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Playoff spotlight shines bright
Throughout local communities, on the basketball court, in the pool and on the soccer pitch, area teams have experienced triumph and heartbreak. Some seasons- high school careers, even- have ended, while others continue to live on. Looking back, here are a few local highlights from the week that was in Conejo Valley sports: Friday, Feb. 15 Boys' basketball Mission Viejo at Thousand Oaks The Thousand Oaks High boys' basketball team has won all year with strong defense. Last Friday's CIF-SS Division IAA first-round game at home against Mission Viejo was no different. The Lancers held the Diablos to just 13 second-half points en route to a 57-34 win. This year, TOHS allowed only 48 points per game, tops in the Marmonte League.
The Lancers built an early 138 lead thanks to eight firstquarter points by senior Cyrus Kiani. TOHS struggled in the second quarter, however, and at halftime the game was tied at 21. In the third quarter, the Lancers' defensive press was in full force, causing numerous steals that led to offensive layups. The defensive pressure helped Thousand Oaks go on an 18-2 thirdquarter run, and by the beginning of the final quarter, TOHS led 41-28. "We wanted to press the whole game," Shelton said. "I thought we did well in the first quarter, but then we went in a little slump for a few minutes in the second quarter. After halftime, we just picked up our defensive intensity."
On Tuesday night, Thousand Oaks (20-8) was upended by JSerra Catholic High, 63-54. In other local action last Friday, the Newbury Park Adventist boys' hoops squad lost to Thacher, while Westlake was beaten by Harvard-Westlake. The Thousand Oaks boys' soccer team lost to Quartz Hill in the Division I first round. Newbury Park, meanwhile, got past Esperanza in Round 1 and beat St. Francis in Tuesday's second round. NPHS plays today at home at 3 p.m. in the quarterfinals. Oaks Christian's boys' soccer squad beat Windward in its Division V opener. In the second round Tuesday, OCHS blew out Blair. The Lions play Sierra Vista in a quarterfinal match today. Saturday, Feb. 16 Girls' basketball Viewpoint at La Reina This was a well-played game that ended in a somewhat unfortunate manner. With the La Reina girls' basketball team leading Viewpoint 38-37 with 5:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, Viewpoint senior point guard Sam Borenstein suffered a left ankle injury and had to be helped off the court. Borenstein, the Patriots' offensive catalyst who had already scored a team-high 11 points, did not return, and La Reina (16-10) quickly pulled away for a 55-45 victory. "Our team is really close, and we just tried to pull together at the end and win it for our teammate," Viewpoint forward Lexi Sharma said. "We just came up short." Sharma, one of four seniors in the Patriots' starting lineup, finished with 10 points, as did fellow senior Crystal Allaf. Senior Natalie Levine had six points, while junior Victoria Troxler added eight points for Viewpoint (17-10). La Reina was led by freshman Emily Carson and senior Jenna Burge. Carson came off the Regents' bench to log a game-high 20 points. Burge, the team's starting point guard, scored 12 points. Junior Rachel Zisman chipped in with 10. "At the beginning of the game I was really nervous because my shot wasn't dropping," Carson said. "But after halftime I could see my shot was beginning to fall. I started to roll off the pick that (Burge) was giving me, and that's when things started happening." La Reina advanced to Wednesday's CIF-SS Division VAA quarterfinal round, where they hosted top-seeded Whittier Christian. Also on Saturday, the defending CIF champion Agoura girls' water polo team lost to Laguna Beach. In girls' basketball, Oak Park was defeated by Notre Dame/ Sherman Oaks, while Oaks Christian got past Chaminade. Thousand Oaks lost to Ventura, while Newbury Park defeated Dos Pueblos. NPHS played it second-round game at Millikan Wednesday night. In girls' soccer, Agoura, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks all won their Division II openers. Oaks Christian, Oak Park, Viewpoint and Grace Brethren all advanced in their respective divisions as well. Each team played Wednesday in Round 2. Tuesday, Feb. 19 Boys' basketball St. Joseph at Oaks Christian After squeezing by Ribet Academy 55-54 in the opening round of the CIFSS Division IIIAA playoffs, Oaks Christian hosted a redhot St. Joseph squad in Round 2. St. Joseph entered the contest with eight consecutive victories, but it was OCHS who built a 2018 first-quarter lead. The Lions trailed by only two points at halftime. Early in the third quarter, however, St. Joseph went on an 11-2 run to stretch its lead to 42-31. Oak Christian (217) never recovered, and St. Joseph's guardoriented attack pressured its way to a 68-55 victory. "They are a hustling team," said Oaks Christian junior guard Tyler McGrath, who scored a team-high 17 points. "They aren't very tall, but they are athletic and very strong down low, especially in the post. Their guards eventually took over." Columbia-bound swingman Matt Johnson- Oak Christian's regular-season leader in rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and 3pointers, and the team's second-leading scorer- had a frustrating night. Following a few dazzling assists early on, Johnson was stymied throughout. He scored his first and only basket of the game on a layup with 6:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. "My shots weren't really there, and I kind of started to stand around a little bit," Johnson said. "Everybody started trying to do things on their own, and that's always been one of our weaknesses- whenever guys go one-on-one." Seniors Chris Owusu and Isaiah Kempf each scored 13 points for OCHS. As disappointing as the loss was, both McGrath and Johnson said the season- one of the most successful in Oaks Christian history- was tremendous. "I love these guys," McGrath said. "These guys are my best friends, and it was a special team." - By Stephen Dorman and Thomas Gase |
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