2014-15 EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL

Simmons has a huge game on the boards

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SPRING VALLEY (1-31-15) — In a much anticipated showdown between Mount Miguel and Helix Friday night (Jan. 30), the Highlanders faced off before a full house in a Grossmont Hills League game in the Matadome.

The home court advantage did not help Mount Miguel, as the Matadors came up short 57-51 in the first of two meetings scheduled between the two teams.

It was the second time in 14 years that the Matadors have lost a league game, both times to the Highlanders.

“We’re a good team; they’re a good team,” said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR. “So you can expect a game like this.”

“We did what we had to do to win,” said BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD, a 5-foot-6 senior guard.

“She’s small but tough,” Tabor said. “No matter what they throw at her, she’s not scared. We’re the biggest wing in our league and it takes players like her to help us win.”

Shepard led the Highlanders in scoring with 16 points, while DESTINI ANDERSON rolled a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. DANIELLE SIMMONS also contributed a double-double of 11 points and 25 rebounds, while CAMRYN OWENS added 10 points and five rebounds.

Helix: Briajanae Shepard 16 (4 reb, 4 ast), Destini Anderson 12 (10 reb, 2 ast), Danielle Simmons 11 (25 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk), Camryn Owens 10 (5 reb, 1 ast), Irma Ealy 8 (6 reb, 1 stl), Shirah Hancock (6 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), Taliah Hooker (4 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Raeshondra Dike’ (2 reb, 1 stl).

Mount Miguel: Zaria Branch 14 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk, 5 stl), Kamree Harrison 13 (6 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), Brooklyn Miller 10 (7 reb, 2 stl), Satera Bates 7 (5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Rozlyn Pierce 4 (12 reb, 6 blk, 3 stl), Camara Douglas 2 (3 reb, 1 blk), Laila Smith 1 (2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl).

SANTANA 49, VALHALLA 20 — The visiting Valhalla Norseman came into Friday’s (Jan 30) action looking to get back in the win column and even their league record in Grossmont Valley League play after dropping a heartbreaker in their previous league game to El Cajon Valley.

However, the home team Santana Sultans had other ideas as they were able to hold their home court advantage with a decisive 49-20 victory.

The Sultans, who with the victory and now winners of two in a row, were able to streak to an 11-0 advantage in the first period and in the second outscore the Norsemen 15-8 to hold a 26-8 lead at the break.

It was more of the same in the second half as the Sultans were able to score double digits in every period including a second half advantage of 23-12.

Leading the way for the Sultans and combining for thirty points were TAYLOR ESTES who had 17 points and MORGAN TURNER who put up 13 points of her own.

Leading the scoring for the Norsemen were MOLLY LINDSAY and AMBER BALLO who both had 5 points apiece.

The Sultans, with the victory, stay hot on the heels of El Capitan and look to finish out the first round of league play on a high note against Grossmont.

Valhalla: Molly Lindsay 5, Amber Ballo 5, Kortney Taylor 4, Marissa Asker 3, Melanie Yousif 3.

Santana: Taylor Estes 17, Morgan Turner 13, Sierra Simanek 8, Gretchen Hudson 6, Maddy Barry 3, Tika Taylor 2.
— Adam Paul

GRANITE HILLS 70, MONTE VISTA 21 — Granite Hills traveled to Spring Valley Friday night (Jan. 30) for a Grossmont Hills League encounter with Monte Vista and came home with the league victory.

The Eagles improved their standings to 1-2 in league, while Monte Vista fell to 0-2.

RAELLEAH MOORE led the Eagles with a double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds. DEAJANAE HARVEY added 16 points and six rebounds, and MICAYELA HERNANDEZ contributed 13 points, six assists and six steals.

“It’s a confidence builder,” said Granite Hills coach CURTIS NORWOOD. “Once the game was 6-4 the girls kinda put it in overdrive. I took four of my starters out after the third quarter tonight – Moore, Harvey, Hernandez and DELANEY CASEY only played for three quarters.

“We have some tough teams in the league – West Hills is going to be a challenge. We’re on the road to improvement.”

Granite Hills: Raelleah Moore 26 (13 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Deajanae Harvey 16 (6 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl), Micayela Hernandez 13 (5 reb, 6 ast, 6 stl), Kani Kubari 6 (2 reb, 4 stl), Delaney Casey 3 (3 reb, 1 stl), Miriam Lopez 3 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Emma Kubari 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Justine Garde 1 (1 reb, 1 stl), Chase Robles (3 reb, 1 stl), Anyang Agoth (2 reb).

STEELE CANYON 38, GROSSMONT 30 — The visiting Steele Canyon Cougars took it to their host Foothillers in Friday’s (Jan. 30) Grossmont Valley League encounter.

It was a close game, with the score staying within three to four points or fewer all the way. In the end the Cougars prevailed to improve their league record to 3-2, while the Foothillers fell to 1-3.

JULES LOIBL paced the Cougars with 18 points, including a trey, four rebounds, an assist and three steals. ISABELLA WELCH added 11 points, four rebounds and six steals. NIKKI DePAOLA worked the boards for 10 rebounds.

Steele Canyon: Jules Loibl 18 (4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Isabella Welch 11 (5 reb, 6 stl), Dai’re Watkins 2 (1 ast), Victoria Etheridge 1 (6 reb, 1 stl), Marie Estavillo 1 (1 reb, 1 ast), Nikki DePaola (10 reb, 1 stl).

Grossmont: No report.

POINT LOMA 35, CHRISTIAN 21 — The Christian Patriots traveled to Point Loma Friday (Jan. 30) for a Central League road game and came away without the victory.

BROOK OWENS led the Patriots with 10 points, including one 3-pointer to go with 8 rebounds. TAYLOR MILLER led on the boards with 10 rebounds.

“We lost but we played a great game,” said Patriots coach TIFFANY GILES. “We were tied at the end of the third quarter at 20 apiece. We just got too tired – we don’t have that many subs.”

Christian: Brooke Owens 10 (8 reb, 2 stl), Taylor Miller 4 (10 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Kate Wnek 4 (5 reb, 1 stl), Maddy Bagdasarian 3 (3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Sage Salacup 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl).

Tough night on the mountain for Christian

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RAMONA (1-29-15) — The Christian Patriots travelled to Ramona to engage the Bulldogs in a non-league game and were outmatched from the start.

Ramona scored 26 to Christian’s four points in the first quarter and the rest of the contest was more of the same.

BROOKE OWENS nailed two 3-pointers for Christian.

Patriots coach TIFFANY GILES told her girls, “We played a really, really good team. We actually played pretty well, we just got beaten by a more athletic team.”

Christian: Brooke Owens 8, Kate Wnek 6, Taylor Miller 2.

Price and Miller lead Matadors to victory

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SPRING VALLEY (1-28-15) — Visiting Granite Hills played host Mount Miguel to a 14-14 first quarter tie in Tuesday’s (Jan. 27) Grossmont Hills League game, but the Matadors held a 31-22 advantage at the break. By the end of the third quarter the Eagles had closed to within 45-41.

Then both teams went cold – Mount Miguel scoring just two points in the fourth quarter and Granite Hills five. The Matadors had the edge, however, and came out of the fray with a 47-46 victory over the Eagles.

ROZLYN PIERCE rolled a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead Mount Miguel, and BROOKLYN MILLER added 12 points of her own.

“We had an opportunity to win,” said Granite Hills coach CURTIS NORWOOD. “With eight seconds left we called a play and couldn’t execute it. Our execution needs to improve. We’re getting better – the defense hasn’t had that much time (to learn it) but slowly but surely the girls are learning our system and how our basketball is to be played.

“We do it totally different from their former coach. It takes awhile for the transition to take hold. It felt horrible to lose.”

DEAJANAE HARVEY paced the Eagles with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals. RAELLEAH MOORE led on the boards with 10 rebounds to go with eight points.

