Guards Win Home Opener!

BURBANK - Bellarmine-Jefferson 80, Blair 48: The Guards had little trouble earning the nonleague win Friday at home. Read more

Second Half Lifts Bell-Jeff Past Oaks Christian!

GARDENA – Lopez-Wood, Napier are catalysts again for Bell-Jeff in tournament quarterfinal victory. Read more

Bell-Jeff Girls’ Basketball Shows Off In Win Over Chatsworth!

GARDENA - The swarming full-court pressure and explosive transition game are still present for the Bell-Jeff girls’ basketball team under new coach Jaclyn Johnson.

But two contests into the season, the Guards are showcasing another facet of their game and it caused plenty of frustration Tuesday for Chatsworth.

Relying on an efficient half-court offense that featured crisp ball movement and effective rotation, Bell-Jeff built a 22-point advantage in the third quarter before cruising to a 58-47 pool-play victory in the elite bracket of the Inglewood City of Champions tournament at Serra High.

Leslie Lopez-Wood and Rishonda Napier led the Guards (2-0) with 20 points each, hitting a combined seven 3-pointers, to secure a berth the quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. Thursday against Bishop Montgomery or Oaks Christian at Inglewood High.

“We’re a very unselfish team and we’re sharing the ball and the results have been phenomenal thus far,” said Napier, who added five steals.

“It’s amazing. This is the best I’ve seen our half-court (offense).”

Napier wouldn’t get any arguments from the Chancellors (0-1), who were often late to rotate - allowing open looks on the perimeter - or struggled to box out on the weak side, resulting in easy putbacks for the Guards.

“(Coach Johnson) wants us to be disciplined,” Lopez-Wood said. “We’re still an up-tempo team, but looking over our films from last year, she noticed that sometimes we lacked the ability to run our sets. It’s still a work in progress, but we want to keep getting better each day.”

Already leading by 15 in the third quarter, Bell-Jeff used a seven-point run in a 75-second span to erase any hopes of a Chancellors’ comeback, drawing the ire of Chatsworth coach Michelle Chevalier, who challenged her team to “play with pride” during a timeout.

Following a 12-point first half, Portland-bound guard Jasmine Wooton was held scoreless in the third quarter, as Bell-Jeff outscored the Chancellors 19-6.

“We’re starting to learn about each other a little more,” Napier said. “We’re getting to know our strengths a little better and our offense is really beginning to click.”

Thomesha Smith had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Chancellors, who cut into the deficit with a 21-point fourth quarter. Wooton finished with 15 points and nine rebounds for Chatsworth.

Kiah Jones contributed four points and eight rebounds for Bell-Jeff.

Erik Boal - Dialy News

Bell-Jeff’s White Headed To Arizona!

BURBANK - Bell-Jeff’s Layana White has switched her college choice.
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Bell-Jeff Coach Resigns!

BURBANK - First-year Burbank Bellarmine-Jefferson girls’ basketball coach David Jensen has resigned Read more

Bell-Jeff Shines In San Diego!

San Deigo - Besides the underclass players already highlighted from the San Diego Classic’s 64-team 3A Division, the tourney’s top division, Read more

Girls’ Basketball All-Area Team!

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: NICOLE HUNG, Harvard-Westlake, Sr.

She might not have possessed the explosive first step of teammate Nicole Nesbit or the physical strength of fellow senior Sydney Haydel, but the Princeton-bound talent had all the intangibles to lead Harvard-Westlake to back-to-back Southern Section titles and its first Div.IV state championship.

Hung averaged a team-leading 17.7 points, finishing her career with 1,836, third among local seniors behind Notre Dame’s Kody Burke (1,948) and Crescenta Valley’s Cassie Pappas (1,938). But the most impressive contribution by the Mission League MVP and Div.IV-AA co-player of the year was a team-best 9.0 rebounds per game. The 5-foot-11 Hung also averaged 2.2 assists and 2.1 steals, shooting 82 percent from the free-throw line and 46 percent from the field to help the Wolverines match an area record with 34 wins, including 30 in a row to conclude the season, capped by a 58-44 victory over St. Mary’s of Albany in the Div. IV state final.

FIRST TEAM

KATIE BROOKS, Oaks Christian, Sr.

