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High School Girls Basketball
2006-07 Season Scrapbook

Titans make 4th CIF title a slam dunk

By Scott Hopkins
Posted March 8, 2007
With the top-seeded Eastlake High School girls basketball team trailing second-seeded Helix by a 9-1 score just minutes into the teams’ San Diego Section Division I championship game last Saturday at USD, Titans coach Janet Eleazar called her second timeout.

“I was concerned that we were still in the same mode from last year — just happy to be here,” she said.

Eleazar was trying to find out what curse had suddenly taken over her team and left it floundering further and further behind. The Highlanders were making the Titans appear ill. Was there a doctor in the house?

Fortunately for the Titans, there was. For just a split second, senior guard Brook Becky's white uniform became a surgical gown as she blistered the net with a three-point shot that seemed just the elixir needed by her teammates.

From that point, down 15-8, each Titan player on the floor took a turn with the scalpel as the Mesa League champions went on a 26-2 run that will be talked about in local prep sports circles for years to come.

Time and time again, the defensive incisions of the Titans (28-4) resulted in bad passes and turnovers for Helix (23-8). And, it seemed nothing could be done to stop the bleeding for the Grossmont South League runners-up.

By the time they sent the Highlanders to the locker room for recovery, the Titans had taken that 9-1 deficit and turned it into a 36-23 halftime lead. Eastlake trailed again in sewing up a 61-47 victory over the wounded La Mesa team.

Others who assisted in the stunning turnaround were Brittany Palmer, Erika Sanchez, Cheyenne Curley-Payne, Diamond Mitchell, Trecia Owens, Melanie Robbins and Mercedes Griffis.

In the third quarter, three-pointers by Sanchez and Yvonte Neal kept the Highlanders from full recovery. Brionna Anderson also added to the score. The period finished with the Titans up 49-35.

Later, as the game wound down, Eleazar put her starters in and then brought them back to the bench one-by-one so that they could be acknowledged by the frenzied Eastlake followers who had journeyed northward to this temporary medical facility.

As the scoreboard clock ticked down the final minutes, the smiles began to emerge on the Titan bench, and as the horn sounded, elation erupted from the team as students and family members streamed onto the court to offer congratulations and share in the moment of glory.

“That last minute was too long for us,” said Becky with a wide grin, “waiting for the buzzer to go off.”

And so, a night that had the look of complete disaster in the beginning became one of destiny as the Eastlake squad proved it was the best in San Diego County.

The CIF title was the fourth in school history, adding to titles captured in a three-year run from 1996-98.

For the game, Palmer led Titan scorers with 16 points, while Griffis had 11 and Becky had 10. Sanchez contributed eight points , Curley-Payne seven, Robbins four, Neal three and Anderson two.

Sanchez grabbed nine rebounds, followed by Griffis with eight.

The most telling statistics: steals and turnovers. In the former category, the Titans had 24, Helix only 10. Sanchez was credited with six steals. And in turnovers, the Highlanders committed 35 to 20 for the Titans.

CIF notepad
•The turning point in the game? "When we started to communicate," Eleazar said.

•The title game capped a 14-game win streak for the Titans.

•Eleazar teaches special education and health at Eastlake. “The crowd was very important for us,” she said after the contest. “There were fans with painted faces and posters, and the student body and administration have been great.”

•Sanchez and Palmer were named to the South roster for the upcoming Senior Girls All-Star game. It will be held March 30 at Mira Mesa High School and features outstanding seniors from county schools in a North versus South format. Tim Jollett of Grossmont will coach the South teams. The Eastlake duo will join Montgomery senior Danisha Corbett.

•Eleazar assessed her team's future: "I had three freshmen on the court at one point tonight," she said. The Titans’ roster lists four freshmen, one sophomore and two juniors. Eight seniors will graduate.

Aztecs have strong start in runner-up finish
By Scott Hopkins
Posted March 8, 2007
Have you ever had a dream in which you were about grab a big pot of gold coins or diamonds, only to wake up and feel the disappointment at its loss?