Mount Miguel: Rozlyn Pierce 12 (12 reb, 2 stl, 3 blk), Brooklyn Miller 12 (4 reb, 3 stl), Zaria Branch 9 (2 ast, 2 stl), Kamree Harrison 8 (1 reb, 1 ast, 5 stl), Satera Bates 6 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Laila Smith (4 ast, 3 stl).

Granite Hills: Deajanae Harvey 20 (7 reb, 1 ast, 6 stl), Raelleah Moore 8 (10 reb), Delaney Casey 6 (4 reb, 1 ast), Micayela Hernandez 6 (2 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Emma Kubari 4 (1 reb), Chase Robles 2 (1 stl), Anyang Agoth (1 reb).

EL CAJON VALLEY 45, VALHALLA 44 — The visiting Valhalla Norsemen fought a tough battle in Tuesday night’s (Jan. 27) Grossmont Valley League contest but ended up losing to El Cajon Valley in a last second (literally) nail-biter.

In a game that saw the Braves edge the Norsemen at halftime 29-28, and Valhalla in the lead 37-33 at the end of the third quarter, the score was 43-42 in the Norsemen’s favor with 1:30 to play. Valhalla hit one of two free throws, and with 1.1 seconds remaining NINWEY ESHO nailed a 3-pointer to win it for El Cajon Valley.

“It was a great game,” recalled Braves assistant coach SIG CHABROWSKI.

LEANNA WATSON scored a game high 21 points to lead the Braves.

Valhalla’s MOLLY LINDSAY rolled a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Norsemen, followed by TIANA SILVER with 16 points and eight rebounds.

“This was a game we should have won,” said Valhalla assistant coach ALISHA HOWE. “Our expectation was to win, and our girls came out and played hard, but (El Cajon Valley) played harder than we did. Coach CARLOS MOSS is a great coach so I didn’t expect anything else from him.”

El Cajon Valley: Leanna Watson 21, Nashea Lampkin 8, Tatisha Clemons 6, Ninwey Esho 5, Mary Grace Ronquillo 5.

Valhalla: Molly Lindsay 17 (13 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Tiana Silver 16 (8 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Lisa Damman 6 (5 reb, 1 blk), Alexa Somo 4 (5 reb, 4 stl), Kortney Taylor 1 (2 stl), Marissa Asker (1 reb, 1 ast).

HELIX 59, WEST HILLS 55 — The visiting Helix Highlanders and the West Hills Wolf Pack battled to a 19-19 first quarter tie in Tuesday’s (Jan. 27) Grossmont Hills League encounter in Santee. The Highlanders (10-6, 3-0) held a 36-31 advantage over the Wolf Pack (14-6, 1-2) by intermission, and stretched it to 53-45 at the end of the third.

DESTINI ANDERSON paced Helix with 15 points and 3 rebounds, while BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD added 14 points, including two 3s, and 6 assists. DANIELLE SIMMONS was big on the boards with 12 rebounds.

“We missed probably 20 layups,” said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR. “West Hills is a class act. I really enjoy going out there. The girls play hard and respectful. It’s always a good game going out there to play them.”

“I thought our girls played well, they battled for 4 quarters,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “We gave up too many second chance points and ultimately that was the difference in the game.”

BAILEY ALBERS led West Hills with 19 points and VIVIAN PANELA chipped in with 13 points, three rebounds, and four assists.

Helix: Destini Anderson 15 (3 reb, 1 ast), Briajunae Shepard 14 (6 ast), Danielle Simmons 9 (12 reb), Camryn Owens 8 (3 ast), Irma Ealy 6 (6 reb), Shirah Hancock 6 (3 reb), Raeshondra Dike’ 1.

West Hills: Bailey Albers 19 (2 reb), Vivian Panela 13 (3 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Megan Scott 7 (8 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Maya Clemons 7 (5 reb, 1 ast), Jessica Fondas 3 (1 reb), Carly Raley 2 (3 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Tiffany Nugyen 2 (1 reb), Kerrie Daniels 2 (4 reb), Ali Lenhoff (1 reb).

EL CAPITAN 39, GROSSMONT 29 — The league leading El Capitan Vaqueros (7-8, 3-0) came ready to play Tuesday night (Jan. 27), meeting host Grossmont (6-10, 1-2) in a Grossmont Valley League game.

Grossmont got the early advantage with a 10-8 edge at the end of the first quarter, and led 17-16 at the half. But El Capitan slowly crept into the lead in the third and fourth quarters to claim the victory.

“We played a little bit better in the second half,” said Vaqueros assistant coach RICK WILKERSON.

CIERRA CUTLER paced the Vaqueros with 16 points and five rebounds.

“It was a close game the entire way,” said Foothillers coach GRACE CAMPBELL. “In the third and fourth quarters we made costly turnovers and mental errors that cost us the game. Good thing about it is we are constantly improving and we will surprise a lot of people by the end of the season.”

THERESA MAPP led Grossmont with 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. EMILY BARNES continues her hot rebounding streak with 11 boards. LYDIA HALCOTT scored 6 points, pulled down seven rebounds and made two blocks.

El Capitan: Cierra Cutler 16 (5 reb, 2 stl), Marie Cook 7 (2 reb, 1 ast), Kassidy Kygar 6 (4 reb, 1 ast, 6 stl), Valerie Renfrow 5 (7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Mackenzie Mead 2 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Carol Martin 2 (3 reb).

Grossmont: Theresa Mapp 7 (4 reb, 3 stl), Lydia Halcott 6 (7 reb, 2 blk), Martina Toma 6 (2 reb, 5 stl), Candace Henderson 6, Emily Barnes 3 (11 reb, 1 stl), Symone Griffith 3 (2 stl).

Highlanders come up just short in Fontana

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FONTANA (1-26-15) — The Helix Highlanders traveled north to Fontana to participate in the MLK Extravaganza, facing Summit and ending up coming home with an 87-85 loss on Saturday (Jan. 24).

Sophomore TALIAH HOOKER was hot in the first quarter,” said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR. “She got two threes in the first quarter.”

DESTINI ANDERSON took high point honors with 29 tallies and four rebounds.

BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD scored 28 points for the Highlanders, including two threes and eight assists.

CAMRYN OWENS logged 12 points and five assists, DANIELLE SIMMONS grabbed eight rebounds.

Helix: Destini Anderson 29 (4 reb, 2 ast), Briajunae Shepard 28 (8 ast), Camryn Owens 12 (2 reb, 5 ast), Shirah Hancock 6 (3 reb), Taliah Hooker 6, Danielle Simmons 2 (8 reb), Irma Ealy 2 (6 reb).

UNIVERSITY 44, MOUNT MIGUEL 39 — Mount Miguel traveled to LA Norbonne to face Univesity High in a non-league game on Saturday (Jan. 24) and came away with a loss.

KAMREE HARRISON led Mount Miguel with 13 points and four assists, including three 3-pointers. SATERA BATES and BROOKLYN MILLER each scored nine points, Bates added six rebounds.

“We are consistently inconsistent,” said Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “We play with no pride or passion. We don’t care about Matador Pride – past or present. These kids don’t appreciate nothing. Especially like GENEVIEVE COSTELLO, who played with both. They have had their chance. Some parents think their kids are better then they are. They don’t understand the reality of things.”

Mount Miguel: Kamree Harrison 13 (1 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Satera Bates 9 (6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Brooklyn Miller 9, Zaria Branch 8 (3 ast, 5 stl), Rozlyn Pierce (8 reb, 2 blk, 3 stl), Camara Douglas (2 reb, Laila Smith (2 reb).

Mount Miguel and West Hills play to the buzzer

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SANTEE (1-24-15) — It came down to the wire as Mount Miguel and host West Hills battled to the finish Friday (Jan. 23) in a Grossmont Hills League game. Mount Miguel edged the Wolf Pack at the buzzer with a 51-50 victory.

