La Cañada girls’ basketball ousted by JW North in second round
Though it struggled on offense throughout most of the first quarter, there was still plenty of time for the La Cañada High girls’ basketball team to regroup and make a comeback.
Seventh-seeded La Cañada found itself with a double-digit deficit entering the second quarter and nearly came all the way back before succumbing to 10th-seeded JW North, 49-44, in a CIF Southern Section Division I-A second-round road contest Saturday.
Still, it turned out to be a successful season for the Spartans (23-6). They won the Rio Hondo League championship for the second straight season and began the playoffs with a 60-33 home win against Redlands East Valley.
La Cañada trailed, 17-6, after the first quarter and pulled to within 22-16 at halftime.
“We just started out cold with our shooting in the first quarter and then we had to play catch-up,” said La Cañada second-year Coach Sarah Beattie, who piloted the Spartans to the Division III-A championship game last season. “Things got a lot better starting in the second quarter and they stayed with it.
“It’s a huge step moving up two divisions and we accomplished a lot over the last two seasons. They embraced the move up in division.”
JW North (20-6) held a 36-32 lead entering the fourth quarters. The Huskies, who placed third in the Inland Valley League, then held off a late charge by the Spartans.
“We made some adjustments on defense and then we began to start making some shots,” said Beattie, the reigning All-Area Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year. “JW North has a very fast and athletic team and they shoot the ball very well.
“We did everything we could to stay with them.”
La Cañada received 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks from Zoe Williams. It also got 10 points from Alexi Nazarian and seven points and four steals from Brooke Yasuda.
“We were able to start getting the ball inside to Zoe [in the second half],” said Beattie, who has 52 career victories. “She got the double-double and had another great game.”
In two postseason games, Williams finished with 38 points and 27 rebounds.
