Sophomore Haley MacDonald had been a guard for Arroyo Grande High School’s girls basketball team all season. She just usually hadn’t been a point guard.

“I usually play the ‘2’ guard,” she said. The point guard position is the ‘1’ spot on a team.

MacDonald’s situation changed in the first quarter of the third place game of the Arroyo Grande Optimist Tournament Tuesday night. Starting point guard Sara Caywood went out with a sprained left ankle. MacDonald stepped in most ably.

She scored 10 points, had five assists, was the team’s leading rebounder with eight and threw a lot of passes to fuel fast breaks that led to baskets as the Eagles defeated San Jose Notre Dame 75-41 at Arroyo Grande’s Dr. Arthur F. James Gymnasium.

Arroyo Grande is 10-3. The Regents, who led 20-15 after the first quarter, are 7-8. Arroyo Grande bounced back from a 57-35 loss to Irvine Woodbridge in the championship semifinals Tuesday afternoon.

Woodbridge beat Irvine Northwood in the championship game. The score was unavailable at press time. Woodbridge (12-1) and Northwood are Sea View League rivals and separated by two miles.

MacDonald said the first-quarter adjustment in the third place game wasn’t hard for her. “I like playing point guard.”

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As for her assists, “That was mostly my teammates cutting for the basket,” she said. “I just got the ball to them.”

Arroyo Grande coach Vard Ikeda said Caywood “will probably be out awhile.”

He added, “We have a very good team. There aren’t any teams in the league that are going to feel sorry for us when we have injuries.” The Eagles are the defending PAC-7 League champions.

“Other kids will have a chance to step in and get quality minutes,” with Caywood out, said Ikeda.

Caywood got hurt when Notre Dame point guard Amanda Juni, diving for a loose ball near the Eagles’ baseline, inadvertently landed on the leg of Caywood, who was going for the ball too.

Jenna Sverchek, the Eagles’ 5-10 junior forward, effectively powered her way inside for 18 points. Jillian Ventura, the team’s co-assists leader for the game along with MacDonald, put in 10 points. So did Eagles reserve Danielle Lauinger.

Reserve Candace Masaquel led Notre Dame with seven points.

After trailing 8-4 early, the smaller Regents effectively cut through the Eagles’ 1-3-1 zone defense for points during the rest of the first quarter. Notre Dame was 6-for-10 from the field those first eight minutes.

Diminutive Notre Dame guard Ava Bambico nailed a 3-point shot early in the second quarter. Hannah Rose hit another ‘3’ shortly thereafter, and the Notre Dame lead was 26-17 with 5:27 left before halftime.

Things changed after “We quit bouncing up and down on defense,” said MacDonald. “(Ikeda) told us to quit bouncing up and down on defense, and that’s what we did.”

After the Eagles’ defenders grew more and still and ready, they started making more steals and getting into the Regents’ passing lanes much more often.

Arroyo Grande got more fluid on offense too, effectively flooding the lane on fast breaks, and hitting shots from close in and far away. MacDonald nailed a ‘3’ from beyond the top of the key to put the Eagles ahead for good, 28-26 with 2:55 left in the first half.

Kelsey Wagner hit two free throws to give the Eagles a 39-30 halftime lead.

The Eagles pulled away steadily in the second half. They hit their perimeter shots regularly. If they missed a layup, an Eagle trailer on the play would often put the ball in.

Ikeda said, “Some kids stepped in and got a lot of quality minutes. Haley did a very good job.”

Ashley Ward of Woodbridge was the tournament MVP. The All-Tournament team also included Sverchek, Juni, Danielle Kichler of Nipomo, Amanda Deal and Alissa Changala of Northwood, and Erin Beadle and Sara McCutchan of Woodbridge.

Surf & Slam Tournament

SAN DIEGO — St. Joseph claimed the tournament championship, beating Eastlake of Washington state 59-40 in the final at Scripps High School.

Tournament MVP Ane McPike led the victorious Knights’ scoring with 19 points. Fellow All-Tournament Team member Aly Beebe put in 17 points.

