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High School Girls Basketball
2006-07 Season Scrapbook

Titans tip off CIF playoffs as #1 seed

Posted Feb. 22, 2007
There was the understandable grumbling following the announcement of the seeding for this year’s San Diego Section basketball playoffs. The only grumbling likely being done following Tuesday’s opening round of the Division I girls playoffs was by the Rancho Bernardo Broncos after falling 75-53 to the top-ranked Eastlake Titans.

The Titans earned the No. 1 seed in this year’s post-season tournament, surprising the defending Division I San Diego Cavers, who had been ranked ahead of Eastlake in regular season polls. The Titans finished regular season play 24-4, with their only losses to Westview, Cathedral Catholic, Brea Olinda and Marian Catholic — all non-Division I teams.

The Cavers, meanwhile, finished regular season play 21-4 with setbacks to Vista, Helix, Kearny and West Hills — the latter three all at the Mt. Miguel Invitational. The early-season 51-46 loss to Helix (20-7) proved costly, with Helix being seeded second and San Diego fourth. Poway (20-6) earned the No. 3 seed.

Few likely would dispute that Eastlake deserved the top seed. The Titans will own home court through the semifinals, should they advance that far. The championship game is March 3 at 6:05 p.m. at USD.

Eastlake received 19 points from Brittany Palmer, 16 points from Erica Sanchez, 14 points from Cheyenne Curly-Payne and eight points each from Brooke Becky, Melanie Robbins and Mercedes Griffis in eliminating the Broncos. The Titans built an early 16-9 lead, played Rancho Bernardo even through the second quarter for a 35-28 halftime lead and used a 17-8 spurt in the third quarter to pull away.

Sanchez had 13 rebounds while Curly-Payne added 12 assists and six rebounds.

Only one player scored in double digits for Rancho Bernardo: Rachel Darby (12 points). The Broncos ended the season 11-17.

The Titans, who retained their Mesa League title with a 10-0 league run, draw eighth-seeded El Camino (15-9) in Friday’s quarterfinals. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Eastlake High School.

El Camino defeated Granite Hills, 58-38, in Tuesday’s opening round behind 23 points from Kristin Marquardt.

Eastlake closed out league play with a 70-38 victory against visiting Chula Vista on Feb. 15 as Palmer led all scorers in the game with 22 points, Sanchez added 14 points and Griffis tacked on 10 points. The Titans led 52-17 at halftime.

A total of five South County teams qualified for post-season play: Chula Vista (16-11) and Eastlake in Division I, Montgomery (17-9) in Division II, Marian Catholic (27-1) in Division IV and Midway Baptist (9-11) in Division V.

Marian Catholic and Montgomery tied for the South Bay League title following regular season-ending wins on Feb. 15.
Marian Catholic finished 9-1 in league play following its 71-47 victory at Mar Vista while Montgomery matched that 9-1 record by topping Castle Park, 71-23.

Jhazmine Lynch keyed Marian Catholic with 27 points while Ebone Henry had 12 points. The Crusaders led 42-22 at halftime. The Crusaders, who are seeded second in the Division IV playoff bracket, will host Santa Fe Christian (21-6) Friday at 7 p.m.

Midway Baptist finished as the Citrus League South champion with a 7-1 league record, placing ahead of Foothills Christian (6-2), Mountain Empire (3-4), San Dieguito Academy (3-4) and Lutheran (0-8). The Patriots, however, had their season end in Tuesday’s opening round of the Division V playoffs with a 50-43 overtime loss to visiting Vincent Memorial.

In another first round playoff game on Tuesday:

Montgomery 76, Valhalla 29
The host Aztecs blitzed the Norsemen for a 24-9 first-quarter lead and then tacked on a 16-1 run in the second quarter to run away with the Division II contest. Kala Cheers had 14 points for Montgomery, which also received 11 points from Brieanna Gibson and 10 points from Marcy Velasquez. The win propelled the fourth-seeded Aztecs (18-9) to Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against fifth-seeded Ramona (21-7) — a 67-52 first-round winner against Scripps Ranch (11-14). The Norsemen (2-8 in Grossmont South League play) finished the season 8-17.

