National Power to Face Buena Girls

Vinnie Cannizzaro, the basketball coach whose Christ The King High girls’ teams have won 83% of their games in the past 10 years, wanted to test his squad’s talent at the national level this season.

Christ The King, from Middle Village, N. Y., was 26-0 last season, won its first state championship and finished No. 1 in the USA Today Top 25 poll. Five starters, including three preseason All-Americans, returned this season and Christ The King remained No. 1 in the polls conducted by USA Today and other publications.

Cannizzaro scheduled six teams nationwide that were among those ranked in preseason polls. Thus, after trips to Tennessee and Virginia, Christ The King will meet Buena, ranked 23rd this week by USA Today, tonight at 8 at Ventura College.

“We finished No. 1 last season and had all our starters coming back, so we wanted to play the toughest schedule we could,” said Cannizzaro, who has a 159-33 record.

Cannizzaro’s plan has not been executed to perfection. Christ The Kings has dropped a pair of games, slipping to 10-2 and No. 7 in USA Today’s poll.

Christ The King lost, 78-67, in overtime to Bishop O’Connell, Va., in the final of the Christ The King Tournament of Champions in December. Then, Christ The King traveled to Shelbyville, Tenn., to face USA Today’s top-ranked team in front of 3,500 last Saturday and limped away with a 75-42 loss.

“We knew full well that we’d risk the possibility of losing some games,” Cannizzaro said. “But we felt it was more important for us, as a team, to play the best and develop from it.”

Buena Coach Joe Vaughan, whose team was ranked second in the state in a preseason poll by Cal-Hi Sports magazine, believed that his Bulldogs could not pass on such an opportunity.

Vaughan heard Cannizzaro had set up a game against Brea-Olinda, currently ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division II, that will be played Saturday. Vaughan called Cannizzaro and offered a game against Buena. Under Vaughan the Bulldogs have won two Southern Section titles and finished as runners-up four times--including last season when they dropped a 49-45 decision to Hart in the 5-A Division title game and finished 26-2.

Vaughan made the offer despite the fact that Buena (13-1) also will play Channel League contests Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week. “It’s a busy week, but it’s a great experience for our kids and a big step for our program,” Vaughan said.

Apparently a good portion of Ventura County believes the same. More than 700 tickets have been sold for an evening of festivities that will include a chicken dinner at 5 p.m. before the game. More than 2,000 are expected to attend the game, which will feature four Street & Smith’s preseason All-Americans.

Christ the King is led by 5-foot-8 guard Debby Hemery, a fourth-team All-American who is averaging 10 points and seven assists and has orally committed to attend George Washington University. Nakia Hill, a 6-4 center, is a sixth-team All-American who is averaging 17 points.

Forward Darlene Saar (16 points, 8 rebounds), a 6-1 senior and an honorable-mention All-American, has committed to George Washington. Guard Grace Kelley, a 5-10 senior, is averaging 14 points and will attend St. John’s.

Buena counters with senior Mia Palkie, a 5-8 honorable-mention All-American who has committed to attend Utah, and Cal State Fullerton-bound guard Lianne Ishikawa.