No Contest as Saugus Rolls, 61-38

Saugus High began its girls’ basketball program in 1977, but the Centurions only recently got good at it. Before last season, they had never won a playoff game or a league championship.

A 61-38 rout of visiting Lancaster Antelope Valley on Saturday night in a Southern Section Division II-AA second-round game sent the two-time defending Foothill League champions to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.

Saugus (24-4) plays Wednesday at Fullerton Troy, which won the Division I-A title last season. Troy defeated Villa Park in the second round, 75-30.

Saugus has built around a talented class of juniors that includes 6-foot-3 Sheridan Arredondo, 6-2 Jessi Loring, 6-0 Julia Bradley, 5-11 Lisa Sonnenblick and point guard AnnMarie Summerhays.

Three-time defending Golden League champion Antelope Valley (25-4) had no one taller than 5-10, allowing Saugus to dominate inside.

Arredondo had 25 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots for the Centurions, who made 22 of 41 shots, with 17 baskets coming from within four feet.

Loring added 15 points, Sonnenblick scored nine and Summerhays had eight assists.

“When this group came in, I knew we were going to be good,” Coach Eric Olsson said. “They have come in and completely turned this program around.”

Shaquina Mosley scored 13 points and Laurie Hodges added 11 for the Antelopes, who trailed, 39-33, with three minutes left in the third quarter but missed 19 of their last 20 shots.

Dave Desmond

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Norco 71, Placentia El Dorado 49--Not only did El Dorado Coach Wayne Carlson scout Norco in person, but he also watched the Cougars on videotape. But the Norco team that showed up in El Dorado’s gym was a squad that hadn’t made an appearance all year.

Playing its best game of the season, and surprising even its own coach in what the coaches admitted was probably a pick’em game, Norco knocked out El Dorado in the second round of the Division II-AA playoffs.

Norco (21-7) was led by Denise Snyder, a senior who averages eight points but scored 18.

“We were expecting a real close game,” said Snyder, who did her part to ensure the game got out of hand quickly. She needed less than six minutes to reach her season average, and she scored 12 in the first nine minutes as Norco eventually opened a 23-12 margin.

The Cougars added an 11-2 run with three consecutive three-point baskets, two by Kimberly Smith and one by Ashley Wysocki, and led at halftime, 36-20.

Melissa Jacob scored 23 for El Dorado (23-4), but Norco Coach Rick Thompson credited Snyder with making Jacob work so hard on offense and never giving her any easy looks.

It also made it tougher on Jacob to guard Norco freshman Erika Arriaran, who finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and four steal. Smith scored 16 for Norco.

“Tonight, with six seniors and 10 returners, I think maybe we were complacent during the regular season,” Thompson said.

“If we continue to play defense like this game by game, we have a good chance of moving forward in the playoffs.”

Norco will play Ventura Buena on Wednesday in a quarterfinal.

Martin Henderson

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Santa Fe 53, Santa Barbara 46--Desirae Martinez scored 16 points for host Santa Fe (22-7) in a Division II-AA game.

Araceli Gil scored 16 points for Santa Barbara (24-5).

Newhall Hart 63, Thousand Oaks 41--Freshman Ashlee Treebilcock had 19 points and Hart (19-4) advanced to Wednesday’s second-round game against Righetti.

Anaheim Esperanza 62, Quartz Hill 51--Lindsay Helvey scored 21 points for host Esperanza (22-4) in a Division I-AA game. Quartz Hill finished 13-13.