Spartans ousted by defending champs

By Scott Hopkins
Posted Feb. 22, 2007
The Chula Vista High School girls basketball team took a trip to San Diego this week to see Paris.

Actually, it was San Diego High School and its star player, Paris Johnson, in a San Diego Section Division I first-round playoff game on Tuesday.

The Spartans came out on the short end of a 71-47 score against the Cavers, with most of the damage coming at the hands of the tall and talented Johnson.

The Spartans (16-12) played even with the Cavers (22-4) for much of the contest, but periods of missed shots and turnovers proved the difference.

A 9-0 run by the Cavers in the second quarter helped the hosts extend their lead while jumping out to a 32-15 halftime advantage. On one possession during that stretch, the Spartans missed four shots from underneath the basket.

Spartan head coach John DeJesus settled his team down during intermission, however, and the vistiors played an inspired second half, throwing down 32 points of their own.

Coming off the bench, Nirvana Hawkins led the Spartans with 16 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Marina Bustamante had six points and Briana Gearhart added five points.

The Cavers’ Johnson, who will join her older sister on San Diego State’s women’s team next season, led all scorers with 28 points. She also blocked six shots and displayed the overall court skills that attracted the attention of Division I college recruiters.

San Diego will next engage fifth-seeded Torrey Pines, a 60-36 first-round winner over Carlsbad, in Friday’s quarterfinals. The Falcons are 20-10.

Crusaders tip Aztecs, hike mark to 23-1
Posted Feb. 8, 2007
Fueled by a fiery second-half comeback, the Marian Catholic girls basketball team secured a piece of a possible South Bay League co-championship by defeating visiting Montgomery, 59-57, last Friday. The victory, which can only stand as a huge one in the eyes of Crusaders coach David Monroe, avenged Marian Catholic’s lone loss this season.

That came 66-55 on Jan. 12 at Montgomery.

In the rematch, the Crusaders (5-1, 23-1) overcame a splendid 32-point performance by the Aztecs’ Danisha Corbett.
Montgomery (5-1, 13-9) led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter and 31-22 at halftime.

The Crusaders, who were led by 14 points from Ebone Henry, got back into the game by outscoring the Aztecs 15-5 in the third quarter to hold a one-point lead, 37-36, heading into the final quarter.

Marian Catholic outscored Montgomery 22-21 in that final period to post the two-point victory.

It was a pair of free throws by Henry with 13 seconds to play that snapped a 57-all tie.

The Crusaders trailed by as much as 14 points in the first half.

In other South Bay League games last Friday:

Hilltop 61, Mar Vista 49
Stephanie Mendoza (14) and Ashley Walkup (13) both reached double digits in the scoring column for the visiting Lancers, who led 22-16 at halftime. Chelsea Cowans led the Mariners with 12 points.

Castle Park 31, Southwest 27
Stephanie Ewest scored 12 points to lead the Trojans, who got off to a pivotal 15-8 lead in the first quarter and scored just 16 points in the remaining three quarters. Southwest, which was held to single digits in each of the opening three quarters, tallied 11 points in the final quarter.

Mesa League Standings
Through Feb. 2: Eastlake 6-0 (20-4), Bonita Vista 5-1 (10-15), Chula Vista 4-2 (13-10), Otay Ranch 2-4 (6-15), Sweetwater 1-5 (11-12), San Ysidro 0-6 (4-19).

South Bay League Standings
Through Feb. 2: Marian Catholic 5-1 (23-1), Montgomery 5-1 (13-9), Hilltop 4-2 (5-17), Mar Vista 2-4 (7-12), Castle Park 1-5 (2-15), Southwest 1-5 (1-17).

