Tauau Leads Win Over Westlake

The poster on the Channel Islands High gymnasium wall read: “The juniors are leading the way.”

And so they did. Junior Sal Tauau scored 26 points and had 19 rebounds as host Channel Islands defeated Westlake, 59-47, in a battle for first place in the Marmonte League girls’ basketball race.

The 6-foot center had 14 points in the first half, helping the Raiders rebound from a six-point deficit at the end of the first quarter.

Channel Islands (17-4, 6-0 in league play) embarked on a 10-3 run to begin the second quarter. Tauau scored seven of the 10 points and capped the surge by picking up a loose ball and making a basket with 5:07 remaining in the half to put Channel Islands ahead, 19-18.

The score was tied, 29-29, at halftime, but Channel Islands broke loose in the third quarter, riding a strong defense and Tauau’s offense--she scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in the quarter. The Raiders led, 46-39, heading into the final quarter.

“Let’s face it, it was Sal’s night,” Westlake High Coach Nancy Bowman said. “You’ve got a double threat out there with Tauau and Candice Carper. If you take one out, you have the other to worry about.”

Carper, a 5-11 junior forward who had been averaging 16 points a game, scored 11 and played strong defense.

In the first quarter, however, it was all Westlake (17-2, 5-1). Dani O’Byrne had four points and two steals to help the Warriors to a 15-9 lead.

O’Byrne and Melissa Gische led the scoring for Westlake with 12 points each.

“We knew they were good. They have some great shooters,” Channel Islands Coach Ryle Lynch-Cole said. “We extended the defense and played it right.”

It was not so for Westlake.

“The kids weren’t as on as they usually are,” Bowman said.