THOUSAND OAKS GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT : Palmdale’s Coupland Throttles Palmisano

Identify the player:

Power forward. Wears goggles. Plays for a team that has won several league championships during the 1980s.

James Worthy, perhaps?

Try Nicole Coupland, 5-foot-10 senior forward for the Palmdale High girls’ basketball team.

Coupland gave a defensive performance worthy of recognition Thursday night, shutting down Thousand Oaks’ Michelle Palmisano in Palmdale’s 52-46 win over the Lancers (7-5) in the Thousand Oaks tournament.

Palmdale (11-2) moves into Saturday’s championship final against Westlake.

Thursday’s meeting was the third this season between Palmdale and Thousand Oaks, and the Lancers are once, twice, three times a loser.

The sharp-shooting Palmisano, who had 39 and 21 points in the two previous defeats, scored a game-high 20 this time but was made just five of 15 attempts from the field under duress from Coupland and the double-teaming Falcons.

Palmdale never trailed after taking the lead late in the first period. The Falcons, who forced 29 turnovers, led, 29-20, at halftime and, 40-30, after three periods.

But led by a determined Palmisano, who scored eight of her points in the fourth quarter, Thousand Oaks made a late charge, closing to 48-44 on a jump shot by the sophomore guard. But that’s as close as the Lancers could get. Palmdale got two free throws by Kim Schielke and a layup by Coupland to pull away at the end.

Martania Blair led Palmdale with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Karee Bonde and Schielke chipped in with 12 and 10 points for the Falcons.

Thousand Oaks got 12 points from Suzanne Nelinger and 13 rebounds from Palmisano.

In other tournament games:

Westlake 64, Channel Islands 57--Westlake (10-1) converted 11 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off Channel Islands (9-4) and advance to Saturday’s championship game.

The Warriors used just five players until Dani O’Byrne fouled out with nine seconds to play. O’Byrne led Westlake with 18 points, including five of seven from the line in the fourth period.

Tracy Thorp (16 points), Melissa Gische (15) and Lauren Goldstine (13) also scored in double figures for Westlake, which held the Raiders to five-of-16 shooting in the fourth period.

Channel Islands’ Candis Carper led all scorers with 21 points.

Notre Dame 51, Nordhoff 43--Julie Nelson and Shannon McGlothlin scored 16 and 14 points to lead Notre Dame into the consolation final against Pasadena.

Pasadena 71, El Camino Real 51--Anita Bilbowssian scored 28 points, including nine three-point baskets, to deny El Camino Real a berth in the consolation final.

Nicole Nelson (14 points), Cathy Balint (13) and Angela Rich (10) all scored in double figures for El Camino Real.