Bell-Jeff girls’ basketball rides defense to berth in CIF semifinals
BURBANK – From not making the CIF Southern Section playoffs a year ago to earning a spot in the semifinals this season, the Bellarmine-Jefferson High girls’ basketball team has made its way back to prominence.
Once the premier basketball program in the city, winning Southern Section and state championships as well as a string of league titles, the Guards fell on hard times in recent years, enduring a host of new coaches and failing to make the postseason the two previous years.
But this season under coach Claudia Villa, Bell-Jeff is back and back with an emphatic turnaround.
The Guards kept their remarkable season going Wednesday evening by defeating Crossroads Christian, 59-27, in a Division VI quarterfinal victory at home.
It was a swarming, unrelenting Bell-Jeff defense that led the way, forcing 38 turnovers by the Cougars – 25 in the first half.
Bell-Jeff (15-12), the No. 3 seed that placed second in the Santa Fe League, advanced to the final four for the first time since 2010 when it lost to Gardena Serra, 71-54.
The Guards began the season 0-9 and have since gone on a 15-3 tear.
“It’s just really mind blowing the success we are having this season compared to last year,” said Villa, who is in her second year. “We are just playing so well and we want to keep it going.
“But what I saw from our girls tonight is something I haven’t seen from them in the playoffs up until this point. They were jumping, getting after every ball, they were yelling and they were playing hard until the very last second. Those are the kinds of things a coach likes to see.”
The Guards will take on No. 2 California Lutheran, which beat Desert Christian Academy, 47-45, on the road in a semifinal game Saturday.
Against Crossroads Christian (17-5), which finished the regular season ranked sixth in the division and won a title in the Majestic League, Bell-Jeff was paced by sophomore Cosette Balmy, who had a game-high 28 points to go along with eight rebounds and 10 steals. Teammate Claire Borot, also a sophomore, added 13 points and five steals.
After a sluggish start in the first quarter that saw the Cougars take a 5-4 lead, the Bell-Jeff defensive pressure began to take its toll on the visitors. The tough defense helped to create 14 turnovers in the first half by Crossroads Christian, enabling the Guards to surge ahead after one quarter, 16-6.
“We know we have to play good defense to win,” Balmy said. “Our defense is our offense because we can do so much off of the way we play defense. We just have that inside us to play defense like we do. It always feels great to play good defense against a team.”
Bell-Jeff forced 11 more turnovers in the second quarter and the rout began to take shape. The Guards outscored the Cougars, 16-7, in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 19-point lead, 32-13.
The aggressive play did take its toll on the Guards in terms of fouls, as two starters picked up their third infractions in the second quarter: Borot at the 6:33 mark and Dalila Rincan with 2:57 remaining.
“We know that defense gets us started and that is what is driving us right now,” Villa said. “Defense is what gets us motivated and keeps us going.
“We had a sluggish start for us. We talked about that we had to start getting tougher on them and I think that really started working in the second half.”
Bell-Jeff led, 46-21, after three quarters.
The only Guards player with playoff experience is senior Paula Guevara, who was a freshman in 2013 when the team fell in the first round.
“This is my first time back to the playoffs since my freshman year, and I’m just glad to be able to share the experience with the rest of my teammates,” she said.
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports