Detmer’s 30 Points Spark Lancers

Jenn Detmer is bound for Stanford on a volleyball scholarship.

But she gave her best impression of a top-notch basketball player Tuesday night, scoring 30 points to lead Thousand Oaks High to a 71-54 victory over Royal in a Marmonte League girls’ basketball game at Royal.

Detmer, a senior center, helped the Lancers (15-5, 9-2 in league play) remain in first place.

“We had to have this game,” she said. “We have to win all of these. We went into league [play] knowing it was going to be tough, and this was an important game.”

Four teams, including Royal, were tied for first entering the game, and the Highlanders (13-7, 8-3) had beaten Thousand Oaks, 61-58, in the first meeting three weeks ago.

Royal took its best shot at an encore. Neither team led by more than five points until the last six minutes, but beating the 6-foot-3 Detmer and the Lancers twice in league play proved too tall an order.

Detmer made 11 of 18 shots, including six of eight in the first half. In addition, she made eight of 11 free throws and had 14 rebounds, four steals and five assists.

The Lancers got 13 points and six rebounds from Elena Salvador and 10 points and two rebounds off the bench from Katie Stanulis.

They all helped Thousand Oaks pull away in the fourth quarter for its eighth consecutive victory.

The Lancers, who trailed, 33-30, at halftime after the Highlanders outscored them, 11-2, in the last two minutes of the second quarter, rallied for a 46-44 lead entering the fourth period.

The score remained close in the opening minutes of the quarter, with Thousand Oaks clinging to a 53-51 lead with 5:42 to play.

Then Detmer and Stanulis combined to score eight of the Lancers’ next 10 points for a 63-51 advantage with three minutes to go. The spurt continued and turned into an 18-0 run for a 71-51 advantage before Royal’s Amber Shores hit a three-point shot with 18 seconds to play.

Detmer, who scored 13 of her points in the second quarter, had five during the Lancers’ final outburst.

Royal missed nine of its last 10 shots, as well as three free throws in the last 5:42, and Thousand Oaks outscored the Highlanders, 25-10, in the fourth quarter.

“I was really proud of our last quarter,” Thousand Oaks Coach Chuck Brown said.

Thousand Oaks made seven of 10 shots in the fourth quarter and was 27 of 53 for the game. Royal was three for 13 in the fourth quarter and 19 of 48 overall.

Sarah Parola led the Highlanders with 15 points, including 10 in the second quarter, and had four steals. Teresa Russell had nine points and seven rebounds.