Hall 14, Madonna Najor 4, Molly Hillenbrand 4, Amy Sylvester 2.

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-28-06) -- What do you do when you're in the position of the Granite Hills High girls basketball team?

Clearly, capturing a share of the Grossmont South League will be, at best, difficult with No. 1 Mount Miguel ahead in the standings. Yet, the Eagles are no second-division side either, with strong expectations of making a dent in the playoffs.

"We were going a little bit downhill lately," admitted junior forward MARNESHA HALL. "But now we're bouncing back -- it was time for us to regain our focus."

Hall helped provide much of the stability across the board with eight points, three assists and three rebounds, as Granite Hills blanked host Monte Vista in the opening period en route to a 59-37 GSL triumph.

"For a while, we were wasting our talent," added Hall. "But we're working hard and want to finish the season strong."

The effort allowed the Eagles to jump to a quick 14-0 lead and they were never headed.

JOY EDWARDS led Granite Hills with game-highs in three categories: 19 points, four assists and six steals. MORGAN SABALA was close behind with 17 points -- including five treys -- plus three assists. On defense, MADONNA NAJOR paced the Eagles with seven boards.

The short-handed Monarchs' latest hopes may have disappeared with ASHLEY MILLER reportedly out for the season with a finger injury. However, the senior returned Friday (Jan. 27) and scored a team-high 15 points, including a pair of 3-balls. BRITNEY SMALL added 12 points, while RACHEL FINKS added eight points.

"We showed up in the second half, but put our ourselves in a huge hole in the first half," Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT said referring to the Monarchs' 26-11 halftime deficit. "We shot the ball well tonight, but could not play defense. Britney Small stepped her game up. She played hard the last 4 games and tonight we just couldn't give her the ball soon enough. KARISA ARCHER did a very great job hitting the boards for us."

Granite Hills (14-8, 4-1 GSL) shot a respectable 42 percent from the field, but a woeful 50 percent on 232 chances from the free throw line.

Granite Hills scoring: Edwards 19, Sabala 17, Hall 8, Amy Sylvester 5, Molly Hillenbrand 4, Aulani Delker 4, Najor 2.

GROSSMONT 59, EL CAJON VALLEY 22 -- Although such records are not archived, the Foothillers had a season best 10 girls contribute points to Friday's (Jan. 27) Grossmont North League romp over host El Cajon Valley.

This one was never in doubt as Grossmont (16-7, 2-2 GNL) stormed to a 31-7 halftime lead and then put their game in glide control.

LE'KENYA SIMON-WEST settled for a team best 14 points and 5 rebounds, while THERESE RIEDEL tallied 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

"The biggest thing is everyone got a chance to play," said Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT. "Everyone played well, nobody let down."

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 14, Therese Riedel 12, Kayannie Ward 6, Liz Riedel 6, Tina Rios 5, Michelle Gonzalez 5, Marcee Fitzpatrick 5, Phylicia Schultz 2, Syna Morse 2, Lauren Krueger 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Kim Vasquez 11, Tatiana Jackson 4, Veronica Tamai 4, Sheraina Moon 2.

EL CAPITAN 65, WEST HILLS 31 -- The angry El Capitan Vaqueros played one of their best quarters of the season in the first eight minutes of Friday's (Jan. 27) Grossmont North League game in Lakeside.

The Vaqueros (11-10, 3-1 GNL) led 24-3 after one frame and then cruised to the lopsided win over the visiting Wolf Pack (11-11, 1-3 GNL).

"We got surgically destroyed," summed West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI. "They are a good team. We had a lot of turnovers -- 32, and 25 in the first half. It could be the intimidation factor, going into their home turf."

ALLISON DUFFY had 14 points in the first quarter on 5 field goals and 4 free throws. The SDSU bound Vaqueros' team leader finished with 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 free throws.

MEGAN EHMKE was the West Hills leader with 8 points on 4-for-4 shooting, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 25, Ashley Duffy 12, Morgan Craig 9, Liana Pitman 6, Caramie Huntington 6, Lisa Wilkins 3, Crisela Banks 3, Jamie Ferguson 1.

West Hills scoring: Ehmke 8, Leilani Yawn 8, Muaau Naderhoff 6, Dalia Ghandour 5, Ilda Llamas 2, Kylee Krings 2.

HELIX 56, STEELE CANYON 39 -- Give the Steele Canyon Cougars kudos for proving they are getting closer to being a contender in the Grossmont South League.

After one half of Friday's (Jan. 27) league game at Helix, the visiting Cougars (12-9, 2-3 GSL) trailed only 19-16.

"Take four minutes off of the game and we had â€˜em," theorized coach FRANK QUINONES. "We were down three points at halftime and had them exactly where we wanted them. If you take away the last three minutes of the third quarter and the first three minutes of the fourth quarterâ€¦ we had â€˜em. We went into a mental funk -- got out of our game plan. Our girls are getting to a level where we are competing, I am extremely proud of them."

It was a different story in the second half as the Highlanders 15-7,3-2 GSL) took control and rolled to the victory.

"We came out a little flat but in the second half we finally desided to play with a little intensity," said Helix assistant coach, WILLY HATHAWAY.

DIANA LEASAU led the Highlanders with 21 points and 5 steals, while BRITTNEY WILLIAMS added 17 points and 6 steals.

Steele Canyon sophomore pivot KELLY HANSEN turned in her third straight double-double of 19 points and 19 rebounds. It was her 9th double-double this season.

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 21, Williams 17, Jazlyn Afusia 6, Mele Leasau 5, Sharika Thompson 4, Racquel Primas 2, Mallerie Brown 1.

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 19, Briana Eiter 6, Samantha Beasley 5, Tina Merlino 4, Celeste Martins 3, Xanning Tyler 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 80, VALHALLA 17 -- The Matadors (15-5, 5-0 GSL) stretched their Grossmont South League winning streak to 51 Friday night (Jan. 27) as they breezed past visiting Valhalla.

Junior PRECIOUS ROBINSON scored a career-high 25 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and logged 6 steals to lead Mount Miguel.

JERICA WILLIAMS pitched in 22 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals to lead Mount Miguel's supporting cast.

" We did alright," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "I was pleasantly surprised and pleased by my team's effort tonight"

It wasn't a picture perfect night as Valhalla sophomore KATIE LAINE suffered a broken hand and will be out for the remainder of the season.

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 25, Williams 22, Danesia Williamson 9, Lawshawn Johnson 8, Tavasha Yarbrough 6, Shanice Howard 5, Monique Clayton 5.

CHRISTIAN 57, HOOVER 29 -- The Patriots survived a sloppy Central League matchup Friday night (Jan. 27) at Hoover.

HOLLY ERICKSON rolled a nifty double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Patriots 11-8, 4-0) to the romp over the Cardinals (3-15, 0-3 Central).

HEATHER MEIER added a dozen points and 10 rebounds for Christian, which posted its fifth straight win. SARAH SEYMOUR chipped in 9 points and 8 rebounds for Christian which led 14-2 after the one quarter.

Christian scoring: Erickson 18, Meier 12, Seymour 9, Britni McCaskill 7, Katie Gerlek 6, Jessie Ekard 5.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-26-06) -- It seems there is no stopping Steele Canyon's 6-foot-3 sophomore center KELLY HANSEN these days. The Cougars' prominent pivot has scored 45 points, grabbed 37 rebounds and blocked five shots in her last two outings, including a big night in Wednesday's (Jan. 5) 63-44 Grossmont South League romp over host Valhalla.

Hansen hammered the Norsemen for 19 points and 18 rebounds as the Cougars (12-8, 2-2 GSL) collected their third straight win. Eleven of Hansen's rebounds came at the offensive end.

"I have to give credit to (assistant coach) LuANN GORES-O'NEIL for working with Kelly and our other big girls," Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES said. "LuAnn played college basketball and she knows what it takes to get to the next level. She's instilling that in our girls."

Watching Hansen's improvement since her freshman year, it is obvious that Gores-O'Neil is making an impact in Hansen's game.

TINA MERLINO, a 6-foot junior, has also benefited from Gores-O'Neil's teachings. Against Valhalla, Merlino sank 7 of 15 shots from the field on her way to a 15-point outing. She also garnered 10 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.

Senior guard CELESTE MARTINS has taken on a different role for the Cougars this season, Instead of relying exclusively on her outside shooting, Martins has become more of a play-maker. She has registered 23 assists in her last three games, nine of them coming in the win over Valhalla.

"She's not scoring a lot, but she's offensively directing this team," Quinones said. "She's a true team player and team leader."

Steele Canyon senior ALEXIS ROBINSON (8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals) was a major contributor for the Cougars as was SAMANTHA BEASLEY, who chipped in nine points and six steals.

At 12-8, Steele Canyon is one victory shy of the school record. Breaking that mark is a goal for the Cougars, but making the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs is an even bigger achievement Steele Canyon has in mind.

"It's difficult to win a game when the other team (in this case Steele Canyon) has 28 offensive rebounds," Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON said.

Valhalla's KATIE LAINE set the pace for the Norsemen with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. SARAH LAINE added 11 points and BREE MARTIN pitched in 10 points and 8 rebounds for the Norsemen (5-18, 0-4 GSL).

