First Track Meet -- Field Events

CLASSIC FORM -- Two of Eagle Jeff Stabler's three discus heaves broke the old record. -- Jonatan Muñoz, International

Stabler adds meter to discus record
By Carolina Cuadros
International School
Christian Learning's Jeff Stabler set a new league record in the boys discus with a throw of 28.35 meters in the field events section of the first track meet of the season held at International Saturday morning.
Stabler beat the mark of 27.2 meters set last year by his teammate, Esteban Eguez, last year. Eguez finished second this year with a throw of 26.69.
Stabler's new mark in the discus was the only record set in the field events, though two other records were tied. (See below.) Interestingly, though the meet included special training in the shot put, and all competitors were given a "trial throw" in addition to the three throws that counted, the records set in that category by Andrea Saba of Cambridge and Jacob Kennedy of Christian Learning were not seriously challenged. Kennedy's record has stood since 2006.
The score by teams was not immediately available, though a calculation based on the top finishers indicated that International easily kept alive its now four-year long unbeaten streak. The Griffins have not lost a track meet that they participated in since the founding of the league.
Overall, International won 10 of the 22 events in the two-day meet. Cooperative won seven, Christian Learning five, and Cambridge none.
The points from the first meet will be totaled with those scored at the second and final meet at the end of April to determine the league championship for 2008. (See schedule.) The order of finish in the first meet also determine lane positions for the second meet. Winners at the second meet will receive medals and be considered the league champions for 2008.
The unofficial results in the field events were as follows:
Girls shot put -- Tabitha Malloy, Christian Learning; Alejandra Denis, Cambridge; Stephanie Gioto, International. Winning distance: 7.75 meters.
Boys shot put -- Jorge Harriague, International; Jeffrey Stabler, Christian Learning; Esteban Eguez, Christian Learning. Winning distance: 11.45 meters.
Girls discus -- Alexia Handal, Cooperative; Alejandra Denis, Cambridge; Tabitha Malloy, Christian Learning. Distance: 18.10.
Boys discus -- Jeffrey Stabler, Christian Learning; Esteban Eguez, Christian Learning; Maro Antonio Parada, International. Distance: 28.35.
Girls long jump -- Domonique Harrison, Cooperative; Kendra Krestan, Christian Learning; Moira Vaca, Cambridge. Distance: 4.08 meters.
Boys long jump -- Nicolas Bedoya, International; Marco Antonio Parada, International, Tea Han Kook, Cambridge. Distance: 5.25 meters.
Girls high jump -- Dominique Harrison, Cooperative, and Florencia Sosa, Internation (tie for first place); Kendra Krestan, Christian Learning. Height: 1.35 meters (Note: Matches league record, held by Harrison)
Boys high jump -- Martin Fernandez, International; Nicolas Bedoya, International; Danny Canaviri, Christian Learning. Height: 1.65 meters. (Note: Fernandez and Bedoya both jumped 1.65 meters, matching the record held jointly by Bedoya and Manfred Grote of Cambridge. Fernandez was given first place because he had fewer faults.)

First Track Meet -- Running Events

Five new records set at track meet
PHOTO FINISH -- Eagle Whitney Belovicz falls across finish line just ahead of Griffin Beatriz Nallar in girls 800. Jonatan Muñoz, International

Sofia Sotelo, Hailey White and Renzo Pinto of Cooperative, Whitney Belovicz of Christian Learning, and the International 4 x 100 boys relay team all set new league records in running events at the first day of the first track meet of the season held at Tahuichi Stadium Friday.
Belovicz' record-setting victory in the girls 800 meter race was perhaps the most spectacular -- and frightening -- event of the day.
The Eagle junior had stayed back in second place for most of the race, letting International standout Beatriz Nallar set the pace, which she had done since the start.
Belovicz started her kick at the top of the homestretch with a gap of about 25 meters to close, but Nallar answered the challenge and with about 20 yards to go seemed to have the victory in hand. But at that point Nallar, a ninth grader and star tennis player, suddenly began to stagger and lose speed while Belovicz kept coming.
Then Naller somehow recovered and, with a few steps to go, the two girls appeared even. Each was clearly making a maximum, gut-bursting effort, and they fell together across the finish line.
The judges decided -- and photos confirmed, that Belowicz had won -- by a head. (Fortunately, neither girl seemed to have sustained a serious injury.) The winning time of 2:47.5 eclipsed the old record of 2:52.6. set last year.
In the 1500 meters Sotelo beat her own record. She was clocked this time at 5:54.5, breaking her old mark of 5:56.8 set last year. Her time also set a new Cooperative school record, which Sotelo also already held.
White, Sotelo's eighth grade classmate at Cooperative, knocked just over three seconds off the old record in the girls 400 meters with a time of 1:09.5. The old record had been set last year by Ana Laura Gutierrez of International.
Pinto, a Cooperative ninth grader, set a new record inthe boys 200 meters with a time of :24.69, breaking the record of :24.84 by David Jusiniano of Christian Learning, which had stood for two years. Pinto also won the boys 400, but not in record time.
The International boys 4 x 100 relay of Juan Estenssoro, Marco Parada, Christopher Saltzieder, and Jean Ivo Sochtig was timed at :49.39, breaking the record of :50.21, which had been set by Cooperative back in 2006.
A running team score was not available yesterday, and will be combined with the results from Saturday's field events. Those events will be held at International beginning at 9.
International appeared to be doing well in its effort to remain the dominant team in the league in track and field, though Cooperative is probably not far behind. Griffin athletes won six of the 14 events run Friday. Cooperative won five, Christian Learning three, and Cambridge none.
The first three finishers in Fridays running events were as follows, according to preliminary unoffical results:
Girls 1500 meters -- Sofia Sotelo, Cooperative; Maria Victoria Gutierrez, International, Katie Wilcke, Christian Learning. Time: 5:54.49.
Boys 1500 meters -- Martin Fernandez, International; Junior Sanchez, Cambridge; Alexander Nagel, Cambridge. Winning time: 5:09.82
Girls 800 meters -- Whitney Belovicz, Christian Learning; Beatriz Nallar, International; Sofia Sotelo, Cooperative. Time: 2:47.52
Boys 800 meters -- Jan Ivo Sochtig, International; Alex Apodaca, Christian Learning; Victor Arias, Cambridge. Time: 2:38.13
Girls 400 meters -- Hailey White, Cooperative; Jessica Smith, Christian Learning; Maria Isabel Barrenechea, International. Time: 1:09.49
Boys 400 meters -- Renzo Pinto, Cooperative; Juan Javier Estenssoro, International; Andre Shin, Cooperative. Time: 59.51.
Girls 200 meters -- Fabiana Murillo, International; Marianne Encina, Christian Learning; Jennifer Lau, Christian Learning. Time: 31.57.
Boys 200 meters -- Renzo Pinto, Cooperative; Jorge Harriague, International; Christopher Saltzsieder, International. Time: 24.69.
Girls 100 meters -- Dominique Harrison, Cooperative; Fabiana Murillo, International; Gabi Tang, Christian Learning. Time: 14.43.
Boys 100 meters -- Jan Ivo Sochtig, International; Jorge Harriague, International; Esteban Gomez, Cooperative. Time: 12.25.
Girls 4 x 100 relay -- Christian Learning; Cooperative; International. Time: :59.62
Boys 4 x 100 relay -- International (Juan Estenssoro, Marco Parada, Christopher Saltzieder, Jean Ivo Sochtig); Cooperative; Cambridge. Time: 49.39. Girls 4 x 400 relay -- Christian Learning, Cooperative, International. Time: 5:17.9.
Boys 4 x 400 relay -- International, Cooperative, Christian Learning. Time: 4:03.41.

