SIMI VALLEY GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT : Westlake’s Showdown Ends in 59-45 Letdown

It was a match-up that Westlake High had been waiting for.

The opportunity to play perennial girls’ basketball powerhouse Buena would, once and for all, show just how good the Warriors are.

As it turns out, they are not quite good enough. The Bulldogs (9-0), top-ranked in the Southern Section’s 5-A Division, beat Westlake, 59-45, in the championship game of the Simi Valley tournament Saturday night.

Still, it was as close as anyone had come to beating Buena in the tournament, and the Warriors were in contention until Bulldog forward Jennifer Wells got hot in the fourth quarter.

Westlake Coach Nancy Bowman was not disheartened by the loss.

“I think the girls needed this to show that we could play with a team of this caliber,” she said.

Westlake (8-1) pulled to within five points several times, but Wells connected for 16 of her game-high 18 points in the final period.

Teammate Nicole Ellis, the tournament’s most valuable player, added 16 points.

Guard Dani O’Byrne led the Warriors with 14 points, and Melissa Gische scored 12 and Lauren Goldstine added 10.

Hart 62, Simi Valley 44--Sara Wilson scored 26 points to lead the Indians (9-2) in the third-place game. Teammate Anjanette Dionne added 13 points.

Josie Kosanke scored 13 points for Simi Valley (6-5).

Ventura 47, Newbury Park 42--Kym Hagemann scored 12 points in a losing effort in the fifth-place game. Cori Herman paced the Ventura with 18 points.

Santa Clara 44, La Reina 35--Heather Freeman scored 20 points but they were not enough for La Reina in the consolation final. Santa Clara led at halftime, 24-14.

Arroyo Grande 49, Canoga Park 37--The Eagles broke open a 26-23 contest when they outscored the Hunters, 13-5, in the third quarter of the seventh-place game. Soo Yoon scored 18 points and Caryl Lee added 11 for Canoga Park (4-3).