Marian Catholic quietly improves to 22-1

Posted Feb. 1, 2007
First-round league play wrapped up in the Metro Conference’s two circuits on Jan. 26, with the Marian Catholic girls basketball team making a strong claim for the second seed in the upcoming San Diego Section Division IV playoffs.

The Eastlake Titans, ranked No. 5 among the San Diego Section’s girls teams (No. 2 among Division I squads), led the Mesa League with an undefeated mark. The respective first-half boys leaders included Otay Ranch (Mesa League) and Hilltop (South Bay League).


South Bay League recap
Despite dropping a 66-55 decision to Montgomery (ranked fourth among Division II teams) to tip off league play, that hasn’t stopped the Crusaders from piling up wins. Marian Catholic entered the week with a superlative 22-1 overall record, a No. 7 ranking in the section and the runner-up spot behind Division IV top-ranked (and No. 2 sectionranked) La Jolla Country Day (15-6).

The Crusaders blasted Mar Vista, 81-38, last Friday to improve to 4-1 in league play. Five players scored in double figures. Jhazmine Lynch led the way with 22 points, followed by teammates Ebone Henry (17 points), Soulijah Evans (14 points) and Danae Johnson and Anitra McCain (10 points each).

Marian Catholic led 28-6 after the opening quarter.

Montgomery remained undefeated in league play at 4-0 following last Friday’s 66-25 victory against visiting Castle Park. Marcy Velasquez keyed the Aztecs (12-8 overall) with 14 points while Kala Cheers contributed 12 points and Danisha Corbett added 10 points. The hosts dominated from the onset with a 26-7 first-quarter edge.

Hilltop ended first-round league play at 3-2 following its 46-35 win against visiting Southwest (1-3, 1-15). The Lancers (7-14 overall) received 11 points from Stephanie Mendoza, nine points from Briana Martinez and eight points from Rachel Vasquez in the victory.

Mesa League recap
Eastlake kept its league record unblemished at 5-0 following last Friday’s 72-35 victory at Chula Vista. Brittany Palmer led the Titans (19-4) with 15 points while Erica Sanchez contributed 11 points. Overall, 11 players scored for the defending league champions. Angel Gilroy was the lone Spartan to reach double figures in the scoring column. Chula Vista fell to 3-2 in league, 12-11 overall.

Sweetwater picked up its first league win by defeating host San Ysidro, 49-14, as Jennifer Valentin poured in 11 points and April Cadua pumped in 10 points. The Red Devils (1-4, 11-11) saw their good fortunes start with a 10-1 first-quarter lead. SuHi limited the Cougars (0-5, 4-18) to single digits in each of the next three quarters, leading 24-3 at halftime and 40-7 entering the final quarter.


CIF playoffs
The divisional playoffs tip off Feb. 20 (girls) and Feb. 21 (boys) and conclude with championship games March 2-3 at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Top-ranked boys teams include Helix (Division I), Scripps Ranch (Division II), Crawford (Division III), Horizon Christian (Division IV) and Foothills Christian (Division V).

Top-ranked girls teams include San Diego (Division I), Grossmont (Division II), Mt. Miguel (Division III), La Jolla Country Day (Division IV) and Calvin Christian (Division V).

Eastlake Titans tip off league play 2-0
Posted Jan. 18, 2007
The “real” season began, as most high school coaches would likely say, when league play tipped off last Friday. For Metro Conference basketball teams, Mesa League and South Bay League play continues through Feb. 15. The proverbial “second” season then starts with the San Diego Section divisional playoffs on Feb. 20.

Championship games are scheduled March 2-3 at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion.

The Eastlake girls basketball team improved to 2-0 in Mesa League play following Wednesday’s 68-22 victory at Sweetwater.
Brittany Palmer keyed the Titans with a game-high 21 points and four steals while Erica Sanchez had 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Cheyenne Curley-Payne had eight points and eight rebounds, nine steals and seven assists as the team’s play-maker.

