GIRLS’ ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAME : Poway’s Fortney Helps County Hold Off City

Poway’s Christy Fortney didn’t want to lose her perspective. She simply preferred not to lose.

Fortney, playing for the County All-Star girls’ basketball team Saturday night at Serra High, had a chance to do something she hadn’t done in the regular season: go out a winner.

Against the slightly favored City All-Stars, Fortney’s wish was granted. The County let a 14-point fourth-quarter lead vanish but held on to win, 67-65.

“This was a big deal to me,” said Fortney, whose team lost to Division I section champion Mt. Carmel the last two out of five times they met. “To me, our season ended on a sour note, and I knew I’d feel a lot better having it end this way. It’s a lot more positive note for me.”

Fortney led the County in scoring with 13 points and had seven rebounds. Point Loma’s Tyeast Brown (20 points) and Ericka Crittenden (13) led the City. Brown and Oceanside’s Mildred Conston each had 11 rebounds.

The County’s third-quarter scoring spree proved to be the City’s eventual undoing. After a first half of see-saw scoring--the County won the first quarter, 18-9, the City the second, 21-9--the County came out, dismantled the City’s defense and energized its own offense.

“We slipped in the second quarter, and we talked about that at halftime,” said County Coach Jay Trousdale of Poway. “We didn’t play our best, and we worked on getting our fast break going.”

Trailing, 30-27, at the half, the County then went at such a pace that the City didn’t know quite what had hit it. It was 50-37 at the end of three quarters.

“Early in the third quarter, we came out very strong and more fired up,” Fortney said.

The City began its comeback in the fourth, paced by Brown (two field goals) and Crittenden (five of eight from the foul line and a bank shot). But Crittenden was benched with four fouls midway through the period, then returned and fouled out with 5:44 remaining.

With 19 seconds left, the City’s Stacy Kasimatis (Mira Mesa) scored from the inside to make it 67-64. Tammy Tavares (Our Lady of Peace) then grabbed it away from the County and tried to tie it with a three-pointer with eight seconds left, but her attempt as she was fouled fell short, and her one successful free throw closed the scoring.