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 19, Merlino 15, Beasley 9, Robinson 8, Xanning Tyler 4, Briana Eiter 4, Martins 2, Stephanie Boozel 2.

Valhalla scoring: Katie Laine 12, Sarah Laine 11, Bree Martin 10, Emily Roberts 4, Elicia White 4, Kayla Houston 3.

GROSSMONT 59, OUR LADY OF PEACE 33 -- The Foothillers snapped out of a four-game slumber Wednesday (Jan. 25) as they sacked visiting Our Lady of Peace in lopsided fashion.

"This was a sweet win -- one we needed to get ourselves back on track," Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT said. "OLP has a solid record and a big win over Scripps Ranch, a team we will be battling for a higher seed come playoff time."

Jollett likes to joke that his bringing cookies to Tuesday's practice provided extra incentive and perhaps energy to his Foothillers, who improved to 15-7 overall.

LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST led Grossmont with 24 points and THERESE RIEDEL added 14 points to pace the Hillers against OLP.

"The Riedels (senior LIZ and junior THERESE) controlled the boards at both ends," Jollett said. "We minimized our fouling and still did a good job on our pressure defense."

Grossmont outscored the Pilots (15-4) in every quarter, gaining a 28-12 halftime lead and a 50-25 advantage after three periods.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 24, Therese Riedel 14, Tina Rios 7, Liz Riedel 5, Michelle Gonzalez 3, Marcee Fitzpatrick 2, Shandise Rios 2, Lauren Krueger 2.

East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (1-25-06) -- Even holding a 9-point lead, the El Capitan Vaqueros were a house of cards, ostensibly ready to crumble at any moment; one guard was in foul trouble, another en route to the hospital with a knee injury, and their standout center was limited to just 10 points through three periods.

Sure, center JORDAN FRANEY staged an important function to the rally, but it was the surprising play of the Sultans' ASHLEY BAKER who was also a difference maker.

Baker, a junior, nailed a pair of important 3-point shots as part of a string of 19 consecutive points, while successfully marking El Capitan center ALLISON DUFFY to limit her to 16 overall points, as Santana sailed past the Vaqueros, 55-47, Tuesday (Jan. 24) at Foster Gymnasium.

Doctors proved to be more than accurate with their prognosis, telling Baker it would take upwards of a year to regain full strength in her knee. Almost to the day, Baker's year-long road to total recovery has shown in her game over the past two weeks. She has scored in double figures three times to give the Sultans a badly needed lift.

"Ashley missed a lot of last year with an ACL, but she's getting better and better every week," noted Santana coach WADE VICKERY. "She's a good shooter and we hoped she'd hit a few 3s since Duffy likes to hang around the basket."

Sure enough, Franey twice found Baker unguarded beyond the arc while the defense remained glued in the paint. And twice, Baker buried open shots to equal her season-high with 12 points.

"I knew it was up to me to hit those shots since El Cap was staying back except on Jordan," said Baker. "And on defense, it wasn't easy because Allison plays tough, so I never gave up."

The Vaqueros, even at 31-all at the half, opened the third period on a 13-4 run, the last eight straight coming on the transition thanks to a trio of steals by ASHLEY DUFFY.

Vickery promptly called a timeout, then suddenly, the Sultans exploded for 19 straight points for a 44-34 lead before El Capitan could answer,

"He told us to stay calm, then we came out fighting," added Baker. "So it all turned out good for us."

After guard SHAE BASS passed to an open DANIELLE BALOUGH for a layin, Balough passed to Franey on the next possession for a 3-ball to end the period down only 34-30.

NICOLE BRZECZEK opened the fourth with a 3-ball, then Franey took a Bass feed for a baseline jumper and a 35-34 advantage.

But the streak continued, as the Vaqueros continued their 4:25 scoreless span. Baker grabbed an El Cap miss and tossed a 70-foot pass to Franey, who scored on a layin while being fouled for a 3-point play.

Franey, who went on to finish with game-highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds, then rewarded Baker with passes to hit her treys, one from the corner and the second from the top of the key.

"After the first game (a 47-35 tournament setback on Dec. 30), we knew the key was to use our teammates and make sharp cuts," noted Franey. "It hurt to lose, so to come this far and to have it drain away is something we would not let happen."

Balough finished with nine points and five rebounds, while Bass, who was coming off surgery, failed to score, but contributed with a game-best six assists, four boards and a steal.

The Vaqueros stayed close in the first quarter, then took the lead in the second period on a MORGAN CRAIG trey, with CARAMIE HUNTINGTON assisting for a 19-17 lead. The margin resulted without the services of MALLORIE MONTGOMERY, who injured her right knee when landing hard while being fouled on a layin attempt in the final minute of the opening quarter. It was the second time Montgomery has sustained a serious injury this season. She suffered a shoulder injury in a game at Rancho Bernardo on Dec.14.

And when both Duffy sisters registered three fouls before the half, the Vaqueros started to scramble.

"I just got 'Vicker'ed,'" mused El Cap coach JEFF GERKEN. "He knows what to do to pull the plug on a rally."

"We tried to out-hustle them, but Mallorie getting hurt didn't help, then we couldn't shoot from the foul line."

El Capitan was just 6-of-14 at the line, while Santana was a touch better at 9-for-14. Santana also scored just one additional basket, but all those little things combined went to the Sultans' advantage.

Craig finished with 11 points, Ashley Duffy added eight, while Huntington had seven.

Santana scoring: Franey 23 (14 reb., 5 ast.), Baker 12, Balough 9 ( 5 reb., 3 stl.), Ash 6, Brzeczek 5, Bass 0 (6 ast., 4 reb.).

El Capitan scoring: Al. Duffy 16 (13 reb., 3 ast.), Craig 11 (5 reb., 4 stl.), As. Duffy 8 (5 reb., 5 stl.), Huntington 7 (3 ast.), Wilkins 4, Pitman 2.

GRANITE HILLS 55, HELIX 52 (OT) -- MORGAN SABALA scored a season-high 29 points and MARNESHA HALL sank five straight free throws in overtime Tuesday (Jan. 24) to give the visiting Eagles a key Grossmont South League win over Helix.

It was Granite Hills' first win over the Highlanders since Feb.12, 2004. This one could easily be more rewarding as the Eagles (13-8, 3-1 GSL) are now in control of second place behind the seemingly unbeatable Matadors of Mount Miguel. Helix (14-7, 2-2 GSL) falls into third place.

Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT, not one who is quick to hand out praise, did offer accolades to Sabala and senior leader JOY EDWARDS for what is clearly the Eagles' biggest win of the season to date.

Sabala tallied 10 points in the opening frame yet the Eagles found themselves two points behind the Highlanders. Sabala kept firing, hitting 8 of 13 shots from the field and 11 of 12 free throws to supplant her previous high game by three.

Sabala sank a pair of free throws to tie the game at 46-all with 11 seconds left in regulation. She then popped in a deuce in overtime to help Granite Hills gain a 9-6 edge in the extra four-minute stanza.

"Sabala played real well," stated Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. "She was the difference. She had one of those games you dream about -- we just couldn't stop her. She was phenomenal."

The bottom line, though, was Hall's ability to sink 5 of 6 free throws in OT to give Granite Hills the winning edge.

"We've played a tough schedule -- no softies -- and this was probably our biggest win so far," Rowlett said. "Our defense and rebounding was as good as it's been in any game all year."

Edwards cleared a career best 20 rebounds to go with 14 points and 4 assists for the Eagles.

The invisible stars were MOLLY HILLENBRAND and MADONNA NAJOR, who kept Helix's LEASAU sisters -- senior DIANA and junior MELE -- in check. The two Highlanders combined for 13 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. A closer look showed the siblings were only 5 of 23 from the floor.

A Hillenbrand bucket gave Granite Hills a 48-46 lead in overtime. Diana Leasau countered with a tying basket. Then Hall took over with her on-the-mark free throw shooting, giving Granite Hills the win.

Granite Hills made one field goal and was 7-for-8 free throws in the extra stanza; Helix made 2 field goals -- one of them a 3 by JAZLYN AFUSIA -- and a free throw.

Helix scoring: Brittney Williams 9, Tempy Glenn 8, Diana Leasau 7, Sharika Thompson 7, Racquel Primas 7, Mele Leasau 6, Mallerie Brown 5, Jazlyn Afusia 3.

WEST HILLS 62, EL CAJON VALLEY 39 -- West Hills junior MUAAU NADERHOFF hit 9 of 17 shots from the field on her way to a season-high 21 points and garnered 10 rebounds Tuesday (Jan.24) as the Wolf Pack battered the Braves.

The supporting cast was lengthy for Naderhoff. MEGAN EHMKE registered a triple double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals, while ASHLEY ALDERTON rolled a pair of 10s for points and rebounds.

"This was my first double-double," said Alderton, who also recorded 3 steals. "We just got on our game in the fourth quarter and pulled away (26-11). KYLEE (KRINGS) and DALIA (GHANDOUR) were hitting threes. Sometimes other people are taller but I box out and they go over my head. Sometimes I get the call and sometimes I get the ball. Most of the times when they go over my back, I get the call."

