Shout It Out: Alemany Girls Win

At the conclusion of the girls’ basketball season, Mission Hills Alemany High Coach Melissa Hearlihy might require surgery on her vocal chords, the casualty of 13 years of yelling sideline instructions in packed gymnasiums.

In recent weeks, she often has been reduced to whispers, and once had to use a microphone simply to be heard by her players at practice.

Her team, however, is putting together another playoff run to shout about.

Alemany, attempting to advance to a Southern Section final for the sixth time in seven seasons, defeated Barstow, 81-65, Wednesday night in a Division III-AA quarterfinal at Bell-Jeff High in Burbank.

The top-seeded Indians (22-6) advance to the semifinals on Saturday, when they will travel to fourth-seeded Pomona.

Although Alemany is almost a regular at the Pyramid, site of the Southern Section girls’ final, no one on the current team has won a championship. The Indians won titles in 1992 and ’94.

“That’s huge,” said All-Southern Section guard Kelli Kobayashi, a senior who lost to Irvine Woodbridge in the Division II-AA final in 1995 and to Muir last season in the III-AA championship.

“I’ve been to the finals twice and lost twice. I want to win one.

Barstow (15-8) is only beginning to build a tradition.

Under first-year Coach Carolyn Norman, the Aztecs advanced beyond the opening round for the first time in school history.

“We went further than any Barstow team has ever gone,” said Norman, whose team defeated La Canada, 66-65, in the first round. “I don’t feel bad at all. I don’t think we were supposed to win this game.”

For about four minutes, it was Barstow that looked like the seasoned post-season team.

Junior guard Julie Danielles, No. 5 in San Bernardino County with a 22-point scoring average, scored seven of her 22 points in the first quarter, helping the Aztecs to a 15-6 lead.

Alemany closed the quarter with a 17-6 run to claim its first lead, 23-21.

Alemany guard Kate Beckler, a sophomore, scored 21 of her game-high 32 points in the first half, after which Alemany led, 48-28.