DIVISION V GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Stutz, Shadwell Usher in Another Christian Title

Could it be that as the Tiffany Stutz era comes to a close, the Stephanie Shadwell era is being ushered in?

Both were instrumental in Christian’s 75-47 stampede over Julian in the San Diego Section Division V girls’ basketball championship Saturday morning at the Sports Arena.

In this contest, defending champion Christian put on a balanced defensive and offensive performance that warmed up the arena for the five games that followed.

Stutz, a senior, was the county’s second-leading scorer during the regular season (24 points per game), and a big part of Christian’s trip to the state finals last year. Saturday, she had nine rebounds and a game-high 35 points.

“We knew we weren’t going to shut her down,” Julian Coach Carl Focarelli said. “We just didn’t think she’d get that many.”

But the surprise, and hope for the Patriots’ immediate future was the effort of Shadwell, a 5-foot-9 freshman who made the pressure of playing in her first championship look positively passe.

“All year, my coach and my teammates kept telling me, ‘Don’t think of yourself as a freshman, you’re not a freshman,’ ” said Shadwell, who pulled down 19 rebounds, scored 20 points, had seven assists and made 11 steals.

“She rose to the occasion,” Christian Coach Mike Zazvrskey said of Shadwell. “We don’t think of her as a freshman.”

Zazvrskey suggested that part of the reason Shadwell was so at home at the Sports Arena was that she has played three youth soccer championships there.

“She’s used to playing in here,” he said.

Julian wasn’t, and the Eagles were a bit unnerved by the experience, Focarelli said.

“We’ve never been in this situation,” he said. “The girls were confident they could come in here and compete, but they didn’t know what to expect and they didn’t really stay focused.”

Christian (19-4) didn’t know what to expect from Julian (19-10), but had heard about the Eagles’ 6-1 center Jennifer Hekel, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Jenny Culbertson (11 points), Christian’s only other senior, was given Hekel duty, and “did a fine job of containing her,” Zazvrskey said. In fact, Hekel was one of the reasons Christian opted for a full court man-to-man defense, which gradually wore down not only Hekel, but the entire Julian bunch.

“That press gave us problems from the beginning,” Focarelli said. “It really hurt us. “The score’s 10-8, then all of the sudden we look up and its 17-10.”

Christian did take a 10-8 first-quarter lead that Hekel tied, but then the Patriots went on an 11-point run for a 21-10 lead with 1:18 left.

Going into the second quarter leading 26-14, Shadwell scored six consecutive points to put Christian out of reach.

Still, Zazvrskey’s intensity never waned--not with Christian’s dismal semifinal performance against Marian fresh in his mind.

“I feel much better,” he said. “This was one of our better efforts.”

For Stutz, it was one of her last as a Patriot, which made the victory a little bittersweet.

“This was really a fun game, but now, for me and Jen, every one could be the last,” she said. “It’s kind of sad.”