The co-MVP of the Tri-Valley League with Oak Park’s Lauren Varney, Brooks capped her impressive career with 1,217 points and 1,017 rebounds. A Southern Section Div. IV-A first-team selection, Brooks led the Lions to a league title and a semifinal appearance, averaging 15.5 points and 10.8 rebounds.

KODY BURKE, Notre Dame, Sr.

One of the most dominant post players in area history, the North Carolina State-bound Burke averaged 22.7 points and 12.2 rebounds to lead the Knights to the Div.IV-AA quarterfinals. The Mission League and Div. IV-AA first-team selection, Burke concluded her career with 1,948 points and 1,255 rebounds.

CHANTEL DOOLEY, Montclair Prep, Sr.

The Olympic League MVP, Dooley was the catalyst for the Mounties’ run to the Southern Section Div. V-A final and the Southern California Div. V regional title game. The Long Beach State signee led Montclair Prep with 16.4 points, 10 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.6 steals, securing Div. V-A first-team honors.

MARGEAUX GUPILAN, Bell-Jeff, Sr.

After leading the Guards to the Div. V state championship last season, Gupilan helped Bell-Jeff compete against the toughest schedule in program history. The Santa Cruz League player of the year, Div. IV-A first-team and All CIF/All State pick averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds, leading the Guards to the Div. IV state tournament.

Gupilan will play her college ball at the University of Buffalo. (see press release here)

SYDNEY HAYDEL, Harvard-Westlake, Sr.

The All-Mission League and Div. IV-AA first-team selection played her best when the Wolverines needed it most in the Southern California regional finals and Div.IV state championship, elevating Harvard-Westlake to the program’s first state title. The Hawaii signee, who had 1,077 career points, averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds.

MONICA JACKSON, Chatsworth, Sr.

Jackson did her best to help the Chancellors overcome the loss of Gennifer Brandon to graduation, leading the area in scoring and ranking second in the state at 28.9 points per game. Jackson had nine games of at least 30 points and two of more than 40, in addition to averaging 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals to receive All-West Valley League honors.

BROOKE LEMAR, Canyon, Sr.

A Southern Section Div. II-AA first-team selection, Lemar helped Canyon capture its first Foothill League title in 36 years. The league MVP, who has signed with Southern Illinois, averaged a Foothill-best 14.9 points and 5.1 assists, along with 2.7 steals and a 46 percent clip from the field.

NICOLE NESBIT, Harvard-Westlake, Sr.

The UC Santa Barbara-bound point guard shared Div. IV-AA player of the year honors with teammate Nicole Hung after helping the Wolverines capture their second consecutive title. The Mission League standout, who finished her career with 1,521 points, averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 assists, 3.4 steals and 3.1 rebounds.

BRITTANY OSTER, Agoura, Sr.

Oster’s work ethic and energy ignited the Chargers during their run to the program’s first Marmonte League title. The league MVP and Southern Section Div. III-AA first-team selection, who is headed to Redlands, helped Agoura win its first 29 games and reach the division final, averaging 16.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.4 steals.

CASSIE PAPPAS, Crescenta Valley, Sr.

The area’s scoring leader with 755 points, the Massachusetts-bound Pappas concluded her career with 1,938 points to finish third in program history. Pappas ranked fifth in the Southern Section with 25.2 points per game, in addition to 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 steals, to secure Pacific League co-MVP and Div. I-A first-team recognition.

SECOND TEAM

Brianna Barrett, Oaks Christian, Soph.

Sasha Borenstein, Agoura, Sr.

Jasmine Smith, Bell-Jeff, Soph.

Kylie Cunningham, Agoura, Soph.

Rmanii Haynes, Taft, Sr.

Destinee LaFountain, Royal, Sr.

Keiona Mathews, Antelope Valley, Soph.

Megan Musashi, Flintridge Prep, Sr.

Sarah Rebibo, El Camino Real, Sr.

Kim Scamman, Montclair Prep, Jr.

Trinidee Trice, Alemany, Sr.

Lauren Varney, Oak Park, Sr.

Layana White, Bell-Jeff, Jr.

COACH OF THE YEAR

STEVE SCIFRES, Agoura

Few area teams have enjoyed such a significant turnaround as the Chargers have in three seasons under Scifres. After Agoura more than doubled its win total from the 2007-08 season to last year, Scifres guided the Chargers (30-2) to the most successful season in program history, including their first Marmonte League title. With an up-tempo, run-and-gun offensive style and constant defensive pressure, Agoura averaged 68.7 points per contest on its way to winning 29 consecutive games and reaching the Div. III-AA final, the team’s first appearance in a division final.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

LESLIE LOPEZ-WOOD, Bell-Jeff, Fr.