SMOOTH HANDOFF -- Griffin Marco Parada takes baton from Juan Estenssoro after first leg of record run in 4 X 100 relay. Jonatan Muñoz, International

Varsity Girls basketball

Christian Learning 24, Cambridge 22
Eagles come back to edge Knights
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
This game started out looking grave for the undefeated Christian Learning Center girls varsity basketball team and a home gym full of their supporters as Cambridge built a 8-0 lead to start the game.
However, the Eagle girls made a stunning comeback to tie the game by halftime, and then after the two teams had battled basket-for-basket through the second half, the Eagles edged into the lead in the final minutes and achieved the victory 24-22.
Cambridge started the scoring with a three-point swish by ninth grader Maira Lino. After that, the Lady Knights stayed in control, with Lino throwing in a second three-pointer, and the first quarter ended with Cambridge holding a 10-2 lead.
The Cambridge girls had artfully closed off the middle to the Eagles main scorers, and forced Christian Learning to try other strategies including more shooting from the outside using other players.
This began to pay off in the second quarter which began with another three-point swish, this one by Eagle tenth grader Ruth Nyquist. Cambridge answered with two free throws, but then would make only one more basket before the half, while the Eagles tallied 9 points, tying the game, 14-14, at the half.
Neither team seemed able to get back in the groove in the third quarter. It ended with the score still tied, now at 20-20. The pace slowed even further in the fourth quarter, with both teams missing a lot of free throws and other chances.
The Christian Learning girls made a free throw by Sabrina Hallock to give her team a one-point lead, but another basket by Lino -- this one a two-pointer, gave the Knights back the lead.
The game then became a foul shooting contest that the Eagles won by sinking three (while missing eight). The Knights did have their chances as well, both at the foul line and from the field. Raquel Lopez, Cambridge's leading scorer, went in for a lay-up just before the buzzer that looked like it might go in, but it rolled off the rim.
The win was the fourth for the Christian learning girls against no defeats and clinches at least a first place tie for them. The loss evens Cambridge's record at 2-2. The two teams play again in two weeks.
Sabrina Hallock was the top scorer for the Eagles with six points. Kaylyn Lampen had 6, Roxy Jien 4, Ruth Nyquist three, Anne Marie Hawthorne two, Jennifer Lau and Tabitha Malloy one apiece.
For the Lady Knights, Lino had eight points including two three-pointers. Lopez had six, Mariana Escaño five, Camila Johnson two, and Karen Aliaga one.




BREAKING UP A SISTER ACT -- Griffin Natalia Suarez does her best to keep Jaguar Cecelia Apoonte (6) from passing to her sister Natalia (8). Jonatan Muñoz, International

Cooperative 32, International 19
Jaguars post first victory in fine style
The previously winless and seemingly snakebit Cooperative girls varsity basketball team got well in a hurry as it defeated International 32-19 in their home gym Thursday.
The girl Jaguars, now 1-4, had lost to the Griffins in the season opener by one point, and had lost another game by one point in overtime, and a third by just two points.
They got over the problem they have had scoring in the first quarter, taking a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. They led 13 to 8 at the half, and 21 to 13 at the end of the third quarter.
They then had their most productive quarter of the year in the fourth quarter, tallying 11 more points while holding International to 5.
Both teams will have an opportunity to play spoiler in their final games of the season. The Jaguars take on the second-place Cambridge girls (2-2) next week, and International will play 4-0 Christian Learning in three weeks.
For the Jaguars both Cecelia Aponte and Ana Paula Peredo posted eight points, and Nataly Noguer had six. Carla Limpias scored 4, while Sofia Sotelo, Natalia Aponte, and Ana Paula Justiniano had two points each.
For International Daniela Zelada had 12, Regina Landivar 4, Natalia Suarez 2, and Matilde Vasquez 1.

Varsity Boys Basketball

Cambridge 27, Christian Learning 22
Knights win odd, topsy-turvy game
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
and David Boldt
SCISL News
The Christian Learning boys varsity basketball team was given its first defeat of the season by Cambridge, the only other undefeated team in the boys league.
The Knights prevailed 27-22 in a game played Thursday in the Eagles gym that was far from the high-scoring contest many fans had anticipated.
To be sure, the game started as if it were going to be a fast-paced shoot-out, as Knight Juan Manuel Salas stole an Eagle pass in the first five seconds, and took it to the basket for an easy lay-up.
However, as the game went on it began to look as if, in terms of scoring, that basket might be it for the afternoon.
Neither team scored again until the last minute of the first quarter when Eagle Paul Estes hit a free throw, cutting the Cambridge lead to one point, 2-1. Two more points were recorded in the first quarter when Eagle David Lotz sank two more free throws, but he shot these after playing time had expired. They put Christian Learning on top 3-2.
Too much adrenalin?
Why so little scoring? Both teams played torrid defense, but it also seemed as if both squads had been struck by a massive case of what is called "Super Bowl-itis," meaning the tendency of teams to play poorly in high stakes games. Supposedly there is just a little bit too much adrenalin pumping through the playees' veins throwing the delicate mechanisms of passing and shooting slightly out of kilter.
In the beginning of the second quarter, the Eagles built their lead to 8-2 before Cambridge seventh grade phenom Jose Ribera swished a three-point shot that made the score 8-5. Each team made one more basket before the intermission, bringing the score 10-5 Christian Learning at the half.
The ironic thing about the game was that Cambridge appeared to have undergone a personality change. Totally absent was the fast-breaking, dribbling behind the back, crashing through the back door style of play that had chacterized them all year.
Playing the Eagles game?
Cambridge instead played slowly, passing the ball around the perimeter as if waiting for something to happen that never quite occurred, then finally launching a long shot that usually missed, and that Christian Learning usually rebounded.
In other words they played the kind of game that should have advantaged the slower but bigger Eagles.
And throughout the first half it did. One wondered what Cambridge's fiery but supposedly brilliant coach, Victor Coronado, could be thinking of. It was almost like watching a team commit ritual suicide as Christian Learning steadily moved ahead.
The tide turns
But that woukld change in the second half, and Coronado would look like a genius again.
At the very beginning of the second half, Eagle Josh Mann sank two free throws, which further lengthening his team's lead to 12-5. But then a string of baskets by Cambridge changed the flow of the game, as the Knights pulled ahead and opened a three-point lead, 17-14.
The key factor was two more amazing three-point shots by Ribera, who perhaps was too young to have Big Game Jitters. Inspired by the youngster's heroics, the Knights seemed to pull themselves together and start making things happen.
Stepping up
If the big guns weren't firing, the little guns opened up. Two players who had not been major contributors to past Cambridge victories stepped up and made their presence felt. Senior forward Yosep Song hit a pair of jumpers.
Tenth grader Tae Han Kook, who hadn't played organized basketball before this year, connected for four points.
Salas, heretofore the team's high scorer, was having a day from hell after his opening basket, and was benched for most of the second half.
Christian Learning, meanwhile, was having just an awful time getting the ball into the hoop. Their rebounding advantage was as big as advertised, and they were able to fire up shot after shot -- almost all of them off the mark.
The Eagles' best shooter, Paul Estes, posted two field goals in the second half, and had five points for the game, but that was way off his double-digit average. And no one else was filling the gap. Cambridge lead 21-16 at the end of the third quarter.
A brief rally
Christian Learning seemed to be on the verge of rallying in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter as Estes and Jeff Stabler scored buckets for the Eagles and cut the Cambridge lead to a second point.
But Cambridge rallied. Young Ribera sank another long set shot (but only a two-pointer this time), and senior Benjamin Ezpeleta, the team leader, knocked down two free throws.
With about five minutes to go the Knights had their five-point advantage back, and Coack Coronado decided to sit on it.
The Knights went into ball control mode, playing a cunning keep away game that increasingly frustrated the Eagles.The necessary deliberate fouls brought Ezpeleta to the foul line two more times, and he added two points to the Knight lead.
The Eagles got the ball several more times, but their rushed shots failed to connect until in the closing seconds Stabler sank a third (or perhaps fourth) close-range try to give the Eagles their final points.
One more time (at least)
Cambridge is now 4-0 and Christian Learning 3-1, but it all goes on the line again in two weeks when the two teams play at Cambridge. After that, of course, there's the playoffs.
Ribera led all scorers with 11 points. Interestingly, that was the same total he had Tuesday in the junior varsity game. Ezpeleta scored six for the Knights, Kook and Song had four each, and Salas 2.
For the Eagles, David Lotz had 7, Estes 5, Josh Mann 4, Stabler 4, and Kyle Swope 2.

