Hart Finds Way to Deliver a Royal Drubbing, 56-42

Royal High girls’ basketball Coach Mike Kohl didn’t mince words or make excuses after watching a talented Hart squad trounce the Highlanders, 56-42, Saturday in a Southern Section Division I-A first-round playoff game at Hart High.

“I thought they pretty much outplayed us the whole game,” Kohl said.

Indeed, but never was it more obvious than in the first quarter, which proved critical.

Hart closed out the first quarter with a 12-0 run and held the Highlanders scoreless in the final four minutes of the quarter to claim an 18-5 lead. The rest was academic.

“We always come out and play hard on defense right away,” said Hart’s Candace Boller, who had seven of her nine rebounds in the first half.

Hart (21-5), Foothill League champions which has won 14 consecutive games, will face Thousand Oaks in the second round.

Royal (15-9), which tied for third in the Marmonte League, closed to 26-19 on a three-point basket by Alicia Weber, but never threatened again.

Hart’s Amanda Hoaglund made sure of that by scoring 10 of her 14 points in the first half, converting five of 12 (42%) shots.

“Amanda just hit shot after shot,” Boller said.

Hart used a balanced attack to beat Royal at its own game. The Indians had three players in double figures.

Meanwhile, Royal, which features four starters with double-figure averages, got double-digit points from only Weber, who had 13, and Teresa Russell, who scored 10.

Melissa Harrison, a 5-foot-10 junior forward who finished with 18 points, was one of three Indians with seven or more rebounds. Boller had 13 points.

With less than a minute left in the third period, the Indians extended their lead to 17 points on a basket by reserve Gina Sikand, who converted a rebound.

The strong post play by Boller and Harrison proved too much for Royal, which had trouble defending passes on picks in the front court.

The Indians scored 10 points off inbound passes under the basket.

“I knew what they were gonna do with those back picks and lobs, but I guess the girls just weren’t ready for that,” Kohl said.