Have you ever been sitting next to the person who won a grand prize or heard a winning raffle ticket announced that was only a number or two different than the one in your hand?

If so, then perhaps you can feel for the Montgomery High School girls basketball team.

The Aztecs not only made it to the San Diego Section Division II finals at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the USD campus last Friday, but led 27-20 in the game against Mt. Carmel heading into the locker room at halftime. They were tied less than five minutes away from draping a beautiful CIF banner in the Montgomery High gym.

But a late surge by Mt. Carmel eventually caught up to the fourth-seeded Aztecs (20-10), who dropped a heartbreaking 60-49 decision to the second-seeded Sundevils (23-7). The division title was the second in as many years for Mt. Carmel.

Though playing in spurts, the Aztecs, buoyed by a huge turnout of students, parents and community members, seemed in control of the game as they jogged off the court at the break.

After falling behind 4-0 to open the contest, Montgomery went on a 7-0 run to take the lead. Coach Lori Morris substituted freely, keeping fresh legs on the hardwood. As the first quarter ended, 5-foot-3 sophomore guard Britney Rose netted a basket to give Montgomery a 13-8 lead.

The Aztec faithful roared their approval; Mt. Carmel had to wonder just who these girls were.

The second quarter saw the Sundevils take their first lead of the match, with a 6-0 run of their own. However, the Aztecs answered with their own 12-2 burst to jump back on top and provide the halftime margin.

Senior standout Danisha Corbett put in two points off the glass just seconds before the break, giving her 12 points for the first half and the respect of the Sundevils bench and crowd. Corbett, at 5-9, was the tallest Aztec.

Senior Kala Cheers had seven points and Rose five points for the South Bay League co-champions before intermission.

In the third quarter, Mt. Carmel began driving to the basket using 6-0 senior Cara Breite. The Sundevils whittled away at the Aztecs’ lead with layups or by drawing fouls.

An 8-3 Sundevils run knotted the score at 41 as the game entered its final frame.

The two teams were tied at 47 when the Sundevils made a basket to give them the lead for good with only 4:31 left to play. At this point, the Aztecs seemed to lose their composure.

In the last four minutes, the Sundevils so completely dominated play that Breite, who scored 17 of her 18 points in the second half, made a basket from her knees after a scramble for a loose ball.

Breite repeatedly drove into the lane for uncontested layups as a close, hard-fought game suddenly began to look one-sided.
The final score is clearly, in this game, not an indicator of how closely and well it was played. The Aztecs accepted the bitter defeat with grace.

Corbett led all scorers in the game with 25 points, including one three-pointer. Her 11 rebounds gave her a double-double for the game. Cheers and Brieanna Gibson also had three-pointers.

Morris summed up her team’s outstanding performance by saying, “It was a great season. It would have been nice to bring home a banner. I think people were surprised at how tough a game we gave (Mt. Carmel).”

Morris thanked the community for the huge turnout at the finals and the support her team has received all year from the staff, student body and administration of the South San Diego school.

CIF notepad
•This season marks the seventh time the Aztec girls have won the South Bay League title and was their second appearance in the CIF finals. Sadly, no other Montgomery girls team has won a league title in any other sport, according to Morris.

•The sportsmanship award, given to one player on each team in the finals, was presented to sophomore guard Felicia Pet during post-game ceremonies.

•The Jenny Craig Pavilion (“Slim Gym”), unlike high school gyms, has elevated seating across both ends of the court. The Aztecs shot at the end occupied by their fans the first half, but they were loudly harassed and tormented by Sundevil fans at the opposite end in the second half.

•Look for the Aztecs to come roaring back next season, as only Corbett and Cheers graduate. The rest of the squad returns.

•Corbett was named as a participant in the annual Senior Girls Basketball All-Star Game. The game features the top graduating seniors from schools in the county. Corbett will play for the South team, joining Eastlake seniors Brittany Palmer and Erica Sanchez. The game and three-point shooting contest will take place at Mira Mesa High School on March 30 with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff followed by the boys game.

