Girls – 3-Point Shooting Candidates | Boys – 3-Point Shooting Candidates |
Isabel Aguirre | La Jolla Country Day | Jack Beach | Torrey Pines |
Nicole Conyers | Fallbrook | Kane Daniels | Palo Verde |
Ali Engelhardt | Mt. Carmel | JB Deperio | Mission Vista |
Kamree Harrison | Mt. Miguel | Anthony Jensen | Madison |
Madison Lombard | Torrey Pines | Ethan Kuo | Pacific Ridge |
Evangeline Morga | Montgomery | Jack Langborg | Santa Fe Christian |
Holly Picard | Mission Vista | Tommy McCarthy | La Costa Canyon |
Taylor Pierce | La Costa Canyon | Dalton Soffer | Poway |
Julia Pihl | Rancho Buena Vista | Lynard Steward | San Ysidro |
Kristine Sellona | Mater Dei | Brady Twombley | La Costa Canyon |
Boys – Slam Dunk Candidates
To Be Announced
In both games, the North will be considered the home team and should wear their white uniforms. The South will be considered the away team and should wear their dark uniforms.
Tickets will only be available at the door and will cost $12 for adults/$8 for students. Doors will open at 4:45 p.m.
Harvey and Branch both shine in 2015 East County Sports.com Senior All-Star game
By James McHugh
© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (3-28-15) — DEAJANAE HARVEY and ZARIA BRANCH both earned first team All San Diego Section CIF honors earlier this week. On Friday night (Mar. 27) the two retired to opposite sides of the floor but once again shared in reaping accolades of success. Harvey and Branch were named game MVP's in the 2015 East County Senior All-Star Game.
Harvey and the West all-stars came out on top 78-76, with Harvey leading the charge for the West, finishing with 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. Branch was right in step, collecting 12 rebounds while pouring in a game high 31 points and also finishing runner up in the three point contest to Helix's SHIRAH HANCOCK. Hancock and Branch each hit 10 three pointers in the first round of the contest, then Hancock finished off her performance with a 7-5 advantage in the championship round.
BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD scored 21 on the night for the West in their victory. KAMREE HARRISON of Mount Miguel also had 21 to go along with five assists and six rebounds. NASHEA LAMPKIN had a solid effort for the West, representing El Cajon Valley with 11 rebounds, an assist and one bucket on the night. For some this was the final time taking the court in uniform, however a number of the senior participants will be moving on to play at the college level. Among them, Branch is headed to Fresno State in the fall.
East: Granite Hills - Deajane Harvey 29 (16 reb, 9 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk), Justine Garde 10 (1 ast); Helix - Briajunae Shepard 21 (3 reb, 2 ast), Irma Ealy 4 (16 reb, 2 blk), Shirah Hancock 9 (3 reb, 1 blk); Grossmont - Theresa Mapp 4 (5 reb, 2 stl), Martina Toma (1 reb, 1 stl), Sierra Orsinelli-Rivers (2 reb); Steele Canyon - Victoria Ethridge 4 (2 reb).
West: Mount Miguel - Zaria Branch 31 (12 reb, 5 ast), Kamree Harrison 21 (6 reb, 6 ast), Brooklyn Miller 9 (6 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl); El Cajon Valley - Nashea Lampkin 2 (12 reb, 1 stl, 1 ast), Ninwey Esho (3 reb, 1blk), Mary Grace Ronquillo (3 reb, 1 ast); El Capitan - Cierra Cutler 12 (11 reb, 1 stl); Santana - Taylor Estes (1 reb).
Branch and Harrison named to All-CIF team
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-26-15) — East County players chosen to the 2015 All-CIF Girls Basketball team are two Mount Miguel seniors, ZARIA BRANCH, who was chosen to the first team, and KAMREE HARRISON, who was chosen to the second team.
Tough defense brings Vaquero ride to a sudden stop
For the schools that particpated and furnished Stats, final stats are posted in STATS'14-15 |
By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO (3-12-15) — No question El Capitan was one of the surprise teams in San Diego County girls basketball this season.
After going undefeated in the Grossmont Valley League, the Vaqueros captured the San Diego CIF Division IV championship by knocking off San Ysidro last weekend to earn a berth in the Southern California CIF playoffs.
The 9th seeded Vaqueros ran out of gas quickly in the SoCal match-up at host Junipero Serra as they fell behind 19-2 in the first quarter. It didn’t get any better as Serra stretched their advantage to 50-8 by intermission and continued on to 67-26 victory.
