Camarillo Girls Exceed Expectations

Before the season started, Camarillo High girls’ basketball Coach Jack Willard predicted that his team would finish third in the Marmonte League and would be fortuntate to make the playoffs.

Willard, however, proved to be a better coach than an odds maker. The Scorpions (19-6, 9-3) finished tied for second with Channel Islands and qualified for the playoffs for the second time in school history. They are seeded third in the Southern Section 4-AA Division.

Nicole Victoria, a 5-6 junior guard, and Angie Long, a 5-9 senior center, led the team in scoring and rebounding, respectively. But Willard believes the improved play of junior forward Dahrl Burrage made the difference.

“The key to our season was how well Dahrl matured,” Willard said. “She took the pressure off our other two scorers and was the critical person in our offense.

Burrage, the younger sister of Santa Clara forward Bubba Burrage, improved her scoring average from 3.0 to 10.2 points and her rebounding average from 3.1 to 9.2.

Willard said he had trouble locating school records for girls’ basketball, but according to his research, Victoria set records this season for points in a season (468) and points in a career (1,257). Long scored 34 points against Newbury Park this season to set the record.