Youth Serves Up Another Paraclete Victory

NORTH HILLS —  Paraclete High girls’ basketball Coach Susan Hervey says her team is young and rusty.

But that hasn’t stopped the Spirits from winning seven of their first eight games, including a 51-26 victory Wednesday over Fillmore in the first round of the L.A. Baptist tournament.

“We hadn’t played since Dec. 19 and we’ve only had two practices since then,” Hervey said. “So to me we were a little sluggish.”

That’s probably not what Fillmore (6-4) thought after watching the Spirits open a 13-5 lead after one quarter and never look back.

Paraclete has succeeded despite the absence of guard Alicia Parra, a starter who is recuperating from a knee injury and has yet to play this season.

Paraclete’s only other senior is guard Kate Robinson, who scored 13 points against Fillmore. Christine Lambert scored 14 points and Jackie Kolesar had 11.

In other first-round girls’ games:

L.A. Baptist 43, St. Genevieve 23--Kelly Feirfeil scored 12 points and Kim Kura had 10 points for the Knights (2-5). Rosy Iaccino had nine points for the Valiants (2-5).

Brentwood 65, Notre Dame 62--The Knights squandered an eight-point lead by going scoreless in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Liz Gonzalez scored 12 points for the Knights. Jamie Fortin and Sierra Mauser-Price each had 10.

Devan Zumwalt of Brentwood, a transfer from Alemany, scored 21 points.

Highland 63, Carpinteria 19--Kameelah Purdom scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and made eight steals and Tiffany Winkfield had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Bulldogs (7-3) in a rout of the Warriors (5-5).

BOYS

Alemany 67, Carpinteria 66--The Indians prevailed in the first-round game on two three-point baskets by Joe Casio in the final minutes.

Casio’s first three-pointer gave Alemany a 64-62 lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

Carpinteria responded with four points before Casio made another three-pointer from the corner with 25 seconds left.

Alejadra Valasquez scored 16 points for Alemany.

L.A. Baptist 104, St. Genevieve 54--Senior guard Frank Vasquez played only two quarters but finished with 29 points and made seven three-point baskets for the Knights (4-5).

Vasquez scored 19 points and made five three-pointers in the first quarter, when the Knights opened up a 36-11 lead.

Andrew Norris scored 11 points for L.A. Baptist and Manuel Ileto had 16 for St. Genevieve (3-5).

Fillmore 65, Paraclete 56--Chuy Jasso scored 17 points and reserve Ruben Gutierrez scored all 16 of his points in the second half for the Flashes (10-3).

Dago Pantojo of Fillmore made four three-point baskets.

Daniel Eppink had 15 points and Peter Cich scored 13 for Paraclete.

Brentwood 62, St. Bonaventure 51--The Seraphs were outscored, 20-7, in the second and never recovered.

Shane Ingraham scored 11 points for Brentwood.

Pat Devericks scored 18 for St. Bonaventure, followed by Brandon Duplessie with 14 and David Chaparro at 13.

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Staff writer Paige A. Leech and correspondent Mitch Polin contributed to this story.