El Capitan stalwart CIERRA CUTLER paced the Vaqueros with 15 points and four rebounds as El Capitan’s season concluded with a 19-10 record.
The last time El Capitan advanced to the regional playoffs was 2005.
El Capitan: Cierra Cutler 15 (4 reb, 1 stl), Grace Burkett 5 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Kassidy Kygar 4 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Valerie Renfrow 2 (3 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Marie Cook (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).
Matadors miss the mark, come up short to Horizon
By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (3-7-15) — Trailing only 27-25 after the first two quarters, it appeared that Mount Miguel was in line for the San Diego Section Division I championship Friday night (Mar. 6) against Horizon Christian.
However, the Panthers finished 66-59 over the Matadors to earn the SDCIF Division I championship.
KAMREE HARRISON hit 4 of 16 shots including a pair of treys and 6 of 11 free throws to direct the Matadors attack, finishing with 16 points. Her effort, along with SATERA BATES who had 14 points, carried the Matadors into the final round. ROZLYN PIERCE had 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Horizon scored a 23-18 advantage in the third quarter.
The Matadors battled back to trail only 53-51 in the final period, but surrendered a 3-pointer by Horizon’s Dijonai Carrington (35 points, 24 rebounds).
“Then we turned the ball over and we never caught up,” said Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “We pulled within 7 but got no closer.”
Mount Miguel: Kamree Harrison 16 (2 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Satera Bates 14 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Rozlyn Pierce 12 (9 reb, 1 ast, 4 blk), Zaria Branch 11 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Brooklyn Miller 6 (4 reb, 2 ast), Laila Smith (1 reb, 1 ast).
Cutler and the Vaqueros run the table
By Adam Paul
© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (3-7-15) — One could argue that Division IV was seeded wrong with Calvin Christian getting the No. 1 seed while El Capitan received the No. 2 seed. But none of that mattered as the Vaqueros pretty much laid their own will against all their opponents on their road through the playoffs, as they beat No. 15 Orange Glen and No. 3 Lincoln.
It didn’t matter to the Vaqueros who they played in the Division 4 playoffs as they were determined to accomplish something that had not been done in quite a while at El Capitan and that’s win a CIF Championship. The last time the Vaqueros made it to the finals was back in 2005 when they lost to Mount Miguel 53-47.
This year they got over the hurdle of the semifinals where they had lost last year.
On Friday (Mar. 6) the Vaqueros took on the No. 12 seeded San Ysidro Cougars who were coming off the upset of No. 1 seeded Calvin Christian and came away with the victory 55-41.
The first quarter saw both teams surprisingly play even as El Capitan only led 13-10 and the second quarter was pretty much the same as the Vaqueros only led 21-16 at the break. Not sure what the reasoning was behind this whether it was the bigger gym or the fact that it was the championship which could cause nerves.
The Cougars had a pretty decent game plan going in trying to stop Vaquero leading scorer and best player CIERRA CUTLER. The first half wasn’t kind for her as she finished with 3 points on 1-13 shooting. However the person who picked up the slack for the Vaqueros was VALERIE RENFROW who finished the half with 12 points and seven boards.
The second half saw the Vaqueros come out on fire and take the third quarter by storm outscoring the Cougars by a score of 20-11. In the third period the Vaqueros had built a lead of 37-21 with a little over two minutes remaining. At the end of the third period the Vaqueros pretty much built a nice lead of 44-27 which would be the largest lead of the game.
The fourth and final period the Cougars tried to make a comeback but had dug themselves too deep a hole despite the period score knotted at 14-14.
When the final buzzer sounded the players stormed the court and everyone hugged one another. The El Capitan faithful cheered loudly. It was quite the season for the Vaqueros who finished league undefeated 10-0 to earn the Grossmont Valley League championship and strived to build upon last season’s finish.
“We were very proud of the girls on the boards especially keeping them from getting offensive rebounds,” said El Capitan co-head coach RICK WILKERSON.
The Vaqueros more than doubled the Cougars on the boards via a 46-18 advantage including 17-5 on the offensive end.
“The strength of our team is on defense,” said Wilkerson.
Indeed it was as the Vaqueros limited the Cougars to 17-60 shooting from the field for the entire game.