West Hills scoring: Muaau Naderhoff 21, Megan Ekmke 11, Ashley Alderton 10, Dalia Ghandour 8, Leilani Yawn 6, Kylee Krings 6.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Veronica Tamai 20, Mercy Ledezma 9, Tatiana Jackson 5, Kim Vasquez 4, Sheraina Moon 1.

The top-ranked Matadors (14-5, 4-0 GSL) built up a 42-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game before releasing the press. Mount Miguel led 61-3 at intermission and the game continued with a running clock in the second half.

"We never used our trap at all," Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL said. "We just played straight up man-to-man."

Given that Mount Miguel only had seven players in uniform for Tuesday's (Jan. 24) Grossmont South League contest, it was hard to hold the Matadors back.

"I'm never going to tell my kids to stop playing hard," Sandoval said. "It's not my fault that Monte Vista is struggling. I was subbing every two or three minutes in the second half. This could have been a whole lot worse if hadn't gone to a running clock when we did."

Mount Miguel senior guard JERICA WILLIAMS equaled her season high of 25 points, scoring 22 in the first half. She nailed a season-best five 3-pointers, didn't miss any of her four free throws, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished 5 assists and made 5 steals.

PRECIOUS ROBINSON added 15 points, 13 rebounds and swatted away five Monte Vista shots. TAVASHA YARBROUGH funneled in 12 points, as did LASHAWN JOHNSON. SHANICE HOWARD handed out seven assists, snared six rebounds and recorded seven steals while pitching in 9 points for Mount Miguel.

It was Mount Miguel's 50th straight Grossmont South League victory covering a span of six seasons.

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 25, Robinson 15, Johnson 12, Yarbrough 12, Howard 9, Danesia Williamson 8, Monique Clayton 7.

CHRISTIAN 62, CLAIREMONT 23 -- HOLLY ERICKSON hammered in 22 points and HEATHER MEIER collected 24 rebounds Tuesday (Jan. 24) as Christian crushed host Clairemont in a Central League game.

"It is good to have wins like this, however, we are still far from where we need to be," said Christian coach CORI ESPELET. "Overall I think the effort was there and the girls did some pretty good things. It is good to be able to shoot as bad as we did and still win the game. We definitely have a lot of room to improve and we are going to work hard before Friday (Jan. 27) to be ready for Hoover."

"BRITNI McCASKILL and SARAH SEYMOUR did a good job on the defensive end," Espelet said.

Christian scoring: Erickson 22, Meier 13, Katie Gerlek 10, McCaskill 6, Heather DePriest 5, Sarah Seymour 4, Jessie Ekard 2.

STEELE CANYON at VALHALLA: When no referees showed up on Tuesday night (Jan. 24), the Grossmont South League game was moved to Wednesday night (Jan. 25) at 6 p.m. on the Norsemen's court.

East County Sports.com
MURRIETA (1-22-06) -- Don't write off the El Capitan Vaqueros just yet. Sure, they show a so-so record of 10-9. But they seem to be gathering steam against one of the toughest schedules in the state.

Vaqueros senior superstar ALLISON DUFFY hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to lift El Capitan to a 47-46 win over San Clemente.

The victory marked only the second all season that the Vaqueros have pushed their overall record up to the .500 mark. El Capitan can take its first major step toward repeating as Grossmont North League champions when the Vaqueros host Santana on Tuesday (Jan. 24) at 6 p.m.

With less than a minute remaining in Saturday's tiff, the Vaqueros' MORGAN CRAIG rebounded and took it in for a lay-up to tie the game 45-45.

With 20 seconds remaining, San Clemente (10-11) inbounded the ball and countered with a lay-up attempt and drew a foul. The Tritons missed the first shot but made the second free throw to move ahead by one point.

El Cap inbounded the ball to LIANA PITMAN, who passed it to ALLISON DUFFY. Duffy drew the foul and made the winning free throws.

Winning this game had to be a confidence builder for El Capitan as the Vaqueros have been swamped under by various strains of the flu, ranging from stomach flu to coughing. Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY, the Vaqueros second leading scorer missed the game due to illness, and senior guard MALLORIE MONTGOMERY left the game in the second half, too ill to continue.

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 19, Morgan Craig 7 (6 steals), Mallorie Montgomery 6, Liana Pitman 6, Jamie Ferguson 4 (6 rebounds), Caramie Huntington 3, Lisa Wilkins 2.

CANYON SPRINGS 55, MOUNT MIGUEL 47 -- Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL is convinced that he may have gone overboard in designing Mount Miguel's schedule this season.

"In terms of strength of schedule, Max Preps rates ours as the toughest in the state," Sandoval said. "We have too many hard games this year and I won't let that happen next year."

A weary band of Matadors (13-5) were mowed down in the first quarter of Saturday's (Jan. 21) by last year's Division I state champions in the Bronco Shoot-Out at Vista Murrieta High. The Cougars (15-5) lead 24-14 after eight minutes and 37-27 at the intermission.

"When was the last time we gave up 37 points in one half?" Sandoval barked. "Never!

"This Canyon Springs team is nowhere near the same one that won the state championship last year. But we did our best to make them look like state champions."

Paris Dunford chewed up Mount Miguel's highest profile defender, finishing with a game high 27 points. Dunford ran up 17 of those points in the first quarter.

The only positive statement made by Mount Miguel was the 17 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks registered by 6-foot junior PRECIOUS ROBINSON.

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 17, Jerica Williams 8, Lashawn Johnson 7, Tavasha Yarbrough 6, Daneisia Williamson 5, Shanice Howard 2, Victoria Murphy 2.

NORCO 61, HELIX 52 -- A shoddy start led to a sad ending for the Helix Highlanders in Saturday's (Jan. 21) Bronco Shootout at Vista Murrieta High.

Trailing 31-16 after one half, the Highlanders (14-5) turned up the steam in the second half and trailed by only two points with 46 seconds remaining.

"We had plenty of opportunities to tie up the game," Helix coach TRINA HANSEN said. "We were two points down and missed two lay-ups. Then we fouled and were called for a technical foul on the same play."

That cost Helix the game as the Cougars (18-2) converted 3 of 4 free throws and maintained possession of the ball.

Despite the defeat, Hansen was pleased that her Highlanders didn't fold after their sad-sack first half.

"I was impressed by how well we played in those last two quarters," she said. "Too bad our â€˜catch-up' game didn't hit high gear until the 4th quarter."

Helix scoring: Mele Leasau 16, Diana Leasau 15, Brittney Williams 12, Mallerie Brown 4, Sharika Thompson 4, Racquel Primas 1.

WEST HILLS 52, BRAWLEY 30 -- Faced with the deadline of making sure their girls would arrive home in time for the West Hills winter formal, the Wolf Pack changed game times in Saturday's (Jan. 21) San Diego-Imperial Valley Shootout.

All was going fine until the Wolf pack arrived at Brawley High only to find nobody home.

"We were lucky to find a janitor who told us the tournament was all over at Southwest," West Hills coach SIG CHABROWSKI said.

The late arrival at the game site didn't faze the Wolf Pack (10-10), which hopped off the bus and gained a 13-8 first quarter lead over Brawley (12-8). West Hills led 34-17 at the half.

"We just did what we had to do," said West Hills senior MEGAN EHMKE. "We needed the win."

West Hills muscled its way to a 25-point lead in the second half and then cruised home with the lopsided victory.

"This was one of our better games -- we worked well on defense," Ehmke said. "Our guards really played well, hit some key jumpers. They won the game for us."

Nine players contributed to the Wolf Pack scoring, with MUAAU NADERHOFF leading the way with 12 points. Most of her points came on 8-for-10 free throw shooting. Guard DALIA GHANDOUR added 10 points and 4 assists, while KYLEE KRINGS nailed three 3-pointers.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 12, Ghandour 10, Krings 9, Leilani Yawn 6, Megan Ehmke 5, Ashley Alderton 5, Rebecca Jones 2, Melanie Bailey 2, Ilda Llamas 1.

STEELE CANYON 69, CENTRAL UNION 41 -- Credit Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES for thinking ahead. Less than an hour following the Cougars Grossmont South League win over Monte Vista Friday night, Quinones had his girls in cars headed to the Imperial Valley.

The Cougars spent the night in El Centro, and came out fresh in Saturday's (Jan. 21) San Diego-Imperial Valley Shootout.

Steele Canyon (11-8) gained the scoring edge in all four quarters over the Spartans as the Cougars clawed to within two wins of the of the school record set a year ago.

"We were in the stands supporting our JV girls at 8:30 in the morning," Quinones said. "It was a tough turnaround, but our girls held up fine."

They did so knowing that later Saturday night was Steele Canyon's winter formal, which was a harbor cruise. "It's not like our girls could show up a half hour later," Quinones said.

Six-foot-3 sophomore center KELLY HANSEN scored a career-high 26 points and collected 18 rebounds to spearhead the Cougars's romp over Central.

"She was huge inside the paint," Quinones said. "She scored a bunch of points off offensive rebounds."

XANNING TYLER added 10 points, while TINA MERLINO pitched in with 9 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals.

Steele Canyon scoring: Hansen 26, Tyler 10, Merlino 9, Alexis Robinson 7, Belinda Pickens 6, Hayley Johnston 4, Samantha Beasley 3, Stephanie Boozel 2, Briana Eiter 2.

