Friday evening the Pointers from Point Loma High School invaded Coronado and the result was two very entertaining Central League basketball games. Taking the two contests in chronological order, the Girls teams were up first and overtime was needed to decide the result, won by the Islanders 31-28.

Coronado opened the game by taking a 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and held a 15-14 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Islander offense went scoreless in the first 6:46 of game time and fell behind 23-17. “We did okay offensively,” said Head Coach Toler Goodwin. “But we didn’t hit the shots. Samantha Kirk and Nicollette Abrantes had good looks, but the good news was that they kept shooting. We didn’t force things and we didn’t make a lot of open court turnovers.”

Things looked pretty grim for the home team with 4:54 remaining in the game, as a Pointer player had just converted two free throws and Coronado trailed 26-18. Shortly thereafter, Coronado ratcheted up their intensity level, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. Peri Curtis scored on a jump shot from a Kirk assist. Point Loma countered by scoring on a layup, but that was the last Pointer basket for the final 4:23 of regulation time.

Shortly afterwards, Curtis hit a three-pointer on an Abrantes assist, and two minutes later Curtis scored on a layup. That got Coronado to within three points, a gap that was closed with 40 seconds left in the game as Kirk drained a three-pointer on an assist from Meganne Weissenfels. On the final Point Loma possession in regulation, Coronado forced the Pointers into a 30-second shot clock violation.

In high school, overtime periods are four minutes long, and Abrantes drained a three-pointer at the exact mid-point of overtime to give Coronado the 31-29 victory. “Obviously it wasn’t the prettiest game,” Goodwin said. “But we were shorthanded and we played so hard. When it really came down to it in the fourth quarter, we were down by eight and we didn’t back up. They found a way to win the game. The three-pointer by Peri gave us the ‘Yes, we can win this thing’ mentality. Samantha got the one to tie it and Nicollette got the one to win it. They played with a real passion to do the right things. Give the kids a lot of credit. Peri worked and made them work. I have high praise for Rachel Brennan. She was outstanding.  Meganne played really well, and rebounded well, especially when we needed to have it. Samantha also had a couple of key rebounds.”

Although they only had a rebound each, sophomores Gabrielle Mayes and Airean Gillig, both brought up from the Islander JV for the game, made important contributions. “They played in the three and a half minutes at the end of the first half that was absolutely vital. The kids did a good job and held it together. Point Loma missed a chance to attack us at that time.”

Statistically Curtis scored 12 points, had 14 rebounds and seven steals. Abrantes added a dozen more points, to go with nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. Kirk had five points and eight steals. Weissenfels had two points, seven rebounds and four steals. Brennan didn’t score, but had nine rebounds.

A good deal less exciting was Coronado’s first game of the week, which was a 43-29 home win over Clairemont. The same four scorers divided the Islander point total, but this time it was carved up with 26 points to Curtis, eight to Abrantes, five to Weissenfels and four to Kirk. Curtis added 13 rebounds and Cory DeMarco contributed five rebounds and seven assists.

Goodwin recounted the game details. “We were up 21-10 at halftime and finished it from there. We did a good job on their point guard, who was averaging 14 points per game, and held her to six points. Meganne and Samantha were doing a lot of on-ball defensive work there. We played a pretty solid game, executed, finished the game and got out with the win.”

Tuesday Central League co-favorites Coronado (11-5 overall, 4-0 in league) and Kearny (7-6, 3-0 in league) tangle at Kearny, with the game tipping off at 4:30 pm. Goodwin knows this contest is important “They won the league the last two years and I think it is going to come down to the two of us again. If we are healthy, I think we have the best team in the league. It’s an afternoon game during finals week and it should be an interesting game.”

Friday evening the Islanders have a Central League bye in their schedule and will host High Tech High. Goodwin, who is in his 12th season at the helm of the Islander Girls Basketball program, enters the week with 199 career wins at Coronado.

CHS Boys Basketball Wins Pair in Central League

With the Blumenthal Sports Complex still buzzing after the Girls Basketball Team’s overtime win Friday night, the Boys Basketball Team took the floor against Point Loma. Based on their 13-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, it looked as though the Islanders would moon walk to their 15th win this season, which includes four victories in the Central League.

