BURBANK- The following players were named to the Burbank Leader All-Area teams…
Read more
HARVARD WESTLAKE - Skylar Tsutsui said she’s still getting accustomed to all the attention; the mobs of fans rushing the court, the video cameras pointed in her face and the postgame interviews.
But Tsutsui and her Harvard-Westlake of Studio City teammates demonstrated again Thursday night that when it comes to the big moments during the game, the Wolverines don’t get overwhelmed.
Tsutsui’s free throws with five seconds remaining helped the host Wolverines defeat Bell-Jeff of Burbank for the third time this season, sealing a 61-59 victory in the Southern California regional quarterfinals in the Div. IV state girls’ basketball playoffs.
Harvard-Westlake (31-1), which recorded its 27th consecutive victory, plays host at 7p.m. Saturday to St. Joseph of Santa Maria (26-4) in the regional semifinals.
“At first, I was so nervous, but I took a few deep breaths and that helped me become more relaxed,” said Tsutsui, who sealed Harvard-Westlake’s 58-54 victory Saturday over Bishop Montgomery of Torrance in the Southern Section Div. IV-AA final on a layup with seven seconds remaining.
“My dad always taught me, if I smiled in those situations, it helps. So, I smiled, and it worked. They both felt really good when they left my fingers. As soon as (the ball) left, I knew it was going in.”
Layana White, who led the Guards (25-7) with 16 points, tied the score at 59-59 on a layup with 13 seconds remaining. But Nicole Nesbit quickly pushed the ball into the frontcourt, before it was knocked away and White was whistled for a foul after hitting Tsutsui’s legs diving for the loose ball in the right corner.
Following Tsutsui’s free throws, Rishonda Napier took the inbounds pass for Bell-Jeff. But the Guards’ bid to win back-to-back state championships - after capturing the Div. V title last year - came up short after Napier’s shot from just inside half court hit off the backboard as time expired.
“We looked at our opponent in the eye for four quarters and we battled. The kids kept believing in each other and they were able to come through and make big shots, just like they had all year,” Bell-Jeff coach Bryan Camacho said.
“But give credit to Harvard-Westlake. They find a way to win. They’ve been through the ups and downs and they’ve been through the battles. Credit Nesbit and (Nicole) Hung, those kids are winners.”
After a 22-point loss Dec. 21 at the Nike Tournament of Champions and a 66-62 setback Jan. 5 to Harvard-Westlake, Bell-Jeff didn’t make the Wolverines’ return to the regional semifinals an easy task.
Harvard-Westlake held an eight-point lead with seven minutes remaining, but despite the efforts of Nicole Hung (21 points, nine rebounds), Sydney Haydel (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Nesbit (13 points, seven rebounds, five steals), the Guards didn’t back down.
But when Jasmine Smith (12 points, 13 rebounds) picked up her fifth foul with 4:16 left, it made Bell-Jeff’s task even tougher. The Guards rallied behind free throws from Napier and White’s basket to pull even, before Tsutsui (10 points) kept alive the Wolverines’ pursuit of a state title.
“We saw the girls’ soccer team lose and we didn’t want that to be us,” Nesbit said. “We want to keep it going for Harvard-Westlake.”
Erik Boal
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
PROVIDENCE HIGH — Top-seeded Bell-Jeff upset in Division IVA semifinal against Windward, 61-57.
Being the No. 1 seed, Read more
The Bell-Jeff of Burbank girls’ basketball team had plenty going for it in its Saturday night Southern Section Read more
BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH — Bell-Jeff defense steps up in 65-17 second- round CIF playoff win against Carpinteria. Read more
BURBANK - Jasmine Smith scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead defending state Div. V champion Read more
BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH — The Bellarmine-Jefferson High girls’ basketball team did all it could not to pour Read more
Long Beach Poly 62, Bellarmine-Jefferson 57 - What a night at the Ayala Extravaganza. Read more
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Jackrabbits’ defensive pressure and superior size eventually tire Guards.
Don’t tell Poly High girls basketball coach Carl Buggs that Bell-Jeff is a small school.
“The size of the school’s got nothing to do with it,” Buggs said minutes following Saturday’s narrow 62-57 victory over the Guards in the final game of the night at the Ayala Extravaganza in Chino Hills.
Poly, one of the largest public schools in the state and the four-time defending CIF State Division I champion, had to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit to finally knock off Bell-Jeff, the defending State Division V champion with an enrollment around 400.
“They’ve got some solid players and are a very well-coached team,” Buggs added. “They shoot the ball, they handle the ball and they’re disciplined.”
The Guards (17-5) held a two-point lead (37-35) at halftime and a three-point advantage (51-48) after three quarters, thanks mostly to some accurate shooting. Bell-Jeff sank five 3-point shots through three quarters, including three from freshman Leslie Lopez-Wood.
“They weren’t missing in the first half,” said Buggs.
But the Jackrabbits (16-2) turned up the defensive pressure in the fourth and held the Guards to just one field goal. Sheila Boykin had five of her game-high 11 rebounds in the fourth and added three steals. Ariya Crook-Williams scored nine points in the fourth - she had 18 for the game - and was 5-for-6 from the foul line. Destiny King added two crucial offensive rebounds in the fourth, including one following a missed free throw as Poly nursed a late three-point lead.
“That was huge,” Buggs said.
Poly regained the lead, 56-55, on a bucket from Crook-Williams with 3:51 remaining. The Guards’ Rishonda Napier tied the game with a free throw before King and Crook-Williams scored consecutive baskets, the second on a nice assist from Brittany Wilson.
Bell-Jeff, ranked No. 1 in the latest CIF-SS Division IV-A poll, finally began to wilt under Poly’s constant pressure and superior size in the fourth. Beside their poor shooting from the field, the Guards were just 4-for-11 from the foul line in the fourth.
“I think it was more mental fatigue than physical fatigue (in the fourth),” Bell-Jeff coach Bryan Camacho said. “We broke down a couple times on our (defensive) rotations and Poly was able to get couple (baskets).”
Wilson added 16 points for Poly, Tajanae Winston scored nine and King had seven points and five rebounds. Jasmine Smith led the Guards with 14 points and eight rebounds. Napier and Margeaux Gupilan each scored 11.
By David Felton, Staff Writer Press Telegram
Next Page »
