Girls Basketball: July 2008 Archives

The summer season is winding down this week and it is time to sort out several players that have switched schools.

Canyon of Canyon Country lost one player but gained two and possibly a third.

Angelica Sahagun left and went to Alemnay of Mission Hills. Canyon picked up junior-to-be forward Alexa Davison from Cleveland of Reseda and guard Vanessa Aguilar from grant of Van Nuys. A third player, sophomore-to-be Brieanna Perkins from Quartz Hill could be headed to Canyon by September as well.

"I liked my team before we got two new players," Canyon coach Stan Delus said. "I like my team now even more."

Foothill League rival Hart of Newhall also picked up a guard from Grant.

Amanda Corona will suit up for the Indians next season.

Grant has been decimated this summer, losing Aguilar and Corona and another starter, Blue Sanders moved to New York.

"People just come in and raid programs now", Grant coach Michael Flot said. "It feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. It really is hard to take when you have worked with kids for several years and then they are gone in a flash."

I also learned that Granada Hills guard Skyler Tsutsui has transferred to Harvard-Westlake.

Some other news includes

The Bell-Jeff of Burbank girls' basketball team has picked up right where it left off from last season.

The Guards, who finished 25-6 and advanced to the Southern Section Division IV-AA championship game at the Long Beach Pyramid in March are having a very productive summer as evidenced by its 67-45 victory against Wilson of Los Angeles in the first round of its own end of summer tournament.

Bell-Jeff jumped put to a 24-3 lead just nine minutes into the lopsided contest and substituted deliberately the rest of the way.

Shelley Gupilan, who has been offered a scholarship from Division II school Chico St., scored 19 points and Julia Tani had 17 points.

As excited as coach Bryan Camacho is about the team, returning players and the pursuit of getting back to the finals, he is equally excited about his incoming freshman class.

Rishonda Napier, Jasmine Smith and Avery Guzman are expected to make an impact right away and play a good amount of minutes.

"Rishonda is the most complete freshman I've ever had," Camacho said. "She has an outstanding jump shot."

Napier and Smith won't play in the tournament because of club team commitments but Guzman will. Guzman started yesterday and is a 5'11 post player.

In other games, Burroughs of Burbank beat Westlake, Glendale beat Washington Prep of Los Angeles, Keppel of Alhambra beat Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta, Wilson beat Brentwood of Los Angeles, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks beat Granada Hills and Ayala of Chino Hills beat Louisville of Woodland Hills.

Junior-to-be forward Kody Burke scored 13 points to lead Notre Dame in its easy 43-22 victory. The Knights were ahead 26-5 late in the first half and never looked back.

Today's schedule includes four consolation games and four quarterfinal games highlighted by Notre Dame vs. Ayala at 8 p.m.

The tournament runs through Saturday with eight games each day. The championship is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

1pm Westlake vs Burroughs
2pm Glendale vs Washington Prep
3pm Keppel vs Crescenta Valley
4pm Ayala vs Camarillo
5pm Oak Park vs Brentwood
6pm Bell-Jeff vs Grant
7pm Notre Dame vs Granada Hills
8pm Beverly Hills vs Louisville
9pm Huntington Park vs Bell-Jeff 2

Calabasas beat Campbell Hall

Sierra Canyon beat Crescenta Valley JV

Louisville beat Oak Park

Louisville trailed 22-6 but had a huge second half and cameback for a 36-33 victory.