CHRISTIAN SCHOOL FINALS : West Simi Girls Get First Championship; Camarillo Boys Win

The players from the West Simi Christian girls’ basketball team giggled, screamed and hugged one another throughout the fourth quarter Thursday night as they defeated West Valley Christian, 29-23, for the Christian Schools Athletic Conference basketball championship at the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo.

In the boys’ championship game, Pat Nash’s 15-foot jump shot with nine seconds left enabled Christian Church School of Camarillo to defeat Jenkins Christian Academy, 59-57, and win its second consecutive CSAC championship.

Nash finished with 20 points while teammate Alex Porter added 16. Christian Church finished with 12 straight wins and a 14-2 record. Jenkins Academy, which finished 12-2, was led by Robert Morales, who scored 28 points.

West Simi’s victory marked the culmination of a remarkable turnaround in its program.

Entering the season, the Eagles had not won a game in more than two years. Their last victory was in the Southern Section Small Schools Division.

This season, West Simi moved to the CSAC, an organization independent of the CIF, and almost immediately became a power.

After losing its first two games (both to West Valley), West Simi reeled off 16 straight victories to win the school’s first title in any sport.

Coach Lisa Preston was elated after the game.

“I’m literally just shocked,” Preston said. “I don’t know exactly how to put it in words. It’s really amazing, but I always knew we could be a winning team.”

West Simi was paced by senior guard Denise Teegen, who scored eight points. Teammate Julie DePrey had seven points and Donnell Johnson added six.

West Valley, which suffered its first loss, was led by Suzanne Foster’s six points. West Valley finished with a record of 12-1.