Lady Rangers slam dunk Santa Clara, fall to St. Bonny
by Misty Volaski

Defense, teamwork and intensity marked Nordhoff varsity girls' basketball team's victory over Santa Clara last Friday.
The Lady Rangers improved to 2-1 in Frontier League play with a 66-41 win over the Santa Clara Saints.
Nordhoff limited the Saints to just three field goals in the second half, forcing 16 turnovers and dominating the boards, turning a five-point halftime lead into a 25 point victory - its first win over Santa Clara in three years.
"(It was) a good win for us. Second half defensive effort was impressive. Lindsey and Sasha were particularly impressive, (and) Alison and Becky owned the lane. We slid our feet and didn't get ourselves in foul trouble," head coach Ted Cotti commented.
Lindsey Mezori led the way, tallying 29 points, eight steals and five assists off the bench. Becky Kennedy added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Following with 12 points and a dozen rebounds was Alison Bennett. Junior Rachel Lurie scored five and recorded a career high five steals.
The Rangers, who have out-rebounded five opponents this year, won the board battle 45-40.
They lost the battle Monday at St. Bonaventure, 59-32, and subsequently lost the game 69-38, committing 24 turnovers and shooting just 26 percent from the field and 33 percent from the line.
The Seraphs led by just nine with 3:35 left in the first half, but blew the game open in the next six minutes, outscoring the Rangers 22-2, despite three NHS time-outs to try to stop the run.
"Against St. Bonaventure, we had all sorts of trouble on defense. We lacked focus and energy in a rare Monday game," coach Cotti said. "I think the Seraphs caught us looking ahead to the Cardinals, whom we know we have to beat if we want to regain the league title."
Mezori again led all Ojai scorers with 14. Bennett added six and Lurie and Kennedy five each. Bennett grabbed 13 rebounds, but no other Ranger had more than four. Sasha O'Brien finished with three assists and four steals.
Nordhoff plays Santa Paula today at home at 6:30 p.m.
If the girls win, they move into a first-place tie in league. They play a nonleague game against San Marcos Saturday in the first of two feature games during the Rangers' Youth Day celebration - during which all players from the Recreation Department will be admitted free when wearing their uniform and accompanied by an adult.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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