The Bonita Vista High School girls basketball team recorded a runner-up finish in last year’s San Diego Section Division II finals. The Lady Barons return only three players off that team but appear to be doing just fine so far in 2016-17 after capturing the championship title during last weekend’s finals of the Bonita Vista Gold Crown Tip-off tournament at BVHS.
“We’re decent,” explained new head coach Tristan Lamb, whose team finished 5-0 in the 14-team tournament to improve to 9-5 on the season. “We still have work to do but the players all believe in themselves and where we want to go.
“Other than the returning girls, all the girls are up from the junior varsity team and now playing varsity. They’re establishing themselves and working hard.”
The Lady Barons finished 19-10 last season and capped the 2015-16 campaign with a disappointing 62-54 loss to Imperial in the division championship game.
Shyla LaTone led Bonita Vista in scoring last season as a sophomore with 18.2 points per game; Carol Schroeder, now playing at Point Loma Nazarene University, ranked second on the team with 14.5 points per game to close out her senior campaign.
La Tone is back on the attack this season and has made a major impact. She poured in 41 points in last Friday’s 78-67 tournament championship game victory against Lincoln and dropped in 63 points in a 96-34 pool-round game victory against High Tech High Chula Vista.
She’s averaging a prolific 33.4 points per game this season.
Junior Emma Rand, another returner, ranks second on the team with 9.4 points per game.
Further help could be on the way from another Schroeder girl. Freshman Emma Schroeder is averaging 6.4 points per game while sophomore Laryssa Kure ranks fourth on the team averaging 6.2 points per game.
Kure scored 11 points in last Friday’s tournament final while Rand and Schroeder each contributed 10 points.
Kure displayed a strong arm by sinking three three-point shots. Rand led the team with 10 rebounds while Schroeder led the team with six steals.
LaTone finished 19 from 25 at the free-throw line and dished out a team high eight assists.
The Lady Barons made amends for a 66-57 loss to Lincoln at the Winter Prep Classic Dec. 16 at Mira Mesa High School by jumping all over the Lady Hornets in the early stages of last Friday’s Gold Crown Tip-off contest.
Bonita Vista led 10-2 with 4:41 left in the first quarter and upped that margin to 27-6 at the end of the opening quarter. Bonita Vista led by 30 points — 49-19 — in the closing seconds before halftime.
Lincoln (9-3) regrouped in the second half, played aggressive defense on LaTone, and slowly began to chip away at the imposing Lady Baron lead. The Lady Hornets narrowed the gap to 54-39 at the end of the third quarter and cut the deficit to just eight points in the closing minutes of the game before a late Bonita Vista spurt sealed the victory.
With seven teams in the Mesa League this season, it was right back to business for the Lady Barons as league play tipped off Wednesday.
League membership this season includes Bonita Vista, Eastlake, Otay Ranch, Mater Dei Catholic, Olympian, Hilltop and Montgomery.
Eastlake (9-5) entered league play after capturing the WNBA Division title in the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic last Friday at Del Norte High School. The seventh-ranked Lady Titans used a torrid second-half showing to down previously undefeated Seattle Raider Beach by a score of 62-60.
Sophomore Yesenia Smith, all-tournament pick Olivia Klugg and sophomore Auren Isaacson each scored 12 points in the title game while Isaacson topped Eastlake with nine rebounds.
Allie Carreon supplied two key free throws in the closing stages of the game to account for the two-point margin of victory.
Mater Dei Catholic (7-5) and Otay Ranch (6-4) also carried winning records into the new year.
Around the South Bay
The Chula Vista Lady Spartans finished fourth in the Gold Crown Tip-off tournament field following a 54-44 loss to Morse last Friday. Chula Vista was inches away from sinking shots and grabbing rebounds, which must give veteran head coach John DeJesus optimism for upcoming South Bay League play.
“I think there’s a lot of potential,” explained DeJesus, whose team finished 2-2 in the Gold Crown Tip-off tournament and entered the 2017 calendar year with a 2-10 record. “We’ve been struggling with various issues, injuries, that kind of thing. I think once we get all the pieces together, once we get back to school, we’ll be fine for league.”
Top performers so far this season include juniors Jasmyn Wolfgramm and Alissa Wolfblack. DeJesus also list post players Ghizelth Anderson (junior) and Mailia Perry (sophomore) as important players in the lineup.
The South Bay League, besides Chula Vista, includes Mar Vista, Castle Park, San Ysidro, Southwest and Sweetwater this season. League play tips off Jan. 11.
Mar Vista is off to an 8-1 start to the season.
“We hope to be competitive in league,” noted DeJesus, who is coaching in his 21st season. “Hopefully, we can win out and get to the CIF playoffs.”
Bonita Vista Gold Crown Tip-off Tournament
Tuesday, Dec. 27
West Division
Our Lady of Peace 54, Orange Glen 7
Lincoln 64, Grossmont 55
Bonita Vista 85, Kearny 6
East Division
Chula Vista 69, Preuss School 6
Valley Center 38, El Cajon Valley 35
Monarch School 49, O’Farrell 36
San Diego 53, Morse 47
Wednesday, Dec. 28
West Division
Lincoln 2, Orange Glen 0
Our Lady of Peace 52, Grossmont 32
Bonita Vista 96, High Tech High Chula Vista 39
East Division
San Diego 35, Monarch School 20
El Cajon Valley 41, Preuss School 15
Valley Center 35, Chula Vista 23
Morse 53, O’Farrell 36
Thursday, Dec. 29
West Division
High Tech High Chula Vista 47, Kearny 22
Lincoln 51, Our Lady of Peace 42
Grossmont 57, Orange Glen 14
Bonita Vista 85, Kearny 6
East Division
San Diego 52, O’Farrell 30
Morse 53, Monarch School 17
Valley Center 48, Preuss School 20
Chula Vista 44, El Cajon Valley 41
Friday. Dec. 30
Bonita Vista 62, Our Lady of Peace 50
Grossmont 51, Kearny 20
Orange Glen 41, High Tech High Chula Vista 20
San Diego 43, Valley Center 37
El Cajon Valley 32, Monarch School 24
Championship: Bonita Vista 78, Lincoln 67
Third place: Morse 54, Chula Vista 44
SoCal Holiday Prep Classic
WNBA Division
Pool play
Tuesday, Dec. 27
Eastlake 73, Bishop’s 68
Wednesday, Dec. 28
Great Oak 51, Eastlake 43
Thursday, Dec. 29
Eastlake 62, Bishop Manogue (Reno, Nev.) 51
Championship
Friday, Dec. 30
Eastlake 62, Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 60
Lady Lancer Invitational
Saturday, Dec. 17
El Cajon Valley 50, Southwest 10
Mar Vista 41, El Cajon Valley 39
Carlsbad 52, Hilltop 33
