Bishop Amat’s blue-collar girls basketball team wins fifth championship since 1999 with convincing 44-30 victory over Oak Park in Division 3A championship game

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
ANAHEIM — Of all the Bishop Amat girls basketball championship teams this might have been the most blue-collar, hardest working of them all.

Without anyone near 6-feet, third-seed Bishop Amat pushed, shoved, tugged and frustrated top-seed Oak Park in Wednesday’s CIF-Southern Section Division 3A championship game at the Anaheim Arena, winning the school’s fifth girls basketball title since 1999 and first since 2006 with a convincing 44-30 victory.

Bishop Amat, who finished fourth in the difficult Del Rey League, will continue in the state playoffs next week after improving to 21-11 while Oak Park finishes 21-9.

It’s always difficult comparing championship teams, but this one seemed different than the others.

“Those other kids worked hard too, we didn’t win on accident,” Amat coach Richard Wiard explained in comparing his five champions. “But these kids have worked awful hard and they’re physical and don’t mind getting their nose dirty.

“They’re not as tall as the other groups and maybe we don’t have the division one players that we’ve had in past years, but that’s okay. A lot of effort can overcome that.” (To continue click thread).

Amat postgame celebration and trophy presentation


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Southern Section sends Claremont and Bishop Amat to Mission Viejo for Saturday night’s Division 3 girls soccer title at 5 p.m.

Not sure if Claremont or Bishop Amat enjoy having to go all the way to Mission Viejo High School instead of playing at nearby Warren High in Downey for Saturday’s Division 3 girls soccer title. But it is what it is, CIF scheduled all the boys games at Warren and all the girls games at Mission Viejo, so deal with it. See you on Saturday at 5 p.m., it’s a great matchup of the two best teams in the division. Amat’s been scoring at a rapid pace and Claremont hasn’t allowed a goal in the playoffs. Something has to give

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Girls Soccer semifinals: Bishop Amat and Claremont will meet in Division 3 title game; San Dimas falls to St. Margaret’s, 1-0

Defending champion Bishop Amat’s 4-1 victory over Chino Hills sets up a dream Division 3 final this weekend against Claremont, the third-ranked team in the country and 1-0 winner over St. Lucy’s. After losing to St. Margaret’s in last year’s D-6 title game, San Dimas loses in semifinals to St. Margaret’s again, 1-0

Game Story: The Nation’s third-ranked Claremont Wolpack advance to meet Bishop Amat in finals with 1-0 win over St. Lucy’s. Wolfpack haven’t allowed a goal in the playoffs.

Game Story: San Dimas falls to St. Margaret’s for second year in a row, losing in semifinals 1-0 after falling in title game to them last year.

Inland Insider Tom Kiss’ highlight video and interviews from Amat’s 3-1 win over Chino Hills.

Bishop Amat-Chino Hills photo gallery

By Fred J. Robledo
Chino Hills will have to settle for advancing to its first girls soccer semifinal in the school’s history.

Defending champion and fourth-seed Bishop Amat, looking as dominant as ever, overcame an early deficit and overwhelmed the visiting Huskies 4-1 in Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals to advance to either Friday or Saturday’s championship at a site to be determined against national power and second-seed Claremont, a 1-0 winner over St. Lucy’s.

After Chino Hills’ Dayna Garcia scored off an Amanda Bell assist in the 19th minute, Amat’s reigning divisional player of the year and two-time area player of the year April Juarez went to work.

Juarez chested down a pass from Yazmin Montoya, turned and fired in the 21st minute to tie the game. Then Juarez took a long throw-in from freshman Natalie Tillman, and with her back to the goal, somehow freed herself to fire the go-ahead goal in the 28th minute for a 2-1 lead.

Juarez also set up the third goal just before half. She was tripped in the penalty area to set up a penalty kick and Nayeli Requejo stepped up and finished it in the 39th minute to go up, 3-1. (To continue click thread).

GIRLS SOCCER
TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Division 3
Bishop Amat 4, Chino Hills 1
Claremont 1, St. Lucy’s 0
Division 6
St. Margaret’s 1, San Dimas 0

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Softball Preview: South Hills, Chino Hills, Bishop Amat and St. Lucy’s a dynamite Fab Four

SOUTH HILLS LEADS TRIBUNE SOFTBALL TOP TEN PREVIEW

By Fred J. Robledo
November’s early signing period was all the proof of what kind of high school softball season that awaits.

St. Lucy’s and Chino Hills each had four players sign national letters of intent and the west Valley had 21 players in all announce their college intentions.

That doesn’t include the wealth of talented underclassmen that have made verbal commitments to help make the annual San Gabriel Valley Tribune preseason top 10 rankings a tough list to crack, starting with the only team to advance to a divisional championship last year, South Hills. (To continue click thread)

Tribune Softball Preseason Top Ten
1. South Hills (21-8)
2. Chino Hills (25-6)
3. Bishop Amat (25-4)
4. St. Lucy’s (16-13)
5. Bonita (23-5)
6. Glendora (17-7)
7. Northview (17-10-1)
8. Los Altos (14-8)
9. Charter Oak (11-14)
10. San Dimas (21-8)

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La Verne Lutheran and Bishop Amat not thrilled with weekday championship games at 4:45 p.m.

It’s a travesty. You put us all in the same division and we’re like crabs in a bucket trying to get out. Then, when we finally get out, you put us at a time when everybody is at work. You don’t put us on TV. You don’t put us on prime time. It’s like … man … it is what it is.” — Lutheran coach Eric Cooper on having to play at 4:45 p.m, on Thursday

Robledo’s thoughts: In Lutheran’s case, I understand CIF’s thinking. I don’t agree with it, but I get it. Even though Lutheran and Serra are two of the best teams in the Southern Section, Lutheran barely has a fan base and CIF doesn’t want to lose money by showcasing them in primetime. They want a packed Arena for the marquee night games and not sure if Lutheran can deliver that for them. Amat, on the other hand, brings plenty of fans to the girls game. I don’t care if you played that game at noon, the fans will come.

STORY: The thought of playing their respective CIF-Southern Section championship games on a weekday at 4:45 p.m. has to be somewhat of a buzz kill for fans of the Bishop Amat High School girls and La Verne Lutheran boys basketball teams.

Amat will play for the Division 3A championship against Oak Park at Anaheim Arena on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. Lutheran plays Serra in Division 4AA on Thursday at Anaheim Arena at 4:45 p.m.

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Big Week Ahead: Girls Soccer semifinals on Tuesday, Bishop Amat championship Wednesday; La Verne Lutheran championship Thursday

CIF CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
GIRLS SOCCER
TUESDAY’S SEMIFINALS

Division 3
Chino Hills at Bishop Amat, 3 p.m.
St. Lucy’s at Claremont, 3 p.m.
Division 6
St. Margaret’s vs. San Dimas at Bonita, 5 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
WEDNESDAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP

Division 3A
Oak Park vs. Bishop Amat, 4:45 p.m., Anaheim Arena

BOYS BASKETBALL
THURSDAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP

Division 4AA
Serra vs. La Verne Lutheran at Anaheim Arena, 4:45 p.m.

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