TWO ON ONE -- Knight Benjamin Ezpeleta looks for a way past Eagles Kyle Swope and Paul Estes (8). -- Juan Carlos Coronel, Cambridge

Cooperative 42, International 41
Jaguars sneak by Griffins in overtime
The Cooperative boys varsity basketball team just barely eked out a victory in overtime over a resurgent International, 42-41, in a game played at the Jaguar gym Thursday.
The suprising Griffins, who demonstrated that the scare they gave undefeated Cambridge just before the Easter break was no fluke, jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the first quarter, and were ahead at the half 22-17.

______________________

WHERE THERE'S A WILL -- Griffin Mario Rohrman looks for a way to get a shot off against Jaguar Juan Peredo. Jonatan Muñoz, International

The Jaguars closed the gap to three points at the end of the third quarter, 30-27, and managed to tie the game 38-38 as regulation time expired on a basket by Juan Peredo. International coach Eduardo "Presi" de la Riva argued strenuously that the clock should have expired before the basket was scored, but was incorrectly stopped during the final nine seconds of regulation time.
In the overtime the Jaguars got a basket by Daniel Linggi, together with two free throws by Juan Abuawad. The Griffins had a three-pointer by Martin Gonzales.
The victory gives the Jaguars two wins -- both against the Griffins -- and three defeats. The Griffins are now 0-5. The Jaguars play Cambridge next week, and Cambridge had best not be looking past that game to its final game with Christian Learning.
The Chrtistian Learning-International game originally scheduled for next week, has been postponed because the Eagle seniors will be on their class trip, and could provide an intersting climax to those teams´seasons. For the winning Jaguars, Juan Peredo hit for a season-high 19 points. Juan Abuawad had 11, Daniel Linggi 8, Diego Morales 2, and Pablo Taborga 2.
For the Griffins, Martin Gonzales scored 17, Mario Rohrman and David Huang had eight each, Ernando Tesch had 4, and Martin Fernandez 2.

JV Girl Basketball

Eagles outpace punchless Knights, 22-4
The Christian Learning Center junior varsity girls team jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and was never headed as it breezed to a 22-4 victory over Cambridge in the Eagles gyn Tuesday.
The Knights actually did all their scoring in the second period, tallying baskets by Natalia Johnson and Lisa Delboy. The score at the half was 12-4.
Talley Friesen led the Eagles attack with 11 points. Jessica Smith added 3, and single baskets were recorded by Catherine Newman, Mariela Salinas, Jessi Kennedy, and Rachel Moss.

Jaguars´ late surge beats Griffins, 16-8
The Cooperative junior varsity girls basketball team locked horns Tuesday afternoon in their home gym with a determined International team that trailed by only a single point at the end of the third quarter.
However, the Jaguars put on a 10-point spurt in the fourth quarter and ultimately prevailed 16-8 in the Jaguar gym Tuesday.
The game started slowly, reminding fans of the early days in the league when getting to double digits was considered a grand accomplishment, and a one-point lead was formidable. Each team was only able to notch a single basket in the first period. and the score was only 4-2 in favor of the Jaguars at the half.
The Griffin girsl actually "won" the third quarter, scoring three points to Cooperative's 2, cutting the Jaguar lead to a single point, 6-5.
But the Jaguars got untracked in the final quarter, scoring 10 points to International's three, as Giovanna Varalta found the range and hit for eight of her 12 points. Audrey Saucedo and Macarena Valdes scored a basket each for the Jaguars during the game.
The Jaguar JV is not the scoring machine it once was because many of its players have been promoted to the varsity.
International's scoring was provided by Diana Maria Salman, who scored 3 points, as well as by Carolina Baldivieso and Lucia Londoño, who had a field goal each, and Laura Gioto who made free throw for one point.

JV Boys Basketball

Eagles pull away from Knights, win 24-15
The Christian Learning boys junior varsity basketball team found itself in a 10-10 deadlock with Cambridge with two minutes to go in the first half, but Eagles Pablo Oh and Andre Larsen scored baskets in rapid succession to open a 14-10 lead that was never challenged again.
The Eagles eventually won the game, played in their gym Tuesday, 24-15.
Knight seventh grade phenom Jose Ribera was the game's leading scorer, with 11 points.
However, the Eagles did a better job of harassing, blocking, hurrying, disrupting, and generally annoying Ribera than any other team has this season. This game marked his lowest point output in a junior varsity game, and the first time he has been held to fewer than 20 points.
The Christian Learning defense kept him out of the middle in the second half, and, except for one spectacular three-pointer near the end of the game, his longer shots were not dropping in for him as they have in other games.
Cambridge also got baskets from David Li Tan and Gustavo Denis.
Larsen, the Eagles' big center, finished with 10 points, and Oh tallied 6. Nicolas Smith and Kenny Krestan had four points each.

Jaguars are easy victors over Griffins, 26-2
The Cooperative junior varsity basketball team easily bested winless International, 26-2, in a game played at the Jaguars gym Tuesday.
The Jaguars led 16-0 at the half, and the outcome was never in doubt, but International put on its best defensive effort of the year, holding Cooperative to the lowest total achieved by any of its opponents.
Felipe Cuadros garnered International's two points with a pair of successful free throws.
Andre Shin paced the Jaguar offense with 10 points, followed by Milan Marikovic with 8, Oliver Ledermann with 4, Samuel Melgar and Luis Peredo with 2 points each.

Varsity Basketball Second Half Preview

Fasten seatbelts -- choppy weather ahead
By David Boldt
SCISL News
The finish of the 2008 SCISL varsity basketball season over the next three weeks should provide one of those wonderful periods in which anything can happen – and probably will.
Boys: Something’s gotta give
The first half of the season ended with both Christian Learning and Cambridge sporting identical 3-0 records, with each team having made a narrow escape. But the main reason that they’re both undefeated is, of course, that they haven’t played each other yet.
That will be remedied Thursday afternoon when the Knights will venture into the Eagles’ den, a home gym sure to be filled to the rafters with loyal and vocal Eagle fans. The return match will be just two weeks later in the shadowy confines of the Cambridge coliseum.

