GIRLS’ I-AA DIVISION : All’s Well That Ends Well for Lynwood

For Lynwood, the journey to the Southern Section I-AA girls’ basketball championship was long and strange.

It culminated Saturday at Loyola Marymount’s Albert Gersten Pavilion when Lynwood defeated Capistrano Valley, 58-41, to win the I-AA title.

Timicha Kirby, a junior forward, led Lynwood with 21 points.

The Knights led by as many as 20 points during the second half, and Capistrano Valley got no closer than seven points.

Lynwood (27-0) remained the only undefeated team in the CIF Southern Section after Ventura Buena (23-3) upset Thousand Oaks (29-1), 44-43, for the I-A championship earlier Saturday.

The Knights’ I-AA championship is surprising, considering it lost three starters from last season. Kirby, Tawana Grimes and Shannel Tapusoa replaced them.

Also, Lynwood did not have a coach for the first week of practice.

A controversy resulted in the preseason resignation of Coach Maurice Roberson. Ellis Barfield, the former junior varsity coach, was promoted in November.

Barfield was suspended six months ago for coaching Lynwood players in an off-season tournament, a violation of Southern Section rules.

A school investigation revealed that Roberson had ordered Barfield to coach the players in that tournament. Roberson resigned and Barfield was named varsity coach.

Lynwood defeated Long Beach Poly, 56-37 in the semifinals to reach the final.

The Knights had lost in last season’s I-AA final to Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Capistrano Valley defeated Long Beach Millikan, 86-60, in double overtime in the semifinal to reach the final.

It was the Cougars’ first appearance in a final.