WWith only four games played in the young season, the Menlo School girls' basketball team knows the importance of keeping senior captain Heather Green in the lineup. Because without her, success may be tougher to come by. Green re-injured her wrist late in the second quarter in Menlo's 61-40 loss to Washington of San Francisco in the championship game of the Menlo Tournament on Saturday in Atherton. The loss was an important lesson for Menlo because without Green on the court, Menlo was outscored 33-14 in the second half.
Green initially injured her wrist in the first game of the tournament against Menlo-Atherton, then aggravated the injury right before halftime on Saturday. The injury is not believed to be serious. Without the services of Green, however, Menlo misses not only valuable point production, but vital court leadership.
"She's tough," Menlo coach Bob Roehl said of Green. "Heather adds leadership and stability when she's on the court, not just the shooting and passing."
When Green left the game, Menlo had shot 38 percent from the floor with seven turnovers. In the second half without Green, the Knights made only 7 of 34 shots from the field and committed 17 turnovers--tallying a paltry four points in the fouth quarter.
"As the season goes on, we want to accentuate the positives," said Roehl, who coached the Menlo boys from 1988-89 and guided the St. Francis boys' team to a CCS title in 1979. "But we have to improve on the boards."
Menlo reached the title game with an impressive 61-45 win over outmatched Palo Alto in the semifinals last Friday. And the Knights did it with the transition game.
Palo Alto couldn't match Menlo in courtspeed as freshman guard Rometra Craig led a crisp fast break that helped Menlo turn a 6-4 first quarter deficit into a commanding 37-16 halftime lead.
"We're inexperienced and still learning the game," Paly's first-year coach Ken Morgan said. "But it's kind of discouraging."
Menlo was too quick for the taller Vikings and had liitle trouble shooting its 2-3 zone and converting Paly turnovers into easy layups. Menlo made 10 of its first 15 attempts from the floor en route to the large halftime lead.
The Knights received balanced scoring as Craig, Green, forward Lauren Imparato and guard Tala Banatao combined for 51 points to lead Menlo against Paly. Green and Craig also led a aggressive defense that created 12 Paly turnovers by halftime.
Paly (4-4) won its tournament opener against Capuchino, 55-48, but the loss to Menlo, combined with a heartbreaking 36-34 setback to Santa Catalina in the third-place game, stung a young Vikings' team that is still looking for consistency and leadership.
Junior guard Becky Carey was a bright spot for Paly over the weekend nailing seven three-pointers in three games off the bench, for 31 total points. Senior Emily Brown, Paly's main inside force averaged 13 points for the tournament and was the Vikings' most consistent player.
Menlo-Atherton (3-2) lost two of its three games in the tournament, winning the seventh-place game by forfeit over McAteer. Angela Flowers, a sophomore transfer from Castilleja, led the Bears by averaging eight points per game.
Both Green and Craig averaged 11 points per game in the tournament and played solid defense. Both were named to the all-tournament team.
This week, Menlo and Paly return to tournament action--Menlo in the Branson tournament starting Thursday in Ross and Paly in the Half Moon Bay tournament, which runs Friday, Saturday and Monday.
Terra Nova Tournament
After breezing through its first two games in Pacifica by the average score of 70-55, Pinewood (2-1) suffered its first loss of the season in a surprising 82-49 thumping at the hands of Sacred Heart Cathedral in the championship game.
Pinewood, one of the top-ranked and most talented Division V teams in the state, simply ran out of gas by the tournament's third day.
"We were just exhausted," said Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler. "We just didn't step up and play very well against Sacred Heart."
Pinewood's talented backcourt trio of Kacey Scheppler, Lauren Smith-Hams and Menlo transfer Alex Cribbs, accounted for 116 of the Panther's 139 points in its first two tournament victories, but had only 35 combined points in the tournament championship game. Scheppler scored 68 points in three games and Smith-Hams tallied 50. Both were named to the all-tournament team.
The Panthers join Palo Alto in the Half Moon Bay tournament this weekend.
Gator Classic
Four-time defending state champion Sacred Heart Prep had a rough weekend hosting the annual Gator Classic in Atherton. The Gators lost two of their three games and finished fourth in the tournament, won by Mitty.
Sacred Heart (1-2) had no problem defeating Ursuline, 49-39, in the first round, but consecutive losses to Lowell (45-34) and St. Francis (44-34) put a damper on Ed Nickerson's coaching debut at SHP.
Trisha Felts, who has accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of Portland, and sophomore Juliana Smith, led Sacred Heart by averaging 10 points per game.
Sacred Heart will hit the road this week to compete in the prestigious Santa Barbara Classic tournament.
Monta Vista Tournament
Gunn (2-3) got some good performances from sophomore Correnda Perkins (34 points) and freshman Tristan Ngoon (16 points), but came in short in losses to Live Oak (62-46) and Santa Teresa (50-49) last weekend in Cupertino.
Nonleague
Castilleja (0-2) failed to score in double figures in any quarter and suffered a 45-24 loss to visiting Fremont.
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