Santa Ana Valley Knocks Out Defending Champion Again

If the torch wasn’t passed to Santa Ana Valley on Tuesday, the Falcons certainly doused it.

Valley defeated Foothill, the reigning Century League champion, for the second time this season and positioned itself to win its first league title with a 56-48 girls’ basketball victory at Foothill.

Santa Ana Valley, which earlier snapped Foothill’s 22-game league winning streak, improved to 17-6 overall, 6-1 in league. Villa Park is 13-9, 6-1, and plays host to Valley on Feb. 6. Foothill is 13-10, 4-3.

“Our coach always had faith in us that we’d make it this far even though the players didn’t at first,” said senior guard Crystal Davis, who scored 19 points.

Nicole Quinn, the Falcons’ second-year coach, said her team just needed confidence and experience. “We have a great point guard, two really quick guards for defense, one athletic post player and a solid post-up rebounder,” Quinn said, “everything you need to put a good team together.”

Every time Foothill made a run, Santa Ana Valley had an answer. When Emily Beaubelle’s three-pointer gave Foothill a 15-14 lead, Davis scored the next four points. When Beaubelle, who scored 14, gave Foothill a 30-29 lead, Jamie Jones made a three-point basket. When Kristen Mann’s free-throw tied the score, 34-34, with 1 minute 11 seconds left in the third quarter, Santa Ana Valley scored the next six points.

Junior guards Monique Cruz and Candice Tisdale scored 17 and 12, respectively. Cruz had nine rebounds, Tisdale seven. Senior forward Carina Martinez scored only five, but was instrumental in holding Mann to six rebounds and 15 points, equaling a season-low.

Mann, who missed nine of her first 10 shots before making six in a row, finished with six steals and three blocked shots.