However, Coronado proceeded to score a total of 12 points in the second and third quarters combined, highlighted (perhaps not) by scoring a scant two points in the final 7:18 of the third frame. As bad as that sounds, it actually looked worse. The low point of the evening came with 7:35 left in the game, when Point Loma edged out to a nine-point lead.

With 5:37 left, Justin Hebner made steal, and then hit a layup and a foul shot to give the Islanders a little momentum shift in their favor. Harley Ralph scored on a layup on a Hebner assist and Coronado had a great defensive stop, causing Point Loma to turn the ball over on a 35-second shot clock violation. Ralph hit a three-pointer on a Danny Hebert assist, Hebert had a three-pointer on an assist from Brian Turley, which was followed by a three from Hebner. This gave Coronado a 39-38 lead and the gym was jumping at this point.

At the 2:07 mark, Point Loma scored on a layup, with would be their final score of the game. With 1:35 left in the game, Coronado committed a turnover in their end of the floor, and the Pointers were about to score on an easy layup. Ralph, hustling down the floor, rapidly closed the gap on the Point Loma player and blocked the layup attempt from behind. Seconds later Hebert hit a three pointer, which gave the Islanders a 42-40 lead with 1:25 left in the game.

Neither team could score the rest of the way, as some ferocious defense was played by both teams coming down the stretch. The contest nearly went into overtime, as Point Loma had an uncontested offensive rebound and follow shot roll of the rim as the game expired, with Coronado holding on for the win.

Mayhem broke out at that point as the Islander players were celebrating on the floor. The most noteworthy portion of which, was a flying chest bump between current Coronado point guard Justin Hebner and the point guard from the CHS Class of 1999, Islander Head Coach J.D. Laaperi. Hebner sent Laaperi flying out of the pack of revelers, but the coach bounced up quickly, looking none the worse for wear.

“Justin was pretty proud of that,” Laaperi laughed later. “I’ll trade a sore hip for a win any day. The fact that we had to fight back and the ball bounded our way was pretty exciting.”

When asked about his thoughts regarding his club’s second half heroics, Laaperi didn’t hesitate. “Harley’s block was the play of the game. They had a point blank layup, but he sprinted down the court and blocked the ball off the backboard. Harley seemed to come out like he wouldn’t let us lose. He took our first possession of the game to the bucket and later he laid one over the rim. That’s exactly what Harley needs to do. If we are going to get deep into the playoffs, he has to be that kind of player.”

Ralph wound up with 15 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Hebert took scoring honors with 17 points and added three rebounds and three steals. Hebner scored eight points, and had three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Luke Gillingham scored only two points but was a monster on the boards with a total of 11. Billy Schmitt contributed five rebounds, two assists, three blocked shots and was a major defensive presence in the game’s final minutes.

Officially Turley had two rebounds, an assist and a steal, but according to Laaperi, played a pivotal role in the fourth quarter comeback. “Brian was great in the fourth quarter. He ended up being part of the group that picked up the pace for us. The team bought into what we needed to have to win and they did exactly what we needed to get it done.”

Laaperi also mentioned the impact of the Friday night home crowd. “That was the best environment we have played in for a while. The girls’ game got everybody ready and gave us the fuel we needed in the fourth quarter. The kids started playing to the crowd and the bench got into it.”

As was the case with the Girls Team, the Boys first game of the week was anticlimactic in comparison. Coronado traveled to Clairemont and emerged with a 67-32 victory. “We were up 10 at the end of the first quarter and we built the lead by 10 points in each quarter. Everything we did seemed to work, whether it was a set play or a defense. Everything worked.”

Hebert led the scoring with 21 points, followed by 11 each from Hebner, Ralph and Gillingham. Ralph snared 10 rebounds, but had help from Schmitt with eight caroms. Chris Banks and Gillingham added seven boards each. Hebner dished out seven assists.

The Clairemont contest marked the return of Banks to the lineup. The senior forward missed nearly a month with an injury and Laaperi was glad to have him back. “Chris picked up where he left off. We played him in shorter spurts, but he rebounded well and finished well.”

Laaperi also offered some love to his manic rebounding forward and dirty work specialist Luke Gillingham. “Coach Drew Zeller said that we could mention Luke as a contributor every game. If we go too long without mentioning him, we are doing him a disservice. He has close to double digit rebounds every game. He is the most consistent guy we have in terms of what he is doing.”