Eastlake (16-4) ran up the game’s opening 11 points and held a comfortable 27-7 first quarter lead before finishing the first half of play with a 36-11 lead. After being held to nine points in the second quarter, the Titans opened the second half with 20 third-quarter points and finished the game with a 12-4 scoring edge in the final quarter.

Nine players put their names down on the scoresheet. Yvont’e Neal had five points while Brooke Becky, Nadia English, Mercedes Griffis and Melanie Robbins all scored four points. Becky also had six steals.

Antoinne Roberts had six boards on defense while Brionna Anderson pulled down five rebounds.

The Titans tipped off league play with an 81-16 victory against visiting Otay Ranch. Palmer (18), Sanchez (14) and Curley-Payne and Becky (13) — all reached double digits in scoring as Eastlake bounded to a 27-6 first-quarter lead and rang up an 18-2 scoring run in the second quarter to hold a commanding 45-8 halftime edge.

The Eastlake defense gave up just four points in each of the last two quarters while the Titan offense, receiving points from 10 players in the contest, continued to produce with 36 second-half points as the hosts officially welcomed the Mustangs to the Mesa League.

Becky had three three-pointers in the game to pace the Titans.

Eastlake visits Bonita Vista on Friday in an early season test of strength in the Mesa League.

League openers
•Bonita Vista received 16 points from Whitney Boykin, 13 points from Sasha Jimenez and 10 points from Danielle Boykin in a 55-37 win against visiting Sweetwater. The Barons (1-0, 5-12) led 26-14 at halftime and outscored the Red Devils 29-23 in a slightly more up-tempo second half. Sarah Guerrero paced Sweetwater (0-1, 10-8) with nine points.

•Chula Vista (1-0, 9-9) had four players — Anna Rowe (14), Nirvana Hawkins (13), Angel Gilroy (11) and Briana Gearhart (10) — score in double figures in its 62-31 home court victory against San Ysidro. Nicole Laforteza led the Cougars (0-1, 5-14) with 12 points.

•Southwest (1-0, 1-12) won its first game of the 2006-07 season in a game shortened in the fourth quarter with the visiting Raiders leading 41-32. Castle Park dropped to 1-11 overall (0-1 in league).

Notepad
Eastlake defeated Vista, 41-25, in Monday’s MLK tournament at Horizon Christian as Curley-Payne had 10 points, eight rebounds and 10 steals. Becky had eight points, including two three-pointers, while Griffis contributed seven points and eight rebounds to the Titans’ winning effort.

San Diego Section Rankings:
Marian Catholic tops Eastlake ... Who's on top?

Posted Jan. 18, 2007
Just a little over a week ago, Eastlake defeated Montgomery, 73-60, in a non-league game pitting combatants from last year’s San Diego Section Division I semifinals. The win improved the Titans to 13-3.

Last Friday, Montgomery upset previously undefeated Marian Catholic, 66-55, as South Bay League commenced. The loss dropped the Crusaders to 16-1.

So what happens? The next day Marian Catholic tops Eastlake, 55-37, in a non-league game pitting the teams with the best records in the Metro Conference.

The Titans entered that game ranked third among San Diego Section teams, first in Division I. The Crusaders entered the matchup ranked 10th overall, third among Division IV squads.

Apparently, a 17-1 record and a convincing win against the top-ranked Division I team was not enough to convince the ratings-makers, who dropped Eastlake to the No. 5 ranking in the following week’s section poll while leaving the Crusaders at No. 10.
At 9-7, Montgomery, meanwhile, failed to crack the top 10 despite handing Marian Catholic its first loss of the season.

So who’s the best? That seems to be a subjective question at this point of the season.

Eastlake (14-4) entered this week ranked second behind defending Division I champion San Diego (12-4) while the Crusaders maintained their No. 3 ranking among Division IV teams behind La Jolla Country Day (12-5) and Bishop’s (14-4).

Montgomery, which will compete at the Division II postseason level this season, did earn some prestige points with the No. 4 ranking behind No. 1 Mt. Carmel (11-5), No. 2 Grossmont (13-5) and No. 3 Westview (15-3).

