The Los Alamitos JV girls basketball team won its third straight Surf League Championship by finishing the final week of season with clutch wins over Edison, 36-28, on January 29, and Corona del Mar, 56-22, on January 31.
With the final two home court victories, the Griffins (18-5) finished with a 5-1 league record to share the championship with Fountain Valley, which also has a 5-1 league record.
In addition to winning another championship, the Griffins also stretched its home-game winning streak to an impressive 23 games, covering three full seasons without a home loss.
“It’s been a great three-year run,” said coach Patrick Kennedy. “This year we played short-handed all season but these girls are great competitors and they kept winning big games. I’m very happy for them.”
In the decisive victory over the Sea Kings, the Griffins were led by junior guard Karla Buenrostro who hit 6 threes and scored a whopping 20 points to go along with 8 steals, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot.
Freshman guard Remy Hoang chipped in 13 points, 4 steals, and 5 assists, and junior forward Catherine Kolster added 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals. Junior forward Mikayla Aguayo also grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with 6 points, 3 steals, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.
The unselfish Griffins dished out 18 assists on their 22 made baskets, including 5 assists by freshman guard Madi Real and 2 assists by sophomore guard Amaya Nagata.
In the earlier 36-28 victory over Edison, Aguayo led the Griffins with 12 points and 10 rebounds. In a balanced attack, six Griffins scored, including Real with 8 points, Hoang with 7 points, and Nagata with 6 points. Buenrostro had 8 steals and 3 assists to go along with 3 points, 2 rebounds, and a blocked shot. Freshman center Kara Townzen, pulled up from Frosh/Soph recently to replace an injured player, played solid defense and grabbed three rebounds.
At halftime, the Griffins clung to a thin 17-15 lead, but outscored the Chargers 8-0 in the third quarter to open up a 10-point lead that they never lost.
Earlier this season, the Griffins also had success in three November and December non-league tournaments, winning two consolation championship games for two third-place finishes at the El Toro and Millikan tournaments and reaching a championship final for a second-place trophy at the Ocean View tournament. Hoang made the All-Tournament team at El Toro and junior forward Kat Contreras made the All-Tournament team at Millikan.
