The Los Alamitos girls varsity basketball team concluded its tough non-conference schedule on a high note with an impressive 45-39 road victory over the higher-ranked Crean Lutheran.
In the Dec. 28 contest, senior guard Megan Lee and sophomore guard Tam Yoshida each scored 13 points while senior center Kassidy Beach and sophomore guard Maya Asumbrado each chipped in 6 points.
Los Alamitos (13-5) outrebounded Crean 44-31 with Beach and junior forward Bryn Pagett nearly outrebounding Crean (8-6) by themselves, and the extra possessions were key to the victory. Beach grabbed 15 rebounds and Pagett snared 13 rebounds for 28 between them. Lee and Freshman Denvur Ramirez grabbed 5 rebounds each.
The see-saw battle had many lead changes and ties, and at the end of three quarters, the Griffins were clinging to a 32-30 lead and it was tied 34-34 with only 3:50 left to play, but from then, led by Lee’s 8 points in the quarter, the Griffins outscored the Saints 11-5 to grab the victory.
At game time, the CIF Southern Section ranked Los Alamitos 14th in Division 2A and Crean 13th in the higher Division 2AA.
The Griffins played an especially tough pre-conference schedule with 15 of the 18 games against teams with winning records, including noteworthy victories over highly-regarded Calvary Chapel (10-5), Rolling Hills Prep (7-4), and, in a stunning Segerstrom Tournament championship upset, Mira Costa (12-2), then ranked 5th in the state by MaxPreps.
“We have had a very tough schedule so far,” said Coach Maya DeAnda, “and we think it has made us battle-tested and well-prepared for Surf-League competition.”
The Griffins host their first game of Sunset Conference play against Laguna Beach on January 4 and host their initial game of Surf League play against Fountain Valley on January 9.
Last season the Griffins shared the Surf League Championship with Corona Del Mar, each finishing with 5-1 league records, but whereas the Sea Kings graduated their key players, Los Alamitos is returning its core, including last season’s league co-MVP senior guard Kayli Liew and last season’s First-Team All-League center senior Kassidy Beach.
The Sunset Conference currently has 8 teams divided into two leagues: the higher-rated Surf League and the Wave-League. Next season, the two leagues will be dissolved in favor of a single, 7-team Sunset League comprised of Los Alamitos, Fountain Valley, Edison, Huntington Beach, Newport Harbor, Marina, and Corona del Mar.
The Griffins host Laguna Beach High today at 5:30 p.m. and will be at Marina High on Saturday at 4 p.m.