Mt. Miguel (11-4) continues to top the Division III rankings ahead of No. 2 Cathedral Catholic (11-3), No. 3. Santana (18-3) and No. 4. Kearny (13-6).

The Division V rankings feature No. 1. Calvin Christian (7-4), No. 2. San Diego Jewish Academy (9-4) and No. 3. Preuss (8-6) in the forefront.

Marian received double-digit scoring from three players in its victory against Eastlake: Jhazmine Lynch (11 points) and Natalie Rowan and Ebone Henry (10 points). The Crusaders led at the end of each quarter, owning a 28-16 halftime advantage after outscoring the hosts 13-8 in the opening period.

The Titans had one player reach double figures on the scoresheet: Cheyenne Curley-Payne (10 points). Brittany Palmer, who entered the game averaging 16.4 points, was limited to seven points in the contest. Erica Sanchez, who owned an 11.6 scoring average, finished with just four points.

Eight of Eastlake’s nine scorers were held to single digits on the scoresheet.

However, the Titan defense made the victors work for their points. Mercedes Griffis had 11 rebounds in the game while Curley-Payne starred with 10 rebounds, 13 steals and four assists.

Kamela Jackson contributed eight points for the Crusaders, who also received five points from Danae Johnson.

Helix is the top-ranked boys team in the section. Eastlake and Otay Ranch are ranked among the top nine Division I teams behind Helix.

Aztecs halt Crusaders' hoops streak
Posted Jan. 18, 2007
Danisha Corbett led all scorers with 23 points as Montgomery ended Marian Catholic’s preseason run at 16-0 with a 66-55 victory in the South Bay League opener for both teams last Friday at Montgomery High School.

The Aztecs, who improved to 1-0 in league play and 9-7 overall, frustrated the previously undefeated Crusaders (0-1, 16-1) with a new-look high energy game that paid dividends, according to Montgomery head coach Lori Morris.

The teams were tied 16-16 after the opening quarter and the Aztecs took a narrow 31-28 lead into halftime. The third quarter proved decisive for the hosts, who outscored 10th-ranked Marian Catholic 15-6 to lead 46-34 heading into the final quarter.
The Crusaders edged Montgomery 21-20 in the final period to finish with the 11-point loss.

A total of three Aztecs scored in double figures in the high profile contest. Britney Rose (12 points) and Kala Cheers (11 points) joined Corbett in double digits on the scoresheet. Overall, Montgomery received points from nine players. Marcy Velasquez and Brieanna Gibson each had six points while Felicity Pet contributed three points, Felicia Pet had two points, Cassandra Hamel had two points and Tyshayla Thomas had one point.

Marian Catholic received points from eight players in the loss. Jhazmine Lynch keyed the Crusaders with 15 points, followed by Anitra McCain and Soulijah Evans each with nine points and Kamela Jackson, Ebone Henry and Danae Johnson each with six points.

Non-League
Saturday, Jan. 13
Marian Catholic 55, Eastlake 37
Hilltop 50, El Centro Southwest 30
Friday, Jan. 5
Chula Vista 58, Castle Park 33
Sweetwater 39, Mar Vista 35
Christian Life Academy 49, Midway Baptist 20

Cruaders hit sweet 16-0
Posted Jan. 11, 2007
Ebone Henry scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists to lead Marian Catholic High School’s girls basketball team to its 16th consecutive victory last Saturday, 93-50, at Otay Ranch in non-league play. The Crusaders entered the week ranked 10th among San Diego Section teams, third among Division IV squads.

Marian Catholic had five players score in double digits in the win against the Mustangs (4-10). Anitra McCain (17 points) ranked second in team scoring behind Henry.

The Crusaders, who bounded out to a 22-13 first quarter lead and led 45-28 at halftime, roared to the finish with a 33-7 run in the fourth quarter.

McCain led all scorers with four three-point field goals.