This week Coronado hosts Kearny Tuesday at 5 pm. Friday night the Boys play on the back half of a Girls/Boys doubleheader against High Tech High, with the Boys’ game tipping off at roughly 7:45 pm.

CHS Varsity Basketball Player Loses Local Residency and Leaves Team

A junior transfer student, who participated on the CHS Boys Varsity Basketball Team for the first 15 games of the season, has left the team due to school district residency requirements. CHS Principal Karl Mueller explained the matter. “When we have students living in our district, if they move, there are only limited things we can do. They can either apply for an inter-district transfer agreement or they can register and enroll in their resident school district.”

Mueller continued to explain the district’s policy. “He is no longer living in Coronado and as past practice dictates, we removed him from school. Per district policy, he gives up his placement on our campus. Once we learned his residency had changed, we acted with consistent enforcement of district policy and withdrew him from school.”

Mueller said that the next step was that he would write a letter to the CIF San Diego Section office to explain the timeline of events leading to the transfer. “We were still verifying documentation last week and we’ll report it to the CIF Tuesday. (CUSD Superintendent) Dr. Jeff Felix spoke with (CIF Commissioner) Dennis Ackerman last week. Since he is a student-athlete, we need to notify the CIF that his residency has changed.”

CHS Boys Soccer Continues Winning Ways

One of the most impressive winning skeins in my 13-year history of writing “Nado Natterings” is still alive due to the continued efforts of the CHS Boys Soccer Team. By winning twice last week the team is now 12-0, which in itself isn’t that unusual. However along with the 12 wins, the Islanders have yet to allow a goal to be scored against them, which is what places the team in rarified air.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” said Head Coach Brian Hiatt-Aleu in response to a question posed regarding the streak. “We’re 12-0 and I can’t complain that much. We may lose a game here or there.”

The downside is that as the season progresses, injuries are starting to mount. Two weeks ago forward Kyle Runyon sprained an ankle. Last week Andrew Toomey suffered the same injury, which along with an injury to Riley Peterson, required Hiatt-Aleu to make a lineup shuffle heading into the second game of the week.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little in our narrative, as Coronado’s first game of the week was a 4-0 win at Crawford. “We never win by more than one goal there,” Hiatt-Aleu said. “That was a big win by us. Andrew Toomey had three goals and Kyle Koshland had one. We played really well at the back. The midfield tried to get the ball forward early. They were running an offside trap and we sent the forwards real early. Sometimes when you get up a goal or two, the other team starts blaming each other for things.”

Hiatt-Aleu noted the fine play of Ryan Keeney and Nate Hoffman in the game, in addition to Toomey. “Obviously scoring three goals was good.”

Madison traveled to Coronado last Thursday and the Islanders thanked them for coming to town and handed the Warhawks a 3-0 loss. The Coronado goals were scored by Toomey, Keeney and Drew Maracle. “We were a little flat that game, but Tommy Hart and Andrew Orozco played well. It was a little bit of an ugly game. We have to improve on that if we are going to have success against Hoover.”

This week the Islanders travel to Hoover Tuesday for a 3 pm game. Thursday they host Lincoln in Coronado at 6 pm.

Islander Girls Soccer Wins Western League Opener

Western League play began last Friday night at home, when Coronado hosted University City and the Islanders emerged with a 2-0 victory. The Girls now own an overall record of 3-4-3. “Basically the whole month of December lead us to that victory over U.C.,” said Head Coach Kiko Medina. “The girls were outstanding, put it together and got a big win for us. We have been working on beating the type of defense they play, which is a Flat Four. We created a lot of chances. On our first goal, we created a good buildup from midfield. Mallory Mitchell had a nice run wide and a great service. We had numbers in the box and Olivia Lillegraven was there at the right time and tucked it in.”

Curiosity got the better of me since the last paragraph. Google’s answer for a Flat Four Defense is four defenders playing straight across the back, with no sweeper or stopper.

Medina continued to discuss the U.C. game. “On the second goal we wanted to play a little high pressure. We forced them out of the back to play the ball to the keeper. Stephanie Hamilton continued to press on, got the ball off of the keeper’s feet and got the ball across to Olivia. She was working off the ball well and finished her chance. I was getting a little worried. We had chance after chance and couldn’t finish. I was worried that even though we dominated, we might make one mistake and lose. But we continued to attack and finished our chances.”

