Horizon Hoopers Claw Mt. Miguel Matadors, Win CIF Title; Kearny Komets Make State Playoffs
Behind the all-around dominant performance of six-foot guard DiJonai Carrington (35 points, 25 rebounds, three assists, four steals, and three blocked shots) the second-seeded Horizon Christian Academy Lady Panthers defeated the fourth-seeded Mount Miguel Lady Matadors 66-59 to clinch the C.I.F. San Diego Section Division I girls basketball championship at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday night, March 6.
Horizon held a narrow 26-25 advantage as the two battling ballclubs headed off to their respective locker rooms at the intermission.
Ten of Carrington’s points and rebounds came in the last five minutes of the ballgame as she paced the Lady Panthers to the triumph and was named the Player of the Game by http://www.maxpreps.com.
Carrington, a junior captain, was followed in the Horizon statistical column by five-foot-nine-inch sophomore shooting guard Sierra Rains (10 points, one rebound, and one blocked shot), five-foot-five-inch senior guard Nyjeeiah Ganan (eight points, two rebounds, and two assists), and five-foot-six-inch senior point guard Melanie Quijano (three points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals).
With the victory, the Lady Panthers won their third girls basketball title in school history (Horizon won Division V titles in 2011 and 2013) with an overall record of 23-9.
Earlier in the season, the Lady Panthers pounced on the Lady Matadors by a final score of 45-41 in a non-league affair that was a part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Showcase Tournament played on the campus of Horizon Christian Academy in Clairemont Mesa on Monday evening, January 19.
The Kearny High Lady Komets (22-7) made some noise this postseason as well by beating the Steele Canyon High Lady Cougars (45-35), Hilltop High Lady Lancers (34-26), and Patrick Henry High Lady Patriots (52-50) in the first round, quarterfinals, and semifinals of the C.I.F. San Diego Section Division III girls basketball playoffs, respectively, before bowing to the Rancho Bernardo High Lady Broncos (53-40) in the finals and the (Newport Beach) Corona del Mar High Lady Sea Kings (70-34) in the first round of the Division III state playoffs.
The Lady Komets were led throughout the playoffs by the play of five-foot-six-inch junior power forward Arshauna Candler (16 points and 17 rebounds against the Lady Cougars; 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Lady Patriots; 15 rebounds against the Lady Broncos), five-foot-six-inch senior wing Aitana A. Garland (11 points against the Lady Lancers; 11 points against the Lady Broncos), and five-foot-six-inch sophomore wing Jennell Garland (12 points against the Lady Broncos).
The Kearny High boys basketball team (23-9) made the Division II state playoffs, but the Komets came crashing back down to earth with a tough 98-65 loss to the (Anaheim) Canyon High Comanches on Wednesday night, March 11.
MARCH MADNESS FINAL FOUR FORECAST BY THE NUMBERS:
4 teams in the NCAA Final Four bracket of Rick Steckel, bartender at Peter D’s, (Arizona Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, Gonzaga Bulldogs, and Michigan State Spartans), with Arizona bearing down on Kentucky!
4 teams in the NCAA Final Four bracket of Keith Zeek, bartender at The Watering Hole (Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, Wisconsin Badgers, and Michigan State Spartans), with Kentucky getting devilish over Duke!
Rob Stone is a life-long resident of the Clairemont Mesa/Kearny Mesa area and is also a certified talent scout through Sports Management Worldwide. Rob has been working with and helping to assist sports agents in getting their clients signed to contracts. If you would like a professional scouting report written up on your favorite athlete, contact Mr. Stone directly at: (619) 241-6516, rstone@smww.com, Sportsguyrob@att.net, http://www.smwwscout.com/scout/robstone, or http://www.rsscouting.blogspot.com.
