Spartans have breakout game

Erik Boal

EL MONTE -- At the time, Stacy Toyota’s two three-point field goals in

the final two minutes of the first quarter of Thursday’s pool-play game

in the Arroyo Tournament seemed harmless.

But for the La Canada High girls’ basketball team, it was just the

spark it needed to turn a tie game into a laugher by the end of the first

half.

The Spartans -- who had averaged only 35.6 points a game entering

their game against Northview -- turned in their strongest offensive

effort to date, posting a 53-29 win at El Monte High.

La Canada (4-4) will face Bishop Amat (8-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday in one

of two semifinal games at El Monte High. The Spartans lost to the

Lancers, 63-33, in a pool-play game in the Bishop Amat Tournament on

Friday.

The other semifinal, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., features San

Marino (5-3) and Arcadia (7-1). All four teams won their two pool-play

games.

With the game tied at 8, Toyota’s two three-pointers gave Coach Tamar

Hill’s squad a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter. But the

roof had only begun to cave in on Northview (3-5).

The Vikings suffered through a drought of 7:58 without scoring, during

which time the Spartans scored 23 straight points.

Tracey Mayer’s two free throws with 2:02 left in the first half

provided the only offense for Northview, but it was only a bump in the

road for La Canada, which capped a 30-2 run with Erin McCoy’s

three-pointer early in the third quarter.

McCoy scored nine points as part of a balanced Spartan attack, which

saw nine of Hill’s 10 healthy roster players score.

Lauren Guza led La Canada with 11 points, Toyota added 10 -- including

three three-pointers -- and Kim Gilmour contributed eight.

The flow of the game was drastically slowed in the second half, as the

teams combined to shoot 36 of their 65 free throws in the final 16

minutes.

“Our second-quarter effort was great,” said Hill of her squad, which

forced 11 turnovers during the quarter and 28 in the game.

“Other than that, the game was a fiasco. It took an hour and 45

minutes because we’re up 25 and we’re still fouling and they’re still

fouling and every other possession a team is shooting free throws. At

times, it seemed like it wouldn’t end.”

La Canada 14 21 9 9 -- 53

Northview 8 2 12 7 -- 29

LA CANADA -- Guza 11, Bicknell 5, Gilmour 8, E. McCoy 9, Parsons 2, S.

Toyota 10, R. Toyota 4, Leyda 2, Sherman 2.

* Three-pointers: S. Toyota 3, Gilmour, Guza, E. McCoy.

NORTHVIEW -- Mayer 2, Fraijo 1, Vega-Howard 8 and 13 rebounds, Blue 3,

Davis 8, Silas 5, Beltran 2.

* Three-pointers: Silas.