Another key to the game was the fact despite star player Cutler struggling to get anything going it was another player who was able to pick things up for the Vaqueros and shine. The player who took on this challenge was Valerie Renfrow who played out of her mind finishing with a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Both Cutler and KASSIDY KYGAR finished with nine points apiece. Kygar also tallied five assists and four steals. MACKENZIE MEAD was another contributor on the boards finishing with nine while GRACE BURKETT tallied eight boards of her own.
Cutler was named the Sportsmanship award winner for the Vaqueros.
This actually isn’t the first time the Vaqueros have won a CIF Championship in girls basketball. History has a way of having a boomerang effect meaning coming back full circle and repeating. The man at the helm for this year’s championship ROSS FURROW was also at the helm back in 1977 for the last time the Vaqueros won the championship when they beat Fallbrook 60-57 to win the 2A championship. That group he led all those years ago like this year’s group he took on when each group were sophomores.
Now after winning their CIF championship the Vaqueros will now wait to see where they will be seeded for the State Playoffs which start on Tuesday (Mar.10).
El Capitan: Valerie Renfrow 25 (12 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk), Kassidy Kygar 9 (5 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl), Cierra Cutler 9 (5 reb, 2 ast), Grace Burkett 6 (8 reb, 2 stl), Marie Cook 4 (5 reb, 2 ast), MacKenzie Mead 2 (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl).
Matadors making the familiar trip to the finals
By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (3-4-15) — The Mount Miguel Matadors girls basketball team will make its 12th San Diego Section appearance under coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL in Friday’s (Mar. 6) Division I finals at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion at 8:07 p.m.
Half of those bouts for Sandoval’s crews have resulted in championships.
The Matadors (20-11), who edged Granite Hills in Tuesday’s (Mar. 3) SDCIF semifinals 74-69, will seek a championship ring again when they face top-seeded Horizon in the finals.
Sandoval realized that his Matadors pulled a nifty escape in holding off the Eagles (10-10).
“Give the Granite Hills coach (CURTIS NORWOOD) credit for having a great game plan against us,” the Mount Miguel skipper said.
Mount Miguel could not pull away from Granite Hills despite 25 points from ZARIA BRANCH, 19 from KAMREE HARRISON and 14 from SATERA BATES. ROZLYN PIERCE pounded the Eagles inside the paint for 18 rebounds and 5 blocks.
DEAJANAE HARVEY countered with a game high 28 points for Granite Hills, which suffered three losses in as many tries against the Matadors.
“I thought we were up to the task, we were right there looking them in the eye.” said Norwood, whose Eagles were outscored by the Matadors 25-24 in the fourth quarter. “But we were going against a veteran team in Mount Miguel. You have to play better than good – you have to play excellent. Our lack of rebounding was a big factor in the game.
“They’re a very good, well coached team and a veteran team. I’m proud as I can be of our team. We wish them well representing our league in the championship.”
Mount Miguel: Zaria Branch 25 (1 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk), Kamree Harrison 19 (4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl), Satera Bates 14 (8 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Rozlyn Pierce 7 (18 reb, 5 blk), Brooklyn Miller 5 (4 reb), Camara Douglas 4 (4 reb), Laila Smith (5 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk).
Granite Hills: Deajanae Harvey 28 (8 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl), Micayela Hernandez 13 (1 reb), Raelleah Moore 12 (9 reb, 2 stl), Justine Garde 9 (1 reb, 1 stl), Emma Kubari 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Delaney Casey 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Kani Kubari (1 reb).
MONTGOMERY 67, HELIX 62 — Someone forgot to inform Montgomery's Murrellene Woodson and Mikaelah Wieland that the Helix Highlanders planned to make a visit to Jenny Craig Pavilion at USD for this weekend's Division II Girls Basketball finals. The Highlanders were the No. 1 seed in the San Diego CIF Division II bracket, facing an Aztec team that brought a loud crowd and a lot of energy to Tuesday night's (Mar. 3) semifinal battle.
Sophomore DESTINI ANDERSON poured in eight of her 19 points in the first quarter for Helix. The Highlanders trailed by one, but momentum seemed to be swinging the Scotties way as the teams entered the second quarter. Unfortunately for Helix, Woodson had some scoring of her own to do for the No. 4 Aztecs. Twelve points later for Woodson and Montgomery had built a 34-28 halftime lead.
