Buena Not as Flowery, Still Has Sweet Smell of Success

You come to expect certain things from Buena each girls’ basketball season:

* Channel League dominance. The Bulldogs have won 62 consecutive league games and at least a share of 10 consecutive Channel titles.

* Postseason success. Until last season, Buena advanced to a section final eight consecutive times.

* Flowers. Flowers?

A longtime tradition involved a Buena player supplying Coach Joe Vaughan with a fresh flower to wear in his lapel during each game.

However, during key recent games against Crescenta Valley and Santa Barbara, there were no courtside carnations.

“I think the girls must have forgotten about me,” Vaughan joked. “We used to keep a couple of fake [flowers] in the medical kit, just in case one of the girls forgot.”

*

A bumper crop of freshmen are making an impact in girls’ basketball.

The list includes Courtney LaVere of Buena, Nadiyah Roberson and Gracie Coronado of Burroughs, Holly Feneht of Valencia, Teresa Cooper and Sharice Gamble of Simi Valley, Anika Hartounian of Glendale, Kelly Beckler of Alemany and Liz Sun of Chatsworth.

Put Sharonne Herbert near the top of the list.

Often overlooked because she plays on the outskirts of the region at Quartz Hill, the 5-foot-2 guard has impressed Golden League observers with her quickness and ability.

One league coach likened her to Edniesha Curry, who went from Palmdale to Cal State Northridge, at a similar stage.

Herbert, sister of Quartz Hill quarterback Clifton Herbert, one of the region’s most elusive football players, is averaging 12 points, four assists and 3.1 steals.

“She’s just as fast as Clifton,” said Steve Lankford, Rebel girls’ coach. “She’s tiny, but she’s all over the court.”

BOYS’ NOTES

No Littlerock team, in any sport, has won a postseason game.

That could change this season.

Littlerock, ranked No. 9 in The Times’ regional poll, is 16-2 after a 72-49 Golden League victory over Palmdale on Tuesday.

The Lobos (4-0) have sole possession of first place entering a game tonight at second-place Quartz Hill (3-1).

Littlerock, under the guidance of first-year Coach Ben Dale, tied the team’s single-season mark for victories against Palmdale. The Lobos were 16-5 in 1992-93, their first season.

The outlook is promising for next season, too. Three of five starters are juniors, including point guard Gene Myvett, who averages 18.1 points, and center Brandon White, who averages 10.8 rebounds.

*

Another first-place showdown takes place tonight when Valencia (3-1) plays at Canyon (3-1) in a Foothill League game.

On Tuesday, Canyon lost to Burroughs, 49-43, and Valencia fell to Saugus, 72-69.

*

Record-keeping is serious business at Crescenta Valley. In fact, the Falcons’ 84-page program is packed with single-season and career statistics dating to 1963.

That might change.

Jim Smiley, in his second season as the Falcons’ coach and only the third head coach in the program’s history, is considering a revision. Smiley, team captain in 1985, said the innovation of the shot clock last season makes for skewed comparisons.

“I’m seriously considering putting [the pre-1997 statistics] to bed,” Smiley said.

Smiley came to the conclusion after studying scoring and rebound totals of players before and after the 35-second clock was adopted for high school games.

“It could amount to 150 to 160 rebounds over the entire year,” Smiley said. “And if one guy on your team gets one third of your rebounds, that’s a third of that.”

Staff writer Vince Kowalick and correspondent Dave Desmond contributed to this notebook.