Kelsie English scored nine points and gave the Knights (11-1) solid defense.

Girls soccer — Santa Maria Varsity Tournament

Lompoc topped Nipomo 2-0 for the consolation championship on the final day of play at the Santa Maria Varsity Tournament.

In the title game, Centennial (Corona) edged San Luis Obispo 1-0 with a score in the last minute of play. In the third-place game, Atascadero defeated Western Christian 3-0.

Paso Robles won the fifth-place game 6-0 over Pioneer Valley.

In the day’s previous games, Nipomo beat Morro Bay 1-0, Lompoc topped Pioneer Valley 3-0, Centennial edged Atascadero 1-0 and SLO beat Western Christian 2-0. Morro Bay beat Santa Maria despite Jasmin Reyes-Corona’s score for the Saints.

Boys basketball — MaxPreps-Torrey Pines Tournament

SAN DIEGO — St. Joseph (2-13) was overhauled in the fourth quarter for the second straight day in a 57-49 loss to Apple Valley at Westview High School.

The Knights (2-13) led 41-34 going into the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils outscored St. Joseph 23-8 the rest of the way.

Ryan Smalley led St. Joseph with 10 points.

Apple Valley was a division above St. Joseph, in the Governor’s Division, and was to play Pasadena Maranatha for the division championship Tuesday night. However, thanks to some gaps in the tournament schedule, the Knights drew the Sun Devils Tuesday morning.

Bob Steinbach Tournament

SALINAS — A Panthers 3-point shot that would have sent their game against Silver Creek into overtime did a 360 around the rim — and then fell out, dropping Pioneer Valley to 6-7 on the season.

Pioneer Valley outscored Silver Creek 18-11 the fourth quarter but came up a tad short. Rey Abayon led the Panthers with 14 points. Martin Lawag scored 10.

College men’s basketball — Hancock Holiday Classic

Hancock College’s men’s basketball team stuck close to Palomar in the first half, but couldn’t hang around in the second.

The Comets (7-8) beat the Bulldogs 76-60 for third place in the Hancock Holiday Classic at Joe White Memorial Gymnasium.

Hancock (5-12) trailed 30-28 at halftime. Then the Comets pulled away.

Fresno City College claimed another Classic championship, rallying to beat Bakersfield 76-73. Santa Barbara City College handled Butte, 80-69, to win the Consolation championship.

Hancock’s defense had given up an average of just 70 points a game. The Bulldogs contained the Comets in the first half but couldn’t do it in the second.

The Comets were much more efficient than the Bulldogs from the field, shooting 24-for-52 to Hancock’s 25-for-63. Palomar made 15 of 21 free throws to Hancock’s 5 of 7.

Theo Overstreet led three Comets in double figures with 21 points. Kristoff Thande and Kevin Deeb scored 18 and 12 points respectively.

Jonathan Ramirez poured in 21 points for Hancock. He was the only Bulldog in double figures.

Fresno 76, Bakersfield 73

The unbeaten Rams (20-0) overhauled the Renegades (15-5) after facing a 39-33 halftime deficit.

Ten Rams scored. Sultan Toles-Bey led four Fresno players in double figures with 14 points. Asante Gaskin and Edward Wills scored 13 points each. Aaron Hill put in 10.

Bakersfield’s Jamar Harrison led all scorers with 25 points. Teammates Skyler Vaden and Jerome Grayson scored 11 each.

SBCC 80, Butte 69

The Vaqueros (7-12) rolled to the Consolation title after leading 42-22 at halftime.

David Lane tossed in 27 points for Santa Barbara. Mark Keeten scored 20. Donavan Plunkett and Pavol Losonsky scored 15 points each for Butte. Peter Simek put in 14.

Gaskin was the tournament’s MVP. The rest of the All-Tournament Team consisted of Vaden, Harrison, Overstreet, Keeten, and George DeLeon of Fresno.

December 31, 2008