Crescenta Valley girls’ basketball falls in tournament title game
LA CRESCENTA — Though this season’s Crescenta Valley High girls’ basketball team is primarily a new team, trying to win the Falcon Tip-Off Classic remains a longstanding priority.
Crescenta Valley had an opportunity Friday to win the tournament for the first time since 2013 when it met Granada Hills.
Unfortunately for Crescenta Valley, it couldn’t get its offense on track and registered its lowest point total in the four-day tournament following a 48-31 defeat.
It marked the third straight season the Falcons (3-1) lost in the tournament championship game since topping West Ranch in 2013.
Still, the loss didn’t leave Crescenta Valley Coach Jason Perez discouraged.
“We needed a game like that,” said Perez, who guided Crescenta Valley to the CIF Southern Section Division I-A championship last season. “We missed a lot of free throws and layups and we didn’t get as many rebounds as normal.
“So, you learn from that and move on. It’s a new team for the most part and I’m happy with the way we played [in the tournament].”
Crescenta Valley advanced to the title game after defeating Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Knight and Thousand Oaks. Granada Hills (4-0) picked up tournament victories against West Ranch, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Antelope Valley.
Granada Hills looked like the fresher of the teams Friday.
The Highlanders, who reached the L.A. City Section Open Division semifinals last season, held a 16-7 advantage after the first quarter. They had six second-chance points to frustrate the Falcons and force Perez to call two timeouts.
Janelle Jiron of Granada Hills finished with 11 points, including five in the first quarter. She scored on a layup with 10 seconds left in the quarter to make it 16-7.
Granada Hills’ Marlene Salazar had a buzzer-beating shot at halftime to give the Highlanders a 25-14 lead.
Crescenta Valley, which advanced to the second round of the state tournament last season, trimmed the deficit to 33-21 on a three-pointer from senior guard Michelle Gee with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter. The Highlanders then held the Falcons at bay the remainder of the contest.
Gee, who finished with a team-high 10 points, said the Falcons made some strides throughout the tournament.
“I thought we did a lot of good things, but we need to work in some areas such as boxing out,” Gee said. “It’s just about trying to get better as a whole and we will.”
Crescenta Valley got six points and seven rebounds from Rachel Dayag and five points from Sarah Perez.
Granada Hills received an impressive effort from Emily Mitchell, who contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jiron added 10 rebounds for the Highlanders, who got eight points from Salazar and four assists from Brianna Torres.
