Winning CIF gold never seems to get old for the girls from La Jolla Country Day (LJCD) School. That was the case in a 56-38 win over rival The Bishop’s School.
Breaking open a tight 6-point game at halftime at Cox Arena, LJCD outscored Bishop’s 29-17 in the second half last Saturday morning en route to its eighth consecutive CIF girls basketball crown.
The Division IV victory sends head coach Terri Bamford’s squad into the state playoffs this week with their third victory of the season over the Lady Knights. State play began Tuesday, when LJCD hosted Santa Monica Crossroads and won in a blowout, 67-27.
In the March 1 CIF final, senior Lindsay Nettinga led the way for LJCD (23-5) with 16 points, hitting from long distance on several attempts.
Leading 27-21 at intermission, LJCD seemed to play with an extra step in its bounce in the second half, yet only led 37-30 going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, LJCD went on a 13-0 run to open the stanza, before Bishop’s Gizelle Studevant stopped the bleeding with a basket with just under three minutes remaining. By then, however, it was too little, too late.
“We talked at halftime about how we had to do a better job of rebounding and transition defense,” Bamford said afterward. “These girls know what it takes to win and they stepped it up. It’s tough to beat a team three times in one season and Bishop’s is a great team.”
Nettinga made sure her last CIF divisional championship game was yet another winner, connecting on four 3-point field goals, including back-to-back ones in the opening quarter.
“I was nervous before the game, but it was an excited nervous,” Nettinga remarked. “This was my last one (CIF division title game) and I wanted to make it count. There are six of us (seniors) on the team and we lead naturally. We just have to keep up the hard work now with states.”
Senior Dominique Conners (eight points) has also had the opportunity to win CIF gold on several occasions now. For Conners, it never gets old.
“It is exciting to be a part of this,” Conners said. “I thought Lindsay (Nettinga) shot the ball well today and it opened things up for us. They’re (Bishop’s) a great ball club and we knew they’d be tough to beat.”
While talented players like those who won this CIF crown, along with past talent such as grad Candice Wiggins get most of the attention, Conners made sure her head coach got some nods when asked what she was like to play for.
“Coach (Bamford) has made this a lot of fun,” Conners said. “She is a great coach to play for.”
Janae Fulcher and Chelsea Burns added 13 and 10 points, respectively for the Lady Torreys.
Michelle Brunker paced Bishop’s with 14 points. For Bishop’s (21-9,) its season was not over as the Lady Knights also moved into the state playoffs. They lost to St. Mary’s, 55-64, on March 4.