Loralei Burns keyed Otay Ranch with 10 points while Jessica Soltysiak and Diana Marin both contributed seven points.
Marian Catholic is ranked behind Division IV front-runners La Jolla Country Day (10-4) and Bishop’s (14-2).

Titans top D-1 rankings
Eastlake defeated visiting Montgomery, 73-60, last Saturday in non-league play to improve to 13-3 and claim the rights to the No. 1 ranking among the section’s Division I teams.

Brittany Palmer and Erica Sanchez each led the Titans with 18 points while Cheyenne Curly-Payne added 13 points. Both Sanchez and Curly-Payne each pulled down 11 rebounds to complete a double-double.

Eastlake led 38-26 at halftime after the teams, which paired up in last year’s Division I semifinal playoffs, had played to a 16-16 first-quarter standoff. The Titans outscored the Aztecs (8-7) 35-34 in the second half.

Montgomery’s Danisha Corbett led all scorers in the game with 32 points. Marcy Velasquez scored 10 points for the Aztecs, who matched the winners with 21 fourth-quarter points.

Eastlake is ranked ahead of defending Division I champion San Diego (10-4), Torrey Pines (12-5) and Helix (11-5).

Girls Basketball
Friday, Jan. 5
Non-League
Chula Vista 58, Castle Park 33
Sweetwater 39, Mar Vista 35
Christian Life Academy 49, Midway Baptist 20

Eastlake Titans bounding toward greatness

Posted Jan. 4, 2007
The Eastlake girls basketball team played in last year’s San Diego Section Division I championship game, taking a runner-up finish to San Diego via a 65-61 setback. The Titans seem headed for greatness again this year.

Coach Janet Eleazar’s team took a big step in that direction by defeating Westview, 58-54, to capture the championship title of the 2006 San Marcos Excalibur Classic on Dec. 30.

The win raised the Titans’ record to 12-3 at the midpoint of the 2006-07 prep hoops season.

Brittany Palmer keyed Eastlake with 23 points in the championship game (to earn tourney Most Valuable Player honors) while Erica Sanchez had 12 points, pulled down nine rebounds and made four blocks.

Mercedes Griffis led the Titans with 10 rebounds while contributing five points in the scoring column while all-tournament team selection Cheyenne Curley-Payne paced the team with eight steals while collecting seven boards. Brooke Becky had seven points while Janay Cortell had six points.

Eastlake took charge from the onset, leading 19-6 after the first quarter and 37-27 at halftime. The Wolverines put up a challenge in the second half, trailing 47-43 entering the fourth quarter, but the Titans played the North County squad to a final quarter stalemate to register the four-point win.

The victory by Eastlake — its 10th in 11 games — made amends for a 49-41 loss to Westview (13-2) at the Sportland Festival on Dec. 1.

Jennifer Bryant led the Wolverines with 14 points while teammate Katie Girten had 10 points.

But the Titans made their statement of the young season by defeating perennial section power Torrey Pines, 73-57, in the tournament pool play on Dec. 28.

It was the second victory this season against the Falcons.

Think about it: Torrey Pines. These Titans are for real.

Sanchez, a 6-foot-2 senior, keyed Eastlake with 17 points against the Falcons, who fell to 9-4 with the loss. Palmer scored 15 points and Curley-Payne had 14 points. The Titans fed off a 17-6 fourth-quarter run to down Torrey Pines, whose coach, Doug Gilbert, called Eastlake the potential No. 1 seed in the upcoming Division I playoffs.

Coming from a North County coach, that statement speaks volumes for this 2006-07 Eastlake team.

The Titans advanced to the tourney title game by defeating Serra, 67-39 on Dec. 29. Palmer (12 points), Cortell (11 points) and Griffis (10 points) led a balanced scoring attack.

The Titans, who will host Montgomery in a high profile South County matchup on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 5 p.m., finished second in their division at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, dropping a 63-35 decision to Brea Olinda, ranked second in California.

Eastlake’s only other loss this season was 79-76 to Cathedral Catholic on Dec. 4.