“We were up by 4 points in the final seconds of the fourth quarter,” recalled Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

Then West Hills’ BAILEY ALBERS hit a three.

“With 20 seconds remaining BROOKLYN MILLER got an offensive rebound and scored to put us up 49-48,” Sandoval continued. “Albers got an offensive rebound and scored with 10 seconds left to put West Hills up 50-49. Then KAMREE HARRISON drives, missed a shot but ROZLYN PIERCE gets the rebounds and passes the ball to ZARIA BRANCH who shoots with one second left and we win it by one.”

Branch paced Mount Miguel with 27 points and Harrison chipped in with 15. Pierce had seven rebounds and six blocks.

Albers finished with a game high 29 points and nine rebounds to lead West Hills.

“I was very proud of the way the girls battled tonight, did everything we asked them to do,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “We had a bad stretch at the end of the third, too many turnovers, up 6 down 4 in a 3 minute span.

“We didn't make some key plays down the stretch but overall the girls played great. Bailey Albers played terrific tonight, 29 points and nine rebounds.”

Mount Miguel: Zaria Branch 27 (6 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Kamree Harrison 15 (2 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl), Brooklyn Miller 4 (3 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Camara Douglas 4 (1 blk), Rozlyn Pierce 1 (7 reb, 6 blk, 4 stl), Satera Bates (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Laila Smith (1 reb, 3 ast), Amber Hard (2 reb, 1 ast).

West Hills: Bailey Albers 29 (9 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk), Vivian Panela 7 (3 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl), Kerrie Daniels 6 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Megan Scott 3 (3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Maya Clemons 3 (1 reb, 1 stl), Ali Lenhoff 2, Carly Raley (5 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl), Jessica Fondas (1 reb, 1 ast), Tila Whitaker (1 reb).

HELIX 82, MONTE VISTA 39 — The host Helix Highlanders gave no quarter to the hapless Monarchs in Friday’s (Jan. 23) Grossmont Hills League contest. Helix doubled the score in the first quarter 24-12, and took it to 44-21 by halftime.

Helix sophomore TALIAH HOOKER led the Highlanders with a career-best 19 points, including six three-pointers, while DESTINI ANDERSON kicked in 12 and BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD scored 10 points. DANIELLE SIMMONS grabbed eight rebounds to go with her six points.

Shepard, SHIRAH HANCOCK and CAMRYN OWENS each nailed a trey.

“My reserves played for the first two and a half quarters,” said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR. “My second string played most of the first quarter and most of the second. My starters weren’t giving me the energy that they need to. Our girls have to play at the same level against every opponent. They got the message.”

Helix: Taliah Hooker 19, Destini Anderson 12 (3 reb), Briajunae Shepard 10 (5 ast), Irma Ealy 9 (5 reb), Shirah Hancock 9 (4 reb), Danielle Simmons 6 (8 reb), Camryn Owens 6 (3 ast), Kaitlyn Keys 6 (3 reb), Aryanah Faulkner 5 (4 reb), Deborah Worthey (3 reb).

GROSSMONT 44, EL CAJON VALLEY 31 — The Foothillers and the Braves played Friday’s (Jan. 23) Grossmont Valley League game even with 9 apiece in the first quarter. Then Grossmont pulled ahead for an 18-14 halftime score.

The third quarter ended 33-23 in the Foothillers’ favor. The Braves rallied in the fourth quarter but it was too little, too late.

MARTINA TOMA led Grossmont with 12 points and six steals, while EMILY BARNES burned the boards with 11 rebounds and a block, and LYDIA HALCOTT grabbed 10 rebounds and made four blocks.

“Tonight was our first league win in two years,” said a delighted GRACE CAMPBELL, the Foothillers coach. “When I took over (three years ago) we didn’t have any league wins. We are definitely excited about it, and we did it with two of our starters out – TERESA MAPP (concussion), CANDACE HENDERSON (quad injury). SYMONE GRIFFITH has an ankle injury but she played through the pain.

“To win league is within our reach, anyone can win it.”

NINWEY ESHO led El Cajon Valley with a career high 25 points.

Grossmont: Martina Toma 12 (1 reb, 6 stl), Symone Griffith 9 (2 reb, 3 stl), Lydia Halcott 8 (10 reb, 4 blk), Sierra Orsinelli-Rivers 7 (3 reb, 2 stl), Tassiana Lee 4 (6 reb), Emily Barnes 2 (11 reb, 1 blk), Ragina Turner 2.

El Cajon Valley: Ninwey Esho 25, Mary Grace Ronquillo 7, Leanna Watson 3, Nashea Lampkin 2, Tatisha Clemons 2.

STEELE CANYON 37, VALHALLA 20 — The Cougars jumped out ahead 17-3 in the first quarter of Friday’s (Jan. 23) Grossmont Valley League contest against host Valhalla and maintained the advantage 28-9 by halftime.

“In the second half Valhalla outscored us quarter by quarter but we were ahead enough that it didn’t matter,” said Steele Canyon coach PETER RUIZ.

Steele Canyon was led by ASHLEY TAVIZON with 12 points and eight rebounds, while ISABELLA WELCH contributed 10 points and nine rebounds. NIKKI DePAOLA stalked the boards with 12 rebounds.

TIANA SILVER paced Valhalla with 10 points and nine rebounds, while MOLLY LINDSAY hauled down 12 rebounds.

Steele Canyon: Ashley Tavizon 12 (8 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Isabella Welch 10 (9 reb, 2 stl), Nikki DePaola 5 (12 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Victoria Bott 4 (1 reb, 1 ast), Jules Loibl 2 (4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Sabrina Dozier 2 (4 reb), Marie Estavillo 2 (2 reb), Victoria Etheridge (5 reb), Marianna Martinez (2 reb).

Valhalla: Tiana Silver 10 (9 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Molly Lindsay 4 (12 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk), Alexa Somo 2 (6 reb, 1 blk), Lisa Damman 2 (4 reb, 2 blk), Amber Ballo 1 (1 reb), Bianca Gorges 1 (1 ast, 1 blk), Melanie Yousif (1 reb), Miriam Jarjis (1 stl).

EL CAPITAN 40, SANTANA 30 — The Vaqueros came out strong in the first quarter, leading 10-2 in Friday’s (Jan. 23) Grossmont Valley League game held in Grossmont High’s old gym (due to a wet floor at El Capitan).

The Vaqueros held the advantage 21-9 at halftime, after which Santana led in scoring in the final two quarters, but just barely.

VALERIE RENFROW scored 14 points to share the lead with CIERRA CUTLER, who also had 14. KASSIDY KYGAR grabbed 8 rebounds for El Capitan.

“Renfrow has been pretty consistent,” said Vaqueros assistant coach RICK WILKERSON. “Statistically she has been our best player. I thought we had a really good game tonight. Cutler also had a good game – made some clutch plays for us. Kassidy really hustles. She got 8 rebounds, which is good for a guard.”

El Capitan: Valerie Renfrow 14 (7 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), Cierra Cutler 14 (3 reb, 3 ast), Grace Burkett 6 (5 reb, 2 stl), Kassidy Kygar 5 (8 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Carol Martin 1 (1 ast), Mackenzie Mead (2 reb, 1 ast), Marie Cook (2 reb, 1 stl).

MADISON 38, CHRISTIAN 35 — The Madison Warhawks jumped to an 11-6 first quarter lead in Friday’s (Jan. 23) Central League game and took it to 24-17 at the half.

The Patriots made a run in the third quarter but it wasn’t enough to overcome Madison’s advantage.

