Lost Week in Simi Valley for Foothill League

The Simi Valley girls’ tournament proved costly last week for two Foothill League teams.

Hart lost all-league guard Christina Sanchez to a broken wrist, while all-league player Julianna Diaz left Canyon’s team.

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A winning record might be a tall order at Saugus, which hasn’t finished above .500 since 1981-82.

But first-year Coach Eric Olsson, the school’s former boys’ coach, thinks he might have the makings of a winning combination.

Three freshmen start for Saugus (3-7), including 6-foot-1 Sheridan Arredondo and 6-foot Julia Bradley.

On the junior varsity, 6-2 freshman Jessica Loring is averaging 12 rebounds, and a 6-4 post player attending a middle school in the Saugus district is expected to arrive in time for next season.

“I’m optimistic,” Olsson said. “We’re going to be huge.”

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Thousand Oaks is another team relying heavily on freshmen.

The Lancers entered the season with only three returning players.

Lisa Kennedy and Elisa Corral began the season with injuries and Ruth HoKum decided to concentrate on volleyball, leaving Coach Tom Strasburger nobody with varsity experience.

The result has been an abundance of playing time for freshman Lea Adlman and sophomores Courtney Vasquez and Erin Dieterle.

“Right now, we’re battling our own inexperience,” said Strasburger, whose Lancers are 5-6.

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The Marmonte League is traditionally the region’s most competitive from top to bottom. This season is no different.

Most league coaches tab Newbury Park (5-4) as the favorite, but strong starts by Royal (7-3), Simi Valley (8-2), Agoura (8-3) and defending champion Moorpark make handicapping the league race more difficult than usual.

“Our league is always tough,” Newbury Park Coach Nori Parvin said. “But this year might be the toughest in a long time. Almost everybody is capable of beating everyone else.”