After the break BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD entered the stage for Helix and the senior guard went on a 6-0 run of her own to bring Helix within 2. Shepard scored 12 of her team high 21 points in the quarter and Helix erased a six point deficit. Heading into the fourth quarter the Highlanders led by three and had their sights set on an SDCIF finals berth.
Suddenly it was Evangeline Morga taking the spotlight by draining three long range shots for Montgomery in the fourth. Prior to that, Morga had accounted for just one Aztec free throw. Wieland chimed in with four of her 18 points and Woodson added two triples to her game high total, finishing with 25 points. As the Aztecs baskets fell, so did the title hopes for Helix and their supporters who were, by then, drowned out by a raucous Montgomery crowd.
Helix fell 62-67 and the careers of Briajunae Shepard, IRMA EALY, & SHIRAH HANCOCK came to a close earlier than expected.
"When it's the playoffs, it's always your last game, you have to play all out," Helix coach PATRICK TABOR reflected after the loss. "We have six sophomores coming back so we will be able to compete, we're going to lose Bree (Briajunae Shepard), that's a tough one to replace."
Helix finishes the season at 18-11 and Co-Champions of the Grossmont Hills League.
Helix: Briajunae Shepard 21 (4 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Destini Anderson 19 (6 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Camryn Owens 9 (5 reb, 5 ast), Shirah Hancock 5 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Irma Ealy 4 (7 reb, 1 blk), Danielle Simmons 2 (6 reb, 1 stl), Raeshondra Dike' 2, Taliah Hooker (1 reb).
— James McHugh
EL CAPITAN 54, LINCOLN 42 — On Tuesday (Mar. 3) the No. 3 seeded Lincoln Hornets traveled to Santee to take on the No. 2 seeded El Capitan Vaqueros in the Division IV San Diego CIF Semifinals at Santana High. The Vaqueros were able to come away with the 54-42 victory to move onto the San Diego CIF Finals.
The first quarter belonged to the Vaqueros as they held the Hornets to under double digits in scoring and took the quarter with a 14-6 advantage. The second quarter was pretty much the same as the Hornet again couldn’t hit the double digit mark in points, only scoring nine. The Vaqueros took advantage of this and were able to build a pretty big lead at the break 29-15.
“We had a pretty good lead at the half but only had a three point lead at the end of the third period,” said Vaqueros assistant coach RICK WILKERSON.
Indeed they did only lead by three after three periods of play as the Hornets were able to come out of the break with new life and actually held the Vaqueros to four points. The Hornets took the third period 15-4 to only trail 33-30 going into the final stanza.
The fourth period was a different story for the Vaqueros as they came out with intensity and put up 20 points in the period. They took the final stanza 20-12.
Leading the way for the Vaqueros was CIERRA CUTLER who punched in 19 points including 9-10 from the foul line as well as MACKENZIE MEAD who poured in 11 points.
With the victory over the Hornets the Vaqueros will move onto the finals for the first time since 2005 when DARIN CURTIS was at the coaching helm, losing 53-47 to Mount Miguel. Back then the Vaqueros were in Division II under the old SDCIF system. This time around El Capitan will face the No. 13 seeded San Ysidro Cougars on Friday (Mar. 6) at the Jenny Craig Pavillion at 1:07 PM for all the marbles in Division IV.
EL Capitan: Cierra Cutler 19 (4 reb, 1 ast), Mackenzie Mead 11 (6 reb), Valerie Renfrow 7 (5 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), Kassidy Kygar 6 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Grace Burkett 6 (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Marie Cook 5 (7 reb, 6 ast).
— Adam Paul
Cutler, Cook and Kygar lead Vaqueros to the Semi's
By Adam Paul
© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (3-1-15) &mdashl In a game that was never really in doubt, the No. 2 seed El Capitan Vaqueros took on the No. 7 seeded San Pasqual Academy Dragons in the quarterfinals of the Division IV San Diego CIF playoffs Saturday (Feb. 28) at Santana High and won in convincing fashion 58-32.
The first quarter was only an 11-5 advantage for the Vaqueros which saw the Dragons score what would be their only basket for quite a while with about two minutes to go in the period.
In the second period the Dragons put up a goose egg thanks to stifling defense by the Vaqueros. The Vaqueros started the period on a 6-0 run to lead 17-5 and they never looked back. Ultimately they would lead 23-5 at the half despite shooting only 9-33 from the field. Leading the way for the Vaqueros in the first half was CIERRA CUTLER who put up 10 points and had five steals and also on defense VALERIE RENFROW had five steals.
