The Los Alamitos JV girls basketball team took home the second-place plaque last weekend at the Millikan “Annual JV Girls Tournament,” finishing the tourney with a 3-1 record, losing to Downey 47-32 in the championship game.
In the December 13 championship contest, the Griffins, facing a 20-point deficit, mounted a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter that cut Downey’s lead to 13 points at 39-26, but it was too little too late, as several turnovers prevented the Griffins from maintaining any momentum.
Los Alamitos’ junior guard Ashley Matsumoto and junior center Audrey Caballero were both selected to the All-Tournament team for their stand-out play over the four-game tournament.
Matsumoto led the Griffins in scoring, averaging 10.5 points per game while also hitting 7 threes and Caballero averaged 8 rebounds and 6.3 points per game.
Matsumoto’s best scoring game was 18 points with 3 threes against San Pedro while Caballero’s best performance was 11 rebounds and 8 points, also against San Pedro.
In the championship game, Caballero led the Griffins with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. Freshman guard Lauren Lee chipped in 7 points and three steals, and freshman guard Lydia Nickerson added 6 points and 3 steals.
To get to the championship contest, the Griffins (8-2) defeated host Millikan 40-24, Whittier 45-11, and San Pedro 64-5.
“The championship game against Downey (9-2) was a good experience for us,” said coach Patrick Kennedy. “Their pressure bothered us, but we are a new group and we’ll get better.”
The Griffins next game will be in the Downey JV Tournament on Dec. 26, at 4:30 p.m., against Cerritos, which could potentially lead to a rematch against the Vikings.
On Jan. 6, the Griffins will begin their quest for a fifth straight Sunset Conference championship in a 5:30 p.m. league game on the road against Corona Del Mar.
