Girls’ Game a One-Man Show

In a long-awaited matchup of two powerhouse girls’ basketball teams seeking a challenge, only Erin Stovall left not finding much of one.

The Woodbridge High junior guard had 33 points and nine steals and dismantled previously unbeaten Buena, 63-50, almost singlehandedly Saturday night before an overflow crowd of about 1,700 at Buena.

Buena’s answer to Stovall’s quickness was supposed to be Eboni Conley, but the senior guard was sidelined because of a knee injury suffered Thursday. The extent of the injury won’t be known until Conley undergoes a examination next week.

Without Conley’s ballhandling and defense, Buena watched in astonishment in the first half as Stovall racked up 18 points and five steals to help Woodbridge to a 35-26 lead.

“[Stovall] is absolutely amazing,” Buena center Nicole Greathouse said. “I couldn’t believe how quick she is.

“We missed Eboni. She is such a big part of our team; you can’t even measure it in words.”

Woodbridge (22-2) and Buena (21-1) entered the nonleague showcase ranked Nos. 7 and 8, respectively, in the USA Today national poll. Woodbridge proved it deserves higher billing.

In addition to Stovall, senior forward Melanie Pearson played well, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Pearson (6 feet 1), who has signed to attend UCLA, ran the floor like a guard and made several shots from the perimeter.

“We had some good runs and we played very good defense,” Woodbridge Coach Pat Quinn said.

Greathouse, a 6-1 junior center, was Buena’s primary weapon, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She and Bulldog forward Stephanie Kinnear got into foul trouble early in the second half, however, thwarting any chance of a comeback.

Woodbridge led only 27-26 with four minutes to play in the first half, but a 10-foot basket by Stovall followed by consecutive baskets by teammates Pearson, Tami Weaver and Nicole Roberts gave the Warriors a nine-point lead at the break.

“We needed to stay off the jets and control the tempo,” Buena Coach Joe Vaughan said. “But in the second quarter we didn’t do that.”

Woodbridge, the defending state Division II champion, quickly assumed control in the third period with Pearson and Stovall each making two baskets to extend the lead to 44-28. Stovall made two layups in the first 40 seconds of the fourth quarter to give Woodbridge a 52-36 advantage.