VALHALLA 51, CALIPATRIA 47 -- The Norsemen snapped a six-game losing streak Saturday (Jan. 21) as they disposed of the desert's Hornets in the San Diego-Imperial Valley Shootout at El Centro Southwest High.

BREE MARTIN hit KAYLA HOUSTON on a backdoor lay-up to give Valhalla a 49-47 edge with 8 seconds to play. A steal by ELICIA WHITE off an inbounds play sent her to the line where she canned two free throws to lock up the win for Valhalla.

Valhalla jumped out to a 16-6 lead with 6 minutes to go in the first half. That's when the Norsemen went flat, allowing Calipatria to capitalize on Valhalla's fouls by shooting 11-of-14 from the free throw line to gain a 21-19 halftime lead.

"This was a frustrating game to play for both teams," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "The officiating was very tight. It seemed like they were calling a foul every time the ball changed hands."

There was a combined total of 58 fouls called in the game. No Valhalla player was disqualified by fouls, but Calipatria had three players foul out.

With the game going back and forth throughout the final quarter, Valhalla stepped to the line with 37 seconds left, up 47-44, and pushed the lead to 5. After missing both free throws (Valhalla was 23-53 for the game), Calipatria came down and hit a three with 22 seconds left, tying the game at 47-47.

A Calipatria foul put the Norsemen on the line again. Two more missed free throws and a Calipatria rebound could have been the end for Valhalla, however, the rebounder traveled with 14 seconds left and set the stage for the final push.

Martin, Valhalla's double-double queen, delivered again with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Her effort included 7-for-7 free throw shooting.

Valhalla scoring: Martin 11, Sarah Laine 9, White 9 (7 steals), Kaitie Laine 8 (6 rebs), Houston 6, Lena Allos 4, Kelsey McClain 2, Emily Roberts 2.

PATRICK HENRY 44, GROSSMONT 42 -- It was another tough loss for the Foothillers, who watched as Henry's Catherine Marckwardt nailed a 3-pointer with three seconds left in Saturday night's (Jan. 21) non-league contest. The loss was the fourth straight for Grossmont (14-7).

Although trailing the majority of the game, the Foothillers took a 42-41 advantage when LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST made one of two free throws with 0:18 remaining.

"As poorly as we'd played all night, I thought we were going to get out of there with a win," Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT said. "But Henry came downcourt, passed the ball around the perimeter and hit the winning shot."

Henry (12-9) jumped out to a 20-10 lead, but the Hillers closed the half with an 8-point run to make it a two-point game at the break.

Grossmont prevented itself from taking any kind of control as they turned the ball over 34 times and shot just 30 percent from the floor. The Foothillers were a paltry 7 for 21 from the free throw line.

"The first half was our worst half of the season," Jollett said. "With all those turnovers and the fact that we shot so poorly again, we deserved to lose."

THERESE RIEDEL was a stalwart in defeat for Grossmont. The 6-foot-3 junior hit 7 of 12 shots and finished with a team-high 15 points and 8 rebounds. Simon-West added 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals for the Hillers.

Grossmont scoring: Therese Riedel 15, Simon-West 10, Tina Rios 5, Shandise Rios 3, Michelle Gonzalez 3, Marcee Fitzpatrick 2, Liz Riedel 2, Kayanni Ward 2.

VISTA MURRIETA 63, GRANITE HILLS 49 -- Fast start, swift fade away. That's what happened to the Eagles in Saturday's (Jan. 21) Bronco Shoot-Out at Vista Murrieta

After taking a 7-1 lead, Granite Hills fell behind 19-11 after the first quarter and never recovered as the Broncos, coached by former Valhalla High mentor Andy Rucker, took control.

Early foul problems limited the playing time of Granite Hills aces JOY EDWARDS and MARNESHA HALL in the first half. The Eagles, however, were able to keep the game in reach thanks to free-throw shooting and the play of MORGAN SABALA, who collected a game-high 23 points. Granite Hills went 11-of-12 from the line in the first half, yet the Broncos led 36-27 at the break.

The third quarter belonged to Vista Murrieta, as the Broncos outscored the Eagles 17-4 and took an insurmountable lead into the final eight minutes.

Granite Hills scoring: Sabala 23, Joy Edwards 10, Marnesha Hall 10, Amy Sylvester 4, Aulani Delker 2.

East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (1-21-06) -- Steele Canyon's aspirations for a first-division finish in the Grossmont South League nearly blew up after Monte Vista rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter of Friday's (Jan. 20) contest.

However, the Cougars hit four of their next five shots from the floor, while the Monarchs suddenly couldn't hit anything from near the basket, allowing Steele Canyon to snap a mild 2-game losing skid with a tough 44-36 victory.

CELESTE MARTINS keyed the turnaround for the Cougars by simply taking the ball and charging toward the basket. Twice the senior guard penetrated into the paint and dished the ball, first finding BELINDA PICKENS for the go-ahead layin for a 34-33 lead with 4:21 remaining, then to TINA MERLINO for a short 4-footer.

Merlino's shot was the first of three straight buckets by the junior forward, who leads the Cougars in scoring, and fell just two points short of her season-high by pouring home 18 points.

The shooting streak continued with another short jumper in the paint for Merlino off another Martins pass, then she took a length-of-the-court pass from XANNING TYLER for a layin.

Tyler registered the first of her two baskets in the game to complete the 12-3 run to close the contest, accepting a long pass from HAYLEY JOHNSTON for a layin on the press break. Martins then stole the ball and fed Tyler for another layin to cap the victory.

Center KELLY HANSEN aided the Cougars' cause with 8 points and 10 rebounds, two short of Merlino's team leading dozen boards.

Playing without the services of senior ASHLEY MILLER (dislocated finger), and trailing 28-11 at the half, Monte Vista kept its poise to bounce back to take a 33-32 lead with scoring runs of 10-2 in the third period, then scoring 12 consecutive points to close the third and begin the fourth for its only lead of the contest.

The first run was capped by VICTORIA RICHMOND, when she scored five of her seven points. She took a pass from RACHEL FINKS for a long 3-ball, then TIEAREA ROBINSON stole the ball at midcourt and fed Richmond who was standing near the bucket for a layin, cutting the deficit to 30-21.

Hansen answered with a putback basket for the Cougars following an offensive rebound, but Monte Vista went on its long scoring streak, which included five of Finks' 12 points, both on assists by Richmond.

However, when BRITNEY SMALL, the Monarchs' leading scorer with 14 points, picked up her third foul and briefly went to the bench, Steele Canyon's post players were able to seize the momentum, as Merlino and Hansen were able to get the ball on offense while intimidating on six Monte Vista misses in the lane over the final four minutes.

"We killed them in the first half and then we got killed in the second half," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES.

Steele Canyon scoring: Merlino 18, Hansen 10, Pickens 6, Tyler 4, Alexis Robinson 2, Johnston 2, Martins 2.

Monte Vista scoring: Small 14, Finks 12, Richmond 7, Tiearea Robinson 2, Karisa Archer 1.

EL CAPITAN 53, GROSSMONT 43 -- Tradition-rich El Capitan had to be worried somewhat when the Vaqueros dribbled onto Grossmont High's court for Friday's (Jan.20) Grossmont North League game.

After all, the Foothillers (14-6, 1-2) fell just one point shy of upending Santana only three days earlier.

El Capitan (9-9, 2-0 GNL) snapped a 36-36 tie with a 17-7 fourth quarter run to set up Tuesday's (Jan. 24) showdown against Santana in Lakeside.

"We were still right there with them until ASHLEY DUFFY and MORGAN CRAIG hit 3-pointers to spark an 8-0 run with six minute to play," Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT said. "They were pretty fired up and handled our pressure better than Santana did."

It was the third straight loss for Grossmont, which has lost six games by a margin of six points or less.

"We've lost three toughies in a row," Jollett admitted. "But we have a young team and can't get overly excited over those losses. We have to take baby steps and work toward getting better every week."

The DUFFYS -- senior ALLISON and freshman ASHLEY -- scored 17 points apiece to pace the Vaqueros. Allison cleared nine9 rebounds and Ashley made nine steals.

Grossmont's LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST pitched in a game-high 18 points despite being limited to 14 shots from the field. Her totals included one 3-pointer, 3-for-3 free throw shooting and 8 rebounds.

MICHELLE GONZALEZ enjoyed one of her better shooting nights as she canned 5-of-7 tries from the field and one free throw for 12 points for the Foothillers.

Grossmont's TERESA RIEDEL did not have a good shooting night, but came down with a game-high 10 rebounds and 7 points

El Capitan scoring: Allison Duffy 17, Ashley Duffy 17, Mallorie Montgomery 11, Morgan Craig 5, Lisa Wilkins 2, Caramie Huntington 1.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 18, Gonzalez 12, Therese Riedel 7, Tina Rios 5, Liz Riedel 1.

SANTANA 54, WEST HILLS 38 -- It appears that the Santana Sultans are back in the saddle -- as in winning groove. For sure Santana junior point guard SHAE BASS is back.

After missing two games due to medical reasons medical reasons, Bass scored 6 points, handed out 5 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds.