TAYLOR MILLER led Christian with 12 points and nine rebounds, while MADDIE BAGDASARIAN tossed in seven points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Christian: Taylor Miller 12 (9 reb, 3 stl), Maddie Bagdasarian 7 (7 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk), Kate Wnek 6 (4 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Brooke Owens 5 (1 reb, 2 stl), Sage Salacup 3 (2 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Alyssa Rothrock 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Natalie Caddell (2 reb).

Patriots come out on short end of Komet

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EL CAJON (1-21-15) — The Christian Patriots put up a battle Tuesday night (Jan. 20) against Kearny but came out on the losing end as the Komets prevailed 60-27 in a Central League game at Ryan Athletic Center.

MADDIE BAGDASARIAN led the Patriots with 10 points, five rebounds and a block, while SAGE SALACUP prowled the boards for the team with seven rebounds.

“My girls didn’t play bad, we just lost to a really good team,” said Patriots coach TIFFANY GILES. “Kearny played clean, shot a lot of 3s – they had four different girls who shot 3s. I’m hoping for a win Friday night (against Madison).”

Noting the rebounds garnered by Sage Salacup, Giles said, “She is only 5-foot-2 but she gets her little body in there and gets those rebounds. She’s a little fighter.”

Christian: Maddie Bagdasarian 10 (5 reb, 1 blk), Kate Wnek 6 (1 ast, 3 stl), Taylor Miller 4 (7 reb), Brooke Owens 4 (4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Alyssa Rothrock 3 (3 reb, 1 ast), Sage Salacup (7 reb, 1 stl), Hayley Robinson (1 reb, 1 stl).

Falcons fall to future Viking Shepard and the Highlanders

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SAN DIEGO (1-20-15) — The Helix Highlanders met Torrey Pines Monday (Jan. 19) in the MLK Showdown at Horizon Christian and outlasted the Falcons 68-66.

DESTINI ANDERSON poured in 19 points for the Highlanders, and BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD, who has committed to Portland State, scored 12 points and dished eight assists.

CAMRYN OWENS added 11 to go with four assists, while SHIRAH HANCOCK chipped in with 10 points.

DANIELLE SIMMONS led on the boards with 10 rebounds.

The game was 31-29 in the Falcons’ favor at haltime, but the Highlanders came uncorked in the third with 24 points to take a 53-43 lead. Torrey Pines picked it up in the fourth quarter but fell short of the victory in the final minutes.

“We came out in the third quarter,” said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR. “This is the second time playing Torrey Pines this year (a win earlier in the season). It was a close game – my girls played hard and played together. We came out on the winning side again.”

STEELE CANYON 55, MAR VISTA 24 — Steele Canyon traveled to Imperial Beach for a non-league contest with the Mariners and came away with a victory Monday (Jan. 19).

ISABELLA WELCH led the Cougars with 12 points and eight rebounds, while JULES LOIBL added 10 points and four rebounds.

“It was a good game and it was nice to get in the win column,” said Cougars coach PETER RUIZ. “It gave a lot of girls who don’t get much playing time some good minutes. Hopefully this will carry over to Friday night when we play Valhalla in league.

Steele Canyon: Isabella Welch 12 (8 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Jules Loibl 10 (4 reb, 2 stl), Marie Estavillo 8 (3 reb, 2 stl), Dai’re Watkins 6 (4 reb, 3 stl), Sabrina Dozier 6 (3 reb, 4 stl), Ashley Tavizon 5 (3 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl), Marianna Martinez 5 (5 reb, 1 stl), Shelby Johnson 2 (2 ast, 2 stl), Victoria Ethridge 1 (3 reb), Victoria Bott (2 ast, 1 stl), Nikki DePaula (3 reb).

HORIZON 45, MOUNT MIGUEL 41 — Mount Miguel scored only 11 points in the second half of Monday’s (Jan. 19) MLK Showdown against Horizon Christian as the Panthers pawed their way to the victory.

The Matadors (8-8) were led by ROZLYN PIERCE who poured in 15 points and yanked down 17 rebounds in the losing effort.

ZARIA BRANCH followed with 13 points, seven rebounds, three steals and a block.

Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL was disgusted with the effort of the Matadors, who led 19-8 after one quarter and 30-18 at halftime.

“It’s more of what Horizon did than what we didn’t do,” he said.

Sandoval believes that his team has probably played itself out of the Open Division bracket and will have to settle for Division I play.

Mount Miguel: Rozlyn Pierce 15 (17 reb, 1 stl), Zaria Branch 13 (7 reb, 3 stl, 1 blk), Satera Bates 6 (6 reb, 4 stl, 1 blk), Brooklyn Miller 5 (2 reb, 1 stl), Kamree Harrison 2 (3 reb, 4 stl), Laila Smith (2 reb, 2 stl).

Branch and the Matadors gore Frederick Douglas

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SPRING VALLEY (1-18-15) — The Matadors mauled the Lions in Saturday’s (Jan. 17) MLK Hoopfest in Spring Valley, finishing with a 66-23 victory over Frederick Douglas Academy of Los Angeles.

Mount Miguel led 41-14 at the break and finished off in the second half by a blowout.

ZARIA BRANCH paced Mount Miguel 21 points and KAMREE HARRISON added 15.

“We needed a game like this,” said Matadors coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL.

The Matadors rolled their record to 8-7.

Mount Miguel: Zaria Branch 21 (2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Kamree Harrison 15 (2 reb, 1 ast), Satera Bates 8 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Brooklyn Miller 7 (1 stl), Camara Douglas 6 (4 reb), Amber Hard 5 (5 reb, 1 ast), Laila Smith 2 (6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Zaria Arline 2, Kayla Mcleod (1 reb).

BISHOP’S 83, GRANITE HILLS 60 — Bishop’s and Granite Hills faced off in Saturday’s (Jan. 17) MLK Hoopfest and for the first half the scoring was relatively close.

After the first quarter the score was 20-13 in the Knights’ favor and at the break Bishop’s led 39-26.

Unfortunately the Eagles’ momentum slowed in the second half and Bishop’s advantage stretched to 65-43 after three periods of play. In the fourth stanza Granite Hills played an even quarter scoring wise, 18-17, but came up short in the final tally.

“They beat us 91-29 the last time we played them,” said Granite Hills CURTIS NORWOOD. “So this was a huge improvement. It’s not good enough but it’s a step in the right direction.

“If we had just made our layups we would have had another 12 points. When you get the easy shots you have to convert.”

RAELLEAH MOORE led the Eagles with a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds. MICAYELA HERNANDEZ added 19 points and DEJANAE HARVEY had a triple double of 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 10 assists.

Granite Hills: Raelleah Moore 20 (15 reb, 1 ast), Micayela Hernandez 19 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Dejanae Harvey 12 (10 reb, 10 ast, 5 stl), Delaney Casey 6 (3 reb, 2 ast), Justine Garde 3, Emma Kubari (3 reb, 1 ast), Kani Kubari (1 reb, 1 stl).

BRAWLEY 39, GROSSMONT 25 — No report from this non-league game.

Matadors and Vaqueros picked to win Hills and Valley respectfully

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com

Grossmont Hills League
1. Mount Miguel (8-7: Tradition favors the Matadors.

2. West Hills (13-4): The Wolf Pack is capable of bringing an upset although Granite Hills is the premium challenger.

3. Granite Hills (4-5): DEAJANAE HARVEY will lead the Eagles to a possible higher finish.

4. Helix (7-6): Helix has had a poor preseason but is capable to rise to the top.

5. Monte Vista (5-12): The Monarchs are capable of escaping the cellar.

Grossmont Valley League
1. El Capitan (6-8): The Vaqueros could rise to the top this time around but this is balanced league where the championship is up for grabs.

