Westlake girls’ basketball squad ready to defend Marmonte League title

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BACK TO WORK—WHS junior center Lindsay Williams takes a shot during Tuesday’s practice session. The Warriors tipped off their season last night against the Oaks Christian Lions. For the first time since 1992 the Westlake girls’ basketball team will enter the season as the defending Marmonte League champions.

Defending their league title and continuing to build upon the program’s recent success is a challenge Westlake head coach John D’Agostin and his players said they’re more than willing to embrace.

“Last year, not only did it change the way the varsity kids feel about their season this year,” D’Agostin said, “but it just kind of changed a lot of things for our whole program, really for the positive.

“This year there’s a very positive feel in the program,” the coach said. “It wasn’t always that way before. Who knows if we’ll be able to produce like last year. But at least I know the kids are working hard.”

In addition to the varsity championship, the Westlake junior varsity team tied for first place and the Frosh/Soph. squad finished in second behind Calabasas.

Despite the loss of seven seniors from last year’s squad, the Warriors still have several impact layers on the court, most notably junior center Lindsay Williams, an All-League and All-Ventura County selection a season ago.

And unlike last year when she was coming off a dislocated hip during the offseason, Williams enters the ’05/06 campaign completely healthy and totally in tune with what the team is trying to accomplish on offense and defense.

“I feel good—had no injuries in the summer,” Williams said. “It was a perfect summer, thank God. It was awesome. I’m really thankful and looking forward to starting the season.”

Williams led the Marmonte in rebounds (287) and blocks (59) as a sophomore while averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game.

She spent most of the summer playing for a traveling club team—the Santa Barbara Blazers—before heading off to participate in a few basketball camps during August.

“I’ve learned that I have to expect to be guarded tough and pinpointed out there,” Williams said. “I can’t be afraid. I just have to go for it.”

Another impact returnee for the Warriors is senior point guard Kathryn Scardino, who, along with Williams, will serve as the team’s co-captains.

Scardino led the Warriors in three pointers (22), steals (112) and assists (118) last year. She was second on the club with a 12.7 points-per-game average.

“We were big last year and we’re really small this year,” Scardino said. “(Williams) and I are the two tallest players, and most everyone else is really short. It’s going to be different, a lot more guard driven than playing in the post.”

The physical stature of this year’s Warrior team isn’t the only thing that has changed since the end of last season, said D’Agostin.

“The seniors on this team have a different personality,” D’Agostin said. “This group is kind of quiet, whereas last year’s group was kind of lively and liked to joke around a lot. I don’t think it’s necessarily a negative thing, but we’re just not really at that same point yet.”

The coach said he’s optimistic several of the Warrior upperclassmen can make up for the seven seniors who have departed.

Two players he pointed to as having the potential to contribute significantly are junior guard Emma Grossman and senior forward Sherry Wang.

“Our biggest void is height,” Wang said. “We have a lot of smaller players, including myself, that are moving to the forward position. It’s going to be hard to compensate for, but we’re trying our best to adjust.”

Grossman and Wang were both on the varsity team a season ago, albeit their playing time was on a limited basis.

“The kids that are taking over this year are pretty capable in all aspects,” D’Agostin said. “They’re athletic and they understand that we still have pretty high expectations. I think they’re up to the challenge.”

Westlake played its first game of the season yesterday afternoon against Oaks Christian in the first round of the Buena-Kiwanis Tournament. The final score of the contest was not available prior to press time.

The Warriors will play in the Buena-Kiwanis Tournament throughout the weekend. They’ll also take part in the Ventura Optimists Invitational beginning Dec. 14 and the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions later in the month.