More Than a Sequel for Buena Girls

When Buena High defeated Harbor City Narbonne, 71-61, in a girls’ basketball game on Feb. 3 at Buena, it was billed as the game of the year.

So what does that make tonight’s rematch in a Southern Regional Division I semifinal at Narbonne?

“It’s a big one, I tell you that,” Buena Coach Joe Vaughan said.

When the teams last met, Buena was ranked No. 1 in the nation. Narbonne (25-3), the defending national champion, was No. 3.

After Buena (29-1) lost to Fullerton Troy, 58-51, on Saturday night in the Southern Section Division I-A final, the Bulldogs dropped to No. 6 in USA Today’s national poll. Narbonne, which won the City Section title, is No. 1.

Student Sports ranks Narbonne No. 4 and Buena No. 5.

“The winner is probably going to go a long way,” Vaughan said.

Troy (28-4) and Lynwood (27-2), ranked No. 19 in the nation, play in the other semifinal. The regional final is at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Forum.

“I’m sure, for [Narbonne], it’s payback time,” Buena center Kelly Greathouse said. “But if we’re on our game, it’ll be anyone’s ballgame.”

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Buena’s Courtney Young, who is headed to Tennessee, is not very close with her father, Keith Young.

Her parents are divorced and Courtney lives with her mother, Sharon Cromartie, in Ventura.

“I never see my dad. Ever,” she said. “He’s never come to any of my games.”

Actually, he has been to at least one. By coincidence, Keith Young was in attendance Tuesday night, when Courtney scored 14 points to help Buena to a 69-45 victory at Clovis West.

Keith Young is an assistant coach for the boys’ team at L.A. Fremont, which played Clovis West later Tuesday night.

Fremont lost, 78-70.

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Nothing has been easy for the Harvard-Westlake girls’ team, which hosts Fullerton Rosary tonight in a Division III regional semifinal.

The top-seeded Wolverines (27-5) have won their last four games by a combined 17 points.

In the quarterfinals of the Southern Section playoffs, they rallied to tie Santa Ynez before beating the Pirates, 55-52, in overtime.

They defeated Rosary, 65-59, in the semifinals and outlasted then-top-ranked Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 65-62, in the final.

On Tuesday, Harvard-Westlake held off Bakersfield Liberty, 41-36, in a regional opener.

“That’s just the way we are,” Coach Melisaa Hearlihy said. “We’re survivors. If we can hang in there early, we’re usually OK late.”

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Oak Park will host Morro Bay tonight in a Division IV regional semifinal, a rematch of Saturday’s Southern Section IV-AA final, won by Oak Park.

Morro Bay upset No. 2-seeded Corcoran, 58-52, on Tuesday, as Karena Bonds scored 29 points.

Bonds, considered the top player in the division, is a niece of Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants.

* Southern Regional semifinal pairings, D10.