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What a week
Throughout local communities, on the basketball court, in the pool and on the soccer pitch, area teams have experienced triumph and heartbreak. Some seasons- high school careers, even- have ended, while others continue to live on. Looking back, here are a few local highlights from the week that was in Conejo Valley sports: Friday, Feb. 15 Boys' basketball Rolling Hills Prep at Oak Park The Oak Park Eagles had little trouble eliminating Rolling Hills Prep in the opening round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IIIAA boys' basketball playoffs.
The win was Oak Park's seventh in a row. "We're really playing well as a team," said Hillard, who led all Eagle scorers with 16 points. "The inside-outside game is really working for us right now." There were a pair of signature moments in the Eagles' rout. With 5:21 remaining in the second quarter, Winningham, dribbling beyond the 3-point line, connected with Hillard on a long ally-oop dunk pass. The home crowd went nuts. Winningham said the two had practiced the play during the week. "This was the first time we got one of those all year," Winningham said. "Obviously, the hard work paid off, all that extra time in the gym." The second moment came at the end of the third quarter, when Levine buried a 3-pointer right in front of the Eagle bench as time expired on the clock. "Coach told me to spot up quickly," said Levine, who had 12 points on four 3-point baskets. "Winningham got me the ball, and I just hit the shot." Blake Davenport contributed nine points, while Josh Marcus and Mitchell Halpert both had eight points for OPHS. On Tuesday night at home, Oak Park (21-6) defeated Schurr 67-56 to advance to Friday's quarterfinal round. In other local action last Friday, the Calabasas boys' soccer team was upended by Crespi in the Division I first round. Oaks Christian's boys' soccer squad beat Windward in its Division V opener. In the second round Tuesday, OCHS blew out Blair 40. The Lions play Sierra Vista in a quarterfinal match today. Saturday, Feb. 16 Girls' basketball Viewpoint at La Reina This was a well-played game that ended in a somewhat unfortunate manner. With the La Reina girls' basketball team leading Viewpoint 38-37 with 5:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, Viewpoint senior point guard Sam Borenstein suffered a left ankle injury and had to be helped off the court. Borenstein, the Patriots' offensive catalyst who had already scored a team-high 11 points, did not return, and La Reina (16-10) quickly pulled away for a 55-45 victory. "Our team is really close, and we just tried to pull together at the end and win it for our teammate," Viewpoint forward Lexi Sharma said. "We just came up a little short." Sharma, one of four seniors in the Patriots' starting lineup, finished with 10 points, as did fellow senior Crystal Allaf. Senior Natalie Levine had six points, while junior Victoria Troxler added eight points for Viewpoint (17-10). La Reina was led by freshman Emily Carson and senior Jenna Burge. Carson came off the Regents' bench to log a game-high 20 points. Burge, the team's starting point guard, scored 12 points. Junior Rachel Zisman chipped in with 10. "At the beginning of the game I was really nervous because my shot wasn't dropping," Carson said. "But after halftime I could see my shot was beginning to fall. I started to roll off the pick that (Burge) was giving me, and that's when things started happening." La Reina advanced to Wednesday's CIF-SS Division VAA quarterfinal round, where they hosted top-seeded Whittier Christian. A final score wasn't available prior to press time. Also on Saturday, the Agoura girls' water polo team lost to Laguna Beach. In girls' basketball, Oak Park was defeated by Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks, while Oaks Christian got past Chaminade. In girls' soccer, Agoura, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks all won their Division II openers. Oaks Christian, Oak Park, Viewpoint and Grace Brethren all advanced in their respective divisions as well. Each team played Wednesday in Round 2. Tuesday, Feb. 19 Boys' basketball St. Joseph at Oaks Christian After squeezing by Ribet Academy 55-54 in the opening round of the CIFSS Division IIIAA playoffs, Oaks Christian hosted a redhot St. Joseph squad in Round 2. St. Joseph entered the contest with eight consecutive victories, but it was OCHS who built a 2018 first-quarter lead. The Lions trailed by only two points at halftime. Early in the third quarter, however, St. Joseph went on an 11-2 run to stretch its lead to 42-31. Oak Christian (217) never recovered, and St. Joseph's guardoriented attack pressured its way to a 68-55 victory. "They are a hustling team," said Oaks Christian junior guard Tyler McGrath, who scored a team-high 17 points. "They aren't very tall, but they are athletic and very strong down low, especially in the post. Their guards eventually took over." Columbia-bound swingman Matt Johnson- Oak Christian's regular-season leader in rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and 3pointers, and the team's second-leading scorer- had a frustrating night. Following a few dazzling assists early on, Johnson was stymied throughout. He scored his first and only basket of the game on a layup with 6:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. "My shots weren't really there, and I kind of started to stand around a little bit," Johnson said. "Everybody started trying to do things on their own, and that's always been one of our weaknesses- whenever guys go one-on-one." Seniors Chris Owusu and Isaiah Kempf each scored 13 points for OCHS. As disappointing as the loss was, both McGrath and Johnson said the season- one of the most successful in Oaks Christian history- was tremendous. "I love these guys," McGrath said. "These guys are my best friends, and it was a special team." Also on Tuesday night, the Viewpoint boys' basketball team lost to Twentynine Palms 71-52 in the Division IVA quarterfinals. Senior Brandon Gumaer led the Patriots (20-8) with 18 points. Senior Daniel Winters added 13 points for VHS. "This one doesn't hurt as much as last year because we overachieved this season," head coach Mike Talamantes said. |
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