SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Basketball

Julian basketball teams enjoy postseason success

By Phillip Brents

Posted March 30, 2003

The postseason honors were plentiful for this season’s Julian High School girls basketball team as senior Lisa Smelser, junior Laura Cross and freshman Anna Dawson each earned recognition as members of the Citrus East All-League team.

Both Smelser and Cross were named as First Team All-Citrus East League selections while Dawson earned Second Team All-League status for league champion Julian.

Smelser earned further accolades as the league’s 2002-03 Player of the Year.

The Eagles finished league play 10-0 before advancing to the semifinal round of the San Diego Section Division V championship playoffs.

Julian finished the season 16-8 overall following a 65-52 loss to eventual Division V champion Santa Fe Christian in CIF playoff action on March 4.

Joining Smelser and Cross on the Citrus East League first team were Mountain Empire senior Britney McGuffie, Vincent Memorial senior Claudia Gonzalez and Vincent Memorial junior Mariela Valenzuela. Also selected to the Citrus East League second team were Borrego Springs sophomores Kara O’Brien and Anahi Navarro, Vincent Memorial senior Blanca Padilla and Warner senior Olivia Reynolds.

Mountain Empire and Vincent Memorial both finished behind Julian in league play with 7-3 records while Borrego Springs finished 4-6 in league play and Warner and West Shores brought up the rear in the six-team league with 1-9 records.

Vincent Memorial and Borrego Springs joined Julian in the Division V playoffs. As the second-seeded team in the division, Julian received a bye in the opening round of play as did fifth-seeded Borrego Springs. Vincent Memorial defeated Citrus West League member Midway Baptist 64-26 in the first round to draw the Eagles in the quarterfinals.

Julian received a career-high 21 points from Dawson in its 80-48 playoff win against Vincent Memorial in a game played Feb. 28 at Ramona High School. Smelser added 17 points in the victory that saw Julian open up a 17-7 first quarter lead and put the game out of reach with a 17-5 third-quarter run.

The Eagles outscored their semifinal round opponent, third-seeded Santa Fe Christian (also nicknamed the Eagles), 17-7 and 20-15 in the two middle periods of play but could not overcome an opening 22-6 first quarter deficit. Julian trailed just 44-43 entering the final quarter but Santa Fe Christian crushed Julian’s championship game dreams by finishing the game with a 21-9 scoring run. Dawson again led Julian in postseason scoring with 17 points, followed by Smelser on the scoresheet with 14 points.

Julian’s boys basketball team made it a clean sweep of Citrus East League titles by also going 10-0 in league play. The Eagles topped Mountain Empire (8-2), Vincent Memorial (6-4), West Shores (3-7), Borrego Springs (2-8) and Warner (2-8) en route to finishing regular season play with an overall 21-4 record.

Brad Daugherty scored 27 points and Brent Daugherty added 18 points as Julian defeated West Shores 63-40 on Feb. 21 to wrap up its perfect league season.

The Eagles earned the second seed in the Division V playoffs, defeating Calvin Christian 86-73 in the first round and edging third-seeded Tri-City Christian 66-65 in the semifinals to advance against top-seeded Santa Fe Christian in the championship game.

Julian’s season ended at 23-5 following a 79-50 loss to Santa Fe Christian.

All-league selections were not made available at press time.