The second half was more of the same for the Vaqueros as they were able to continue their scoring run ultimately going on a 20-0 stretch before the Dragons scored their first basket. The Dragons scored their first basket at 4:23 to go in the third and were held scoreless for about 14 minutes. When it was all said and done for the third period the Vaqueros outscored the Dragons 44-12 via a 31-10 run.
The fourth period saw the Dragons come alive as they outscored the Vaqueros 20-14 in the period but it was too little too late.
A multitude of players led the charge for the Vaqueros. Cutler scored 20 points and corralled six boards and had five thefts. MARIE COOK nailed 15 points and KASSIDY KYGAR put up 13 points and dished out nine assists and had five thefts. On the boards it was MACKENZIE MEAD who corralled in 10 boards on the night.
The Vaqueros with the victory make it back to the semifinals where they stumbled last year against Hoover 45-37. If the Vaqueros are looking to make it back to the CIF Finals for the first time in over a decade they will have to get by No. 3 seed Lincoln on Tuesday (Mar. 3).
El Capitan: Cierra Cutler 20 (6 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk), Marie Cook 15 (3 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Kassidy Kygar 13 (4 reb, 9 ast, 5 stl), Valerie Renfrow 4 (3 reb, 4 ast, 7 stl, 1 blk), Mackenzie Mead 4 (10 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Grace Burkett 2 (9 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Mackenzie Kygar (1 ast, 1 stl).
GRANITE HILLS 37, POWAY 34 — The ninth seeded Granite Hills Eagles traveled to North County Saturday night (Feb. 28) to face the Poway Titans in a CIF San Diego Section quarterfinal.
The Eagles came away with the victory and live to face Grossmont Conference rival and No. 4 seed Mount Miguel in Spring Valley on Tuesday (Mar. 3) in a Division I semifinal.
DEAJANAE HARVEY rolled a double-double for Granite Hills of 12 points and 10 rebounds to go with four assists and four steals.
Three Eagles nailed 3-pointers – JUSTINE GARDE was 2 for 2, MICAYELA HERNANDEZ was 2 for 4, and EMMA KUBARI made her only attempt.
Granite Hills led 21-11 at the half and maintained the advantage until the fourth quarter, when Poway put on a 17-7 surge.
“We were up by 14 points in the fourth quarter,” recalled Granite Hills coach CURTIS NORWOOD. “I think we got a little tight in that quarter but we were able to settle down and finish the task. It’s really quite remarkable, what with me taking over the job on November 9th, that we’ve come this far. The team has grown up around Deajanae Harvey.”
Granite Hills: Deajanae Harvey 12 (10 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Micayela Hernandez 8 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Raelleah Moore 6 (3 reb, 2 stl), Justine Garde 6 (1 reb, 1 ast), Emma Kubari 5 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Delaney Casey (5 reb).
MOUNT MIGUEL 68, WEST HILLS 45 — Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL should be happy that his Matadors have posted three wins in three starts against the West Hills Wolf Pack, even though he admits he hates playing a team three times in a season.
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Photo courtesy of Kim Heibing |
Saturday night (Feb. 28) the Matadors faced off against the Wolf Pack for the third time, in a San Diego Section Division I quarterfinal playoff game, and came out a winner yet again.
Mount Miguel led 20-11 after one quarter and maintained a healthy halftime lead.
Four year senior point guard KAMREE HARRISON went on a scoring binge with 31 points, which included four treys and 17 of 18 free throws as the Matadors rolled over West Hills.
“I know we’re still alive and kicking,” Harrison said. “But we have two games left and we’re certainly capable of winning both. Our best shooting the ball is right now, and when that happens it’s contagious.”
CAMARA DOUGLAS added 14 points for Mount Miguel.
BAILEY ALBERS paced the Wolf Pack (17-10) with 18 points.
“I thought we played well tonight, one of those games that if you didn't look at the scoreboard you thought it would have been a lot closer,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER.
“Miguel shot the ball real well from the outside, they always do in their own gym. We knew that it would be tough to win if they were going to shoot that well.
“It was a sad night, not only because our season was over but it was the end of a great 4 year run for Bailey Albers. Bailey has been the face of this program for a long time and she will be missed greatly. She ended her career with another outstanding game, 18 points.