The Titans topped Torrey Pines earlier this season to win the Sportland Classic title.

Montgomery is coming off a 71-59 championship game victory against 2006 Division III runner-up Kearny on Dec. 29 to cap a 4-0 showing at the Aztec Holiday Tournament.

Montgomery took control of the title game with a 20-4 second-quarter run. Danisha Corbett keyed the Aztec victory with 22 points while Britney Rose contributed 12 points and tournament MVP Felicity Pet had 10 points.

Corbett, an all-tournament pick along with teammate Marcy Velasquez, had 12 points to help guide Montgomery past Oceanside, 53-27, on Dec. 28. Corbett had 14 points in the Aztecs’ 47-8 win against Coronado on Dec. 27. In the latter game, Montgomery led 20-4 at halftime and outscored the Islanders 16-1 in the third quarter.

The Aztecs tipped off the tournament with a 55-9 victory against Point Loma as Rose scored 12 points, Corbett had 11 points and Kala Cheers and Felicia Pet had 10 points. Montgomery opened the game with a 20-4 lead and held the Pointers to three points in the second quarter and two points in the third quarter before closing out the contest with an 8-0 scoring edge in the final quarter.

Ashley Rogers keyed the Komets with 36 points in the championship game.

Ring it up! Crusaders are 15-0
Fifteen-and-oh, my! The Marian Catholic High School girls basketball team must be giving the San Diego Section rankings makers fits right about now with their undefeated 15-0 record to jump start the 2006-07 girls basketball season.

The Crusaders kept their season-opening record spotless by winning the NCAA Division title of the 2006 Barona-Cougar Classic tournament at Steele Canyon High School. Marian Catholic defeated perennial East County power Santana, 83-50, on Dec. 30 as Jhazmine Lynch pumped in 18 points and Anitra McCain scored 14 points. Two other Crusaders finished in double digits: Kamela Jackson (13 points) and Ebone Henry (12 points).

Lynch, who is averaging 13.8 points per game, earned honors as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

The Crusaders, who pulled away from 2006 Division III champion Santana with a 42-18 second-half run, won a staggering 13 games in December after tipping off the season with two wins in late November.

Marian Catholic opened the season by competing simultaneously in the Coronado Round Robin and Bronco Invitational tournaments. The Crusaders closed out play in the Bronco Invitational on Dec. 9 with a 59-52 victory against Poway as Henry tallied 13 points, Lynch and Soulijah Evans each scored 12 points and Jackson contributed 10 points. That same day in an amazing display of tenacity and perseverance, Marian Catholic topped Westview, 59-51, in the Coronado tourney as Henry rang up a game-high 22 points.

The Crusaders wrapped up play in the Coronado tournament on Dec. 16 with a 56-28 victory against La Jolla. In that game, Dachae Evans had 16 points and eight blocks.

Marian Catholic topped Cathedral Catholic, 64-61, in the semifinals of the Cougar Classic as Lynch led the way with 23 points.

The Crusaders play at Otay Ranch on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 4 p.m. and tip off South Bay League play Jan. 12 at Montgomery.

Perfect start: Marian Catholic Crusaders (15-0)
Bronco Invitational
Marian Catholic 63, Murrieta Valley 41
Marian Catholic 53, Rancho Bernardo 41
Marian Catholic 65, Mission Hills 18
Marian Catholic 59, Poway 52
Note: One score unavailable

Coronado Round Robin
Marian Catholic 79, University City 33
Marian Catholic 89, Julian 22
Marian Catholic 59, Westview 51
Marian Catholic 56, La Jolla 28

Barona-Cougar Classic
Marian Catholic 51, El Capitan 40
Marian Catholic 52, Junipero Serra (San Juan Capistrano) 44
Marian Catholic 50, Vista 37
Marian Catholic 64, Cathedral Catholic 61
Marian Catholic 83, Santana 50

Non-League
Marian Catholic 85, Strathcona (Edmonton, Canada) 35

Barons-Optimist tourney serves up international flavor
The Lady Barons-Bonita Optimist Holiday Classic girls basketball tournament regained its international flavor with the participation of Asker High School from Norway. The Norwegian team went 2-2 in the eight-team tournament with Ellen Skjonsfjell being named to the all-tournament team.

