Advertisement

This Ball Isn’t Rolling for Huntington Beach

Share

Kelsey Ball is back where she doesn’t belong, on the bench, her season in doubt. Her good health figured to make Huntington Beach one of the top five or six girls’ basketball teams in Orange County. But her chronic ankle injury, which kept her out all but five games last season, again has her sidelined.

She re-injured the ankle three days before the Oilers played their first game, landing on Jennifer Gardikas’ foot during a practice. She says doctors think stretched ligaments are the problem. It’s her third injury to the ankle.

“It’s very frustrating, like last year all over again,” said Ball, a junior who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds during the second half of her freshman season. “I don’t even remember playing a game on the Huntington Beach floor. I’ll just try to learn as much as I can by watching.”

Advertisement

Her hope is to return to the lineup by the time Sunset League games begin Jan. 9.

She has aggressively tried to get the ankle to heal, going to physical therapy four times a week, acupuncture three times a week and oxygen therapy twice a week. That proactive approach has hastened her healing, she said.

“People don’t understand how good Kelsey is because they haven’t seen her play,” said Bill Thomson, coach for ninth-ranked Huntington Beach (4-3). “Honestly, I believe when she’s healthy, she’s one of the five best players in the county. She’s 6-foot-1, athletic and a great defender. Personally, I think we were a top five team [in Orange County] if healthy.”

FREE RIDE

Fullerton Coach Respp Relatores canceled a nonleague game last Saturday against Santa Ana because he scheduled more than the allowable number of regular-season games.

“[Santa Ana Coach] Pete [Rivas] was real understanding,” Relatores said. “I tried to find him a game but didn’t have any luck.”

Relatores promised the Saints free entry into his annual 32-team summer league tournament.

THE DOW JONZ

Whose stock is up or down this week:

* Amanda Livingston, Troy. Up. The 6-foot-1 sophomore made her first 10 shots (out of 12), had 20 points and 10 rebounds against San Clemente, and looked like the county’s next great interior player despite the Warriors’ 55-52 loss.

* Troy. Down. In an eight-day span, Coach Kevin Kiernan resigned because of differences with his principal, an investigation was launched by the school district, the top-ranked Warriors lost their first game of the season, the principal asked Kiernan to come back and the coach returned.

Advertisement

* Kristin Thawley, Irvine. Up. Made 10 of 15 from the field, four of five from the free-throw line, scored game-high 24 in Irvine’s 78-77 upset of San Clemente.

* Orange County’s Top 10 Poll. Down. Can you say readjustment?

THREE-POINTERS

Edison set a school record with 12 three-point baskets in a 65-46 victory over Mater Dei. Ashleigh Noda had five, Bianca Ziemann had four, Rachael Ziemann had two and Kristen Chidley had one. . . . Western led La Habra after three quarters on Thursday, 21-17, with neither team scoring more than nine points in a quarter--until La Habra outscored the Pioneers in the fourth, 19-3. . . . Senior Nancy Hatsushi made a Costa Mesa school-record six three-pointers en route to a career-high 25 points in a 56-44 victory over Newport Harbor. . . . Bethany Thom of Capistrano Valley Christian has averaged 32 points over the last three games. . . . In wins against two of the county’s top one-man teams, Santa Margarita held Laguna Hills’ Megan Aaker to seven points and Foothill’s Kristen Mann to 15.

LOOKING AHEAD

The San Clemente Holiday Hoopla tournament concludes Wednesday. If form holds, two top teams from neighboring counties will play for the title, Irvine and San Diego Rancho Bernardo.

The Artesia tournament is one of the more anticipated holiday tournaments. It continues through Saturday. Potential matchups in Friday’s semifinals include No. 1 Troy vs. No. 4 Esperanza and No. 3 Rosary against Artesia.

The Orangewood and Los Alamitos tournaments are also this week.

Staff writer Dan Arritt contributed to this report.

If you have an item or idea for the girls’ basketball report, you can fax us at (714)966-5663 or e-mail us at martin.henderson@latimes.com

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TOP 10

Orange County Sportswriters’ Poll

*--*

Pos. School (League) Rec 1. Troy (Freeway) 4-1 2. San Clemente (South Coast) 7-1 3. Brea Olinda (Orange) 3-1 4. Rosary (Serra) 7-0 5. Esperanza (Sunset) 4-2 6. Irvine (Sea View) 5-3 7. Woodbridge (Sea View) 9-0 8. Edison (Sunset) 5-2 9. Huntington Beach (Sunset) 4-3 10. Foothill (Century) 7-3

Advertisement

*--*

Advertisement