Fairfax girls are out to prove they’re no paper lions

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When it comes to basketball, most of the attention at Fairfax centers around the boys’ team. After all, it’s the reigning state Division I champion and one of the best programs, if not the best, in the City Section.

This season, though, there’s another pride of lions doing the school proud. The girls’ squad might not be tops in the City, but it’s been preying on Western League opponents for three weeks and is winning as impressively as the ‘other’ team on campus.

Sure, the Lady Lions (20-6 overall, 7-0 in league) still have five league games left, but they essentially wrapped up first place with Friday night’s 78-53 rout of Venice, which lost by only two points on its home floor in the teams’ league opener Jan. 7. Having fought off its most serious challenger, Fairfax next travels to Palisades on Wednesday and Hamilton on Friday.

Coach Judi Edwards’ team returners six players from a squad that finished second in league last winter. Fairfax’s tallest player, 6’ 1’ sophomore Jasmine Grayson, is the only underclassman. Rounding out the roster are five seniors and five juniors, led by guards Gloria Lee (11.7 ppg) and Priscilla Walker (10.5 ppg).

The Lions have won eight in a row and 11 of their last 12. If they can keep this streak going, they’ll not only steal some of the boys’ headlines but also be in the hunt for the City title with favorites Narbonne and Chatsworth.

-- Steve Galluzzo, guest blogger