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TYPICAL SCENE -- The Eagles and Knights get confrontational when they play, as this scene from last year's championship game shows. Cambridge College

The schedule seems to have been designed to showcase the ancient (and astringent) rivalry between these two teams who have battled each other for league supremacy every year since the league was created way back in ‘05.
It’s hard to imagine two more closely matched teams than these two this year. The Eagles have been averaging 43 points a game, the Knights 40. The Eagles’ opponents have been held to 27 points a game: the Knights’ to 26.
Cambridge may have the more explosive offense, led by slick playing senior Benjamin Ezpeleta and line bucking junior Juan Manual Salas, who stand together atop the list of leading scorers in the league. They are aided and abetted by sharp-shooting seventh grade phenom Jose Rivera, along with a flying squad of fast-dribbling playmakers including Josep Song, Sergio Palazuelos, and Zhau Fua Zhou Zeng. Look for the Knights to prevail in a shootout.
Still, there are times when the Knights´ volatile mixture fails to ignite, when the footwork is there but the timing is off. And Christian Learning has many ways to attack. Paul Estes, Josh Mann, Danny Canaviri and Jeff Stabler have each scored in double digits on at least one occasion, and the Brothers Swope – Tim and Kyle – have shown that they can come up with big points in key moments.
Moreover, Christian Learning’s big men are bigger than Cambridge’s big men, which could give the Eagles an added edge if the games devolve into trench warfare.
But perhaps the most interesting lesson from the first half is that both of the other teams in the league – Cooperative and International – have shown the capacity to act as spoilers, and will have to be reckoned with in the concluding games and the playoffs.
Cooperative came within a basket of Christian Learning in their first meeting, losing 41-39. On paper the Jaguars look terrific. They have three big men – Juan Peredo, Juan Abuawad, and Diego Morales – who can all score in double digits. Senior guard Pablo Taborga has been brilliant when healthy, but an ankle injury sidelined him for two of the Jaguars first four games.
Cooperative has been plagued by injuries and absenteeism, as well as by an inability to make clutch baskets, indicating that its 1-3 first half record is attributable to something other than lack of talent. The Jaguars could surprise Cambridge when the two teams play each other in the second half’s second week.
International, for its part, was ahead of Cambridge for most of the game in their second meeting of the season, before losing narrowly, 42-39, in a game that could have turned out differently if International hadn’t missed four free throws in the final minute.
The Griffins have two consistent scorers in flashy guard David Huang and smooth-shooting Martin Gonzales. Mario Rohmer has improved in both shooting and rebounding as the season progressed, and other Griffins are also progressing, making International a more formidable opponent than its 0-4 record might indicate. Christian Learning must play the Griffins the same week that Cambridge plays Cooperative.
Girls: The picture is even murkier
Christian Learning’s girls varsity has established itself as the team to beat, posting a 3-0 record in the first half. The Eagles offense has been led by hard-working Sabrina Hallock, who spends extra hours after everyone else has gone home in the gym practicing her shots.
An array of other players have stepped up when needed, including Tabitha Malloy, Kaylyn Lampen, and Anne Marie Hawthorne. Veteran playmaker Roxy Jien has ably managed the offense.
The Eagle girls, like the boys, will have two games in the second half against 2-1 Cambridge in the second half. The Lady Knights are led by Raquel Lopez, an artful and experienced player who led her team to the championship last season,
However, Cambridge did not play with its characteristic intensity, particularly on offense, during the first half of the season. The Knights have failed to break the 20-point barrier, something every other team in the league has done at least twice, and the Knights were defeated in embarrassing fashion by International just before the break.
However, that could change as the season moves into its final phase. When Cambridge is functioning at its best, Lopez is ably supported by young, improving players including ninth graders Maira Lino and Camila Johnson, as well as eighth grader Lucia Candia,
Juniors Vania Rueda and Karen Aliaga add a leavening of experience. Tenth grader Mariana Escaño has been explosive offensively in the past, though her play has been undistinguished so far this year.
Christian Learning might actually face a sterner test against the Cinderella team of the year – International. The Griffin girls had never won a basketball game before this season, but went into the midseason break all even at 2-2.
Senior Daniela Zelada is leading the Griffins – and most of the league -- in scoring. She has been ably supported by her classmate, Melissa Roca, an outstanding all-around athlete. Tenth grader Stephanie Gioto has been coming along fast.
The Griffins lost decisively to the Eagles in their first game, but were without Roca for that game, an important factor for a team that is still lacking in depth. International has been scrappy on defense and increasingly adroit on offense.
The puzzle of the year has been Cooperative. The Jaguars have no shortage of talented players, including senior Nataly Noguer, tenth grader Cecelia Aponte, and eighth graders Carla Limpias, Sofia Sotelo, and Ana Paula Peredo. Three of their four losses have been by two points or less, one of them in overtime.
The problem has been a chronic, inexplicable inability to score in the first quarter. The Jaguars have been outscored by their opponents in the opening stanza 34-11. If the rules were changed to excuse the Jaguars from playing the first quarter, and only the other three quarters were counted, Cooperative might be 4-0 instead of 0-4.
Prediction: The Jaguar girls will beat somebody in the second half, during which they play Cambridge and International, or in the playoffs.
Remember, you read it here first.

Track and Field Preview

TOUGHER COMPETITION? -- International athletes dominated last year's running events Jonatan Muñoz, International

Can Griffins keep it up?
Track meet will test league traditions
The good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise (again), the postponed opening of the 2008 track season will finally take place this Friday and Saturday (March 28-29). And the big question will still be: Can International continue its near total domination of this sport?
The Griffins have won every championship that has been up for grabs in the three years since the inception of the league in 2005, in both boys and girls, and will be bidding to do so again with many of last year’s stars back for another run under the tutelage of track coach Elizabeth Vilar. But at the same time many medal winners have graduated.
The two day meet starts at 3:30 on Friday with the running events at Tahuichi Stadium. and then continues Saturday morning at 10 at International with the field events -- long jump. high jump, shot put and discus.
This first meet of the season will be much more important this year than in past years, when it has served mainly as a tune-up for the second meet, which determined the championship. This year the points scored in both meets will be totaled to determine the championship. The order of finish in the first meet will also be used to determine lane assignments in the second meet, to be held at the end of March.
Last year the Griffins amassed 237 points in the two-day championship meet, well ahead of second place Cooperative, which had 200 points, and Christian Learning, which posted 177 points. Cambridge brought up the rear with 113 points.
International’s dominance of track and field has been accomplished very simply: They have had faster, better trained runners than anyone else. Last year Griffins won 10 of the 14 running events (100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meters, plus 4x100 and 4x400 relays) in the championship meet. And in the four events they lost, a Griffin placed second in three.
International had much less success in the field events, winning only two of eight events last year.
Boys 1500 to be "featured race" Saturday
A track meet is a very difficult event to forecast because of the large array of events and competitors involved, but there may be a test of International’s dominance in the opening event Friday, the boys 1500 meters, which will also probably be the featured race of the day.
Last year, Martin Fernandez of International, Pablo Taborga of Cooperative, and Danny Canaviri of Christian Learning all flashed across the finish line within less than two seconds of each other. Fernandez was the winner, clocked at 5:01.5.
All three are eligible to be back this year, and there will be money placed on some dark horses as well.
Fernandez dominated the boys distance events last year, winning both the 1500 and 800, as well as running on International’s triumphant 4x400 relay team. If someone were to catch him in the 1500 it would be a sign the International is facing a serious challenge.
Each school was asked to name the athletes they had the highest hopes for in track and field this year. Here is what they reported so far:
International has a strong core of proven winners
Besides Martin Fernandez in the boys distance events, the Griffins have last year's 100-meter champion, Jorge Harriague, as well as Nicolas Bedoya, league record holder in both the high jump and long jump.

