La Salle girls’ basketball moves up with high expectations

Building seems to be the key word regarding several local girls’ basketball teams as the 2012-13 season has either just began or will do so shortly.

At La Salle High, the Lancers are hoping to cement a solid foundation that included a 20-8 record from last season, a co-Camino Real League championship and a quarterfinal berth in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs.

“I’m looking for a lot from this team. We got moved up to Division IV-AA and the Del Rey League, but we’re still looking to be competitive with Windward, Serra and those schools,” La Salle Coach Kevin Cormier said. “The girls picked up some experience last year and now it’s time to see how the team does.”

La Salle has 12 returners from last year, including junior Kandyce Smith.

The guard earned CIF Southern Section Division IV-A first-team honors after averaging 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

“Kandyce Smith is our floor leader and point guard and almost was the league MVP last season,” Cormier said. “She’s one of many girls who are going to be big contributors this year.”

Also included among the expected contributors are senior sharp-shooter Sarah Kopcha (12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game), junior guard Brianna Rodriguez (4.3 points, 3.9 rebounds) and sophomore post player Sierra Bononi (6.3 points, 4.9 rebounds).

One newcomer to look out for is Christal Haynes, formerly of Alemany, who can play several positions.

One team La Salle may very well deal with in its new division come playoff time is reigning Pacific League champion Muir.

The Mustangs are simultaneously short and tall, with a roster of only eight players, three of which tower 5-foot-11 or higher.

“This is probably my tallest squad. We’ve got power, but we’re young,” Muir Coach Gary Johnson said. “We lost some key players and we might struggle early, but this is a team that can do well.”

Muir was hit hard with the defections of All-Area first-teamer Emoni Jackson (17.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals), who transferred to St. Bernard, and junior guard Jordan Jackson, who moved on to St. Anthony.

The losses coupled with a rare dearth of speed and an abundance of height means the Mustangs, who finished 27-4 and advanced to the Division IV-AA quarterfinals, will be less guard-oriented and more fixated with getting the ball into the paint, especially to 6-4 sophomore Channon Fluker.

“We’re not going to be that fast-guard, high-pressure teams of the past, but will consistently feed Channon,” Johnson said. “We’ve been working on the fundamentals with the other tall girls to take advantage of our size.”

Fluker will be flanked by 5-11 forwards Tierra Adams and Jasmine Harris with potential 5-10 Chy’annea Hodges playing guard.

“It’s an interesting team because they’re not loud or boisterous like Muir teams of the past. In fact, they’re quiet,” Johnson said. “I think once we get going, though, that will change.”

Muir’s main point of improvement will be guard play, where the Mustangs will hope for a floor general who can push the ball inside.

At Pasadena, the Bulldogs welcomed new coach Wil White, formerly of Blair, who took over for Wesley Stewart.

“I came back to Pasadena because this is a newsworthy school, a school that represents the entire city of Pasadena,” White said. “I look forward to the spotlight being on me. I eat that up. I want to bring Pasadena back up again.”

The Bulldogs finished 13-14 last season, fifth in the Pacific League, and lost in the first round of the Division III-AAA playoffs.

Back is 6-1 senior forward Dariel Johnson (8.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game).

“I anticipate Dariel to be a standout and lead this team,” White said.

Also returning is senior shooting guard Kristina Tatikian (11.6 points per game), senior guard Alisa Mayberry (3.5 points) and senior Jordan Rutherford.

“We have the potential to be a good team. The thing is that I haven’t had as much time with them as I would have liked,” White said. “I would have liked to have three years and instead I’ve had 30 seconds. But even with that, we should be a good team.”

One of the area’s steadiest programs endured its first summer of change in four years as reigning Prep League champion Pasadena Poly began the season without graduated guard Michelle Miller, the CIF Southern Section’s No. 2 all-time scoring.

Even without Miller, the All-Area Player of the Year, Panthers seventh-year coach Kim Weber Hall has 11 players on her roster and believes her team can be respectable.

“We ripped off the Michelle Miller Band-Aid and we’re OK,” Weber Hall said. “We don’t have to pretend like Michelle isn’t there like we did at times last year. This year, she’s not going to be on the bench waiting to save us, we’re going to have to all work together and I think we can.”

Weber Hall has a few key players back, led by sophomore shooting guard Kiki Yang (11.2 points per game) and including senior guard Courtney Foster (5.7 points, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals), senior forward Catherine Lehman (3.6 points, 2.7 rebounds) and junior center Kaitlyn Olah (4.1 points and 4.7 rebounds).

Poly finished 22-5 and advanced to the second round of the Division IV-AA playoffs last season.

“We can be a very productive team in league. Of course, I’m losing about 30 points a game, but I think we’ll be OK,” Weber Hall said. “I expect us to only get better as the season progresses.”

One team that hopes to challenge Poly is Mayfield, which is coming off a 14-8 season, tied for third in the Prep League and endured a first-round loss to Marlborough in the Division IV-A playoffs.

“We want to compete for first in league and that’s very feasible,” said Mayfield assistant coach Gabriel Aguirre, who commented for coach Kevin Yamamoto. “We know that Poly is a strong team, even without Miller, but we think we can give them a game.”

While team MVP Carrie Morris (10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals) is gone, Cubs junior Mary Baggot is back after averaging 4.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season.

Juniors Melissa Venegas (3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds) and Remy Traglio also return and are joined by freshman Megan Villar.

“The juniors on our team will carry us,” Aguirre said, “but we have some other players who can also step up.”