2. Grossmont (6-8): The Foothillers have risen from the ashes and could surprise all teams in the GVL.

3. El Cajon Valley (5-8): Led by four-year starter NINWEY ESHO, the Braves have improved steadily.

4. Valhalla (2-5): The Norsemen bank on TIANA SILVER but the depth is not there.

5. Steele Canyon (3-9): ASHLEY TAVIZON and JULES LOIBL are the hotshots for the Cougars.

6. Santana (2-11): Veteran Sultan TAYLOR ESTES and sophomore MORGAN TURNER hope to lead Santana out of the cellar.

Simmons and Anderson lead Helix to victory

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-17-15) — Helix overpowered Granite Hills Friday night (Jan. 16) before a home crowd, ending up with an 84-54 Grossmont Hills League victory.

DANIELLE SIMMONS led the Highlanders with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, while DESTINI ANDERSON added 20 points and CAMRYN OWENS chipped in with 10. BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds.

“The girls really played well together,” said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR. “They shared the ball well. It was a good victory. Hopefully this was the start of a new think for us because we struggled in the first of the season.”

Granite Hills was no match for the Highlanders on this night, trailing 34-21 at halftime. It didn’t get any better in the final two quarters.

MICAYELA HERNANDEZ hit four treys for the Eagles, and RAELLEAH MOORE was 6-for-6 at the foul line. DEAJANAE HARVEY also made a triple.

Helix: Danielle Simmons 21 (14 reb), Destini Anderson 20 (4 reb, 1 ast), Camryn Owens 10 (3 reb, 4 ast), Briajunae Shepard 8 (8 ast), Taliah Hooker 8, Aryanah Faulkner 3 (3 reb), Shirah Hancock 2 (3 reb), Deborah Worthey 2 (2 reb), Kaitlyn Keys 2 (2 reb), Irma Ealy (5 reb).

Granite Hills: Micayella Hernandez 20, Raelleah Moore 20, Deajanae Harvey 11, Delaney Casey 3.

VALHALLA 39, GROSSMONT 30 (OT) — In a rare scoring phenomenon, both teams scored exactly the same in all four quarters of Friday’s (Jan. 16) Grossmont Valley League opener, tying it up at 29-29.

The difference maker was Grossmont made one point in overtime and Valhalla made 10.

“TIANA SILVER – who finished 8-for-12 on free throw shooting – really turned it on in the fourth quarter,” said Valhalla assistant coach ALICIA HOWE.

In the overtime period ALEXANDRA SOMO hit a clutch layup. Silver had two steals and was 4-for-5 on free throws to go with a layup. BIANCA GORGES had three steals for Valhalla.

“Our defense pressured the ball out of their hands a couple of times,” Howe added.

Silver led the Norsemen with a double-double of 16 points and 10 steals as well as rebounds and two blocks. MOLLY LINDSAY led the board brigade with 11 rebounds.

According to Grossmont coach GRACE CAMPBELL, two of her starters were injured in the game, one reinjured her ankle and the other suffered a concussion, and another starter fouled out.

“Our bench played against their starters,” Campbell said. “They got lucky. It was a great game – the girls tried their hardest, kept fighting and didn’t give up. We play Valhalla again and hopefully it will be different.”

LYDIA HALCOTT led the Foothillers with 10 rebounds and four blocks, while EMILY BARNES hauled down nine rebounds and made two blocks. MARTINA TOMA made six steals.

Valhalla: Tiana Silver 16 (6 reb, 2 blk, 10 stl), Alexandra Somo 9 (3 reb, 1 ast, 5 stl), Bianca Gorges 4 (4 reb, 3 stl), Lisa Damman 3 (3 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Taylor 3 (1 stl), Molly Lindsay 2 (11 reb, 1 ast), Melanie Yousif 2 (1 stl).

Grossmont: Teresa Mapp 8 (5 reb, 2 stl), Martina Toma 8 (6 stl), Candace Henderson 5, Emily Barnes 4 (9 reb, 2 blk), Symone Griffith 3 (4 stl), Lydia Halcott 2 (10 reb, 4 blk).

EL CAPITAN 59, STEELE CANYON 25 — El Capitan came out strong in Friday’s (Jan. 16) Grossmont Valley League opener, improving their record to 6-8, 1-0 GVL as they overcame a challenge by Steele Canyon in Cougar Canyon.

CIERRA CUTLER led the Vaqueros with 24 points and five rebounds, while VALERIE RENFROW rolled a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with eight assists. KASSIDY KYGAR scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds along with dishing seven assists.

“I thought it was a toss-up so I was surprised to win,” said Vaqueros assistant coach RICK WILKERSON. “We played really well – played the best we have all year. We didn’t turn the ball over and made very few mental mistakes. The kids all come to practice every day and we work them hard. It has paid off.”

Steele Canyon was paced by ASHLEY TAVIZON who scored 11 points. ISABELLA WELCH grabbed six rebounds to go with four points.

“They were making their shots and we weren’t making ours,” said Cougars coach PETER RUIZ. “We had 20-30 missed shots in the entire game.”

El Capitan: Cierra Cutler 24 (5 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Valerie Renfrow 14 (10 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl), Kassidy Kygar 8 (8 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl), Mackenzie Mead 6 (3 reb, 1 ast), Carol Martin 5 (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Grace Burkett 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Marie Cook (1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl).

Steele Canyon: Ashley Tavizon 11 (2 reb, 3 ast), Isabella Welch 4 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Jules Loibl 3 (1 reb, 2 stl), Marie Estavillo 3, Dai’re Watkins 2 (4 reb, 1 ast), Nikki DePaola 1 (7 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl), Sabrina Dozier 1 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl).

WEST HILLS 56, MONTE VISTA 26 — West Hills upended Monte Vista Friday night (Jan. 16) in a Grossmont Hills League opener. The Wolf Pack got out to a 16-9 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 27-16 by halftime.

Monte Vista trailed 17-2 in the third quarter.

MEGAN SCOTT led West Hills with 17 points and six rebounds, while VIVIAN PANELA scored 10 points.

KERRIE DANIELS scored just two points but pulled down seven rebounds.

West Hills: Megan Scott 17 (6 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Vivian Panela 10 (1 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Bailey Albers 8 (5 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk), Maya Clemons 4 (3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Jessica Fondas 3 (4 reb, 1 ast), Ali Lenhoff 2 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Carly Raley 2 (3 reb, 2 stl), Clarrisa Holder 2 (2 reb, 1 stl), Kerrie Daniels 2 (7 reb), Tila Whitaker 2 (3 reb), Tiffany Nugyen 2 (1 reb).

SANTANA 59, EL CAJON VALLEY 47 — Host Santana jumped out to a 10-5 lead over visiting El Cajon Valley in Friday’s (Jan. 16) Grossmont Valley League opener and led 25-14 by halftime.

The Braves rallied in the fourth quarter but it was too little, too late.

NINWEY ESHO led the Braves with 20 points, and LEANNA WATSON added 14 for El Cajon Valley.

Esho scored four triples for the Braves and Watson and MARY GRACE RONQUILLO each hit a three.

Santana: No report.

El Cajon Valley: Ninwey Esho 20, Leanna Watson 14, Mary Grace Ronquillo 7, Nashea Lampkin 6.

CRAWFORD 35, CHRISTIAN 25 — Crawford only led Christian by one point in the first quarter, however they had lengthened that lead to 21-11 by halftime of Friday’s (Jan. 16) Central League game.

The Patriots rallied in the third quarter 7-3 but the Colts turned up the heat in the fourth and tallied the victory.

“We were missing our starting point guard again,” noted Patriots coach TIFFANY GILES.

MADDIE BAGDASARIAN led Christian with nine points and five rebounds.

Christian: Maddie Bagdasarian 9 (5 reb, 1 stl), Kate Wnek 7 (1 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl), Taylor Miller 5 (3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Sage Salacup 2 (3 reb, 1 stl), Natalie Cadell 2 (1 reb, 2 stl), Hayley Robinson (1 stl), Alyssa Rothrock (1 reb).

