LJCD Girls Win 'Battle of the Best' with San Diego

The La Jolla Country Day girls basketball team has always been ready for prime time.

So it came as little surprise that the Torreys would be ready to take center stage Monday at the first San Diego Hall of Champions Girls Showcase at Golden Gym on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University.

With Maya Hood scoring 15 points and hauling down 12 rebounds and Kelsey Plum tossing in 23 points, La Jolla Country Day, the defending Division IV section champion, outlasted San Diego High, the defending Division I champs, 52-44.

Monday’s battle between the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked girls teams in San Diego County tipped off prior to the start of the second annual San Diego Elite Eight Boys Showcase, but it was hardly a prelim on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Tia Dixon, who scored 21 points for San Diego, hit four straight rainbow threes, bringing the Cavers to within one point at 32-31 heading into the final quarter.

However, with Maya Hood and her sister Malina Hood controlling the backboards, Plum scored 10 straight points at the start of the fourth quarter and set up Maya Hood with a nifty lay-up as LJCD took control of the game at 46-35.

The Torreys are 15-3 overall and 6-3 in the Coastal South while the Cavers are 12-5 and 6-1 in the Eastern League.

“This was a great win for us,” said LJCD coach Terri Bamford. “No. 1 and No. 2 in the city, a great matchup, a big stage and I think both teams struggled making baskets at the beginning, but I think our kids did a real good job executing in that fourth quarter.

“Our kids have been on the big stage and in tough games before,” said Bamford. “I think that they maintained their composure and went back to things that make us successful, and that is executing and taking the right shot for our team.”

San Diego coach Lonnie Jones agreed.

“Country is a very good team, a very disciplined team,” said Jones. “They got us. When you’ve got discipline and kids who stay together for the entire year and in tournaments in the off-season, it really showed.

“They were very relaxed on our runs,” Jones added. “They didn’t have any meltdowns. The Hood sisters and Kelsey Plum really played well.We  did accomplish one of our goals and that was shutting down their shooter (Kaylan Miller), who didn’t hit any field goals, but they had too many second-chance points.”

For Plum, this was her third game playing with a specially devised protective mask after nearly losing her four front teeth when taking an elbow to the mouth in the Torreys’ game against Dougherty Valley on Dec. 20th.

“When I found out I would be playing with a mask, I just decided to get over it,” said Plum. “I don’t worry about it. It’s all mental, but I can still see. I wear it in practice and during all contact drills, and also a mouth piece.”

 “Sometimes it’s hard to hear her,” said Maya Hood, who earned player of the game honors. “So she will make some hand signals.”

“We were excited to be playing here, and it was an honor to have them (Hall of Champions) ask us to come and play,” said Hood. “It’s exciting for our team and for girls basketball in San Diego.”

La Jolla Country Day has had a history of playing tough schedules before their league season begins.

“I schedule tough, but it is based on the fact that we have depth,” said Bamford. “We have injuries and our schedule is tougher than I want it to be but I like it tough. The kids want to be the best—and go on to play at some of the best colleges—so you have to play the best. It does prepare you for the playoffs.”

Plum noted that the La Jolla Country Day girls practice against men, including their assistant coaches, who bring along some of their friends.

“The guys are bigger, faster and stronger,” said Plum, “And when you practice against them, it definitely helps us with our decision-making and the way we play. We play fast and we play aggressive and physical, and that definitely helps.”

“There is definitely room for improvement,” said Plum “As everyone gets better individually, we come together as a better team.”

La Jolla Country Day will be back home on Friday when it faces cross-town rival The Bishop’s School at 6 p.m. The two boys’ teams meet at 7:30 p.m.|