“We are proud of what our girls accomplished this season, we are real young so hopefully we will be back.”
Mount Miguel will host Grossmont Conference rival Granite Hills in a San Diego CIF Division I semifinal on Tuesday (Mar. 3) at 7 p.m.
Mount Miguel: Kamree Harrison 31 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Camara Douglas 14 (3 reb), Satera Bates 7 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Laila Smith 6 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Brooklyn Miller 6, Zaria Branch 4 (1 reb), Rozlyn Pierce (4 reb), Amber Hard (3 reb).
West Hills: Bailey Albers 18 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Maya Clemons 6 (4 reb), Vivian Panela 5 (1 reb), Megan Scott 4 (6 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk), Kerrie Daniels 4 (1 reb), Carly Raley 3 (1 reb, 2 blk), Jessica Fondas-Ryan 3 (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Clarrisa Holder 2 (1 ast, 1 stl), Tila Whitaker (1 reb).
HELIX 87, SCRIPPS RANCH 52 — Coach PATRICK TABOR wasn't concerned when his Helix Highlander team fell behind 17-18 after the first quarter of play in Saturday night’s (Feb. 28) Division II quarterfinal game with Scripps Ranch.
"No one has ever won a game in the first quarter, our girls understand it's a long game," Tabor said.
The Falcons came out moving the ball well and moving more impressively away from the ball, creating shots for every player on the floor.
When the second quarter came to an end, it would have been hard to convince the Falcon faithful that their team was right with the Highlanders just eight minutes before. Helix exploded for 31 points in the second quarter including three long range buckets from senior guard TALIAH HOOKER, each longer than the last. Hooker finished the night a perfect 6-6 from the field and 5-5 from three point range. By the time Hooker's last three had been drained from six feet beyond the arc, the Scotties had built a 48-30 lead.
"Taliah is one of my smartest players, she's not the quickest on our team, but she's one of the smartest, she understands the game," praised Tabor when asked about Hooker's performance on the night.
CAMRYN OWENS led all scorers with 18 points on the night and BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD and SHIRAH HANCOCK poured in 14 apiece for Helix. The Highlanders landed 13 three pointers on the night and five different players hit at least one. With nearly five minutes to play Tabor cleared the Helix bench and mostly JV players who were brought up for the post season took to the floor.
Scripps Ranch followed suit a few moments later, electing to have their starters exit one by one.
No. 4 seed Montgomery is all that stands between No. 1 Helix and a visit to Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday (Mar. 6th). "We just have to stay intensified, we have to keep our pressure up and keep playing solid defense, I've got a deep bench so we can do it," Tabor stated regarding the last hurdle en route to the Division II Championship.
Helix will face Montgomery Tuesday (Mar. 3) at 7 p.m. at Helix High School with a finals berth on the line.
Helix: Camryn Owens 18 (5 ast, 3 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Taliah Hooker 17 (1 reb, 1 ast), Briajunae Shepard 14 (4 ast, 2 stl, 1 reb), Shirah Hancock 14 (5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Danielle Simmons 6 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Destini Anderson 4 (3 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk), Irma Ealy 4 (3 reb, 1 ast), Raeshondra Dike' 4 (2 reb, 2 stl, 1 ast), Kariah Dixon 3 (1 reb), Olivia Misouria 2 (2 reb), Taylor Garrett 1 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jasmine Turner (1 reb), Deborah Worthey (1 reb).
— James McHugh
Granite Hills travels up the Hill and moves on
© East County Sports.com
RAMONA (2-26-15) — The Granite Hills Eagles traveled north the Ramona Wednesday night (Feb. 25) for a San Diego Section Division I playoff game, and came away with a 49-34 victory.
The Eagles held the advantage through the first two quarters, with the score at 21-13 in Granite Hills favor at the break. They faltered slightly in the third quarter but made a 21-10 run in the fourth that decided the game.
Eagles sharp-shooter DEAJANAE HARVEY, who scored nine points, grabbed 5 rebounds, dished six assists and made 6 steals, fouled out toward the end of the third quarter.
“It verified my approach to the game,” said Eagles coach CURTIS NORWOOD. “And that’s to coach everybody. The team stepped up and did very well. I’m proud of the whole team.”
“JUSTINE GARDE played great defense tonight for us,” the coach added.
“We enjoyed our trip to Ramona tonight,” he said. “The crowd and the hospitality was great. It seemed like a very nice community.”