West Hills ropes the Vaqueros

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-15-15) — West Hills rolled over visiting El Capitan Wednesday (Jan. 14) in a non-league game, demolishing the Vaqueros 57-13 in a lop-sided encounter.

“The girls played good defense tonight,” said Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “Our zone offense is starting to look better and our outside shots are starting to fall.”

BAILEY ALBERS led West Hills with 16 points and MEGAN SCOTT added 11 points.

“West Hills is a very good shooting team and they are a good defensive team as well,” said Vaqueros assistant coach RICK WILKERSON. “They have lots of different looks. You have to be mentally prepared to deal with that.”

West Hills: Bailey Albers 16 (1 reb, 2 ast), Megan Scott 11 (2 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Carly Raley 6 (3 reb, 3 stl), Kerrie Daniels 6 (4 reb), Vivian Panela 5 (3 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl), Tila Whitaker 4 (2 reb, 1 stl), Maya Clemons 3 (2 reb, 1 stl), Ali Lenhoff 2 (3 reb, 1 stl), Tiffany Nugyen 2 (3 reb), Clarrisa Holder 1 (1 reb), Alyssa Garcia 1.

El Capitan: Cierra Cutler 7, Valerie Renfrow 2, Mackenzie Mead 2, Marie Cook 2.

Moore and Harvey get the Cougars over .500

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-14-15) — Granite Hills upended Steele Canyon in a non-league game Tuesday night (Jan. 13), overpowering the Cougars 58-18.

“We are over .500 now for the season with a 4-3 record,” said Granite Hills coach CURTIS NORWOOD. “We are excited about being over .500. In the last two games we have scored 136 to 31 points over our opponents. Our defense is doing what we need to do defensively. We still haven’t played our best basketball yet.

“RAELLEAH MOORE continues to dominate the rebounds. I think she averages 12-14 rebounds per game.”

DEAJANAE HARVEY paced the Eagles with 15 points, Moore added 13 and MICAYELA HERNANDEZ chipped in with 12 points.

Steele Canyon was led by ASHLEY TAVIZON with 10 points.

Granite Hills: Deajanae Harvey 15, Raelleah Moore 13, Micayela Hernandez 12, Emma Kubari 6, Justine Garde 4, Delaney Casey 2, Kani Kubari 2.

Steele Canyon: Ashley Tavizon 10, Nikki DePaolo 6, Dai’re Watkins 1.

WEST HILLS 56, EL CAJON VALLEY 14 — West Hills bowled over El Cajon Valley Tuesday night (Jan. 13) in a non-league game in Santee. The Wolf Pack’s greater depth was only part of the reason for the lop-sided win.

“We executed well tonight, our zone offense look good,” noted Wolf Pack coach RYAN KINSER. “We were able to get all the girls plenty of minutes tonight.

“El Cajon plays hard, I'm sure they will be very competitive in their league.”

Once again BAILEY ALBERS led the Pack with 12 points. The rest of the team contributed plenty of firepower.

West Hills: Bailey Albers 12 (2 reb, 1 stl), Jessica Fondas 8 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Kerrie Daniels 6 (4 reb), Megan Scott 5 (5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Tiffany Nugyen 5 (4 reb), Vivian Panela 5 (1 reb, 2 ast), Tila Whitaker 5 (2 reb, 1 stl), Maya Clemons 4 (5 reb, 2 stl), Carly Raley 4 (3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl), Clarrisa Holder 2 (1 reb, 1 ast), Ali Lenhoff (4 reb).

El Cajon Valley: Ninwey Esho 9, Leanna Watson 4, Rabab Issa-Taha 1.

EL CAPITAN 37, MONTE VISTA 32 — El Capitan travelled to Spring Valley for a non-league game Tuesday night (Jan. 13) and came away with a win over host Monte Vista.

“We had good first and fourth quarters,” said Vaqueros assistant coach RICK WILKERSON. “We didn’t play very well in the second and third quarters. The girls played hard.”

VALERIE RENSHAW paced the Vaqueros with 12 points and 8 rebounds, while GRACE BURKETT added 8 points and pulled down 7 boards.

El Capitan: Valerie Renshaw 12 (8 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Grace Burkett 8 (7 reb, 1 stl), Cierra Cutler 5 (6 reb, 1 ast), Kassidy Kygar 5 (4 reb, 6 ast, 6 stl), Carol Martin 5 (2 reb, 1 stl), Mackenzie Mead 2 (5 reb, 3 stl), Marie Cook (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

CORONADO 43, CHRISTIAN 14 — The Patriots travelled to the peninsula Tuesday (Jan. 13) for a Central League game without their starting point guard, BROOKE OWENS who is down with the flu.

The Patriots were led by TAYLOR MILLER with 8 points and 9 rebounds.

“My girls played great defense but our shooting was really off tonight,” said Christian coach TIFFANY GILES.

Christian: Taylor Miller 8 (9 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Sage Salacup 4 (2 reb, 1 ast), Maddie Bagdasarian 2 (6 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl), Kate Wnek (4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Natalie Caddell (2 reb, 2 stl), Hayley Robinson (2 reb, 1 stl), Alyssa Rothrock (1 reb).

Silver racks up 22 against Henry

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-13-15) — In their season opener the Valhalla Norsemen were outscored 77-15. That certainly left room for improvement, and coach MARC CARTER’s squad certainly did improve – in a 65-39 non-league loss to Patrick Henry Monday night (Jan. 12).

TIANA SILVER carried the torch for the Norsemen with 22 points, nine rebounds and four steals.

Valhalla trailed 21-8 after one period and 41-22 by halftime. The teams basically traded baskets in the second half.

Valhalla: Tiana Silver 22 (9 reb, 4 stl), Alexa Somo 7 (1 reb, 4 stl), Lisa Damman 4 (3 reb), Bianca Gorges 2 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Melanie Yousif 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Amber Ballo 2 (2 reb, 1 ast).

Early morning for the Pack

© East County Sports.com
VISTA (1-11-15) — West Hills had to rise and shine for an 8:45 a.m. Coaches vs. Cancer game at Rancho Buena Vista, but it was worth it as the Wolf Pack came away with a 49-44 victory.

“We got off to a great start and led by 10 at the half, played very good defense,” said West Hills coach RYAN KINSER. “We played well early in the third and at one point had a 14 point lead, but we made too many turnovers and let them back into the game.

“It was a nice win. Vista was a very physical team and that caused some problems, but we executed well the last two minutes to pull out the win.”

BAILEY ALBERS paced the Pack with 23 points and six rebounds. Also clearing six rebounds was VIVIAN PANELA, who added seven points.

West Hills: Bailey Albers 23 (6 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Vivian Panela 7 (6 reb, 3 ast), Kerrie Daniels 6 (4 reb, 1 blk), Maya Clemons 3 (3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Clarrisa Holder 3 (3 reb, 1 stl), Ali Lenhoff 2 (4 reb), Jessica Fondas 2 (1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Tila Whitaker 2 (3 reb), Megan Scott 1 (6 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl), Carly Raley (4 reb, 1 at, 1 stl).

BISHOP GORMAN 48, MOUNT MIGUEL 38 — Facing off against Bishop Gorman, which is the No. 1 ranked team in Las Vegas, Mount Miguel was on the edge of springing an upset in Saturday’s (Jan. 10) non-league action at Cuyamaca College.

The Matadors (7-6), who have played one of the more rigorous schedules of teams in the state, hurt their own cause by committing 19 turnovers.

Nonetheless they remained in contention down the stretch against the taller, more physical Gaels until the final six minutes.

The game was tied at 33-33 before the Gaels gradually pulled away and turned the game into a misleading lead.

KAMREE HARRISON paced Mount Miguel with 13 points, including two treys and 7-of-8 free throws. ZARIA BRANCH hit three treys to finish with 11 points. BROOKLYN MILLLER added 10 points and four rebounds.

