PREP ROUNDUP: Cards plow to tourney title

12/23/05

NEWS-PRESS STAFF REPORT

Pirate boys third in Palm Springs

The Bishop Diego girls basketball team swept through the Cleveland Tournament, winning five tough games and the title over Indio against what Cardinals coach David Whittington called "insurmountable odds."

The championship game saw Bishop Diego top previously undefeated Indio 58-56. The Cardinals beat Eagle Rock 56-51 in the semifinals.

With 2:49 left to play in the title game, Bishop Diego was trailing by five points when Larissa Gonzales went down with a knee injury.

"I thought we were doomed," Whittington said.

But he told his team, "We're gonna score right now, and we're gonna be right back in this game."

And that's exactly what they did, finishing the upset victory with tough pressure defense during a fast-paced fourth quarter.

"Their tongues were hanging out at the end of the game," Whittington said.

The Cardinals held an Eagle Rock team that scored 96 points and had 26 3-pointers the night before to just 51 points.

"We really executed in the third quarter," Whittington said. "This is a huge win for us."

The Cardinals found themselves trailing by nine points at the half, but they came out strong in the third, holding the Eagle Rock's offense to a slim four points.

Brittany McGillivray had 22 rebounds, 12 of which were offensive.

HOLY FAMILY 30, CARPINTERIA 25

Lauren Gonzales scored 10 of her team-high 14 points in the second half, but the Warriors fell Thursday to Holy Family of Los Angeles at the Providence Tournament.

"She found her stroke and was getting to the basket in the second half," Carpinteria coach Dan Mercer said. "Our defense stepped up, but we're lacking that experience when it gets down to the wire. That will come. The best thing for us is to have these tough games now before league starts."

The Warriors (2-10) received a game-high 15 rebounds from Lucy Musson.

"I'm proud of this team's tenacity," Mercer added. "This is a do-not-surrender team."

BOYS BASKETBALL

SANTA YNEZ 45, PALM SPRINGS 41

Chad Caughell and Matt DeMarcus scored 10 points each as the Pirates took third place at the Palm Springs Tournament.

Santa Ynez (7-3) trailed much of the first half before pulling ahead in the third quarter. The Pirates open Los Padres League play at Nipomo on Jan. 6.

BOYS SOCCER

SANTA BARBARA 2, SAN FERNANDO 1

J.P. Ybarra and Vince Alvarez each scored a goal to lead the Santa Barbara boys soccer team to victory over San Fernando in the fifth-place game at the South Torrance Tournament.

"We controlled a lot of the tempo and came out with a lot of intensity today," Dons coach Todd Heil said.

Ybarra nabbed the first goal for Santa Barbara (12-1-3) in the 30th minute, and Alvarez followed in the 64th minute. San Fernando scored its lone goal with 30 seconds to play.

WRESTLING

BISHOP AMAT PRIVATE SCHOOL TOURNAMENT

Bishop Diego senior Jacob Sandoval won one match by technical fall, then pinned two other competitors to claim first place in the 160-pound division of the Bishop Amat Private School Tournament on Thursday.

Sandoval received a first-round bye, then won three straight matches for the title. His technical fall ended in a 16-0 decision.

The Cardinals also scored two third-place finishes by Michael Goss and Dru Davis-Orr. Goss, a heavyweight, and Davis-Orr, a 189-pounder, each went 3-1 in their matches to claim third.

Bishop Diego will next join San Marcos, Dos Pueblos and nearly 60 other schools at the North Torrance Tournament on Thursday.