"Shae is so tough," said her coach WADE VICKERY. "She had surgery nine days ago, and came out tonight and played half a game."

"We started out pretty strong," said West Hills' LEILANI YAWN. "But by halftime we started losing energy. We have a pretty good team and we tried finishing strong. They're our archrivals and we were working really hard to beat them."

The bottom line is Santana's JORDAN FRANEY scored 28 points, half coming on 14-of-16 free throw shooting. She also cleared 12 rebounds and made seven steals.

Vickery was pleased by the efforts of junior ASHLEY BAKER, who rolled a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

"She played like I was hoping she'd be playing," Vickery said. "She can make us a lot tougher if we keep playing like this."

"West Hills didn't want us any more than we wanted them," he continued. "I was worried about it going in. We haven't played spectacularly lately. We didn't know until 3:30 this afternoon that Shae was going to be able play."

MUAAU NADERHOFF led West Hills with 11 points and 10 rebounds. MEGAN EHMKE pulled a reversal of 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolf Pack (9-10, 0-2).

A major difference was Santana converted 20 of 30 free throws while West Hills made just 7-of-15.

Although Santana eventually wound up winning going away, the game was close for the longest time.

"We stayed close -- the score got to 24-23 and stayed there for an eternity," West Hills assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI said. "I thought something was wrong with my pencil. Then they started scoring. Before we knew it, it was getting out of hand. We thought something was wrong with the clock."

Santana scoring: Jordan Franey 28, Ashley Baker 10, Danielle Balough 6, Shae Bass 6, Nicole Brzeczek 3, Brittany Fenn 1.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 11, Ehmke 10, Yawn 6, Dalia Ghandour 3, Ilda Llamas 2, Kylee Krings 2, Melanie Bailey 2, Ashley Alderton 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 51, GRANITE HILLS 29 -- One of the teams expected to give the Grossmont South League giants a challenge was Granite Hills. When the two squads faced off on Friday (Jan. 20), the Matadors outscored the Eagles 29-9 in the middle two quarters and cruised to their 49th straight league win.

"Granite Hills only had 6 field goals in the whole game," said Eagles coach JAY ROWLETT. "And three were in the first quarter. It was 14-10 with a minute left in the first half, and Mount Miguel hit 2 threes to end the half. We just can't score against them. The second half wasn't a game -- they went on an 8-0 run to start the second half and put us away, just blew us out."

MONIQUE CLAYTON hit a 3 and SHANICE HOWARD hit a 3 to extend the Matadors lead to 20-10 at the half.

" In the first half it was a close game, then we went on an 8-0 run in the second half and that momentum carried into the third quarter," Sandoval said.

"Howard played really well, hit a couple of big 3s in the first half," he added. "And we saw improvement in DANESIA WILLIAMSON tonight (in her second game back after an ankle injury suffered in the second game of the year)."

Senior JERICA WILLIAMS was her usual steady self, pitching in 13 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for Mount Miguel. Howard matched Williams 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished three assists.

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 13, Howard 13, Danesia Williamson 6, Lashawn Johnson 4, Victoria Murphy 4, Tavasha Yarbrough 4, Precious Robinson 4, Monique Clayton 3.

Granite Hills scoring: Morgan Sabala 11, Marnesha Hall 9, Joy Edwards 4, Amy Sylvester 4.

HELIX 76, VALHALLA 32 -- BRITNEY WILLIAMS scored 15 points and logged 5 steals to lead a balanced Helix offense as the Highlanders buried Valhalla in Friday's (Jan. 20) Grossmont South League blowout.

"We came out in the first quarter with a lot of energy and just played our game," said Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. "(Head coach) TRINA (HANSEN) was really happy with the way we played tonight."

"Helix is a great team and they played like it tonight. It seemed like they could not miss," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "We had a rough week coming into tonight's game. I wasn't sure how the girls would get through a game like this, but they showed some inner strength and determination and fought the entire game."

Helix scoring: Williams 15 , Afusia 13, Diana Leasau 12 (4 rebs, 5 assists,3 steals), Mele Leasau 11 (5 rebs), Racquel Primas 9 (4 assists), Tempy Glenn 6, Sharika Thompson 4, Vicky Winston 2, Adriana Horner 1.

Valhalla scoring: Kayla Houston 13, Bree Martin 9 (9 rebs), Katie Laine 5, Sarah Laine 3, Elicia White 2.

CHRISTIAN 67, CRAWFORD 32 -- This was a boat race from the opening tip as the host Patriots pummeled the visiting Colts in Friday's (Jan.20) Central League game at the Ryan Athletic Center.

Christian fell one point short of matching its season high, yet Patriots coach CORI ESPELET was more pleased by her club's defensive play.

"We were working on defense more in this game, knowing that our offense would take care of itself," Espelet said.

Crawford had a difficult time penetrating the tough defense of Christian guard BRITNI MCCASKILL, who also canned a game-high 18 points.

The Patriots (9-8, 2-0 Central) led by as many as 41 points as they utilized a full court press defense that helped them convert for easy shots on offense.

"Despite winning, there are still things that we need to work on, like cutting down on mistakes, taking our time to shoot, and limiting turnovers," said Espelet. "We worked harder tonight, but still had too many turnovers (25)."

The Patriots are now looking ahead to their next league game where they will face Clairemont at Clairemont on Tuesday, January 24th.

Christian scoring: McCaskill 18, Holly Erickson 14, Heather Meier 13, Sarah Seymour 10, Katie Gerlek 7, Jessie Ekard 2, Rachel Criswell 2, Heather DePriest 1.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-18-06) -- The Santana Sultans have won some pretty memorable games during the 26-year tenure of coach WADE VICKERY. They presented their veteran coach, the winningest girls basketball coach in San Diego CIF history, with his 600th victory Tuesday night (Jan.17) edging past visiting Grossmont 55-54.

JORDAN FRANEY, one of only three seniors on the Santana roster, provided the winning margin when she sank the second of two free throws with 0:25 left in the Grossmont North League game.

"This was such an important win for us," said Vickery, who owns an all-time record of 600-115 (a winning percentage of .839).

And he wasn't talking about it from a personal view, rather expressed happiness that his Sultans (12-6, 2-0 GNL) were able to win a tight game and maintain their narrow league lead.

"We came into this game a desperate team," Vickery said. "We'd lost five of out of six, and to lose here could have sent us further into the . . . We just had to have this game. We needed it emotionally. We really did."

Franey led Santana with 26 points, hitting 9 of 15 shots from the field and 6 of 12 free throws. She also grabbed 19 rebounds and made 4 steals.

Santana led early 13-6, but Grossmont put together a 17-3 run to take a seven-point advantage -- the Hillers greatest advantage in the game. A 16-6 Santana streak gave the Sultans a 32-29 halftime lead.

The game was back-and-forth in the second half, although Santana pulled out to a 48-40 advantage in the first of the fourth quarter. Junior guard La'KENYA SIMON-WEST, who scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, hit a 3-pointer giving Grossmont a 51-50 lead and later added a free throw to make 52-50 with 3:46 left.

Santana tied it on a NICOLE BRZECZEK basket and took a 54-52 lead on a KELSEY ASH layin. Once again, Simon-West pulled Grossmont even on a drive to the basket with 1:03 left.

It came down to free throws in the final minute. Grossmont was 0-for-4 and Santana 1-for-4.

"I'm disappointed, but my girls played hard," Grossmont coach TIM JOLLETT said. "This would be a sweet one to win. We just couldn't make that crucial shot there at the end -- a free throw or basket."

Vickery singled out the strong play of DANIELLE BALOUGH who pitched in 7 points and 4 steals.

"To be honest with you, I didn't know she could be that tough for us," Vickery said. "And she's not yet back to 100 percent healthy. She gave us some tough minutes."

For rebuilding Grossmont (14-5, 1-1 GNL) it was another in a handful of tough defeats. The Foothillers' five losses have been by a total of 18 points. One was in overtime.

The Foothillers' forte is defense and they did force 33 turnovers against a Santana team playing without junior guard SHAE BASS (ill). However, the Hillers shot only 29 percent (22-of-77) from the field and 6 for 14 from the free throw line.

Santana scoring: Franey 26, Brzeczek 9, Danielle Balough 7, Ash 6, Ashley Baker 2, Lorena Bernal 2, Shannon Bailey 2, Brittany Fenn 1.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 32 (8 steals), Therese Riedel 13, Liz Riedel 4, Shandise Rios 3, Michelle Gonzalez 2 (8 steals).

MONTE VISTA 47, VALHALLA 34 -- Playing without their top player, the Monarchs managed to pull out Tuesday's (Jan.17) Grossmont South League game in Spring Valley.

Senior BRITNEY SMALL scored 18 points and junior RACHEL FINKS scored a career-high 16 points to lead Monte Vista (6-12, 1-1).

"This was a confidence builder for us," reported Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT. "We played well in spurts. The third quarter we came out awesome. I just wish they would come out on fire all four quarters."

The Monarchs outscored Valhalla 19-9 in the third to open up a 38-19 advantage as team leader ASHLEY MILLER watched from the bench with a dislocated finger.