Asker coach Odd Johansen said his team was pleased to be able to compete and visit San Diego. Johansen said basketball was not really that popular in Norway, that most kids were interested in skiing and soccer, but did note that the basketball season was much longer in Norway, going from August to April.

Tournament chairman Roy Hammond, a former president of the Bonita Optimist Club, expressed his gratitude for the Asker team’s participation. “They were great kids and made this a better tournament. I hope we can have them back for a future tournament,” he said.

Bonita Vista’s Danielle Boykin and Chula Vista’s Angel Gilroy earned selection to the all-tournament team though their teams failed to advance to the championship game.

Instead, both the Barons (54-51 against Morse) and Chula Vista (56-51 in overtime against Mira Mesa) closed out the tournament with losses on the final day of competition on Dec. 30.

San Diego, the defending San Diego Section Division I champions, defeated Fallbrook, 41-37, in the title game as Paris Johnson led the Cavers with 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tournament Most Valuable Player Leticia Ridley scored 13 points for San Diego, which received 15 rebounds and seven points from Jovan Walker and six assists from Julie Ruiz.

All-tourney selections Tiffany Hunter and Brook Harlan led Fallbrook with 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the final.

Asker defeated Clairemont, 45-37, to wrap up the tournament.

Mira Mesa’s Justine Chacon, Fallbrook’s Emily Armstrong, Morse’s Chelsea Jugo and Clairemont’s Giana Marzicola rounded out the 2006 all-tournament team.

Chacon had 14 points in the Marauders’ tourney-closing win against Chula Vista.

The tournament tipped off Dec. 27 with Morse edging Chula Vista, 55-54; Bonita Vista claiming a 65-60 overtime victory from Mira Mesa as Boykin slammed home 21 points; Fallbrook topping Asker, 71-42, behind 24 points from Hunter; and San Diego downing Clairemont by a 62-21 score as Ruiz tallied 17 points and Johnson added 15 points.

In second-round play on Dec. 28, Fallbrook handed Bonita Vista its first tourney loss, 58-46 despite 17 points from Boykin. Chula Vista suffered its second loss of the tournament after dropping a 64-52 decision against San Diego. Mira Mesa received 27 points from Chacon as the Marauders evened their tourney record at 1-1 with a 59-52 victory against the Norwegians. Morse hiked its tourney record to 2-0 with a 76-23 win against Clairemont.

Chula Vista picked up its first tournament win by defeating Clairemont, 63-38, on Dec. 29 while San Diego remained undefeated with a 64-44 victory against Morse as Ridley poured in 22 points. Fallbrook qualified for the championship game by upping its mark to 3-0 following its 63-39 win against Mira Mesa behind Hunter’s 17 rebounds and seven steals while the visitors from Norway scored a 62-51 victory against the host Barons, who finished 1-3 in the tourney along with the Spartans.

Boykin had 27 points in the loss to Asker, finishing Bonita Vista’s four games with 78 points. She scored 13 points in the Barons’ final-round loss to Morse (3-1 in the tournament).

Mira Mesa finished 2-2 in the tournament while Clairemont failed to win a game at 0-4. Fallbrook finished 3-1 with the championship game loss


Aztec Holiday Basketball Tournament
Girls Division
Championship: Montgomery 71, Kearny 59

All-tournament team: Vanessa Burnette (Crawford), Mikala Smith (Soldatna), Shantae Moffet (Oceanside), Tiffany Depfer (Coronado), Raquel Tucker (Crawford), Teahnalin Harris (Kearny), Ashley Rogers (Kearny), Danisha Corbett (Montgomery), Marcy Velasquez (Montgomery). MVP: Felicity Pet (Montgomery).