Already one of the area’s top perimeter shooters, Lopez-Wood fit well into an already talented backcourt that included Margeaux Gupilan, Rishonda Napier, Layana White and Julia Tani. The Guards’ most efficient player from behind the arc, she had four games with at least five 3-pointers, including six as part of a 24-point effort against Corcoran in the first round of the Div. IV state tournament. With Margeaux Gupilan and Julia Tani graduating, Lopez-Wood will take on an increased role next season, but her efforts wereshe was instrumental in Bell-Jeff capturing the Santa Cruz League title and reaching the Div. IV-A semifinals.

TOP TEN RANKINGS

1. Harvard-Westlake (34-1)

2. Bell-Jeff (25-7)

3. Agoura (30-2)

4. Alemany (21-8)

5. Oaks Christian (24-6)

6. Montclair Prep (25-8)

7. Taft (16-10)

8. El Camino Real (23-8)

9. Canyon (22-7)

10. Crescenta Valley (24-6)

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Alpha: Campbell Hall

Delphic: Sierra Canyon

East Valley: Grant

Foothill: Canyon

Golden: Antelope Valley

Heritage: Milken Community

Liberty: Providence

Marmonte: Agoura

Mission: Harvard-Westlake

Omega: West Valley Christian

Pacific: Muir

Pacific View: Rio Mesa

Prep: Pasadena Poly

Rio Hondo: La Canada

Santa Cruz: Bell-Jeff

Tri-Valley: Oaks Christian

Valley Mission: Monroe

West Valley: El Camino Real

GAME OF THE YEAR

HARVARD-WESTLAKE 61, BELL-JEFF 59

Div. IV state playoffs, March 11

The last in a trilogy of clashes between two elite programs was also the most thrilling, with Harvard-Westlake relying on two free throws from Skylar Tsutsui with 5.3 seconds left to win 61-59 in the regional quarterfinals. Harvard-Westlake also defeated the Guards — who tied the score at 59-59 on a layup by Layana White — at the Nike Tournament of Champions and in a nonleague game at last year’s Div. V state champion Bell-Jeff.

But the Wolverines relied on the comforts of home to prevail in the toughest of their eight postseason games, which culminated with a Div. IV state title.

Jack Pollon and Erik Boal/Daily News

Bell-Jeff Rebounds, Advances in State!

Corcoran - Bell-Jeff of Burbank took 10 days worth of frustration out on Corcoran in the opening round of the Southern California Div. IV girls’ basketball regional playoffs Tuesday night.

Freshman Leslie Lopez-Wood hit six 3-pointers and led Bell-Jeff with 24 points in a 76-55 victory over the Central Section Div. IV champion Panthers, setting up a third showdown this season in Thursday’s regional quarterfinals with top-seeded Harvard-Westlake of Studio City (30-1).

“We’re anxious, we’re ready and Thursday night we’re going to give it everything we’ve got,” Bell-Jeff coach Bryan Camacho said. “We know we’re going up against a monster, a phenomenal, but we’re excited about the opportunity. We’re going to give Harvard-Westlake our very best.”

Bell-Jeff, the defending Div. V state champion, rebounded from a 61-57 loss Feb. 27 to Windward in the Southern Section Div. IV-A semifinals to knock off host Corcoran (24-6).

Jasmine Smith had 14 points, Layana White added 10 points and Julia Tani contributed nine points for the Guards, who put the game away by outscoring Corcoran 17-9 in the third quarter.

Margeaux Gupilan added eight points and Rishonda Napier had seven points for Bell-Jeff, which suffered a 69-47 loss Dec. 21 to Div. IV-AA champion Harvard-Westlake and a 66-62 setback Jan. 5.

- Erik Boal

State-Tourney Win For Guards!

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL: Bell-Jeff beats Corcoran, 76-55, to set up big test. The Bellarmine-Jefferson High Read more

Windward uses height To Beat Bell-Jeff in Playoffs!

The Bell-Jeff of Burbank girls’ basketball team had plenty going for it in its Saturday night Southern Section Read more

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