ROZLYN PIERCE led the smaller Matadors with nine rebounds.

“We were in the game almost all the way,” noted Mount Miguel coach ROBBIE SANDOVAL. “But then the bigger, taller Gorman girls pushed and took control of the game in the fourth quarter.”

Mount Miguel: Kamree Harrison 13 (3 reb, 2 ast), Zaria Branch 11 (4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Brooklyn Miller 10 (4 reb, 1 blk), Satera Bates 4 (2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl), Rozlyn Pierce (9 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk), Laila Smith (3 reb, 1 ast), Camara Douglas (1 reb).

SAN MARCOS def. HELIX – No report on this Coaches vs. Cancer game played in Carlsbad.

Loibl-led Cougars take win from Raiders

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-10-15) — The visiting Steele Canyon Cougars knocked off San Diego Southwest 44-29 Friday night (Jan. 9) in a non-league encounter in South Bay.

JULES LOIBL paced the Cougars with 15 points and seven rebounds, while ASHLEY TAVIZON added 10 points and six rebounds.

“It was nice to get a win, especially with league starting a week from tonight,” said Steele Canyon coach PETER RUIZ. “It was a nice confidence booster.”

Steele Canyon: Jules Loibl 15 (7 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Ashley Tavizon 10 (6 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl), Nikki DePaola 8 (5 reb, 1 stl), Isabella Welch 5 (5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Marianna Martinez 3 (5 reb), Shelby Johnson 2 (2 stl), Victoria Etheridge 1 (2 reb), Sabrina Dozier (5 reb, 1 blk), Victoria Bott (2 reb).

GRANITE HILLS 77, VALHALLA 15 — The Granite Hills Eagles rolled over the Valhalla Norsemen, leaving hardly a ripple in Friday night’s (Jan. 9) non-league encounter.

“The bench played the entire fourth quarter,” said Eagles coach CURTIS NORWOOD. “We’re becoming familiar with our system. It was nice to see that and to get the win.”

RAELLEAH MOORE led the Eagles in scoring with 20 and MICAYELA HERNANDEZ added 19 points.

DEAJANAE HARVEY rolled a rare triple-double with 15 points, 13 assists and 11 steals, and grabbed seven rebounds.

Granite Hills: Raelleah Moore 20 (5 reb, 2 ast, 7 stl), Micayela Hernandez 19 (4 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl), Deajanae Harvey 15 (7 reb, 13 ast, 11 stl), Delaney Casey 8 (4 reb, 5 stl), Justine Garde 6 (1 reb, 3 stl), Kani Kubari 3 (4 reb), Emma Kubari 3 (1 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl), Chase Robles 2 (3 reb, 1 stl).

Valhalla: Tiana Silver 6 (5 reb), Melanie Yousif 2 (1 reb), Alexandra Somo 1, Amber Ballo 1 (2 reb), Bianca Gorges 1 (2 reb, 2 blk).

POINT LOMA 35, CHRISTIAN 23 — The Patriots played the Pointers steady through the first two quarters, trailing by just 4 points at the half of Friday night’s (Jan. 9) Central League game.

The third quarter, however, the Patriots lost their rhythm and never regained it through the rest of the game.

SAGE SALACUP scored six points for the Patriots and the 5-foot-2 guard hustled up five rebounds as did KATE WNEK. MADDIE BAGDASARIAN chipped in with six points.

“The girls played really well against a really good team,” said Christian coach TIFFANY GILES. “I was told they won CIF last year and they have eight seniors on the team this year. I was proud of my girls, they played hard.”

Christian: Sage Salacup 6 (5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl), Maddie Bagdasarian 6 (3 reb), Brooke Owens 4 (2 ast, 2 stl), Kate Wnek 3 (5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Taylor Miller 3 (3 reb, 1 blk, 2 stl), Hayley Robinson 1, Alyssa Rothrock (1 reb).

MONTE VISTA 41, GROSSMONT 34 — Visiting Grossmont competed with host Monte Vista in Friday night’s (Jan. 9) non-league contest for three quarters of the game. The Foothillers led 26-18 at the half and maintained the edge 32-30 at the end of the third quarter.

Then the wheels fell off. Grossmont scored just two points in the fourth quarter and that was the difference in the game.

“We were winning the whole entire game,” lamented Grossmont coach GRACE CAMPBELL. “Then we made some mental mistakes that happens with a young team. That fourth quarter just killed us. Hopefully we learn from it. I was proud of our free throw shooting though, we were 11-for-19 at the line.”

MARTINA TOMA led the Foothillers with 19 points – five treys and she was 4-for-4 at the free throw line.

Grossmont: Martina Toma 19 (2 reb, 5 stl), Candace Henderson 7 (2 reb), Sierra Orsinelli-Rivers 3 (5 reb, 1 stl), Emily Barnes 2 (9 reb, 1 blk), Teresa Mapp 2 (4 reb, 3 stl), Symone Griffith 3 (3 ast, 2 stl).

Monte Vista: The Monarchs have opted out of EastCountySports.com.

WEST HILLS at EL CAPITAN — This game was cancelled as the Vaqueros’ gym floor was wet and deemed unsafe. The contest has been postponed to Wednesday (Jan. 14) at 6 p.m. at a site to be determined.

Panela, Albers and Scott all with double-digits in Wolf Pack Win

By Adam Paul
© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (1-9-15) — The West Hills Wolf Pack took on the Santana Sultans and completed the sweep of the crosstown rivalry on Tuesday (Jan. 8) by a score of 62-41.

The game itself was never in doubt for West Hills as they zoomed out to a 16-1 first quarter lead and never looked back, ultimately leading at the half 35-11.

The Wolf Pack stifled the Sultans in the first half shooting wise, limiting them to 4-18 from the field en route to the large lead. The positive aspect for the Sultans was the fact that they outscored the Wolf Pack 30-27 in the second half.

West Hills was led in scoring by VIVIAN PANELA who put up 16 points including a trifecta of treys, BAILEY ALBERS who chipped in with 14 points and MEGAN SCOTT who finished with 10 points.

For the Sultans it was MORGAN TURNER putting up 14 points including a trio of treys and SIERRA SIMANEK who contributed 11 points.

West Hills: Vivian Panela 16 (3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Bailey Albers 14 (6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk), Megan Scott 10 (8 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl), Jessica Fondas 5 (5 reb), Tila Whitaker 4 (4 reb), Carly Raley 5 (4 reb, 1 stl), Clarrisa Holder 2 (3 reb), Tiffany Nugyen 2 (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Maya Clemons 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Kerrie Daniels 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Ali Lenhoff (2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl).

Santana: Morgan Turner 14 (1 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl), Sierra Simanek 11 (6 reb), Gretchen Hudson 6 (7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl), Maddy Barry 6 (4 reb), Kelsey Weson 2 (3 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), Taylor Estes 2 (3 reb, 1 blk), Kobie Holland (3 reb), Tika Taylor (1 ast).

GROSSMONT 37, HEALTH SCIENCES 17 — Grossmont faced Health Sciences in a non-league contest on Thursday (Jan. 8) and came out of it with a resounding victory.

The score at halftime was 18-2 and the outcome was never in doubt.

CANDACE HENDERSON led the Foothillers with 12 points, while EMILY BARNES was a beast on the boards with 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Grossmont: Candace Henderson 12 (4 ast, 2 stl), Emily Barnes 6 (10 reb, 2 blk), Theresa Mapp 6 (4 reb, 1 blk, 4 stl), Martina Toma 5 (2 reb, 8 stl), Lydia Halcott 4 (7 reb, 3 blk), Symone Griffith 4 (3 stl).

Salacup, Owens score half of Pats' points in win

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (1-7-15) — The Christian Patriots opened Central League play by hosting Clairemont on Tuesday (Jan. 6) in the Ryan Athletic Center and overcame the Chieftains 34-29 to hang onto the victory.