"Rachel stepped up and took charge of this game," Wright said. "She had 8 assists and only 1 turnover. Rachel had a great game."

Monte Vista was able to take the ball inside to the 5-foot-9 Small, something they haven't been able to consistently.

"We finally were able to get the ball inside to the post and Small dominated," Wright said. "When Rachel comes to play like she did tonight and as a team we feed the post players the ball, we can be a contender for this tough league."

Sarah Laine led Valhalla with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. BREE MARTIN added 11points and 9 boards.

Monte Vista scoring: Small 18, Finks 16, Victoria Richmond 7, Tiearea Robinson 2, Johnae Jackson 2, Karisa Archer 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 55, HELIX 40 -- For the second time in as many meetings, the Matadors clubbed the Highlanders on Tuesday night (Jan.17). This was tabbed as a showdown between the Grossmont South League's top two teams.

The Matadors (12-4, 2-0 GSL), who beat the Highlanders 45-37 in a tournament earlier in the season, jumped on top 21-11 after one quarter and led 35-20 by intermission.

The victory extended Mount Miguel's league winning streak to 48. Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL has never lost a league game in his six seasons at Mount Miguel.

Known more for their defensive skills, the Matadors sank four 3-pointers in the first quarter. LASHAWN JOHNSON and MONIQUE CLAYTON each hit one while JERICA WILLIAMS hit two 3s.

"We got beat by the No. 1 team in the county," said Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY. "They came out with a lot of intensity in the first quarter. We missed 16 free throws tonight. You can't miss that many and expect to beat Mount Miguel. We played them even in the second half, we'll give it our best shot next time."

Helix was unable to connect on a single field goal in the fourth quarter, making just 9 for 18 free throws in the period.

Mount Miguel scoring: Jerica Williams 21 (8 reb., 5 stl.), Precious Robinson 11 (11 reb., 3 blk.), Lashawn Johnson 9 (10 reb., 5 stl.), Shanice Howard 5 (5 reb., 3 ast.), Monique Clayton 5 (4 ast., 3 reb.), Victoria Murphy 3 (4 reb.), Tavasha Yarbrough 1 (5 reb.).

Helix scoring: Diana Leasau 17 (4 blk., 1, Mele Leasau 10 (4 reb., 3 blk., 3 stl.), Brittney Williams 10 (4 reb., 4 ast., 3 stl.), Sharika Thompson 3 (3 reb., 3 stl.).

CHRISTIAN 68, MADISON 32 -- The Patriots made it clear what their intensions are concerning the Central League campaign Tuesday (Jan. 17), as they rocked Madison in their league opener.

Not that coach Christian coach CORI ESPELET is expecting any cakewalk to the title.

"Overall, it is an OK start for league," said Espelet said. "We had two weeks without games and it took us awhile to get going. Our first quarter was very slow and we had a hard time picking up defense. We changed up the defense in the second quarter to give us a push on offense.

"Our consistent rebounding through the game kept us in the lead -- we had three players with over 10 rebounds. We did some good things but we still made a lot of mistakes that we will need to eliminate before our next game. I think we are still improving every game and we should be ready for Crawford on Friday (Jan. 20).

HEATHER MEIER had an outstanding game with 27 points and 11 rebounds forn Christian (8-8, 1-0). SARAH SEYMOUR collected an out-of-the-ordinary triple double (10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks). And HOLLY ERICKSON grabbed 22 rebounds to compliment her 14 points."

KATIE GERLEK is recovering from a knee injury and only played a few minutes, but still contributed with 5 points and 5 rebounds.

Christian scoring: Heather Meier 27, Holly Erickson 14, Britni McCaskill 10 (6 stl., 3 ast.), Sarah Seymour 10, Katie Gerlek 5, Jessie Eckard 2 (4 ast.)

GRANITE HILLS 45, STEELE CANYON 27 -- MARNESHA HALL knocked down 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Tuesday (Jan.17) as the Eagles defeated the Cougars in a Grossmont South League game.

" I've been having trouble getting my players motivated," Granite Hills coach JAY ROWLETT said. "We didn’t shoot real well from the floor or the line. It seemed like we were just going through the motions."

Granite Hills scoring: Marnesha Hall 15 (10 reb., 6 stl.), Morgan Sabala 10 (2 ast.), Joy Edwards 9 (4 reb., 3 ast., 8 stl.), Amy Sylvester 4 (7 reb.), Molly Hillenbrand 7 (2 ast.).

Steele Canyon scoring: Celeste Martins 12, Tina Merlino 7, Alexis Robinson 4, Samantha Beasley 2, Kelly Hansen 2. No other information was reported.

EL CAPITAN 72, EL CAJON VALLEY 26 -- Freshman ASHLEY DUFFY and senior MALLORIE MONTGOMERY sparked a balanced attack with 15 points Tuesday (Jan. 17) as El Capitan (8-9, 1-0 GNL) breezed past El Cajon Valley (6-13,0-2) in a Grossmont North League game.

JAMIE FERGUSON grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds for El Capitan, which substituted freely in the lopsided affair.

El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 15 (9 reb., 4 stl.), Mallorie Montgomery 15 (3 stl.), Allison Duffy 11 (3 reb., 2 blk.), Morgan Craig 8 (6 stl., 5 reb.), Caramie Huntington 10 (3 ast), Crisela Banks 5 (5 reb., 4 stl.), Jamie Ferguson 4 (12 reb.), Liana Pitman 2, ECV basket for EC 2.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Kim Vasquez 12, Mercy Ledezma 5, Sheraina Moon 4, Bianca Lewis 3, Collene Kraut 2.

East County Sports.com
CARMEL VALLEY (1-15-06) -- A team on the verge of qualifying for prime time/upper tier status, the Grossmont Foothillers came up short Saturday night (Jan. 14) as they dropped a 49-46 non-league decision to Cathedral Catholic in North County.

Grossmont, East County's most improved team under first-year head coach TIM JOLLETT, bolted out to a 14-6 first-quarter lead and then watched the air seep from its balloon as the Dons (12-6) edged in front 26-25 after three quarters.

From there, things got interesting. The Foothillers (14-4) pulled off final second heroics to tie the game at 39-all and send the game into overtime.

"With one second left we ran a play and THERESE RIEDEL got open in the post and made the basket to put us into overtime," Jollett related.

Cathedral managed to keep a step ahead, which resulted in Grossmont's second loss in nine games.

"Cathedral is going to be a contender for the Division III title," Jollett predicted. "They are very solid defensively, a fundamentally sound basketball team."

Even in defeat, Riedel recorded perhaps her best game as a Foothiller, scoring 20 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking three shots.

"She was dominant in this game, really kept us in the game, kept us competing with that team," Jollett said.

Grossmont scoring: Therese Riedel 20, Tina Rios 9, La'Kenya Simon-West 9, Michelle Gonzalez 6, Liz Riedel 2.

VENTURA 46, EL CAPITAN 38 -- Too much height, too much talent and too little shooting accuracy added up to a disappointing defeat for the once elite El Capitan Vaqueros in Saturday's (Jan. 14) Southern California High School Team Challenge at Concordia University in Irvine.

The Vaqueros (7-9) sprinted out of the gate to a 7-0 lead over the 14-4 Cougars, but that was a short-lived high.

Led by 6-foot-5 junior Kali Bennett's 20 points and the physical defensive work of 6-3 senior Caitlin Kearns, the Cougars, last year's SoCal Division I runner-ups, manhandled the Vaqueros in general and 6-1 senior ALLISON DUFFY in particular.

By double-teaming Duffy inside, the Cougars forced the Vaqueros' team leader to rotate outside to take her shots. That proved to be to Ventura's advantage as Duffy did not lock onto her scoring mode until the final period after the Cougars had secured a 40-24 lead.

Duffy finished with a team best 16 points, five rebounds, four blocks and a pair of steals.

El Capitan freshman ASHLEY DUFFY matched her career high of 16 points by hitting a trio of treys which were included among a 5-for-15 shooting night and three free throws.

MALLORIE MONTGOMERY added five points and five steals for the Vaqueros who shot a paltry 28 percent from the floor.

El Capitan scoring: Ashley Duffy 16, Allison Duffy 15, Mallorie Montgomery 5, Lisa Wilkins 2.

TORRANCE-BISHOP MONTGOMERY 57, GRANITE HILLS 46 -- JAY ROWLETT, now in his ninth season as Granite Hills coach, proved that coaches can be humble when he said he may have over-scheduled this season.

"We played lackadaisical and we weren't really enthused," Rowlett said. "I'm thinking I might have overscheduled."

A third-quarter letdown where the Eagles (11-6) saw a 4-point deficit swell to 46-30 spelled doom for Granite Hills, which had won six of its previous seven.

Bishop Montgomery's Kendra Morris -- headed for the University of Portland -- scored 29 points, including seven treys to lead the Knights (9-9). Their next highest scorer had six points.

Individualism was the key to the Granite Hills' downfall in the third quarter when the Knights gained an 18-6 scoring advantage.

"We started playing too much 1-on-1 -- MEGAN SABALA and JOY EDWARDS were trying to do too much -- things that they didn't have to do," Rowlett said. "We have to realize that you can get the same shot with 10 seconds left on the shot clock as you can with 20. Ball movement and body movement would be a good idea for us."

