Ojai P.A.L. girls net third place in El Rio tournament
by Misty Volaski

The newly formed Ojai Lightning Girls seventh- and eighth-grade Ojai Police Activities League team took third place in the Midsummer Shootout Tournament held at the El Rio P.A.L. gym.
Ojai began the tournament with a convincing win over the Oxnard Lions, who fell to Ojai, 39-26. Ojai pressed on to best tournament host El Rio, 34-25.
When all seemed to be going well, Agoura came in to defeat Ojai in their third and last game, 44-30.
Though they finished in third place, the girls' stats showed a different story. For the whole tournament, Hannah Hoffman, the team's consistent leading scorer, shot for 34 points and snagged 21 rebounds. Teammates Amanda Callaway and Allie Clifford both logged 18 points and had a total of 21 rebounds between them. Callaway also led the Lightning in steals, with 13.
Cassandra VanKeulen played a balanced game, picking up 13 rebounds and leading Ojai with five assists and five blocks. Jordan Clegg also reached for 11 rebounds in the tournament.
The girls, who are coached by Lonnie Stanford, play in tournaments all over the county and beyond. They, along with their male cournetparts, have consistently placed in the top three in each of the contests.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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