In addition, their squad includes Christopher Saltzieder, who placed third in the 400 behind two runners who have graduated, and Juan Estenssoro, who likewise finished third in the 200 behind two runners who have graduated.
Jaguars have Sofia Sotelo – and more
Perhaps the most impressive story in track last year was the dominance of 7th grader Sofia Sotelo in the 1500 meters, which she won handily in both meets, setting a league and school record with a clocking of 5:56.76 in the second meet.
Her rate of improvement was as impressive as her victory margins. She cut more than
20 seconds off her time between the first and second meets last year. She’s older now – 8th grade – and has presumably not gotten any slower.
But she faces a threat this year, from another eighth grader, at her own school. Newcomer Hailey White has reportedly been going stride for stride with Sotelo.
And they are not the only Jaguars who will be going for gold this year. Senior Pablo Taborga is a threat to win in the 1500. Aldana Roda and Alexia Handal are both proven performers in shot put and discus.
Christian Learning not lacking in talent
The Eagles graduated some of their biggest stars in track, but some impressive performers are still around, including the aforementioned Danny Canaviri in the 1500. The others include Esteban Eguez, who won the discus and took second in the shot put, and Alejandra Valencia, who placed second in the girls shot put. Jeff Stabler finished right behind Eguez in the discus
Whitney Belovicz placed third in the 800 last year, and could be poised to move up. Katie Beth Wilcke could do the same in the 1500, in which she placed third last year. In addition, Christian Learning will have a lot of middle school athletes who have not competed before, among who it hopes there will be some point-winners.
Cambridge hopes distance runners can fuel resurgence
The last place finishes of the Knights has been as regular an occurrence as the championships of the Griffins, but this year track coach Vivian Salcedo is hoping for a turnaround.
Her hopes are pinned in part on two of Cambridge’s swimming champions who have been retooled as distance runners – Osvaldo Kinn and Alexander Nagel. Kinn, a senior, finished only a few seconds off the pace in both the 1500 and 800 last year. Nagel will be making his track debut.
The Knights will also have a contender in the girls 1500, where Maria Fornaguera finished second last year behind Jaguar phenom Sofia Sotelo. Fornaguera also won the 800 in last year’s opening meet, beating Sotelo, but pulled up lame in the 800 at the championship meet.
Cambridge has hopes in both boys and girls 100-meter dashes. Its colors will be carried by soccer star Junior Sanchez in the boys, and senior Moira Vaca in the girls. Sanchez will be competing for the first time, and may also run in a distance event. Vaca finished sixth last year in the 100-meter dash, just half a second behind the winner.
Cambridge will not have Andrea Saba this year. Saba, who graduated in November, decisively won shot put and discus last year.

Track and Field Records Posted

Fastest, farthest, highest
League "records" are work in progress
To give athletes something to shoot at Friday and Saturday, the SCISL News has posted a compilation of the fastest times, longest throws and highest jumps on record in league events. (See "Track and Field Records" at right.)
The posting is also meant to be an invitation to anyone who thinks they know of a better performance to come forward with evidence.
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STRIDE FOR STRIDE -- Griffin Martin Fernandez duels Eagle Ben Cooper in last year's championship 800. Fernandez won, setting league record. Jonatan Muñoz, International

The league's own records for track and field are far from complete, with only the results of one meet known from 2006, and just a smattering of times and distances available from 2005. Also, the names of the athletes are sometimes either garbled or indecipherable. In the case of one record-setting relay team only the first names are on the results sheet.
The record list will be updated during the year as new records are set, or as evidence of better performances in the past is discovered. If you see a mistake or omission, please write David Boldt at boldt27@gmail.com.

Girls Varsity Basketball

Christian Learning 25, Cooperative 23
Eagles edge Jaguars in overtime
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
Once again, the Christian Learning girls varsity basketball team defeated the Jaguars, but this time in a much closer game.
Both teams started out well on offense Thursday afternoon, this time in a game played at the Eagles' gym. The Eagles got a slight lead as the half ended 11-10. But, in a way, the halftime score was ominous. Christial Learning had led 11-2 in the first game the teams played, and had then been able to coast to victory despite a modest Jaguar rally in the second half, eventually winning 22-15.
In the third quarter the game got very tense for large crowd of Christian Learning fans as the the Jaguars pulled ahead to a five-point lead. But at the start of the fourth quarter, the Eagles cut the Jaguars' lead down to two oor three points.
The most exciting part of the game was the final minute where the Jaguars were ahead by three. A free throw by Sabrina Hallock brought the Eagles within two, but there was now less than a minute left and two points to go. And the Jaguars had the ball, which they were able to bring down court.
However,a Jaguar pass went out of bounds and the Eagles were allotted one last chance. With five second left the ball was passed to the capable hands of Eagle Anne Marie Hawthorne. She launched a shot that hit the rim, bounced high, and then, as the crowd went wild, dropped through the hoop, making the score 21-21 as the buzzer sounded.
The spirits of the Eagle partisans continued to soar in the overtime, as the Eagles scored four points to the Jaguars two. However, there would be another scary ending. As in the junior varsity girls game between the same two schools Tuesday, a foul was called on Christian Learning in the closing seconds, and a Jaguar player had a chance to tie the game after time had expired.
Happily for the Eagle adherents, and sadly for the Jaguar fans, she missed both shots
The Lady Eagles have now won their third victory of the season without a defeat, and appear to be in the driver's seat as the season goes into its second half following the Easter break. Still, anything could happen. Christian Learning has not yet faced Cambridge, the defending champions, and has another game with International, which has demonstrated that it can play the role of a spoiler.
But Cooperative will not get another shot at Christian Learning until the playoffs.
Eagle Sabrina Hallock led all scorers with 14 points. Hawthorne had seven in total. Roxy Jien and Kaylyn Lampen had two points each.
For Cooperative, Cecelia Aponte had seven points, and Carla Limpias six, followeed by Ana Paola Peredo with 4, Sofia Sotelo 3, Hailey White 2, and Carolina Crespo 1.

FREE FOR ALL -- The action was fast and furious in the Griffins upset win over the Lady Knights. Jonatan Muñoz, International

International 25, Cambridge 14
Griffins shock undefeated Knights
Juan Manuel Salas
Cambridge College
The International girls varsity basketball team evened its season record at 2-2, and revenged an earlier loss this year as it defeated previously unbeaten Cambridge, 25-14, in a very intense game played in their home gym Thursday.
The Lady Knights, who had won the previous meeting between the two teams 10-7, were beaten, and beaten badly, much to their surprise.
Cambridge started well enough, and the score was 4-3 at the end of the first quarter in favor of the Knights. However, in the second quarter the Knights seemed to practically give up. Decisions by the referees that went against them seemed to dismay the Knights, who became increasingly disorganized -- seemingly oblivious to what was happening to them.
Meanwhile, Griffin star Daniela Zelada, who had started the game playing very tentatively, became more assertive. Her own shots began to fall in and she showed incredible passing skills, getting the ball to teammates Stephanie Giotto and Melissa Roca. The Griffins scored 12 points in the quarter, one of the highest quarterly outputs by any team this year.
The tide swung in favor of the Griffins, and they led 15-6 at the end of the half. International continued to outplay the Knights in the second half, though by a narrower margin. The Griffins lead 19-11 at the end of the third quarter, and 25-14 at the end of the game.
The Knights were somewhat handicapped in that Lucia Candia, who normally has the task of guarding Zelada, wasn't at the game. Cambridge star Raquel Lopez had a tough afternoon, due perhaps in part to a stomach problem, and scored only three points.
Zelada led all scorers with 10 points. Melissa Roca added seven for the Griffins, Stephanie Gioto 4, and Natalia Suarez 2.There was a dispute over the individual scoring totals for the Knights that has not yet been resolved. Besides Lopez, it is believed that Karen Aliaga, Maira Lino, Mariana Escaño, Vania Rueda, and Camila Johnson scored points.