SAGE SALACUP led the Patriots with nine points and BROOKE OWENS added eight.

Christian: Sage Salacup 9 (2 reb), Brooke Owens 8, Maddie Bagdasarian 6 (4 reb, 1 ast), Kate Wnek 6 (4 reb, 1 ast), Taylor Miller 5 (5 reb, 2 stl).

OLYMPIAN 40, STEELE CANYON 32 – Steele Canyon traveled to the South Bay for Tuesday's (Jan. 6) non-league contest with host Olympian, and returned without the “W.”

The first quarter was played evenly at 6 apiece but the Olympian Eagles took over for the middle two quarters, with the score at halftime 20-9 in the Eagles’ favor.

Steele Canyon caught steam and battled in the fourth quarter but fell short of the victory.

JULES LOIBL led the Cougars with 10 points while ISABELLA WELCH added eight.

Steele Canyon: Jules Loibl 10 (2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl), Isabella Welch 8 (2 reb, 2 stl), Ashley Tavizon 5 (4 stl), Nicki DePaola 4 (1 stl), Dai're Watkins 2, Sabrina Dozier 3 (1 reb).

HELIX 75, EL CAPITAN 33 — "Bria and Shirah took over in the first quarter," said Helix coach PATRICK TABOR of Tuesday's (Jan. 6) non-league game at El Capitan. “They played a solid game. We did what we needed to do to win, and I’m proud of my girls.”

BRIAJUNAE SHEPARD paced the Highlanders with 21 points while SHIRAH HANCOCK added 15 points.

“They are a very good team,” said Vaqueros assistant coach RICK WILKERSON of the Highlanders. “They are almost in the Top 10.

“We got off to a really bad start, and they were bigger, faster and stronger than we are. If we had played as well in the first quarter as we did in the last three quarters it could have been a different game.”

Helix: Briajunae Shepard 21, Shirah Hancock 15, Camryn Owens 8, Destini Anderson 9, Taliah Hooker 6, Danielle Simmons 4, Aryanah Faulkner 4, Kaitlyn Keys 3, Irma Ealy 3, Deborah Worthey 2.

El Capitan: Cierra Cutler 11, Valerie Renfrow 10, Kassidy Kygar 6, Marie Cook 4, Carol Martin 2.

GRANITE HILLS 59, SANTANA 33 — Granite Hills traveled across town to tangle with Santana in a non-league game on Tuesday (Jan. 6) and came away winners.

MICAYELA HERNANDEZ paced the Eagles with 17 points, while DEAJANAE HARVEY rolled a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds and RAELLEAH MOORE also put up a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

“They all contributed,” said Granite Hills coach CURTIS NORWOOD. “It was our first game back after a long holiday layoff. We had a Christmas party at DELANEY CASEY’s home with gift exchange and food for players, parents and coaches. It was wonderful – we all bonded. We have five or six 4.0 gpa students on the team – I’m really excited about the character of this team.”

Granite Hills: Micayela Hernandez 17 (4 stl), Deajanae Harvey 16 (10 reb, 6 stl), Raelleah Moore 11 (10 reb), Justine Garde 8 (3 stl), Chase Robles 6 (2 stl), Emma Kubari 2 (2 stl), Kani Kubari (3 reb, 4 blk), Delaney Casey (5 reb), Anyang Agoth (2 blk, 1 stl).

Santana: Did not report stats or scoring.

MONTE VISTA 43, EL CAJON VALLEY 33 — Host El Cajon Valley entertained Monte Vista Tuesday (Jan. 6) in a non-league contest and despite a valiant effort came out on the short end.

The Braves led in the first quarter 10-7 and the score was tied at 18 at the half. The Monarchs pulled steadily ahead in the final two quarters.

NASHEA LAMPKIN led the Braves with 10 points.

El Cajon Valley: Nashea Lampkin 10, Leanna Watson 6, Mary Grace Ronquillo 6, Danielle Stokes 6, Ninwey Esho 5.

Familiar faces meet on Crawford tournament's final day

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-3-15) — The Grossmont Foothillers met the El Cajon Valley Braves in a Crawford Christmas Tournament game on Saturday (Jan. 3) and came away with a 42-34 victory.

TAISIA SILAS led Grossmont with 12 points while SYMONE GRIFFITH added 10 more. EMILY BARNES grabbed nine boards.

El Cajon Valley was paced by LEANNA WATSON with 14 points.

Grossmont: Taisia Silas 12 (3 ast), Symone Griffith 10 (2 stl), Candace Henderson 7 (2 ast, 3 stl), Martina Toma 4 (3 reb, 5 stl), Emily Barnes 3 (9 reb, 1 blk), Lydia Halcott 2 (5 blk), Tasiana Lee 2 (6 reb), Sierra Orsinelli-Rivers 2 (1 blk).

El Cajon Valley: Leanna Watson 14, Ninwey Esho 7, Nashea Lampkin 6, Danielle Stokes 6, Mary Grace Ronquillo 1.

CRAWFORD 42, CHRISTIAN 21 — Christian faced host Crawford in the Crawford Tournament on Saturday (Jan. 3), playing shorthanded and lost the game to the Colts with a valiant but unsuccessful effort.

ALYSSA ROTHROCK led Christian with eight points.

“We were missing two of our starters today – only had one sub,” said Christian coach TIFFANY GILES. “If we’d had a full team it would have been a very different outcome. My girls got tired. They just pressed us the whole time and wore us down.”

Christian: Alyssa Rothrock 8 (1 reb), Brook Owens 6 (1 reb, 2 ast), Maddie Bagdasarian 4 (2 reb), Taylor Miller 3 (8 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl), Hayley Robinson (4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl), Natalie Caddell (3 reb, 1 stl).

Consistent Tigers get won over Braves

By Chris Davis
© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-3-15) — The Morse Tigers had no trouble with the El Cajon Valley Braves in Friday’s (Jan. 2) game at the Crawford Christmas Tournament. Consistency was the name of the game for the Tigers as they scored 12 points in each of the final three periods to cruise to an easy 55-26 decision.

Freshman LEANNA WATSON led the Braves with a 12 point, 12 rebound double-double.

The most exciting part of the game truly was to find out if the Braves were to receive an administrative technical for an ineligible number being used. As it turned out, they indeed got the technical in the second quarter as RABAB ISSA-TAHA entered the game wearing the number six. According to the NFHS rules manual regarding the numbers available to be used.

“Legal numbers are: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 00, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55. A team member list shall not have both numbers 0 and 00.”

Morse only connected on one of the two technical free throws.

El Cajon: Leanna Watson 12 (12 reb, 4 stl), Nashea Lampkin 4 (8 reb), Ninwey Esho 3 (3 reb, 3 stl), Danielle Stokes 3 (6 reb), Mary Grace Ronquillo 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Tatisha Clemons 2 (1 reb, 2 stl), Kaheen Hasan (1 reb), Awadich 0 (2 reb).

POINT LOMA 47, GROSSMONT 21 — In the nightcap on Friday (Jan. 2) at the Crawford Christmas Tournament, the Grossmont Foothillers looked to break out of their three game losing skid.

However the Coastal League leader Point Loma Pointers had other thoughts. The Pointers jumped out to a 10-point lead after one period and expanded that to a 31-6 lead at the break before running away with the win.

TAISHA SILAS led Grossmont with 10 points and was the only player from East County to reach double figures.

Grossmont: Taisha Silas 10 (2 reb), Tossiana Lee 7 (9 reb, 2 stls), Corinn Selander 2 (1 reb, 1 stl), Theresa Mapp 2 (1 stl), Emily Barnes (3 reb.), Lauren Cheeseman (1 reb), Martina Toma (3 reb., 2 stl), Symone Griffith(2 stl).