Granite Hills scoring: Marnesha Hall 15, Joy Edwards 12 (6 rebounds), Morgan Sabala 11, Amy Sylvester 5 (4 steals), Molly Hillenbrand 3.

LYNWOOD 51, MOUNT MIGUEL 42 -- Perhaps coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL's Matadors (11-4) should learn that playing a second game against a prominent opponent during the regular season is of little to no value.

Mount Miguel leveled Lynwood, 53-41, in an early-season tournament, but that did not help the Matadors in Saturday's (Jan.14) rematch in the La Jolla County Day Elite Classic.

"In the fourth quarter, we just ran out of gas," Sandoval said. "We looked like we were out of shape."

That's a characteristic uncommon to Sandoval-coached teams. Losing physical steam in the stretch was surprising yet prevalent in the final quarter as the Matadors (10-4) failed to convert a single field goal as the Knights (10-4) claimed a last quarter 14-5 scoring advantage that broke a 37-37 deadlock.

"The difference in the game was turnovers," Sandoval continued. "We had 20 turnovers, Lynwood had 13. We didn't execute like we should have, had some missed opportunities."

The ever-improving PRECIOUS ROBINSON punched in 15 points and 8 rebounds, while JERICA WILLIAMS tossed in 13 points, secured a team-best 11 rebounds, dished three assists, stole two passes and blocked a pair to lead the Matadors.

"Tonight we saw pressure we won't see from any other team," Sandoval said. "Lynwood subbed five in and five out every 3-4 minutes. They looked like they wanted the game more than we did."

Mount Miguel scoring: Robinson 15, Williams 13, Lashawn Johnson 6, Monique Clayton 5, Shanice Howard 2, Tavasha Yarbrough 1.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON -- Just how good are these Grossmont Foothillers? A 14-3 record should offer at least a clue. But there are those who insist that coach TIM JOLLETT's crew hasn't defeated any team in the San Diego CIF section of note. However, none of that banter pro or con bothers Jollett, who keeps his focus in the present tense. If he were a waiter, the scenario would be, "Next customer, please.'"

Grossmont survived a foulfest against visiting West Hills in Friday's (Jan. 13) Grossmont North League opener. LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST scored a game high 22 points as the Hillers hustled their seventh victory in eight starts, taking the Wolf Pack down, 54-46.

Despite the impressive victory, Jollett was less than pleased. He pointed to Grossmont's 21-point lead with one minute left in the third quarter.

"We should have put them away right there," Jollett said. "Even though we did what we do -- pressure, trap and cause turnovers -- we didn't do a good job of finishing."

There were 54 total fouls and five technicals called in this game. In the first half alone, Grossmont was whistled for 14 fouls and a technical while West Hills was called for 18 personals and two Ts. These were rinky dink technicals, as two were calls for not reporting to the scorer's table.

Jollett lauded his club's defensive effort, which forced 34 West Hills turnovers. He offered special praise to SHANDISE RIOS, who "covered their best perimeter player and held her to one basket."

The pivotal quarter was the second as Grossmont used a 16-7 scoring edge to take a 27-14 halftime lead.

"The second quarter hurt us," said West Hills coach CARLOS MOSS. "We got rattled a little bit."

The fourth quarter was good for West Hills (9-9, 0-1 GNL), which outscored the Foothillers 21-13.

"I wasn't happy that we gave up that many points in the last quarter," Jollett said. "I don't know what it was, but the girls said they were tired. For us, that is unusual."

MUAAU NADERHOFF led West Hills with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists. LEILANI YAWN added 10 points and MEGAN EHMKE reeled in 10 rebounds.

Grossmont scoring: Simon-West 22, Tina Rios 10 (8 rebounds), Therese Riedel 8, Liz Riedel 7, Michelle Gonzalez 5, Shandise Rios 2.

West Hills scoring: Naderhoff 19, Yawn 10, Dalia Ghandour 9, Rebecca Jones 4, Ilda Llamas 2, Megan Ehmke 2.

GRANITE HILLS 56, VALHALLA 31 -- MOLLY HILLENBRAND and MORGAN SABALA shared game-scoring honors with 12 points each, but it was the leadership of JOY EDWARDS which allowed the Eagles to skate past their arch-rivals from Valhalla in Friday's (Jan.13) Grossmont South League opener.

Edwards, the lone senior on the roster, carried the play in the early going, passing for two quick assists to ignite Granite Hills to a 13-0 lead out of the gate. Edwards finished with 11 points, but also added seven rebounds and five assists in a strong, all-around performance.

"This game was just to get us ready for the next game -- it was more like a practice," noted Edwards, who hopes her team can hang with South League pacesetters Mount Miguel and Helix. "We were able to work on fundamentals, like talking on defense or closing out for rebounds."

The Eagles will need to continue doing the same to escape their "best of the rest" label.

"Of course, we want to beat those teams," added Edwards, who's Eagles are picked to finish behind perennial powerhouse Mount Miguel and Helix in the South League race. "Helix is real good, but I think we can get there if we play our game and not get intimidated."

Sabala went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers, for 10 points in the opening period. Then MARNESHA HALL, MADONNA NAJOR and Sabala hit consecutive baskets to open the second period for a 24-4 lead to put this one away early.

"Unlike games against Poway earlier this season, our team is on the same page and getting better each day," added Edwards.

Najor paced the Eagles with 10 rebounds, while Hillenbrand, the niece of former East County standout AMY HILLENBRAND, was solid with six boards and four assists.

Valhalla came on late thanks to balanced scoring. KATIE LAINE scored six of her team-high eight points in the final period, while a trio of Norsemen -- BREANNA MARTIN, KAYLA HOUSTON and SARAH LAINE -- each scored seven points, as both sides tallied 20 second-half points. Martin, east County's No. 1 rebounder, collected 11 caroms.

"Katie started to look like she was getting more comfortable with her game tonight," said Valhalla coach ROBERT WILSON. "I was pleased with our effort. We fought hard to the end."

Granite Hills scoring: Hillenbrand 12, Sabala 12, Edwards 11 (7 reb., 5 ast., 2 blk.), Amy Sylvester 8 (6 reb., 3 stl.), Hall 5 (8 reb., 7 stl., 4 ast., 2 blk.), Kylee Wilson 3 (2 stl.), Najor 3 (10 reb.), Aulani Delker 2.

Valhalla scoring Katie Laine 8 ( 4 reb.), Kayla Houston 7 (4 stl.), Sarah Laine 7 (6 reb., 3 blk.), Breanna Martin 7, Emily Roberts 2.

SANTANA 69, EL CAJON VALLEY 36 -- At last relief. Or so must say Santana coach WADE VICKERY, whose Sultans halted a five-game losing streak in Friday's (Jan.13) Grossmont North League opening victory at El Cajon Valley.

Sultans senior JORDAN FRANEY vented her frustration by firing in 30 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, dealing 7 assists and recording 4 steals.

"The girls were excited with tonight's win," Vickery said. "(LORENA) BERNAL played really well defensively tonight, and it was nice to see Franey enjoy herself. The better she plays, the better we play. Things are going to get tougher next week."

Sophomore NICOLE BRZECZEK had a career-high 12 points for the Sultans. SHANNON BAILEY added nine points and eight rebounds. Bernal had six rebounds and BRITTANY FENN matched Franey with a team best four steals.

Santana scoring: Franey 30, Brzeczek 12, Shannon Bailey 9, Ashley Baker 7, Brittany Fenn 6, Jamie Elias 2, Kelsey Ash 2, Lorena Bernal 1.

El Cajon Valley scoring: Veronica Tamai 12, Tatiana Jackson 7, Kim Vasquez 6, Mercy Ledezma 5, Taniya Patros 4, Sheraina Moon 2.

MOUNT MIGUEL 78, STEELE CANYON 24 -- New season, same result. When it comes to Grossmont South League games and the ROBBIE SANDOVAL-led Matadors, the results are always the same. It's been that way for the past six seasons as Mount Miguel has scored 47 league wins without a loss.

Five Matadors scored nine or more points led by the 20 markers of JERICA WILLIAMS in Friday's (Jan.13) lopsided GSL opener at Steele Canyon.

Williams also had nine rebounds, five assists and seven steals, while MONIQUE CLAYTON added 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. PRECIOUS ROBINSON knocked down 12 points, while SHANICE HOWARD returned to the scoring column with 11 points, six assists and four steals.

"We're trying to get prepared for tomorrow against Lynwood," said Sandoval. "We beat them 53-41 in Arizona (in the Nike Tournament of Champions in December). They have just as many athletes as we do."

"There's a reason why Mount Miguel is the No. 1 team in the county," said Steele Canyon coach FRANK QUINONES. "I told my girls before we stepped on the floor they should feel fortunate to play against the No. 1 team. We held them to the least amount of points they have scored against Steele Canyon (in four seasons). My girls can hold their heads up. I don't think we ever gave up. I'm hoping our Cougars can do something like (Mount Miguel) in the future."

"Some people might accuse Robbie of running up the score, but when you put your subs in you want them to run what your starters are running," Quinones said "I'd do the same thing; I'd want my bench to play just as hard."

