Hart’s Giordano Plans Flight-Filled Weekend

When top-ranked Washington plays at No. 2 Arizona in a Pacific 10 Conference game Friday night, Hart High Coach Cathy Giordano plans to be there.

When Hart plays two Thousand Oaks tournament games Saturday, Giordano plans to be there.

When Washington plays at Arizona State on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, Giordano plans to be there, too.

That’s a lot of planning for Giordano, who will fly to Tucson on Friday morning to watch daughters Jeanine of Washington and Nicole of Arizona.

“When they play [against] each other, I have to be at those games,” Giordano said.

Giordano plans to return home Friday night, get some sleep and coach the Indians against Cerritos at 10:30 a.m. in a semifinal of the Thousand Oaks tournament.

When Hart finishes Saturday, it’s back to Arizona.

“This season is costing me a fortune [in airline tickets] because with these tournaments I never know when we’re going to play or when I’m going to be done,” Giordano said.

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First-year Coach Esther Guzman of Sylmar is a quick study when it comes to Spartan coaching ideology.

She has adopted the same attitude of football Coach Jeff Engilman, basketball Coach Bort Escoto and baseball Coach Gary Donatella: City Championship or bust.

In third place in the Valley Mission League, Sylmar is on the bubble for a City Championship playoff berth. For Guzman, an Invitational berth is no consolation.

“I want to make the big one,” Guzman said. “My girls are good and they deserve it.”

To clinch a berth in the City Championship bracket, Sylmar (12-7, 5-3) needs to beat San Fernando (21-5, 6-2) today, forcing a two-way tie for second, and beat Monroe on Thursday.

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There weren’t many surprises among Green Bracket games Saturday in the Thousand Oaks tournament.

Simi Valley’s 5-2 victory over Anaheim Loara in the quarterfinals rates as the biggest upset.

And freshman right-hander Mandy Kilionski deserves much of the credit.

Kilionski (3-2), who pitched a one-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Atascadero in the first round, allowed no runs, one hit and struck out six in six-plus innings of relief against Loara, ranked No. 6 in Division II.