Boys Varsity Basketball

Christian Learning 41, Cooperative 19
Eagles walk all over Jaguars
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
The Christian Learning boys varsity basketball team played hard Thursday afternoon in their home gym, and had surprisingly little difficulty disposing of the Jaguars, 41-19.
The game was not nearly as close as the first game between these two schools, which the Eagles had won 41-39. The Jaguars only excuse was that they were still without the services of senior Pablo Taborga, who led all scorers with 21 points when the two teams clashed the first time. Taborga has now missed two consecutive games with an injured ankle.
However, the Jaguars had three big players on the floor who have shown they are capable of scoring in double figures, yet could barely make the Eagles break a sweat.
The Eagles moved out to a 11-0 lead before the Jaguars finally sank two free throws. The Christian Learning lead lead continued to expand, and the Eagles finished the first half ahead 26-8.
The Eagles focused a lot on defense in the second half, though they kept up their scoring as well. The Jaguars began to make more of an effort, but they could not come close to overcoming the early lead accumulated by the Eagles.
With only seconds remaining the score was 41-16, but just before the final buzzer a Jaguar player shot a three-point shot, making the score a mildly more respectable 41-19. The Jaguar effort fell far short of preventing the Eagles from stretching their undefeated string to three straight.
But there could be more excitement to come when action resumes later this month. Due to a scheduling quirk Cambridge and Christian Learning, who played in last year's championship game -- who always have played each other in the championship game -- do not play until the second half of the season, when they will play each other twice in the final three weeks.
Individual scoring statistics for the Jaguars to come.

Cambridge 42, International 39
Knights escape vengeful Griffins
By Anna Saavedra Banzer
Cambridge College
Something went wrong with the Cambridge varsity boys basketball team's plan to pick up their third straight win with an easy victory over winless International, and in the process chivalrously avenge the untimely defeat of the Lady Knights earlier in the afternoon.
The Knights ended up having to fight for their lives to salvage a 42-39 win.
There was an early indication that this game would be different from the first game between the two teams, when Cambridge routed International 8-7 after having led 30-0 at the half. Griffin guard David Huang put International out front 2-0 by scoring the first points of the game.
It was 12-6 in favor of International at the end of the first quarter, with Cambridge's seventh grade phenom Jose Ribera scoring a three pointer at the end of the period to keep the score even that close.
The Knights were now fully aware that this was not going to be the easy win they might have expected, and increased their efforts, tallying 19 points in the second quarter, but International stayed on the pace with 16, and continued to lead at the half, 28-25.
The gym was full of nervous excitement as the second half began, as a major upset appeared to be in the making. Both teams had cooled off, however, and the scoring pace slowed. Cambridge gradually tightened the score, and at the end of the third quarter the score was knotted, 33-33.
The two teams, tiring like boxers in the last rounds of a fight, battled each other basket for basket through the final quarter, and with 38 seconds left Cambridge led by one field goal, 41-39. Both teams scrambled for the ball in the tumultuous final seconds, with several fouls being called. A technical foul against Cambridge gave International four shots in the final minute, but all four were missed. The only scoring was one free throw that Cambridge made to give the Knights their final three-point margin of victory.
Benjamin Ezpeleta was Cambridge's top scorer, with 16 points, followed closely by Juan Manuel Salas with 13. Ribera ended up with nine points, all on three-pointers, and Zhau Fua Zhou Zeng had four.
Huang of International was the leading scorer for International, knocking in 19 points, his high for the year. Ernando Tesch and Mario Rohrman each added six, Martin Gonzales 4, Christopher Saltzieder 2, and Alex Roempler 2. Rohrman's rebounding was outstanding. This story includes information from coaches' reports.

JV Girls Basketball

Halftime score: 5-5
Knights subdue upset-minded Griffins, 16-8
The winless International girls junior varsity basketball team battled Cambridge point for point until the middle of the third period, but the little Lady Knights pulled away at the end to win 16-8.
The game started slowly. The score was 1-1 at the end of the first quarter, and 5-5 at the end of the half, as neither team had much luck putting the ball in the basket. Things stayed close in the third quarter, though Cambridge was able to take the lead, 9-7.
In the fourth period Cambridge's Lucia Candia asserted herself, scoring five of the seven points Cambridge tallied in that quarter.
Candia had a total of nine points in the game. Natalia Johnson added five, and Lisa Delboy had 2. Cambridge had only five players at the game, and benefited from competent performances by fifth graders Patricia Zhou and Amaya Yañez.
For International, Gabriela Garcia had four points, Dimitria Witteveen had two, while Diana Salman and Andrea Barron had one point each.

And it could have been closer!
Eagles wreak vengeance, beat Jags 20-19
The usual large crowd at the Christian Learning gym had to hold its collective breath at the end while a Cooperative player missed two free throws after time had run out, but then could celebrate the Eagles hard-fought victory over the previously undefeated Jaguars.
The Eaglettes seemed much better prepared than during the first meeting between the two teams, which Cooperative had won in convincing style, 22-15. Eagle coach Bob Friesen had two players, Catherine Newman and Jessica Smith assigned to try to shut down the Jaguars high scorer, Ana Paula Peredo, and they held Peredo to four points, none of them in the second half. Friesen said the improved play of Mariella Salinas was a key factor in the victory.
Jaguar coach Misty Skidmore shrugged and and turned her palms upward after the loss. "What can I say?," she said. "They were the better team today. We just couldn't get any shots off." She declined to complain about the fact that several of her players have been moved up to the varsity. "We have to learn to win on this basis," she said. And she had praise for the play of Hailey White and Audrey Saucedo in the losing cause.
Cooperative got out to an 8-4 lead in the first period, but by halftime the score was knotted at 12-12. The stalemate continued through the third quarter, which ended 16-16. Two baskets by Talley Friesen in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles the 20 points they needed to win, while the Jaguars could only come up with a field goal by White and a free throw by Saucedo in the concluding stanza, thereby falling a point short.
Friesen led the Eagle scorers with ten points in total, followed by Salinas with six. Jesse Kennedy and Rachel Moss had a field goal each.
For Cooperative, White had 10 points and Peredo, as mentioned, had four. Luciana Adriazola and Giovanna Varalta each had a basket, and Saucedo had one point.