TINA MERLINO had eight points and KELLY HANSEN nabbed eight rebounds to pace Steele Canyon (9-7, 0-1 GSL).

Mount Miguel scoring: Williams 20, Clayton 13, Robinson 12, Howard 11, Lashawn Johnson 9, Tavasha Yarbrough 8, Danesia Williamson 5.

Steele Canyon scoring: Merlino 8, Xanning Tyler 4, Hansen 4, Samantha Beasley 2, Belinda Pickens 2, Hayley Johnston 2, Alexis Robinson 2.

HELIX 51, MONTE VISTA 25 -- It was a sloppily played Grossmont South League season opener Friday night (Jan. 13) between the Highlanders and the Monarchs at Monte Vista.

Sophomore Monte Vista transfer BRITTNEY WILLIAMS led the Highlanders (13-4, 1-0) with 14 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists in her first appearance since a change of uniforms.

MELE LEASAU rolled a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Highlanders. DIANA LEASAU added nine points and four assists. SHARIKA THOMPSON hawked nine rebounds.

"Defensively, Helix does a good job getting in the passing lanes," Monte Vista coach SANDY WRIGHT said. "We helped beat ourselves with 24 turnovers."

" We haven't played in a week and a half and we are a little rusty," Helix assistant coach WILLY HATHAWAY said. "We played good defensively but couldn't get the ball to drop. We didn't shoot our normal percentage."

Helix scoring: Williams 14, Mele Leasau 10, Diana Leasau 9, Racquel Primas 6, Jazlyn Afusia 3, Mallerie Brown 2, Sinoi Leasau 2, Tempy Glenn 2, Liz Caldwell 2, Thompson 1.

Monte Vista scoring: Miller 12, Britney Small 5, Rachel Finks 2, Tiearea Robinson 2, Karisa Archer 2, Stacey Leavitt 2.

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-12-06) -- Only one of this season's Grossmont Conference basketball predictions can be set in stone: Mount Miguel will capture its sixth straight Grossmont South League championship.

As for the rest of the 10 teams between the two leagues, get out your game of Yahtzee and roll the dice because your guess should be just as good as any experts' opinion. So ignore the local scribes from area newspapers and have faith that we can offer more than mere conjecture.

Grossmont South League
1. MOUNT MIGUEL (10-3) -- With senior forward JERICA WILLIAMS seeking to become one of the few two-time County Player of the Year award winners, the Matadors are the unanimous No. 1 team in the CIF-San Diego Section for a reason. The defending Southern California finalists are deep, talented, and can play various styles. Plus, their man-to-man defense is among the best in girls basketball anywhere in the country.

Since ROBBIE SANDOVAL took over the ballclub's reins for the 2000-01 season, Mount Miguel has yet to drop a South League contest, rolling to 46 consecutive victories (eight in 2001 and 2002, then 10 thereafter when Steele Canyon started to field a varsity program in 2003).

Another 10-0 mark would give Mount Miguel the fourth-longest win streak in league play in CIFSDS history, setting up a possible historical run at Point Loma's all-time record of 66 next season.

But first things first -- taking care of business this season, then attempting to get by Fullerton-Troy in the playoffs. Mount Miguel recently met the Warriors in the final of the Santana Horsman Tournament, although the Matadors lost, 55-40. Still, Sandoval's troops haven't lost to a team from San Diego County since 2003.

Joining Williams (15.8 points, 6.8 rebounds per game) in leading the team are PRECIOUS ROBINSON on the inside, plus guards SHANICE HOWARD, MONIQUE CLAYTON, TAVASHA YARBROUGH and LASHAWN JOHNSON.

2. HELIX (12-4) -- The Highlanders will have one disadvantage taken away from them as they prepare to somehow upend Mount Miguel. The Scotties already played Mount Miguel in the semifinals of a tournament, and although falling, 45-37, they have eliminated the fear factor or intimidation by already playing them once, plus they possess videotape to review their effort and make the necessary adjustments.

Although it may not be enough, count on the one-two scoring punch of DIANA LEASAU (16.3 ppg) and BRITTNEY WILLIAMS (15.8 ppg) to make a strong push, while guard RACQUEL PRIMAS will need to better her current numbers (3.4 assists) without turning the ball over to forge an upset.

3. GRANITE HILLS (10-5) -- The Eagles may finally have solved the mental barrier of finally defeating a quality opponent when they toppled Santana in last week's Grossmont Conference crossover contest. If another similar effort is in the offing, Mount Miguel or Helix may need to look over their respective shoulder.

A host of underclassmen may make Granite Hills a top contender in 2007, although the Eagles would like to think the future is now thanks to guard MORGAN SABALA (14.9 ppg) and forward MARNESHA HALL (10.0 ppg) -- both juniors. Senior leadership comes from JOY EDWARDS (11.8 ppg), but a lack of rebounding may prevent the Eagles from moving up.

4. STEELE CANYON (9-6) -- Excluding a disastrous, winless trip to a tournament in Colorado, the Cougars are 7-3 this season against San Diego Section opponents, with two of the losses coming to strong programs from Grossmont and Valley Center. However, the Cougars are still looking for a victory against a quality opponent in a lukewarm schedule, so the experience factor may prevent The Canyon from gaining a first-division finish.

CELESTE MARTINS, the Cougars top scorer at 9.8 per game, leads the East County in 3-point goals with 29, but the overall guard play needs to improve to get the ball inside to center KELLY HANSEN -- the East County shooting percentage leader -- to balance the attack.

5. MONTE VISTA (5-11) -- Some leagues give Coach of the Year citations to the coach who wins the championship. Others give the award to the coach who does the most with the least -- a position Monarchs coach SANDY WRIGHT owns the inside edge.

Monte Vista couldn't get out of its own way to open the season, averaging a mere 21.7 points per game as a team. However, the Monarchs partially turned it around and posted a mild winning streak before getting stepped on by El Capitan.

ASHLEY MILLER leads the Pride at 11.5 points an outing, while some of the younger players are coming around.

6. VALHALLA (4-11) -- The Norsemen may have enough mite to climb out of the cellar, as they look to BREE MARTIN (10.6 ppg, 12.2 rpg) to lead the way.

Grossmont North League
1. SANTANA (10-6) -- The Sultans don't own the best record among North League sides, riding an all-time low five-game losing streak in the WADE VICKERY 26-year coaching era. But considering their schedule, there isn't really anything wrong with Santana, which still possesses the highest-scoring offense in East County.

Reigning CIF Division IIl player of the year JORDAN FRANEY tops all East County scorers at 22.1 points per contest, and is just behind the pace of her older sister, JANET FRANEY, who set the Section record for foul shots made in a season for Helix in 1998.

When the offense is moving the ball -- guard SHAE BASS easily leads East County at 5.6 assists per contest --and Franey scores, Santana is tough to beat. But more balance will be needed to top the other contenders, as another league crown is not a guaranteed.

2. GROSSMONT (13-3) -- Here is the surprise pick. While Santana is tops on offense, the "run-and-jump" Foothillers are the kingpins on defense. They have enough defensive stance inside on defense to stall the frontline scorers from Santana (Franey) and El Capitan (ALLISON DUFFY, the 2004 SDCIF Div. II player of the year as a sophomore).

High-flying LA'KENYA SIMON-WEST is scoring at a 21.2 clip and has maybe enough offensive support from THERESE RIEDEL to make at a run the gold ring. Sisters TINA and SHANDISE RIOS are the keys to an in-your-face defense spearheaded by MICHELLE GONZALEZ. The Foothillers cannot be overlooked in the championship picture.

3. EL CAPITAN (7-8) -- Here come the complaints: "How can you pick the Vaqueros third after they just beat Santana?"

Simply. That wasn't a league game on Dec. 30 -- a 47-35 El Capitan victory -- which carries more weight and different decisions on court personnel, playing time and court strategy.

And with defending league champion El Capitan, still developing new offensive looks since the turnover in its coaching staff in early December, will they be ready for the new wrinkles Santana and Grossmont may have planned for them?

Allison Duffy is again a contender for player of the year laurels in the North, while younger sister ASHLEY DUFFY is quickly growing into a quality player.

4. WEST HILLS (9-8) -- Following three straight victories at the Montgomery Tournament, the Wolf Pack quickly learned they need to improve after getting whipped by the host Aztecs in the final. A letdown performance against Monte Vista also begs the question: which direction is this program going?

Leading the Wolf Pack in scoring are MUAAU NADERHOFF (12.8) and MEGAN EHMKE (11.9), while point guard DALIA GHANDOUR ranks among the assist leaders. However, more than this trio needs to step up for West Hills to contend.

5. EL CAJON VALLEY (6-11) -- The Braves have two proven scorers in VERONICA TAMAI (13.2) and MERCY LEDEZMA (12.6), but the duo receive little assistance.

CENTRAL LEAGUE
1. CHRISTIAN (7-8) -- In the weakest Central/Harbor League in years, the already hurting circuit should be a walkover for the Patriots, who will only be challenged by Coronado (10-7).

The tandem of KATIE GERLEK and HOLLY ERICKSON make Christian go, but they both must avoid the injury bug to maintain their status on top of this league before contending for the SDCIF Division IV title.