Winkfield Finds Key for Highland

Tiffany Winkfield scored 17 points, including a pair of free throws with 46 seconds left, and the Highland High girls’ basketball team outlasted Paraclete, 37-33, in the championship game of the L.A. Baptist tournament on Saturday night.

Winkfield, a 6-foot junior forward, made two more free throws with one second left.

“She has had two serious knee injuries since she was a freshman,” Highland Coach Tim Knight said of Winkfield, chosen the tournament’s most valuable player. “But she showed tonight what she can do when she is healthy.”

Highland avenged a 41-22 loss to the Spirits in the championship game of the Paraclete tournament on Dec. 6.

“We’re definitely a better team now than we were a month ago,” Knight said. “And that’s mostly because of [assistant coach Ron Heywood]. We’ve won five straight with him as our bench coach.”

Winkfield and center Lamara Burleson combined for 18 offensive rebounds for Highland (9-3), which led, 20-8, at halftime.

“We gave them way too many second chances,” Paraclete Coach Susan Hervey said.

Paraclete opened the second half with an 11-0 run and took its first lead, 31-30, on a three-point play by all-tournament selection Jackie Kolesar with four minutes left in the game.

Kolesar scored 14 points and guard Kate Robinson added nine for the Spirits (8-2).

“Our conditioning was the difference,” Knight said. “They made that run on us, but we were able to pull through at the end.”

The Spirits had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining, but Robinson’s pass to Kolesar was intercepted by Burleson, who was fouled with three seconds left.

“We dug too deep a hole for ourselves in the first half,” Hervey said. “We had to expend too much energy coming back.”

Brentwood 45, L.A. Baptist 17--All-tournament choice Devan Zumwalt scored 16 points and Susie Kaldis added eight for the Eagles (9-4) in the third-place game.

Notre Dame 75, St. Genevieve 24--Judy Diaz scored 15 points and Sierra Hauser-Price added 13 for the Knights (10-3) in the fifth-place game.

Fillmore 53, Carpinteria 34--Cali Venegas scored 15 points and Melanie Schrock added 14 for the Flashes (7-5) in the seventh-place game.

Fillmore led, 24-9, midway through the second quarter and at halftime, 29-16.

* BOYS’ TOURNAMENT

Brentwood defeats L.A. Baptist, 82-75, in the championship game. C14