Buena Treats Fans to Veritable Feast

Fans feasted on tri-tip sandwiches and barbecue chicken Saturday night before Buena High’s nonleague girls’ basketball game with Crescenta Valley.

Later, Buena devoured the Falcons, 70-49, in what was supposed to be a showdown between the region’s top two teams.

Crescenta Valley (16-2) entered the game ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times, its only loss coming on Dec. 20 to New York Christ the King, the No. 1 team in the nation.

“This was a good reality check for us,” said Falcon Coach Damian Scribner, whose team had won 12 consecutive games.

Buena, ranked No. 2 in the region, annually invites a powerhouse to its gym for a fund-raising game.

In past seasons, teams such as Brea Olinda, Irvine’s Woodbridge, Santa Ana’s Mater Dei and Christ the King have played in front of packed houses at Ventura.

This season’s matchup with the Falcons was a natural after the teams met in the 1996-97 Southern Section Division I-A final, won by Buena, 59-55.

The Bulldogs also beat Crescenta Valley, 78-50, in the semifinals of the 1995-96 I-A playoffs.

The schools are in different divisions this season, meaning Saturday represented Crescenta Valley’s only chance for retribution.

“This is our third time losing to them and I’m just sick of it,” said All-American guard Michelle Greco, who was hampered by a strain in her right quadriceps muscle. “They really beat us.”

The UCLA-bound Greco collected only 11 points and five rebounds before limping off the court for the last time with 3:00 to go in the third quarter and her team trailing, 51-30.

Kelly Greathouse, Buena’s 6-foot-2 freshman center, played her best game yet, scoring a game-high 23 points and collecting 16 rebounds.

“She definitely doesn’t play like a freshman,” Buena Coach Joe Vaughan said. “She made her presence felt tonight.”

Reserve Krystal McFarland scored nine points for Buena, which meets Ventura and Santa Barbara this week in two pivotal Channel League games.

Sinnamonn Garrett scored 13 points for Crescenta Valley, which scored 199 points in two Pacific League routs last week, but made only seven of 38 shots after the first quarter against Buena.

“They’re very tough to beat in their house,” said Greco, whose basket in the closing seconds of the first quarter gave the Falcons a 17-15 lead.

Crescenta Valley went without a field goal in the second quarter and Buena took a 39-26 lead into halftime.

“We like to play in our own gym,” said Buena guard Renae Hofmann, who scored 19 points. “Our fans and our community support us great.”