Blumfield Gives Encore Display

Cara Blumfield surely wouldn’t mind playing against Birmingham High again this season.

Blumfield scored 23 points to lead El Camino Real over the Braves, 50-30, Friday night in the championship game of the Canoga Park girls’ basketball tournament.

The junior guard had 18 points in El Camino Real’s 59-47 victory over Birmingham in the Van Nuys tournament final on Dec. 18.

“She’s a great player,” said Hollie Wilson, Birmingham’s interim coach who filling in for vacationing Chick Epstein. “We haven’t found anyone who can stop her yet.”

El Camino Real (10-0), which opened with an 8-0 run, led from start to finish.

Freshman Karen Shun scored 10 points for the Conquistadores, including a three-point basket at the halftime buzzer, giving El Camino Real a 26-20 lead.

Blumfield, who scored 88 points in four tournament games, finished with six assists, five steals and three rebounds against Birmingham.

“[Blumfield] has the green light to drive, pass, shoot or dribble whenever she wants,” said Lori Chandler, El Camino Real’s coach. “Our offense is geared toward getting her the ball.”

Tanya Silva led the Braves (7-3) with 14 points and five assists, including three three-point baskets. One of the three-point shots pulled the Braves within 23-20 with 11 seconds to play in the second quarter.

“We didn’t execute our offense like we could have,” Wilson said.

“But part of that is because of them. They are relentless.”

Birmingham committed 15 turnovers and scored only 10 points in the second half.

The Braves turned over the ball on four of their first six possessions of the second half and the Conquistadores went on a 10-4 run to take a 36-24 lead.

Andrea Cohen, who had four points, put the Conquistadores ahead, 44-26, when she took a nifty behind-the-back pass from Blumfield and made a layup with 3:29 to play.