Eastlake, Montgomery are CIF finals bound
Posted Marcch 1, 2007
Top-seeded Eastlake (27-4) will play second-seeded Helix (23-7) in the Division I girls basketball title game on Saturday, March 3, at 6:05 p.m. at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion.

The Titans advanced via Tuesday’s 51-47 semifinal victory against visiting San Diego in a rematch of last year’s division title game won by the Cavers. Eastlake drew that revenge assignment after topping visiting El Camino, 60-42, in last Friday’s quarterfinals.

Brittany Palmer scored 16 points and Cheyenne Curley-Payne added 11 points in Tuesday’s game while Curley-Payne (18), Melanie Robbins (16) and Palmer (12) paced the Titans in last Friday’s contest.

The Titans led at the end of each quarter in Tuesday’s contest, holding a 15-10 edge at the end of the opening quarter and leading 24-17 at halftime in a low-scoring affair.

Eastlake’s defense held the celebrated Paris Johnson to 14 points in the contest. The Cavers made it close — 49-45 — when Johnson scored on a lay-in with less than 40 seconds to play but the Titans cinched the win on the strength of late shots from the charity stripe.

Eastlake coach Janet Eleazar said the loss to San Diego in last year’s championship game served as the prime motivator for this year’s squad. In other words, the Titans didn’t just want to get to the game, they wanted to leave their mark, as forerunner teams did in 1996-98 with three consecutive division titles.

They’ll have the chance this weekend.

Meanwhile, Helix eliminated sixth-seeded Fallbrook (24-7) by a 56-46 score in Tuesday’s semifinals as Brittany Williams scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Mele Leasau added 13 points and also had 10 boards in the game.

Montgomery (20-9) will play second-seeded Mt. Carmel (22-7) for the Division II girls basketball title on Friday, March 2, at 6:05 p.m., also at USD, after stunning top-seeded Grossmont, 57-56, in Tuesday’s semifinals.

The Aztecs received 19 points and 12 rebounds from Danisha Corbett, 17 points from Licia Pet and 13 points from Kala Cheers to offset 29 points from Grossmont’s LaKenya Simon-West, who nailed six three-point field goals in the contest.

Montgomery had an answer for the Foothillers’ long-range shooting as Pet (five) and Cheers (three) combined for eight treys.
The Aztecs, whose last trip to the CIF finals came in 1997, snatched the semifinal victory in comeback fashion after trailing 29-23 at halftime and 43-40 entering the final quarter. The South Bay League co-champions won the contest by topping their East County hosts with a 17-13 run in the last quarter, taking a 55-53 lead on a three-pointer by Pet with 38 seconds to play and then closing out the win at the free throw line courtesy of Cheers.

Mt. Carmel, meanwhile, eliminated third-seeded Westview (23-8) by a score of 50-43 in Tuesday’s other semifinal. Jenna Breite keyed the Sundevils, who bolted out to a critical 16-6 first quarter edge, with 18 points.

Montgomery topped Ramona, 62-58, in a come-from-behind thriller last Friday in quarterfinal-round action. Corbett threw in 33 points and Tyshayla Thomas added 11 points as the Aztecs recovered from a 31-28 halftime deficit with a 34-27 second-half barrage. Montgomery regained the lead on the strength of a torrid 21-7 third quarter run to go up 49-38 entering the final quarter.

The Bulldogs (21-8) outscored the hosts 20-13 in the final period but could not overcome the 11-point deficit.

Second-seeded Marian Catholic tipped off against third-seeded Francis Parker in Tuesday’s Division IV semifinals but saw their season end in a 58-43 loss to the visiting Lancers. The Crusaders, who shared this year’s South Bay League title with Montgomery, had entered the game with a prodigious 29-1 record.

With the win, Francis Parker (15-11) moves on to play Bishop’s (21-10) in Saturday’s championship game. Tip-off is 9:30 a.m. at USD.

