Artesia Heats Up; Troy Melts Down
Troy, ranked No. 1 in Orange County, led Lakewood Artesia by as many as 13 points early in the second half, but managed only nine points in the final 14 minutes and lost to the Pioneers, 60-48, in the championship game of the Artesia Christmas Classic Saturday.
Troy (8-2) began the game with an 8-1 run and built a 15-6 lead by forcing four turnovers and making three three-pointers in the first quarter.
Alicia Komaki made two three-pointers and scored nine points in the first quarter. Komaki scored seven of Troy’s 17 points in the second quarter as the Warriors took a 35-24 halftime lead.
A basket by Meghan McGuire with 5 minutes 37 seconds left in the third quarter gave the Warriors a 13-point lead, 39-26. But after Artesia (9-1) called a timeout, it turned the tables.
Lauren Ervin and Lindsay Thomas combined for seven points in a one-minute span and the Pioneers outscored the Warriors, 14-6, to finish the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Thomas made a three-pointer to bring the Pioneers to within a point, 46-45. Then Ervin scored two of her game-high 21 points to give Artesia its first lead with 5:57 left in the game.
Artesia made 12 of 14 shots during one stretch in the second half. Troy made three of 15 from the field during the same span.
In other Artesia tournament games:
Cypress 42, Fontana 25--Junior Tricia Culley had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Remy Hitomi had 12 points and eight assists for the Centurions (4-5).
No. 5 Esperanza 49, No. 4 Rosary 37--Bethany Blair had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the third-place game for Esperanza (8-3). Jen Farner led Rosary (10-2) with 10 points and eight steals.
In the Los Alamitos tournament:
Los Angeles Washington 58, Los Alamitos 52--Stephanie Duda scored 34 points for the Griffins. Myesha Laudermill and Charmaine Nowlin combined for 35 points for third-place Washington (7-3).
Lakewood St. Joseph 41, Dana Hills 40--Carly Keese made two free throws with three seconds remaining for St. Joseph. Keese finished with 20 points. Christina Boyer had 15 for Dana Hills.
Pacifica 55, Estancia 52--Estancia’s Zuyin Barrera made her fourth three-pointer of the fourth quarter to tie the score, 50-50, but Pacifica’s Jamie Waldecker made three free throws in the final minute.