Despite sweeping the Cubs last season, Westridge tied Mayfield for third in the Prep League with a 10-9 overall record and also met a first-round playoff demise.

The Tigers, though, have a potential star in 6-1 junior center Carmen Costa, who averaged 10.4 points, a whopping 15.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

“She’s a terrific player who continues to develop because of her hard work,” Tigers Coach Melanie Horn said. “She has the potential to have a breakout season this year.”

Costa will be aided by junior guard Erin Golden (4.9 points, 1.8 steals), senior forward Lily Lim (9.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists) and senior post player Courtney Sloan (5.9 points, 10.9 rebounds).

“If we stay strong defensively, we can be a very good team,” Horn said. “We have solid players in both the front and the backcourt and I’m excited with starting the season.”

At San Marino, second-year coach Kenny Fisher enjoyed a first season where the Titans finished 14-12 overall, fourth in the Rio Hondo League and fell in the first round of the Division IV-AA playoffs.

“Our first goal is to win league and our second goal is to improve from last year,” Fisher said. “Both goals are realistic.”

The good news for Fisher is that both goals are a possibility because of the return of league first-team guard Leigh Kunitake, who averaged 14.3 points per game last season.

Senior guards Emma Wong (5.6 points) and Felita Salim (4.9 points) also return in buoying a strong front court.

“Most of the team is young outside of our big three players, so it’s this early part of the season is about growing being comfortable with each other more than winning and losing,” Fisher said. “As far as league rolls around, we have an opportunity to be a contender.”

South Pasadena has a couple of new faces in first-year coach Tammy Lai and freshman forward Kristen Kafkaloff, both of whom will try to top an 18-10 season last year for the Tigers that included a Rio Hondo League runner-up finish and a second-round berth in the Division III-AA playoffs.

Kafkaloff started strong in leading the Tigers with 15 points in a 50-41 defeat to Pasadena Poly in the San Gabriel Valley Classic on Tuesday.

Lai, an assistant to head coach Rich Kitagawa, also inherits a solid roster with 5-11 sophomore forward Sophia Hathaway and junior Elise Takahama.

After picking up three wins last season, Blair will look for improvement under second-year coach Lee Aptaker.

If the Vikings are to thrive in 2012, then much of their success will likely center around 5-11 Kayla Pounds, who averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds last season.

“She has a legitimate chance to play at the next level,” Aptaker said. “Last year, I had her playing center, but this year, because of her size and athleticism, I’m going to have her playing guard.”

With Pounds up front, Aptaker is going to slide senior Rebecca Badillo (10 points and seven rebounds) to center.

Aptaker was also excited about sophomore guard Tamari Davis, a slasher whom Aptaker noted, “had a lot of upside.”

Like a few other local schools, Maranatha also ushered in a new era as Michigan native Kris Dreyer replaced George Wrighster.

“Right now, it’s about getting more familiar with the girls, many of whom are just coming over from volleyball,” said Dreyer, who led Waterford Christian Academy to a Class C state championship in 2007.

Dreyer will be aided by assistant coach Beverly Powell of Pasadena City College and will handle a squad of 11 girls, led by junior Kei Lani Ando (10.7 points and 1.7 steals).

Two other players to keep an eye out for are junior Gabby Masuda and freshman forward Noelle Oki.

The Minutemen sustained a big loss when sophomore guard Alayah Byers (15.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and four steals per game) transferred to Alemany after last season. Her departure makes the Minutemen’s effort to improve upon a 2-25 season last year even more difficult.

Like Maranatha, Marshall Fundamental is hoping to reach the postseason this year after falling just a bit short in finishing with a 5-11 overall record and tying for third in the Delphic League.

“We’re expecting to go back to CIF,” said Eagles fourth-year Coach Audrey Green said. “We’re looking forward to shaking up our opponents in league. We’re working on our basics and fundamentals and we’re going to have fun.”

Green is optimistic thanks to the return of league second-teamers Lani Waugh, a senior guard, and junior Dominique Molina, a senior post player.

Green was also high on incoming freshman Hannah Scanlan, who has “awesome speed and direction.”

Pasadena AGBU turned in a pretty successful season last year under coach Sam Mackall, as the Spartans finished 15-6, second in the Westside League and advanced to quarterfinals of the Division V-A playoffs.

“The difference between this year and last are the seniors. We had quite a bit last year and only have two this year,” Mackall said. “So, we’re talented, but we’re young.”

Fortunately for Mackall, Division V-A first-team senior guard Nanor Babian is back after averaging 13.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.

“We’re going to mix it up a little bit with Nanor. She’s always been a point guard and this year we’re going to ask her to score a little bit more,” Mackall said. “Hopefully, we’ll have someone else fill that passing void.”

As for inside presence, Mackall will lean on 5-10 senior center Alaina Balian, who averaged 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

In the International League, St. Monica Academy is in year No. 2 for coach Colleen Smith as the Crusaders finished 9-9 overall, tied for third in league and lost in the first round of the Division V-A playoffs.

“It’s kind of a rebuilding year since we have a lot of new players,” Smith said. “With us, it’s just about learning how to play competitive basketball. If the girls can do that by season’s end, then it will be a successful year.”

Whenever the girls’ volleyball season ends, Smith will gladly welcome freshman Therese Boles, a ball-handler who will play point guard. Boles’ main target will likely be forward Elise Bertino-Clark or fellow volleyballer Madeline Hagan, a guard.