Palisades Still On Track to Win City Title

It appears the rest of the City Section won’t be much of a match for the Palisades High girls’ basketball team, even if the Dolphins aren’t at full strength.

Palisades defeated Venice, 69-29, in the quarterfinals of the City Championship playoffs Wednesday night at Palisades High with only seven players. Palisades will play North Hollywood in the semifinals Saturday at a site to be determined.

Among the missing for the Dolphins was junior guard April Freeney, one of the team’s best players. Palisades co-Coach Kevin Hall said Freeney wouldn’t play in the semifinal unless she showed “a significant change in attitude.”

Her absence didn’t make much of a difference. Top-seeded Palisades (26-4) got off to a ragged start, but led, 15-6, after the first quarter despite five turnovers.

No. 8-seeded Venice (16-6) had no answers for forward Nicole Funn-Lockley and point guard Leilani Estavan, both of whom have signed with Oregon State. Funn-Lockley scored 24 points and Estavan added 13 and helped force 15 Venice turnovers in the second half.

“I thought we played all right considering what we had to deal with,” Funn-Lockley said. “I don’t know what [Hall] is trying to accomplish. It’s like he’s playing mind games.”

Palisades became the overwhelming favorite to win the City title after defending champion Narbonne was stripped of last year’s 4-A Division title and ruled ineligible for the playoffs after using players who transferred illegally. Narbonne defeated the Dolphins in last year’s final, 60-49, and is considered one of the top teams in the nation this season.

“We want to win one of our own,” Funn-Lockley said. “It would have been nice to play Narbonne because we would have given them a game, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”