Royal Cuts Down Nets and Simi Valley, 52-36

Call it a net gain.

Royal High’s 52-36 victory over Simi Valley on Friday night allowed the Highlanders to cut down the nets as Marmonte League girls’ basketball champions for the first time in 16 seasons.

The opportunity to snip away at history and nylon was all the motivation Royal players needed to overcome a 26-24 third-quarter deficit at Royal.

“[The players] told me, ‘You better have a ladder ready, coach, because we’re cutting down the net tonight,’ ” Royal Coach Mike Kohl said.

The Highlanders (23-3, 12-2 in league play) finished the regular season tied with Thousand Oaks (17-7, 12-2) for first place.

Simi Valley (12-11, 6-8), which was 5-3 at one stage, lost for the fifth time in six games, but still clinched the Marmonte’s fourth playoff spot because it owned the tie-breaker over Newbury Park (11-13, 6-8).

Thousand Oaks, which defeated Newbury Park Friday night, claimed its third consecutive co-championship.

Royal was just happy to get its first.

For Highlander Jessica Sanders, the victory was even sweeter coming against a cross-town rival and nemesis, a team that won 26 of the previous 31 meetings between the schools.

“Two years ago, they clinched the championship against us and started cutting down the net before we could get out of the gym,” said Sanders, who had five points and seven rebounds. “We wanted this chance, not to rub their noses in it, but because it hurt so much and it had been such a long time.”

Indeed. Many of the Highlanders were not born when Royal last won a league title in 1981-82.

“This was the biggest win in our program’s history,” said Kohl, whose team had a chance to clinch the championship outright Wednesday, but fell to Thousand Oaks, 45-32.

Guard Alicia Weber scored eight of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, when Royal extended a tenuous 32-28 lead.

Teresa Russell collected seven points, 18 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals for Royal.

Elise Metcalf scored nine points for Simi Valley, which committed turnovers on its first six possessions of the final quarter.

“Up until the fourth quarter, [everything] was fine,” said Pioneer guard Jamie Sturdivant. “Then, turnover after turnover just killed us.”

Sturdivant, who suffered minor injuries in an automobile accident Thursday, was the focus of the Highlanders’ box-and-one defense and was limited to three points.