Granite Hills will travel to Poway on Saturday (Feb. 28) for a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game.
Granite Hills: Raelleah Moore 19 (18 reb, 1 stl), Deajanae Harvey 9 (5 reb, 6 ast, 6 stl), Justine Garde 6 (1 stl), Emma Kubari 6 (1 ast, 2 stl), Delaney Casey 4 (7 reb), Micayela Hernandez 4 (3 reb, 2 ast), Kani Kubari 1 (2 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 3 stl).
WEST HILLS 57, SAN DIEGO 40 — No. 5 seed West Hills hosted No. 12 seed San Diego Wednesday night (Feb. 25) in a San Diego Section Division I round one playoff game, earning a quarterfinal meeting with at Mount Miguel on Saturday (Feb. 28) at 7 p.m.
BAILEY ALBERS led the Pack with 23 points, while JESSICA FONDES-RYAN added 13 points.
West Hills played an efficient, fast-paced game that succeeded in gaining them the victory and a chance to advance.
West Hills: Bailey Albers 23 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jessica Fondes-Ryan 13 (1 reb, 1 stl), Vivian Panela 8 (3 reb, 3 ast), Maya Clemons 5 (2 reb, 2 stl), Kerrie Daniels 4 (4 reb), Carly Raley 4, Tila Whitaker 2, Clarrisa Holder (2 reb, 1 blk), Megan Scott (2 reb).
MOUNT MIGUEL 59, OUR LADY OF PEACE 31 — No. 4 seeded Mount Miguel dealt Our Lady of Peace a defeat three times in a row, the latest was on Wednesday (Feb. 25) in the San Diego Section Division I round one playoffs.
KAMREE HARRISON paced Mount Miguel with 19 points, while ROZLYN PIERCE added 17 and nine rebounds. ZARIA BRANCH chipped in with 13 points and SATERA BATES grabbed 10 rebounds for the Matadors.
Mount Miguel will host No. 5 seed West Hills (15-10) on Saturday (Feb. 28) for a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game.
Mount Miguel: Kamree Harrison 19 (2 reb, 6 ast, 6 stl), Rozlyn Pierce 17 (9 reb, 3 stl, 4 blk), Zaria Branch 13 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Satera Bates 4 (10 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Brooklyn Miller 2 (5 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Laila Smith 2 (4 ast, 2 stl), Camara Douglas 2 (1 reb, 1 stl, 2 stl).
HELIX 69, EL CAMINO 20 — No. 1 seeded Helix entertained visiting No. 16 El Camino Wednesday (Feb. 25) in the San Diego Section Division II playoffs, and ended up with a lop-sided victory.
“We brought up four JV players tonight – KARIAH DIXON, OLIVIA MISOURIA, TAYLOR GARRETT and JASMINE TURNER,” said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR. “They played in the fourth quarter.
“Basically what we got out of this game is my starters put a lot of pressure on our opponents, gave us some good turnovers. You have to let your opponents know who’s in charge at the beginning of the game when you are playing a team that is not all that talented or as deep as you are. It gives you the opportunity for your second string players to get some experience.”
DESTINI ANDERSON paced the Highlanders with 12 points, followed by SHIRAH HANCOCK with 11 and eight rebounds. DANIELLE SIMMONS rolled a double-double of 10 points and 17 rebounds, while CAMRYN OWENS chipped in with 10 points as well.
Helix will face Scripps Ranch in La Mesa Saturday (Feb. 28) in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game
Helix: Destini Anderson 12 (7 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk), Shirah Hancock 11 (8 reb, 5 ast, 6 stl), Danielle Simmons 10 (17 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Camryn Owens 10 (1 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk), Irma Ealy 7 (7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 blk), Taliah Hooker 6 (3 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Taylor Garrett 4, Arianna Falconer 4 (1 stl), Briajunae Shepard 3 (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Deborah Worthey 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Rashondra Dietz (1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Olivia Misouria (1 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), Kariah Dixon (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jasmine Turner (1 stl, 1 blk).
EL CAPITAN (16-8) 55, ORANGE GLEN 28 — In Division IV CIF playoffs there are a couple of teams that would be considered favorites and El Capitan (16-8), which is seeded second would be one of them.
The Vaqueros, who have experience in the Division IV playoffs from last year making it all the way to the semi-finals before losing to Hoover, looked to get off on the right foot in this year’s tournament. They were up to the task, winning 55-28.
