Oxnard’s Balance Upends Channel Islands

Nobody led Oxnard High to a 58-39 Pacific View League girls’ basketball victory over Channel Islands on Thursday night at Oxnard.

No one player ever leads the appropriately-named Yellowjackets.

They just swarm, hitting you with relentless attacks from all directions on defense and offense.

“That’s the way I like it,” said Coach Ryle Lynch-Cole, who has no player averaging more than 10 points a game. “We don’t have that one player who dominates. We stress team play.”

With three league games to left, Oxnard (17-5, 5-0 in league play) has opened up a three-game lead over Channel Islands (16-4, 2-3) and a two-game advantage over Camarillo and Rio Mesa.

Seven players have led the Yellowjackets in scoring this season. Six players combined to score 12 points in the third quarter against the Raiders.

Sophomore Sienna Abraham had 15 points and five assists. Memory Rhone had 12 points and nine rebounds.

Michelle Morgan and Jacqui Heck each added seven points.

Channel Islands closed a 16-point third-quarter deficit to six points, 45-39, after Monique Taylor scored eight points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.

But Oxnard forced five Raider turnovers in the last five minutes and scored the last 13 points.

“What’s great about their team is they have so many role players, and not one who doesn’t play hard defense,” said Coach Pat Bell of Channel Islands. That defense harassed Channel Islands into 22 turnovers 30% shooting (16 of 52 shots).

Taylor finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Chenne Tuimoloau scored nine points, all in the first half.

The Raiders, who average more than 55 points a game, scored only 85 points and made 28 of 128 shots in two losses to Oxnard.