JV Boys Basketball

Cooperative 25, Christian Learning 13
Jaguars snap Eagles' long winning streak
The Cooperative boys junior varsity basketball team jumped off to an early lead and was never headed as it defeated Christian Learning 25-13 at the Eagles gym Tuesday.
The win ended the longest winning streak in league history. It is believed to be the first time since junior varsity competition started three years ago that Christian Learning has lost a JV boys basketball game.
The young Eagles had won two games this year, including a victory over the Jaguars, 22-16.
Several factors contibuted to the turnabout.
To begin with, the Jaguars fielded a stronger team than they had in the first game, adding two big players -- Andres Shin and Nicolas Suarez -- who had not been available for the first game. Shin is the team's top scorer, and both players contributed to the Jaguars' aggressive defense.
Beyond that, Christian Learning was flat, lacking the intensity and focus they had shown in the first game. Although they were the home team, they played as if they were in unfamilar surroundings, launching one bad shot after another. Even shots from right under the basket would not drop for them.
The Jaguars led 12-2 at the end of the first quarter, at which point both teams seemed to go cold, scoring a total of only three points in the second quarter, bringing the score at halftime to 13-4.
"We outscored them two to one" in that quarter, one Eagle fan noted hopefully as the half ended. That trend did not continue, however. Cooperative added 12 points in the third quarter, while the Eagles could manage only four more points. The Jaguars didn't score after that, but they didn't need to.
Cooperative spread its scoring around, getting eight points from Shin, seven from Suarez, four each from Milan Marinkovic and Samuel Melgar, and two from Jonathan Pauker.
Christian Learning got seven points from Pablo Oh, three from Andre Larsen, two from Kenny Krestan, and one from Nicolas Smith.

Cambridge's Ribera hits 49
Griffins finally score, but Knights win 61-4
Led by 49 points from seventh grade phenom Jose Ribera, the Cambridge boys junior varsity basketball team had little difficulty defeating International 61-4 in a game played at the Griffins' gym Tuesday.
Ribera's total is believed to be the highest point total ever amassed in league history by one player in a single game -- boy or girl, varsity or junior varsity.
Almost as remarkable, however, was the single basket made by Griffin seventh grader Ryotaro Saito near the beginning of the fourth quarter. Prior to that the Griffin JV boys team had gone for three games and three quarters without scoring a basket.
Later, Javier Garcia, a sixth grader, would score a second basket, thereby doubling the Griffins' scoring output for the year.
Cambridge, however, had the game well in hand at that point. The Knights had led 34 to 0 at the half.
Ribera, of course, led all scorers. His point total included two three pointers. International tried hard to stop him, and he was frequently fouled while making his way to the hoop, enabling him to pick up three points on free throws.
In addition, Cambridge got seven points from Gustavo Denis, four from Nicolas Dagnoni, and one from David Li Tan.

Boys Varsity Basketball

Cambridge 40, Cooperative 33
Salas runs amok as Knights beat Jaguars
Led by junior Juan Manuel Salas' 23-point performance, the Cambridge College boys varsity basketball team defeated an undermanned Cooperative School team 40-33 Thursday in the Jaguars's gym.
Considering that Cooperative was without the services of three starters -- Pablo Taborga, Daniel Linggi, and Diego Morales -- the Jaguars put on a creditable performance. Indeed, if the second quarter is taken out of the equation the Jaguars outscored the Knights, and actually led 10-9 at the close of the first quarter.
However, it was in that quarter that the game was decided. The Knights scored 17 points in the second quarter, 13 of them by Salas, while holding Cooperative to one point. And it ought to be said that Cambridge left the impression in that quarter that it is the kind of team that, within certain limits, can score as many points as it feels it needs.
Salas' performance was sufficiently amazing that it bears some further comment. What was perhaps most remarkable was the variety of ways in which he could hurt the opposition. He concluded the scoring in the first period, and initiated the scoring in the second period with a matched set of swished three-pointers, one from each corner. He also scored by driving the baseline and throwing in a long-range lay-up from six meters out (and getting fouled in the process).
But his most noteworthy efforts were drives from the top of the key in which he took off like a wild stallion, seeming to be a six-foot high body composed entirely of elbows and knees, and becoming a kind of human band saw before throwing the ball into the net from the most outlandish and seemingly awkward angles.
It was the kind of performance that induces even writers who should know better to wildly mix metaphors.
Salas was far from being a one-man band, however. Cambridge is a flashy team with a number of artful dribblers, intrepid passers, and quick-fingered defenders that is extremely formidable when it is clicking.
The Knights got nine points from Benjamin Ezpeleta, whose style of play is somewhat more elegant than Salas', and who got to sit out much of the second half as Cambridge substituted freely.
Seventh grade phenom Jose Rivera dropped in a three-pointer, and senior Zhau Fua Zhou Zeng got three points on a nifty lay-up and concomitant free throw. Senior Yosep Song also had a field goal.
For Cooperative 9th grader Juan Abuawad stepped up ably into his starting role, and banged in 13 points to lead all Jaguar scorers. Juan Peredo had 8, Cristobal Roda 5, Estaban Gomez 4, and Esteban Espinoza 3. Peredo, Roda and Gomez are seniors.

Eagles 48, Griffins 26
Christian Learning breezes by International
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
The Christian Learning boys varsity basketball team boys cruised to their second victory of the season against no losses, winning 45-21 over International in a game played in their home gym Thursday.
The Eagles started out well, moving out to a 10-0 lead. International only scored three points in the first quarter, which ended 11-3.
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TOUGH SHOT -- Griffin Martin Gonzales tries to get a jump shot over Eagle David Lotz. Jonatan Muñoz, International

The International boys rallied to score 15 points in the second quarter, and cut the Christian Learning lead to 25-18 at the half. At that point it seemed as though the Griffins could come on to tie it up, and possibly get the lead before the end of the game.
The Eagles' tough defense and quick offense did not let this happen, however, as they scored another 14 points in the third quarter and held the Griffins to only two. The Eagles added another three points to their lead in the last quarter.
Josh Mann was the top scorer for the Eagles with 12 points, followed by Paul Estes and Jeff Stabler who had nine points each. Team captain Tim Swope talled 8, and his slightly younger brother, Kyle Swope, added 4. Danny Canaviri, David Lotz and Jordan Newman scored two points each.
For International, Martin Gonzales was, once again, the high scorer, with 10 points. David Huang and Ernando Tesch tallied five points apiece, Christopher Saltzieder had three and Martin Fernandez 1.

Girls Varsity Basketball

Cambridge led 9-3 at half
Knights hang on for 18-16 win over Jags
The Cambridge varsity girls basketball team got off to a big lead in the first half, but then was just barely able to fend off a resurgent Cooperative team and win 18-16 in a game played Thursday in the Jaguar gym.
Cooperative, which is now 0-3, has been plagued by an inability to score in the first half. It trailed Cambridge 9-3 at halftime, much as it had been behind Christian Learning 12-2 at the break.
The Jaguars came back in the third period, outscoring Cambridge 8-4 and cutting the Knights lead to a single basket, 13-11.
Cooperative tied the score 13-all at the outset of the fourth quarter. Cambridge star Raquel Lopez gave Cambridge back the lead, but hurt her ankle and had to be helped off the court. Things looked grim for the Lady Knights.
However, Cambridge steadied at that point, stepped up their defense, and got a clutch field goal from Maira Lino, followed by a brave free throw from eighth grader Lucia Candia to secure the victory. All Cooperative could muster in the final minutes was a free throw of its own by eighth grader Sofia Sotelo.
Lopez of Cambridge led all scorers with 7 points. Lino added 5 to the Knights total. Karen Aliaga and Stephany Quiroga had two points each. Candia and Marian Escaño each had a single point.
Carla Limpias led Cooperative with seven points, Cecelia Aponte had 5, while Carolina Crespo, Mariana Perez, Ana Peredo, and Haily Wite had a single point each.
Cambridge was playing without its coach, Victor Coronado, who was serving out a suspension after being ejected from Tuesday's junior varsity girls game for a double technical foul.