The Crusaders fell short of grabbing win No. 30 despite holding a tenuous 25-24 halftime lead. The Lancers took control of the scoreboard with a 14-6 burst in the third quarter to lead 38-31 heading into the final period. The visitors outscored the hosts by an eight-point margin in the fourth quarter to cement the win.

Ebone Henry led Marian Catholic with 10 points but was the only Crusader to score in double digits in the contest. Marian Catholic received points from eight players. Jhazmine Lynch had nine points.

Francis Parker was led by a trio of sparkplugs: Ali Pia (20 points), Leela Harpur (14 points) and Adelle Walton (12 points). Harpur also had 10 rebounds.

Henry had 17 points and Jhazmine Lynch had 14 points to lead Marian Catholic past visiting Santa Fe Christian (21-7) by a 51-31 score in last Friday’s quarterfinals. The Crusaders led 12-4 after the opening quarter and held the Eagles to single-digit scoring in two of the remaining three periods. The hosts racked up a 30-19 scoring edge in the second half to secure the victory.

Titans prove terrific it title game rematch
By Scott Hopkins
Special SDPrepSports.com
Nobody needed to motivate the Eastlake High School girls basketball team for Tuesday’s (Feb. 27) San Diego Section Division I semifinal game.

You see, it was a rematch of last year’s championship game against San Diego, a game won by the Cavers for the Division I championship at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the University of San Diego campus.

But that was then; this is now.

The Titans, top-seeded in this season’s playoffs, found their semifinal opponent would be a familiar one after they defeated El Camino in last Friday’s quarterfinals and the fourth-seeded Cavers defeated Torrey Pines.

Eastlake coach Janet Eleazar acknowledged that her team wanted to get back to the finals again and bring the trophy back this time.

And oh, what a match-up this promised to be. The Cavers, led by last year’s CIF Player of the Year, Paris Johnson, brought a record of 23-4, including 12-0 in the City Eastern League. Johnson’s statistics this year included 462 points scored and 88 blocked shots.

But Eastlake was not without its own weapons. Brittany Palmer, for example, had scored 499 points. Fellow senior Erica Sanchez, the tallest Titan at 6-2, had blocked 58 shots.

And then there’s sophomore sensation, Cheyenne Curley-Payne, a perpetual motion machine on the court who has logged an amazing 277 steals, 214 rebounds and is a star in the classroom as well.

A near-capacity crowd was on hand in the Titan gym, and they got their money’s worth.

In the end, it was a pair of free throws by Curley-Payne with 17.5 seconds left that sealed the victory for Eastlake. The Titan players and fans erupted in celebration as the final buzzer sounded with the scoreboard showing a 51-47 victory for the hosts.
For observers, this was a high-speed, all-out race up and down the court as each team began play in rather sloppy fashion.
While there were moments of careless play throughout the contest, there were far more moments of tension and brilliant play by each side.

The Titans benefitted from scoring runs in each of the first three quarters. Down early 4-3, they reeled off 10 straight points to go up 13-4 but cooled off to lead 15-10 after one period. Several Titan players were frustrated by early foul whistles from the three-official crew that worked the game.

In the second quarter, a brief 6-0 Titan run and good rebounding offset some cold shooting and led to a 24-17 halftime advantage.

Once again, the third period featured a 16-6 Eastlake rush. Three-pointers by Palmer and junior guard Melanie Robbins damaged the Cavers’ chances. Still, the Titans only led by 11 points at 42-31.

The fourth quarter saw a resurgence by San Diego. Led by the 6-2 Johnson, the Cavers went on a 10-3 tear of their own that saw them pull within four points. Fans from both sides screamed their support and the athletes stepped it up on the court.

With 2:10 left in the game, the Titans’ Sanchez fouled out and the Cavers sensed an opportunity. But having to foul in hopes of getting the ball back proved their final undoing, ending when Curley-Payne sank her final two last-minute free throws.

As the final buzzer sounded, the looks of intensity and tension gave way to whoops and shouts of joy from Eastlake players and fans as the reality of going back to the “big game” sank in.

