Sherman Oaks CES Can’t Quite Catch El Camino Real

Junior guard Cara Blumfield scored 18 points and Chrissy McClain added 12, including a free throw in the final seconds of El Camino Real High’s 61-58 victory over Sherman Oaks CES on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Canoga Park girls’ basketball tournament.

El Camino Real (9-0) will play Birmingham, a 43-38 winner over Huntington Park, in the championship game on Friday.

Erica Ephriam scored 28 points for Sherman Oaks CES, including a three-point shot from 35 feet that cut the Knights’ deficit to 60-58 with 15 seconds left.

Kenya Richie added 14 points for Sherman Oaks CES.

“We were ahead the whole time, but they never gave up,” said El Camino Real Coach Lori Chandler, whose team defeated Sherman Oaks CES by 23 points in the Van Nuys tournament earlier this season.

“This time they outrebounded us and out-hustled us. We were fortunate to win.”

McClain hit the first free throw of a one-and-one situation with three seconds left to blunt the Knights’ 24-point fourth-quarter charge.

Freshman center Karen Shun had 13 points for El Camino Real.

The Knights outscored El Camino Real, 24-15, in the fourth quarter.

University 39, San Fernando 15--Michelle Ombao scored 13 points for the Warriors (7-2) in a consolation game.

San Fernando suited up only five players, none of whom are among the Tigers’ regular starters.

“No commitment,” San Fernando Coach Chris Fotis said. “I was expecting a few players to miss the game because of the holiday, but there are a lot of players that should have been here, but weren’t. I’m very angry.”

Things got so bad for San Fernando (4-7) that Vicki Ash of Canoga Park played for the Tigers.

Taft 40, L.A. Wilson 24--Quisha Melton scored 14 points and Tynisha Howze added 10 for the Toreadors, who won a consolation game by forfeit when Wilson Coach Mike Guzman was called for a double-technical foul and ejected with 6:19 left in the game.

The game was stopped at that point, in accordance with City rules, which call for the termination of a game if a head coach is ejected.

“In a [Southern Section] game, the assistant coach can take over, but in an L.A. City [Section] game, the team has to forfeit when the head coach is ejected,” referee Laurence Blocker said.

“He gave up and took it out on his kids. He used me as the catalyst.”

Taft was on a 19-4 scoring run when the game was called.

Sylmar 51, Kennedy 45--Veronica Ramos scored 19 points and Kiki Adams had 15 for the Spartans (4-5) in consolation game.

Kelly Mallow scored 15 points for the Golden Cougars (2-4) and Jovan Smith added 12 points and six assists.

Sylmar outscored Kennedy, 21-7, in the third quarter.

Franklin 56, Chatsworth 46--Patricia Nuno scored 22 points and Amanda Pinto added 11 for the Chancellors, who outscored Franklin, 18-9, in fourth quarter of a consolation game.

Chatsworth’s fourth-quarter run was an answer for Franklin’s strong run in the third quarter, when the Panthers outscored the Chancellors, 19-7.

Roosevelt 51, Milken 15--Dora Lopez and Diana Cruz each scored 10 points for the Roughriders (2-8) in a consolation game.