Score was 12-10 at half
Eagles overcome stubborn Griffins, 33-18
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
The Christian Learning girls varsity basketball team played well in winning their second game of the season, defeating International 33-18 Thursday in their home gym.
Both teams started out well, and the scored was tied 6-6 at the end of the first quarter. International scored early in the second quarter to get ahead, but the Eagles came right back and were leading 12-10 at the half.

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LOOKING FOR AN OPENING -- Eagle Tabitha Malloy looks for a way to thread a a shot past the hands of Stephanie Gioto (left) and Matilde Vasquez. Jonatan Muñoz, International

A foul right before the buzzer gave two free throws to International which could have tied the game, but they missed both. Four shooting was not a strong point for either team.
The second half was much more aggressive, and each team scored four points in the third quarter.
During the fourth quarter, the Eagles fought hard to gain a lead, and they were ahead by 25-15 halfway through the final quarter.
They kept up their momentum through the rest of the game, scoring eight more points while limiting International to three additional points. International might have scored many more points except that many close shots bounced off the rim.
Griffin star Daniela Zelada led all scorers with 16 points. Carla Calvo added two to complete International's scoring.
Seven different players scored for the Lady Eagles, led by Sabrina Hallock with 12. Tabitha Malloy and Anne Marie Hawthorne had six points apiece, while Jennifer Lau had three. Ruth Nyquist, Tabitha Malloy, and Roxy Jien had a field goal each.

JV Girls Basketball

Lady Jaguars easily outpace Knights, 25-5
The Cooperative School girls junior varsity basketball team quickly took command in its game against the little Lady Knights, leading 15-5 at halftime, then totally shut Cambridge down in the second half to engineer a 25-5 victory on their home court Tuesday.
The Jaguar defense became so agile and aggressive in the second half that Cambridge seemed fortunate if it completed an inbounds pass. Meanwhile, the Jaguars were able to move the ball down the court and find an open player to take a shot almost at will thanks in lartge part to the artful dribbling and passing of Giovanna Varalta and Audrey Salcedo.
Two factors kept the Jaguars from running up an even higher score.
One factor was exceedingly poor shooting by the Jaguars. On frequent occasions they got several shots in a row on the Cambridge basket -- and missed them all, even those taken at close range. The little Jauguars have lost much of their offensive firepower because of a decision to permanently promote of several of its Eighth Grade Wonderwomen who had been playing varsity and junior varsity games to the more beleagured Jaguar varsity.
Another factor was the decision by Cambridge to station Lisa Delboy under their basket at all times. This meant Cambridge was playing with only four players on offense. But Delboy, an intrepid defender who was also goalie on the Cambridge JV soccer team, was able to thwart a number of Jaguar scoring attempts.
The most successful Jaguar on offense was Hailey White, who tallied 11 points. Carla Limpias had 8, Varalta and Luciana Adriazola had four points each.
For Cambridge, Lucia Candia had three points, and Amaya Yañez two.



NOT SO FAST -- Eagle Jessica Smith prepares to shoot. Griffins Ingrid Saito (2) and Laura Gioto (3) prepare to stop her. Jonatan Muñoz, International

Lady Eagles conquer Griffins, 22-5
The Christian Learning girls junior varsity basketball team moved out to a 16-0 lead at halftime over International en route of a 22-5 on its home court Tuesday.
The Griffins played the Eagles almost even in the second half, as both tams substituted freely.
For the Eagles, Talley Friesen and Abigail Phillips each scored six points. Jesse Kennedy and Jenny Zimmerman had four points each. Catherine Newman and Mariela Salinas both had two points.
For the Griffins, Laura Gioto had three points and Dimitria Witteveen had two.

JV Boys Basketball

Eagles win easily against Griffins, 49-0
The Christian Learning junior varsity boys basketball team coasted to an easy win, 49-0, against winless and still scoreless International in a game at Christian Learning Tuesday.
The Eagles unleashed a balanced scoring deluge against the undersized Griffins in which nine different players scored baskets. Pablo Oh, Nicolas Smith, Kenny Krestan, and Andre Larsen all had eight points. Damon Janzen had six, all scored late in the game.
The other players scoring were Trevor Reed and Calen Hwangbo, who both had four points; Jose Mercado and Haziel Martinez had two points each.
The score at halftime was 34-0.

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GOING FOR TWO -- Eagle Pablo Oh takes the ball to the bucket past Griffin defender San Jun Cho. Jonatan Muñoz, International


Jaguars are victorious over Knights, 35-21
The Cooperative junior varsity boys basketball team overcame early resistance by Cambridge, and went on to win 35-21 in a game played in the Jaguar gym Tuesday.
The Jaguars led only by a single point, 7-6, at the end of the first quarter. However, as the game progressed the Jaguars were able to bring to bear their advantage is size -- 4 out of five of the Jaguar starters were a head taller than he Knights guarding them, and the fifth match-up was even -- together with their more diversified attackto open an 18-11 lead by halftime, and they were not challenged in the second half.
Cambridge was almost totally dependent on its 7th grade phenomenon, Jose Ribera, who accounted for all 21 of the Knights' points. What is perhaps more remarkable about his performance was that Ribera appeared to be having a bad day. Both he and Cambridge's other offensive threat, Antonio Salvatierra, had trouble getting their shots to drop.
Often the ball hovered on the rim, then fell outward, rather than inward. Rivero failed to hit a three-pointer for the first time this year, though he tried several times. He has played in both varsity and junior varsity games.
And while no single Jaguar defender could stay with him on his slashing, sudden stop-and-go rushes toward the basket, the Jaguar zone defense capably collapsed on him most of the time before he could get all the way to the basket. Salvatierra and several other Knights incluidng 6th grader Andres Hurtado tried gamely to open a "second front" for the Cambridge offense, but ultimately without success.
Cooperative, meanwhile, was showing improved ball handling skills, working the ball around and opening opportunities for several different players to score. By the end several different Jaguars had scored, including several of the substitutes who came in toward the end of the game, and kept up the pressure on Cambridge at both ends of the court.
Andre Shin was the top Jaguar scorer, with 12 points. Milan Marinkovic had 8. Newcomer Nicolas Suarez scored seven points, including a three-pointer, and was a major physical presence on the court. Jonathan Pauker and Jorge Correa had four points each, while Ñuis Peredo and Tomas Prudencio each had a basket.

Track Meet Rescheduled

Track season pushed back a month
The Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League executive committee decided Monday to reschedule the track meet postponed last week until April 24-25, just after the basketball varsity finals.
The effect of the scheduling change is basically to push back the track season, hopefully until after the rainy season is over. The meet that was postponed was to be the first of two track meets. It will now be the second. It is hoped that the track meet scheduled for March 28-29 will go forward as planned, and become the first meet of the season. (Are you following all this, readers?)
The points from the two meets will be totaled to determine where each school finishes. The order of finish in the first meet determines lane assignments for the second meet. In terms of individual achievements, the winners of the second meet will receive medals as league champions.
The April meet will be run after school on a Thursday and Friday afternoon, rather than a Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, as has been the case in the past, and as is the case with the March meet. Still to be determined is the question of which day the running events and field events will be run at the April meet. This will depend on the availability of Tahuichi Stadium.