January 12, 2008 | 11:57
pm
Many players scored goals by the bucketful in girls' water polo this past week. Way too many, in fact, to list in one blog. A few, though, were just too good to be ignored. So without further adieu, here's a sprinkling of the best single-game performances in the Southland since Monday....
"E's" for "extra effort" go to Warren's Melissa Cedarholm, who scored four goals in the Bears' 8-7, triple-overtime victory over California on Friday, and Sharon Pedregon, who netted seven goals for El Rancho in an 11-10 overtime win over Chaparral on Thursday.
Photo: www.flickr.com
January 12, 2008 | 11:54
pm
Pioneer Valley outside hitter and two-time All-Pac-7 League selection Nikki Doyle has signed with UC Santa Barbara, according to Gauchos Coach Kathy Gregory.
Mater Dei 6-foot-2 middle blocker Lily Lopez and La Habra opposite hitter and Freeway League MVP Whittany Radcliffe have also signed with the Big West program.
Click here for more info on the signings.
-- Austin Knoblauch
January 12, 2008 | 10:38
pm
The conclusion of the Girls Can Hoop Shootout wasn't quite as fantastic as it seemed it would be at halftime.
In fact, it kind of fizzled at the end. With fifth-ranked Millikan winning, 60-52.
No. 16 Cajon was within striking distance, 41-38, going into the fourth quarter, but Millikan scored 14 of the next 15 points to make it a rout. The lead eventually reached 16 points, 59-43, with less than two minutes remaining.
Fatigue might have been part of it. No one got off the Cajon bench until Layshia Clarendon fouled out with 1:36 to go.
Clarendon might have been the singularly most noticeable player on the floor. She wasn't perfect, by any means, but she wasn't out of her element. She finished with 27 points.
January 12, 2008 | 10:11
pm
Angel Garcia of San Dimas won his fourth local championship of the season, placing first -- and winning lower-weight MVP honors -- at the Rancho Cucamonga Classic. The No. 3-ranked wrestler in the Southern Section, Garcia also won titles at the El Dorado Invitational, Black Watch Invitational at Upland and Nogales Super Champs.
Dylan Klink of San Clemente was the 171-pound champion and upper-weight MVP at Rancho Cucamonga. He was unranked in the most recent Southern Section standings but has previous tournament victories at the Brea Olinda Invitational and Mann Classic at Cal State Fullerton.
-- Chuck Schilken, guest blogger
-- Image from www.bulldogguy.com
January 12, 2008 | 9:55
pm
A week after finishing in fifth place at last week's 42-team Nogales Super Champs tournament (with less than half the points of champion Northview), West Covina came back in a big way Saturday by winning its own 19-team invitational tournament. The Bulldogs crushed runner-up Northview, 265.5-215.
West Covina got much better productivity from its top wrestlers this time around, claiming five individual championships, compared to none a week ago: Jeremy Dizon at 119 (was second at Super Champs), Anthony Caudillo at 125 ( seventh at Super Champs), Brian Gonzalez at 135 (seventh at Super Champs), Ryan McLaurin at 160 (second at Super Champs, wrestling at 171) and Avery Depraect at 171 (fourth at Super Champs, also wrestling at 171).
-- Image from http://www.wcdhs.net/.
January 12, 2008 | 9:53
pm
Millikan and Cajon are poised for a fantastic second half at the Girls Can Hoop Shootout.
Millikan leads after two quarters, 28-27, but the fifth-ranked Rams, who lived off points in the paint, essentially wasted a 16-2 run to open the game. Back-to-back three-pointers by Layshia Clarendon as part of a 10-2 run saved No. 16 Cajon. It was part of a longer 17-4 scoring outburst.
Clarendon leads all scorers with 14 points.
-- Martin Henderson
January 12, 2008 | 9:51
pm
Boys' soccer Coach Ken Erenberg notched his 100th victory at Montclair Prep with the Mounties' 2-1 win over Village Christian in their Delphic League opener Saturday in Sun Valley.
Senior Austin Mandel put the visiting Mounties ahead in the fourth minute and assisted on Jeremy Stone's game-winning goal in the 70th minute. Montclair Prep (8-1-2) is ranked eighth in Division VI, having outscored its opposition, 56-14. The Mounties tied Mission Prep twice in two days in early December and suffered their only loss, 2-1, to Oakwood three days later.
Image: www.montclairprep.com
January 12, 2008 | 9:03
pm
With something like seven or eight games, including some JV games, I didn't hold much hope that tonight's marquee game at the Girls Can Hoop Shootout between No. 5 Millikan and No. 16 Cajon would start on time at 8 p.m. And I wasn't disappointed.
In the game preceding the main event, Bell Gardens sent its game against St. Matthias into overtime, 46-46. Margarita Aguirre, who is about the only person on the team that can make a free throw, converted two with seven seconds left, and poor Vanessa Ruelas of SM missed what would have been a game winning layup at the buzzer. It would have been her first points of the game.
January 12, 2008 | 7:59
pm
Believe me, I haven't been afflicted by Foothill-itis or anything, even though I've been blogging all day about Santa Clarita Valley teams. It's just that many of the big Friday night stories came out of the land known for its acres of hill-covering tract homes and its McBean Parkway-cruising Expeditions.
And one of the biggest you-gotta-be-kiddin' highlights of the night was the West Ranch boys' basketball team's 52-47 victory over Saugus. Thanks to a couple clutch three-pointers by Beau Martin and an 11-point night by Dave Franklin, the Wildcats held off Saugus' high-powered scoring trio of Cameron Diorio, Michael Cassio and Mario Wright to begin its first ever Foothill League winning streak.
Check out this story to see how the first-place Wildcats, in only their second year of varsity competition, upset a Centurion team I predicted as the favorite to take the league title. Is it too late to change my mind?
-- Austin Knoblauch
January 12, 2008 | 7:58
pm
Highdesertvarsity.com has some great coverage on the matchup between two of the top wrestling teams in the Southland (and the state).
-- Chuck Schilken, guest blogger
-- Image from http://www.scorpionwrestler.com/links.htm.
Many players scored goals by the bucketful in girls' water polo this past week. Way too many, in fact, to list in one blog. A few, though, were just too good to be ignored. So without further adieu, here's a sprinkling of the best single-game performances in the Southland since Monday.... 
