La Jolla Country Day’s girls’ varsity basketball team is a perennial force, especially during the playoff season. The Torreys beat The Bishop’s School 64-39 to capture the San Diego Section CIF Div. IV Girls’ Basketball Championships at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion on March 3. It was the team’s third consecutive title and ninth in 10 years. At 28-1, the Torreys have now secured the No. 1 seed in the Southern California Div. IV Regionals and get a bye for the first round of playoff games. Bishop’s (19-9) also qualified for the playoffs and at press time were preparing for a March 7 game at Santa Fe Springs St. Paul (24-2). In the Div. IV finals, LJCD shot out to an 18-3 first quarter lead and was in good shape. The Knights closed the gap behind their senior leading scorer Bryn Stark (21 points) and junior Devon Roeper’s rebounding (10 points) and outscored the Torreys in the second quarter, but still trailed 28-16 at the half. Led by USD-bound sisters Malina and Maya Hood (20 points and 19 rebounds respectively) and junior Kelsey Plum (19 points), LJCD turned up their aggressive defense in the third period and with steals, lay-ups and second-chance points, pulled away by a 27-6 margin. The Torreys kept the pressure on to eventually take the title once again. “It’s always a great rivalry with them,” said Plum afterward.

La Jolla Country Day School’s boys’ varsity basketball squad upset top-seeded Francis Parker 57-40 to win the San Diego Section CIF Div. IV Boys Basketball Championships at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion on March 3. The two teams had split their regular season Coastal League matches, but this one had higher stakes with a title on the line. Parker held the Torreys down to take a low-scoring 12-6 first period advantage and held a 24-20 halftime lead. Then, LJCD exploded and the Lancers went ice cold. Behind junior point guard Sage Burmeister (16 points) and seniors Frank Bamford (14 points) and Jonathan Brewster (13 points), the Torreys roared out to a 22-3 third-period advantage, from which Parker couldn’t recover. Country Day (20-9) also forced 17 turnovers while only having six of their own to help doom the Lancers (17-12). “It was a heck of a defensive game for us”, said Torreys’ coach Ryan Meier after the game. It was the first section title for the LJCD boys’ basketball team in 10 years. At press time, the Torreys were heading into a March 7 game for the Southern California Div. IV Regionals playoff against Montebello Cantwell Sacred Heart (25-6) to try to extend their postseason success.