This week Coronado hosts Mission Bay Tuesday at 6:30 pm. Friday the team travels to Cathedral Catholic for a 3 pm contest. Medina previewed the Cathedral game. “They are not as talented as in years past, but they always find a way to stay in games. We will have two days to prepare for Cathedral. If we continue to play the way we have been, we’ll be okay.”

Islander Girls Water Polo Participates in Santa Barbara Tourney

Last weekend the CHS Girls Water Polo Team traveled to Santa Barbara to participate in the 16-team Tournament of Champions. CHS Head Coach Dave Throop talks about the team’s experience in the top-level event. “This tournament is always the toughest competition top to bottom, as the organizers want it to be known as the most competitive tournament in girls water polo, and this year was proof of their intentions.  All of the teams participating are ranked in their respective CIF sections and divisions.

We travelled with 15 players, broken by groups into 13 field players and two goalies. The positive was that each and every player splashed down in each game. In the short term this was a tough result, but long term we gained a lot of experience for our younger players who have great attitudes. Their opportunities are going to continue to grow week by week, game by game. For the tournament we went 0-4 and are now 2-8 on the season. 

CHS opened the tournament against Dos Pueblos, who at the conclusion of the tournament sat on a 50-game undefeated win streak. After the first quarter, we were down 2-1 with the scoring being 8-2 at halftime, 13-3 after three quarters and 18-4 to close out the contest.  For the game, Shelby Couture had three goals, a field block and three ejections drawn. Hannah Green had a goal and two steals, while Kendall Martin contributed two assists. Brooke Bernardy had 11 saves and a steal in three quarters of play, while sophomore Emma Renly had a steal for her efforts in the goal in the final quarter.  

In the second match up against a physical team from Agoura, we played hard. We found ourselves down 3-1 in the first, 7-3 at halftime, 11-6 at the end of the third, and 14-7 at the end of the game. Bernardy had six saves and a steal, Renly had two saves in the fourth quarter, while Lauren Carroll, Couture, and Martin each had two goals apiece, and Green put up a score.  

The third game of the tournament found us playing Long Beach Wilson for the second time this season.  We started well, being up 3-2 after the first, then down 4-3 at the half.  The score was 6-4 after the third quarter and the final was 9-5. Bernardy had seven saves for her efforts.   Martin, Green, Couture, Kendall Hoshko and Gabie Darlak each scored a goal.  

In the final game, we played a rematch with Mater Dei of Orange County.  When we played them last, one of their players outscored our entire team by the score of 10-9, with the final score being 16-9.  We entered the game with expectations to limit the Mater Dei player's output, and we did an okay job for one quarter.

In the end however, it wasn't enough.  We scored a goal in the first quarter, and that ended our offense.  Scoring was 2-1 in the first quarter, 8-1 at halftime on the way to an 11-1 final.  As a team we took 25 total shots and scored a single goal.  Couture scored the only goal, while Martin was credited with five steals.  Morgan Karney, Jaicey Tyler and Rebecca Bayer all contributed a steal in the contest. Bernardy had five saves in three quarters of play and Renly played the fourth quarter with a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow from the experience. 

Renly is our second goalie as a sophomore and she has contributed to the season thus far. Classmate Gabie Darlak is learning what it'll take to be successful at the Varsity level. Along with Freshmen Jaicey Tyler and Kaitlin Seay, have each had opportunities to contribute in the season.  Along with sophomores Sarah Alfano and Nona Jones, as well as freshman Rebecca Bayer, the younger girls have done the best they can in their first varsity go around and we look forward to their continued development.”

This week the Islanders host Irvine High School Monday, Thursday they travel to La Jolla for a 3 pm Western League contest and Friday they begin play in the 24-team America’s Finest City Invitational, an event they host. The schedule for the first two games is set as Coronado will play Tesoro High School Friday at 5 pm and El Toro High School later that evening at 8 pm. Both games will be played at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex. Play continues Saturday, with game times and match-ups depending on the first day’s results. The Invitational will be conducted at the BBMAC, the Coronado Community Aquatics Center and at the La Jolla Coggan Family Aquatics Complex.