The first challenge for the Vaqueros in the playoffs were the 15th seeded Orange Glen Patriots who traveled to Santee where the game was held at Santana High.
Despite being shorthanded the Patriots played alright for about a quarter and a half. The first quarter saw both teams struggle to score as it was actually 8-7 in favor of the Patriots. The second period saw the Vaqueros jump on the gas a little to outscore Orange Glen 16-3 to lead 23-11 at the break.
For the Vaqueros it was CIERRA CUTLER leading the way with eight points and VALERIE RENFROW netting 7 points to pace El Capitan. As a whole the Vaqueros shot 11-33 from the field for the half.
The Vaqueros came out in the second half looking to jump start their sluggish offense and they were able to as they used a 6-0 run to build a 29-11 lead. Orange Glen would score their first basket of the period with 5:29 to go. Despite not scoring until almost 3:00 in the third quarter, the Patriots would actually go on a little 6-0 run of their own to pull within 29-17 with about 4:00 left in the period. El Capitan would outscore Orange Glen 18-10 to take the 41-21 lead into the final stanza.
Cutler, despite being held to under double digits in the first half would go on a terror in the second half scoring 17 of her 25 points on the evening in the final two periods. At one point in the fourth quarter the Vaqueros led 55-26 and it wasn’t until with :15 left that Orange Glen scored their final basket which was a span of 3:30 that saw them without a basket. The Vaqueros outscored the Patriots 14-7 in the fourth.
Despite only having one player score in double figures the Vaqueros were able to have contributions in other ways such as Renfrow, who on the night netted nine points, dished out eight assists and blocked three shots and had four thefts. KASSIDY KYGAR had four thefts and four assists of her own, GRACE BURKETT put up eight points and corralled in nine boards and had four steals, and finally MACKENZIE MEAD had five points and pulled down eight boards.
With the victory the Vaqueros move one step closer to accomplishing a big goal in winning a CIF title. El Capitan will now take on the San Pasqual Eagles on Saturday (Feb. 28). The game will take place at 7 p.m. at Santana High.
El Capitan: Cierra Cutler 25 (3 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Valerie Renfrow 9 (5 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl, 3 blk), Grace Burkett 8 (9 reb, 4 stl), Mackenzie Mead 5 (8 reb, 1 ast), Kassidy Kygar 4 (5 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Marie Cook 4 (6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl).
— Adam Paul
KEARNY 45, STEELE CANYON 35 — No. 14 seeded Steele Canyon fought hard against No. 3 Kearny in Wednesday night’s (Feb. 25) San Diego Section Division III round one playoff game, but could not overcome the Komets effectiveness at the line.
“We put them on the line way too much tonight,” noted Cougars coach PETER RUIZ. “They were knocking down their free throws. That was pretty much the nail in our coffin.
“We accomplished a lot this year – looking forward to next year.”
Steele Canyon: Isabella Welch 11 (4 reb, 2 ast), Sabrina Dozier 8 (1 ast), Ashley Tavizon 7 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jules Loibl 5 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Nicki DePaola 4 (4 reb), Victoria Bott (3 ast), Shelby Johnson (1 reb), Victoria Etheridge (1 ast).
SD-SOUTHWEST 39, GROSSMONT 34 — No. 12 seeded Grossmont gave it a battle at No. 5 seeded San Diego-Southwest, but it was for naught as the Foothillers lost the San Diego Section Division IV round one playoff game.
“We were down 16 points at halftime, but fought back and got within three points in the 4th quarter,” said Grossmont coach GRACE CAMPBELL. “Unfortunately we didn't have enough to pull ahead.
“My girls played with pure passion and heart tonight, I am proud of their effort and hard work. They kept fighting until the end, this program had come a long way since I took over last year and I am proud of them for working together to make this program better.”
Grossmont: Theresa Mapp 16 (4 reb, 2 stl), Taisha Silas 10, Martina Toma 4 (6 stl), Lydia Halcott 2 (7 reb, 4 blk), Candace Henderson 2, Emily Barnes (13 reb, 1 blk).
RANCHO BERNARDO 70, SANTANA 34 — No report was received for this San Diego Section Division III playoff game.
LINCOLN 65, CHRISTIAN 30 — No report on this San Diego Section Division IV playoff game.
For previous 2014-15 coverage, click here.