For the game, Palmer led all scorers with 16 points (San Diego’s Johnson had 14). Curley-Payne had a “double-double” with 11 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Senior Brooke Becky added eight points, junior guard Melanie Robbins had seven, Sanchez netted five and freshman guard Diamond Mitchell’s four rounded out the scoring.

This time around, the Titan squad is determined to prove its presence is no fluke. While they may have been somewhat in awe of the atmosphere and media presence at last year’s final, they vow to be ready for “the show” this time.

Their opponent in this year’s championship match will be the No. 2 seed Helix Highlanders, who bring a record of 23-7 after a semifinal victory over Fallbrook by a margin of 56-46.

The battle is set to begin at 6:05 p.m. Saturday inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion (the “Slim Gym”) on the campus of USD in Linda Vista.

The game will be telecast live on Channel 4 San Diego and broadcast on the Internet by KBCSports.com.

San Diego Section Playoffs

Division I
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 20
(1) Eastlake 75, (16) Rancho Bernardo 53
(8) El Camino 58, (9) Granite Hills 38
(5) Torrey Pines 60, (12) Carlsbad 36
(4) San Diego 71, (13) Chula Vista 47
(3) Poway 60, (14) Morse 42
(6) Fallbrook 67, (11) Mira Mesa 48
(7) Escondido 53, (10) Vista 48
(2) Helix 69, (15) La Costa Canyon 51
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 23
(1) Eastlake 60, (8) El Camino 42
(4) San Diego 54, (5) Torrey Pines 47 (OT)
(6) Fallbrook 64, (3) Poway 52
(2) Helix 58, (7) Escondido 49
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 27
(1) Eastlake 51, (4) San Diego 47
(2) Helix 56, (6) Fallbrook 46
Championship
Saturday, March 3
(1) Eastlake (27-4) vs. (2) Helix (23-7), 6:05 p.m. at USD

Division II
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 20
(1) Grossmont (bye)
(8) University City 63, (9) Steele Canyon 37
(5) Ramona 67, (12) Scripps Ranch 52
(4) Montgomery 76, (13) Valhalla 29
(3) Westview (bye)
(6) West Hills 62, (11) San Pasqual 38
(10) Serra 51, (7) El Capitan 39
(2) Mt. Carmel (bye)
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 23
(1) Grossmont 83, (8) University City 39
(4) Montgomery 62, (5) Ramona 58
(3) Westview 48, (6) West Hills 45
(2) Mt. Carmel 66, (10) Serra 52
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 27
(4) Montgomery 57, (1) Grossmont 56
(2) Mt. Carmel 50, (3) Westview 43
Championship
Friday, March 2
(2) Mt. Carmel (23-7) vs. (4) Montgomery (20-9), 6:05 p.m. at USD

Division IV
First Round
Tuesday, Feb. 20
(1) La Jolla Country Day (bye)
(8) Coronado 51, (9) Canyon Crest 48
(5) Horizon Christian 68, (12) Imperial 20
(4) Bishop’s 78, (13) Preuss 35
(3) Francis Parker 96, (14) Mountain Empire 8
(6) Palo Verde 56, (11) Christian 52
(7) Santa Fe Christian 60, (10) Calipatria 43
(2) Marian Catholic (bye)
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 23
(1) La Jolla Country Day 69, (8) Coronado 21
(4) Bishop’s 60, (5) Horizon Christian 48
(3) Francis Parker 77, (6) Palo Verde 25
(2) Marian Catholic 51, (7) Santa Fe Christian 31
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 27
(1) La Jolla Country Day 52, (4) Bishop’s 33
(3) Francis Parker 58, (2) Marian Catholic 43
Championship
Saturday, March 3
(1) La Jolla Country Day (21-7) vs. (3) Francis Parker (15-11), 9:30 a.m. at USD

Other championship finals:
Division V: (1) Calvin Christian (13-9) vs. (2) Christian Life Academy (18-9), 2 p.m. at USD (Friday, March 2)
Division III: (1) Mt. Miguel (25-4) vs. (2) Cathedral Catholic (27-4), 1 p.m. at USD (Saturday, March 3)