2 With Star Quality: Point Loma, Vista Clearly Girls’ Best : Standouts Filer, Enger Make the Difference for Basketball Teams That Few Will Challenge

A few members of the San Diego High School boys’ basketball team wandered into the gym after practice to check out a girls’ game between San Diego and Point Loma. It’s halftime, but the only reason the teams will play two more quarters is that the rule book requires it. Point Loma has put this game away early.

“That’s not the score is it?” says one player, pointing to the scoreboard that reads Point Loma 44, San Diego 14.

“Yup,” says another.

“What kind of a score is that?” asks a nearby spectator.

The answer is easy. It’s the kind teams get used to when they play Point Loma (15-1), the class of the City Eastern League and the team to beat in San Diego County. Vista of the Palomar League ranks close behind, but Point Loma scored a 54-44 knockout victory over the Panthers (12-2) in a spirited battle that featured Point Loma’s slick point guard, Monica Filer, and Vista’s 6-feet 4-inch center, Chris Enger.

Filer--or, as the back of her warmup jacket reads, “Lady Ice”--is a little girl (5-6) with big stats and was a preseason All-American in Street and Smith magazine. Filer swerves around defenses, flips no-look passes to teammates, breaks into a smile with equal speed after the ensuing layup and is just a general pain-in-the-zone for opponents. She has been for four seasons, three as a starter.

Enger, named to USA Today’s Super 25 team, is appropriately dominant inside in scoring (27.3 points per game) and rebounding (11.8). The county’s players look up to her, literally and figuratively. Her shots get blocked about as often as people get real butter on popcorn at the movies.

Among the other teams in the county, Santana is good. Poway and Patrick Henry are having nice seasons. But the difference is that Santana, Poway and Patrick Henry don’t have Enger or Filer.

“Right now, as far as experience and overall talent, (Vista and Point Loma) probably have the best teams,” Vista Coach Joe DeMaria said. “(Enger and Filer) are the two reasons why our teams are as good as they are.”

Filer averages 23.3 points, but her true joy is passing. Fancy. She learns her stuff going to the gym and playing with the guys. She got used to being a passer rather than a shooter when she played with Terri Mann, an All-American who led the Pointers to four consecutive state titles from 1984-87. Mann didn’t have trouble handling Filer’s rocket passes, and Filer didn’t hesitate to try anything.

“Terri and I would go to the gym and play ball, and a guy would do a nice move and I’d say ‘Hey, Terri. I’m going to try that next time we play.’ ”

Enger doesn’t need to fool around. Those nice, short turnaround shots will do just fine. When given the opportunity, why not take the easy way? No need to shoot from the perimeter.

“It’s a lot easier to take 6- or 7-foot bank shots,” DeMaria said. “Sometimes it’s too easy.”

So it seems. Vista and Point Loma have won a few games by lopsided scores this season. Vista clubbed San Dieguito Tuesday, 62-20. The final score of Point Loma’s victory over San Diego Wednesday was 73-29. And therein lies the problem. The girls want to play hard, but if they run up ridiculous scores, people complain.

Because of its full-court press, Point Loma hears a lot more complaints than Vista. Pointer Coach Lee Trepanier received an anonymous letter from an angry parent after his team routed Mt. Miguel, 97-10, this season. Trepanier figures he knows his business better than parents and fans, so he doesn’t usually pay much attention to negative mail.

“I’m not changing my style of coaching for anybody,” Trepanier said. “I think I know a little bit about the game. I (don’t have to) explain to parents how to run (the team).”

Mt. Miguel Coach Sue Stinchcomb doesn’t expect explanations, but she doesn’t necessarily approve, either.

“They’re ruthless,” she said. “It bothers me, but I can’t blame Point Loma for doing it. It’s not something I would do.”

Point Loma proved vincible last season when it was knocked out of the playoffs by Mount Carmel in the semifinals and was thus dethroned after four consecutive CIF section and state titles. This season against Chino, a team with superior front-line height, the Pointers lost for the first time at home since 1980. But Trepanier has no regrets.

“If you don’t play the best,” he said, “you never know what you can do.”

San Diego’s best have met for the last time this year. Point Loma, a Division II school, opted to compete in Division I this year. Because Vista stayed in Division II, it won’t have a chance for the much-sought rematch.

“I think we could beat them,” Enger said. “It wouldn’t be at their home gym where we played them before. I still see Terri Mann there in my mind.”

Separating Vista and Point Loma for the San Diego playoffs should allow both teams to compete at the state tournament, strengthening the representation from San Diego.

Santana (10-2) heads the list of other top teams in the county. The Sultans of the Grossmont 2-A League are led by two talented forwards: junior Rebecca Aase and sophomore Stephanie Thompson.

Poway (10-6) probably won’t challenge Vista for the Palomar title but has been consistent and balanced this season, led by guard/forward Dawn Gigstad (10.1 points per game), guard Christy Fortney (10) and center Laura Nugent (9.3).

Patrick Henry (10-4) of the City Eastern League is coasting along behind forward/guard Sorri Epps (16-point average) and center Rochelle Johnson (20).